10 ZOLTAN'S PLAN

CHAPTER 10 ZOLTAN'S PLAN Zoltan the wizard was buried up to his neck in the muck. His mustache drooped, and his blue eyes blazed with anger. "I demand you get me out of this mud right now!" he barked. Mamu and Worm landed on the sandy edge of the swamp. Kishar and Drake climbed off their dragons.

"You have broken the rules of the Dream World, Zoltan," Kishar said calmly. "You must be banished." "Can you banish him from here in the swamp?" Drake asked. "No. We will need to bring him to the Dream Gate, with your help," Kishar said. "Worm can freeze him and put him in a bubble, and we can fly straight back," Drake suggested. "Excuse me!" Zoltan interrupted in a whiny voice. "I'm right here, you know. It's rude to talk about other people when they're in front of you."

Drake and Kishar looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "It was also rude of you to steal the Dream Orb, and break through the Dream Gate," Drake pointed out. Zoltan scowled. "You know what's really rude? The Dream Dragon keeping the Dream Fountain to herself. All I want is one little sip." The wizard looked Drake in the eyes. "Free me, Drake, and you can drink from the Dream Fountain, too. Imagine! You can make any of your wildest dreams come true."

An image popped into Drake's mind, of a big, comfy house for his mom and his brothers. And a stew pot over the fire that never went empty. He quickly pushed the vision away. Zoltan is trying to trick me, Drake thought. And even if he isn't, nothing is worth letting that evil wizard make his own dangerous dreams come true.

Drake turned to Kishar. "Let's get this wizard to the gate." "Wait!" said Zoltan. "Don't you want to know why I want to drink from the fountain?" "Fine. Why do you want to drink from it?" Drake asked. "My plan involves Maldred, the greatest wizard who has ever lived!" Zoltan cried. "My wizard, Griffith, turned him into a swarm of flies and we trapped him in a bottle. Now he lies deep inside the earth with the Naga—the Earthquake Dragon," Drake said.

"I know," Zoltan snapped. "Before you stole my spell book, I planned to use it to bring him here, to the Dream World with me. But I have a new plan. In my dreams, I become Maldred. So I will use the Dream Fountain to transform into him! I will look like Maldred and have all of his strength and power! No spell could have done that!" "That's exactly why we won't let you drink from it!" Drake responded. "Maldred almost destroyed the world once." Zoltan laughed. "This time, Maldred won't fail. Because Maldred will be ME! Ha ha ha. Ha ha HA!" Kishar frowned. "What is so funny?"