Craggerscraw Hill and the green of the open fields beyond.
When we passed through a big trapdoor, sunlight stung my eyes and I squinted against the brightness. A strong wind blew against my face.
Not only was I right about being in the tallest tower, now we were on it. I tried not to look down or to think about where we were. Jozlyn stared at her feet, clearly as uncomfortable as I.
Wizard Ast was there and so was one of the rock birds that had flown us up the hill the day before. The frog-wizard’s long white beard whipped about in the wind. He squatted on top of a long wooden box.
“Good morning-noon, late sleepers!” Ast greeted us cheerfully. “Ready to begin your adventure, ribbit-croak?”
I almost laughed at that. Begin our adventure. What did he think we’d been doing?
“Ready and willing,” Jozlyn spoke for both of us with a curtsy. I almost said something to her but shrugged instead.
“Wonderful-excellent!” exclaimed Ast. He hopped down from the box toward us. “Listen closely-carefully then. I have important-serious instructions for you.”
Jozlyn and I knelt down to give the wizard our full attention. Anything was better than thinking about how far away the ground was.
“Now, my griffin will fly-carry you to the edge of Everleaf Woods,” the wizard explained, pointing at the bulky bird behind him.
So that’s what the rock bird was called, I thought. A griffin.
“But the griffin cannot go any farther than the forest-woods,” Ast went on. “It must keep my home-castle in view or it will lose its magic. Without magic, it cannot fly-move, ribbit-croak.”
We both nodded and Ast continued his lecture. “From the edge-perimeter of the forest, you must walk west to the swamp. But do not …” He paused and raised one hand in warning.
“Do not enter-go in the mushroom patch. If you see even one mushroom, turn around and run-flee. The mushrooms near Croneswart Swamp are poisonous, ribbit-croak. You understand?”
We nodded again. This time with more enthusiasm. How far a griffin could fly wasn’t nearly as interesting to us as poisonous mushrooms.
Jozlyn frowned and the wizard noticed right away. “Do not despair-fear, lass,” he told her excitedly. “Mighty green Ast has gifts-presents of magic to share.”
He cast a glance at the short box he’d been sitting on moments earlier. Then he looked at me. “Go on, lad, open-unlock it, ribbit-croak.”
Half of me wanted to tear open the box as if it was a gift-wrapped birthday present. The other half wanted to push it over the edge of the tower.
Magic could make griffins fly but it could also turn a town of people into frogs. Whatever was in the box could be dangerous.
I swallowed hard as I pulled off the lid. Tucked snugly inside the box were two wondrous items. The first was a slender, metal wand. It pulsed with purple light that rolled up and down its length like a wave.
The second made me forget the wand. It was a sword, a marvelous sword like I’d never seen before.
The blade of the sword was slender but strong and plenty sharp. Its hand guard was polished and made of twisting metal bars that spiraled around the leather-bound hilt like a spider web. I’d never seen anything so handsome and deadly.
“A rapier, lad,” Ast croaked from behind me. “Not as heavy as other swords, but fast, ribbit-croak. Perfect for a young man-lad.”
Jozlyn gasped from over my shoulder. I hadn’t even heard her approach. The rapier had had my full attention.
Jozlyn pointed at the glowing purple wand with a trembling finger. “Beautiful,” she whispered without actually touching her gift.
Ast cackled happily. It was a nice sound, the kind of laughter you know is with you, not at you.
“Take them, ribbit-croak,” he said between chuckles. “They are for you. Use-wield them well-wisely.”
I reached for the rapier slowly. I couldn’t believe it was for me. After all of my wishing and complaining, I finally had my own sword just like a real hero.
Drawing the graceful weapon out of the box, I stood and turned around without taking my eyes from the rapier. The height of the tower and the gusting wind didn’t bother me just then.
A feeling of nervous excitement warmed my chest. I was Josh, Official Wizard-Seeker of Tiller’s Field.
Josh, Adventuring Hero.
Josh, Sword-Bearer.
I felt stronger, braver, and older with the rapier in my hand. I could face any danger with my new blade.
“Now then,” the wizard-frog said, “let’s get you two off to Everleaf Woods and on the way-path to Croneswart Swamp, ribbit-croak.”
My good feeling faded when I remembered where we were going and why Ast had given us such fantastic gifts. Cleogha the witch was waiting for us.
23: ZIPPIN’ GRIFFIN
AST hopped over to the griffin. The great bird hadn’t moved since we’d arrived. Except for the fact that its eyes scanned the horizon back and forth without blinking, I would have thought it was asleep.
“Down,” the wizard croaked, and the bird responded by crouching low to the roof of the tower and stretching out one wing at an angle.
The tip of its wing touched the roof to create a kind of ramp up to its back. A big saddle perched there, waiting for us, along with a knapsack of food.
Jozlyn understood what we were supposed to do first. With her new purple wand in hand, she nimbly scaled the griffin’s wing and plopped herself into the saddle. She gripped a set of reins dangling from the bird’s stone beak.
“I get to steer,” she announced to me with a quick wink.
I smirked at her but didn’t say anything. Having her steer was fine. It meant that she would have to keep her eyes open during the upcoming flight. That was something I wasn’t sure I wanted to do.
I sheathed my rapier and climbed up after her.
“Wait-hold on, ribbit-croak!” Ast called urgently. “You must use-wield the wand against the witch. Speak-say the magic word griznt to make it work. Concentrate on a frog and she will be turned-changed into one. That will break-counter her spell over the rest of us, ribbit-croak.”
Jozlyn nodded her head vigorously. “Griznt!” she shouted. “I won’t forget.”
Just in case she did, I repeated the mystical word silently. Griznt, griznt. I didn’t want to take any chances.
The griffin lurched suddenly beneath us and spread its wings.
“Good luck!” Ast croaked loudly, hopping backward to give the bird room. “And stay clear-beware of the mushroom patch!”
Then we were off. In a jerking gait, the griffin charged toward the edge of the tower. Just as we were about to plummet off the side, the bird jumped and flapped its mighty wings.
I held my breath. The griffin’s jump hadn’t gotten us very high. The edge of the tower rushed past and we fell straight down.
Jozlyn shrieked and then so did the griffin. It was a piercing cry and not very reassuring. The bird’s whole body trembled with the sound.
I couldn’t shriek myself but I wanted to. My stomach was in my throat as if it refused to fall with the rest of me.
“Griznt!” was all I managed to gasp through my clenched teeth. Maybe the griffin needed a boost of magic to get safely airborne.
At the last possible moment, the griffin turned up hard, and we skimmed safely over the summit of Craggerscraw Hill like a crane in search of fish above the waters of a lake. The ground dropped away, and we soared into the open sky above the grassy plains.
Our flight didn’t last more than a quarter of an hour, probably less. But I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.
I can’t believe I’d wanted to keep my eyes closed! This flight was nothing like being dragged by the shoulders again.
I couldn’t take in the sights fast enough. I kept swinging my head from side to side, trying to see everything at once—the approaching forest, clouds, Tiller’s Field, farmhouses, and flocks of startled birds.
If a witch ever turned me into something, I d
ecided right then that I hoped it would be a bird.
Jozlyn kept pointing and shouting “Look!” and “Over there!” I’m sure she was having as much fun as I was.
The ride ended too soon. Banking sharply to the right, the griffin spiraled down and quickly came to a gentle landing. Then it crouched again and stretched out one wing toward the ground.
Jozlyn and I reluctantly climbed out of the saddle. We hadn’t wanted the flight to end. We both knew that we might never have the opportunity to ride a griffin again.
We also knew that the dangerous part of our new adventure would begin as soon as we set foot in the forest.
I retrieved a knapsack full of food from the griffin’s saddle and then the great bird leaped into the air and soared rapidly out of sight.
We were alone again. I patted the rapier belted to my hip for reassurance and saw that Jozlyn clutched the glowing wand in her fist.
“Griznt,” I said to her, forcing a smile. My stomach was back where it belonged after the zooming flight and now it was doing somersaults.
I glanced at the woods and a shiver slithered up my back. “Let’s go,” I said quietly.
24: BIG DOUBLE TROUBLE
Everleaf Woods rose up before us like a tangled green wall. Its trees and foliage seemed thicker and even less friendly here than near the festival grounds.
Jozlyn swallowed hard and stared up at the trees. “Keep that sword handy,” she told me quietly. “And remember, pointy end goes in the troll.”
I almost smiled at Jozlyn’s joke, but then she stepped into the woods and disappeared. I hoisted the knapsack over my shoulder and hurried to catch up.
Less than twenty feet into the woods,