Blat Magic: Part 3

By MICHAEL STEPHENS, Illustrator MICHAEL BUCHANAN

A wolf howled, summoning other packs from their comfortable dens. Eyes glinted with each lightning bolt, and black lips snarled back from teeth. They had scented an intruder! Well, they would soon do something about that.

When the woman heard the wolves, she tightened her grip on the sword and slowed, taking care not to stumble. Now and then she halted to whisper soothing words, and once even to hum a tune, face close to the bundle.Then she saw the eyes of a wolf, barely two trees away. She jumped to a tree root, and gazed searchingly around.

Then she stood still.Before the wolf could know where exactly she was, she had slung the bundle to her back, pushed the sword into its sheath, and was climbing, clinging to cracks in the bark.

Publisher: HarperCollins

Price: $16.95

Age group: 9-12 years