12. DANGER IN DISGUISE

CHAPTER 12 DANGER IN DISGUISE Drake gasped at the sight of the bright red stone. "I've seen a stone like that before!" he cried. Rori had seen it, too. "Maldred used one to control the hydra! We need to destroy it!"

Morgan held out the red Dragon Stone. A beam of red light shot from it, aimed at Belydor. "ROAAAARRRRRRRR!" The Crystal Dragon roared as the stone's beam struck him in the forehead. Belydor's eyes glazed over red. "Excellent!" Morgan cried. "Now I finally control Belydor! The magic of the crystals is all mine. Wizards everywhere will pay me to get their hands on this magic. I will be rich and powerful beyond belief! Nobody can stop me!"

Behind Morgan, Rori tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "What?" Morgan spun around, startled. Grinning, Rori yanked the red Dragon Stone from his hands. "Drake, catch!" she yelled, tossing it to Drake. Drake caught the stone. Furious, Morgan pointed at Drake. Red energy sparked from his fingertips. Drake jumped out of the way of the magical blast. "Llew!" he cried. He tossed the stone to Llew. Then Drake landed on the ground just as Morgan's magical attack harmlessly passed over him.

Llew caught the red Dragon Stone and tossed it on the ground in front of him. Then he ran over it with his wheelchair, crushing it under the metal wheels! The red faded from Belydor's eyes. "Nooooooo!" Morgan cried. Meanwhile, Griffith had recovered from Morgan's magic blast. He jumped to his feet. Blue magic streamed from his fingertips, and a blue bubble of energy surrounded Morgan. "Griffith, are you going to send your cousin to Wizards' Council prison?" Rori asked. "Wait!" Llew pleaded. "None of this makes sense with the story. The Morgan you know would never do anything bad. Unless this wizard isn't Morgan!"

"Good thinking, my boy!" Griffith said. The magic streaming from his fingertips began to spark. "Dissimulato perdas!" The strange words boomed from the wizard. Inside the blue bubble, Morgan began to thrash. His white, curly beard disappeared. His hair became red and wavy. His eyes changed from blue to green. His mustache became shorter. His body became longer and thinner. Everyone stared at the new wizard trapped inside the blue bubble. Griffith gasped. "Gerik!" he cried.