Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Princess Pulverizer looked to the left. She looked to the right. She twiddled her thumbs. And wiggled her toes. The waiting was making her crazy. It was morning already, and Lucas and Dribble had still not arrived.

Scary thoughts were flying through the princess's brain. What if Jacob hadn't gotten her message to them? What if Jacob had gotten her message to them but they'd decided not to come? What if they had gotten lost on their way to the tower? And then there was the scariest thought of all: What was going to happen to her when the Wizard of Wurst discovered Jacob was gone? Without Dribble and Lucas to help her, it would be just her against the wizard. Princess Pulverizer didn't like those odds one bit. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" the Wizard of Wurst bellowed at her. That snapped Princess Pulverizer back to attention. "Yes. I'm listening." "Good," the wizard said. "Now, because we are outside, you have to be very careful with

the way you aim the wand. There are no walls to contain your magic." Princess Pulverizer nodded. "You see that snake?" the wizard asked, pointing to a green-and-yellow garden snake resting beneath a big apple tree. "Turn it into a cow. We need fresh milk." Princess Pulverizer walked over to the snake and pointed her wand. "Sorry about this," she whispered to him. Then, in a loud, firm voice, she chanted, "We can't drink snake poison if we want to live. So turn this snake to a bovine with fresh milk to give."

There was a flash of green smoke. When it cleared, the princess saw a long, thin vine with green and yellow leaves slithering up the side of the tower. "What have you done now?" the Wizard of Wurst asked angrily. "I just tried to turn the snake into a cow," the princess told him. "But you didn't say cow," the wizard pointed out. "You said bovine." "Which is another word for cow," Princess Pulverizer insisted. "I was being creative."

"Did I say you could be creative?" the Wizard of Wurst shouted. "You are the worst wizard's apprentice ever!" A slow grin began to form on Princess Pulverizer's lips. "What are you smiling about?" the wizard demanded angrily. "Um... nothing," Princess Pulverizer lied. Actually, the princess had good reason to smile. She had just spotted Lucas and Dribble sneaking out from the woods. Luckily, the wizard hadn't heard anyone sneaking up behind him. The Queen of Shmergermeister's ruby ring was sitting on the tip of Dribble's tail. So the dragon was walking in complete silence. And since Lucas was riding on Dribble's back, his feet weren't making any sounds, either. Princess Pulverizer was very impressed. Putting the ring on Dribble's tail was a stroke of genius. The wizard had no idea... "AAAAACHOOOOOO!"

Suddenly, Dribble let out one of his giant dragon-sized sneezes. The sneeze was so loud and powerful, it knocked the wizard to the ground with a thud. His magic wand flew out of his hand. Princess Pulverizer frowned. So much for the element of surprise. "Sorry," Dribble apologized. He wiped a dragon-sized booger from his nostril. "I have allergies." Before the wizard had a chance to get back on his feet, Princess Pulverizer leaped into action, ripping the vine from the wall and wrapping it tightly around the wizard's body, making sure his legs were bound together and his hands were tied tightly to his sides. Now, even if the wizard could somehow reach his magic wand, he wouldn't be able to aim it. "You traitor!" the Wizard of Wurst cried out. Princess Pulverizer was sick and tired of hearing the wizard's ranting and raving. She