hoping he’d take the hint.
Fizban muttered around awhile and did a few magic
tricks that were kind of interesting, like shooting off some
white and purple stars. He asked me how I liked that one
and would I like to see some more?
I said no.
Then he got real flustered and took off his hat and
took off the dish towel from around his hurt foot and put
his hat back on, only he put it on his foot and put the dish
towel over his head.
Suddenly he said, “I’ve got it! A spell – ”
“Wait! Not yet!” I cried, jumping up and covering my
face with my hands.
“A spell that will take us right where we want to go!”
he shouted triumphantly. “Here, grab hold of my sleeve.
Hang on tight, there’s a good lad. Keep your hand out of
my pouch. Wizard-stuff in there. And some rather fine
liverwurst. Ready? Here we go!”
Well, I thought. Finally! At last!
I grabbed hold of Fizban’s sleeve and he spoke some
words that sounded like spiders crawling around inside my
head. Everything went blurry and I heard a sound like
wind blowing in my ears.
And when I opened my eyes, there we were.
Inside Huma’s Tomb.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Fizban!” I said and this time I was stern AND firm.
“Did you mean to do that?”
“Yes,” he said, twisting the dish towel in his hands
and sneaking peeks around the room. “Got us right where
I wanted. Uh, do you happen to know where that might
be? Just testing you,” he added quickly.
I’m afraid I shouted. “We’re in Huma’s Tomb!”
“Oh, dear,” he said.
Well, by this time I’d had enough. “I hate to hurt your
feelings, Fizban, but I don’t think you’re much of a wizard
and – ”
I didn’t finish that because Fizban’s eyebrows (HE still
had eyebrows) came together and got real bristly and stuck
out over his nose and he looked suddenly very fierce and
angry. I was afraid he was angry at me, but as it turned
out, he wasn’t.
“Enchantment!” he cried.
“What?” I didn’t know what we were talking about.
“Enchantment!” he said again. “We’re under an
enchantment! We’re cursed!”
“How marvelou – I m-mean, how awful,” I
stammered, seeing his fierce look grow even fiercer. “Who
. . . who would put us under an enchantment?” I asked in
very polite tones.
“Who else? The Dark Queen.” He glared at me and
stomped around the tomb. “She knows I’m after the dragon
orb and she’s trying to thwart me. I’ll fix her. I’ll . . .
(mumble, mumble, mumble).”
I put the mumbles in because I really couldn’t make
out what Fizban said he was going to do to the Dark
Queen if he ever got his hands on her. Or if I did at the
time I can’t remember now.
“Well,” I said briskly, hopping up. “Now that we
know we’re cursed and under an enchantment, let’s leave
and get on with our journey.”
Fizban bristled at me. “That’s just it, you see. We can’t
leave.”
“Can’t leave?!” My heart sank down to the hole in my
sock. “You mean . . . we’re …”
Trapped,” said Fizban gloomily. “Doomed forever to
wander in the fog and always come back here, where we
started. Huma’s Tomb.”
“Forever!”
My heart oozed right out of the hole in my sock and
ended up in my shoe. A snuffle rose up in my throat and
choked me. “I’m very glad you’re not dead anymore,
Fizban, and I’m truly quite fond of you, but I don’t want to
be trapped in a cursed enchantment in a tomb with you
forever! Why, what would Flint do without me? And
Tanis? I’m his advisor, you know. You have to get us out
of here!”
I’m afraid I went a bit wild, just because I was so tired of
being in this Tomb and of the fog and everything. I
grabbed hold of Fizban’s robes and the snuffle turned into
a whimper, then into a wail, and I lost control of myself
for a fairly good stretch of time.
Fizban patted my topknot and let me cry into his