Ch5-The Norns

CHAPTER FIVE The Norns. Teddy slammed the door against the wolves. Jack caught his breath. "Welcome!" the three Norns said in unison. They all looked exactly alike, except they wore gowns of different colors—blue, brown, and gray. "How are you, Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Kathleen?" said the blue Norn.

"We're good now," said Annie. Jack was amazed that the Norns knew all their names. Despite their strange appearance, their friendly smiles and twinkling eyes put him at ease. In their cozy house, he began to feel warm for the first time since they had left home. "Was your journey pleasant?" asked the brown Norn. "Yes. We came in the Ice Wizard's sleigh," said Annie. "With the help of a wind-string," said Teddy. Jack held up the string to show them. The gray Norn cackled. "Yes, we know! I like a string with knots," she said.

"A string without knots would be a boring string indeed!" said the blue Norn. "A life without knots would be a boring life indeed!" chimed in the brown Norn. As they spoke, the Norns kept weaving. Their bulging eyes never blinked. Jack sensed that they never closed their eyes—or stopped their work. "Sorry to bother you," said Annie. "But Jack and I need the eye of the Ice Wizard of Winter so we can save our friends Merlin and Morgan." "We know," said the blue Norn. "We are weaving the story of the Ice Wizard now. Come look." Jack moved with the others to the loom. Dozens of tiny pictures were woven into the tapestry. The

threads were all wintry colors—blues, grays, and browns. "The pictures tell the story of the wizard's life," explained the brown Norn. One picture showed two children playing together. Another showed a boy running after a swan. Another showed two white wolves—and another showed an eye in a circle. "What's the story of the eye?" Jack asked. "Long ago, the Ice Wizard came to us seeking all the wisdom of the world," said the gray Norn. "We said we would give him wisdom if he gave us one of his eyes. He agreed to the bargain." "The wizard doesn't seem very wise," said Annie.

"Indeed he is not," said the brown Norn. "We planted the seeds of wisdom in his heart, but they never grew." "Why did you want his eye?" asked Jack. "We wished to give it to the Frost Giant," said the blue Norn. "The Frost Giant?" said Teddy. "Who is the Frost Giant?"

"He is neither magician nor mortal," said the blue Norn. "He is a blind force of nature that spares nothing in his path." "We hoped the Frost Giant would use the wizard's eye to see the beauty of the world, so he might choose to care for it rather than destroy it," said the brown Norn. "But alas, the Frost Giant