Wild Magic Read Free Page A

waist, straight and sleek as a horse’s mane. And now, in the glow of the magic pipe, Marianna could see it was flecked with gold.
    Suddenly the Piper disappeared from view. The tunnel had turned sharply to the left. Marianna heard a babble of voices. Something was happening up ahead. She gripped Greta’s hand and pushed on.
    â€œOh!”
    Marianna stopped so suddenly, the boy behind walked straight into her. But neither of them complained. The view before them was astonishing. The tunnel had opened out into something infinitely bigger. Now the ceiling was higher than a Hamelin town house. The path was three times wider. A dark stream flowed alongside. The blackness was gone. This new tunnel had its own wild, fairy glow.
    â€œFred!” cried Greta. Suddenly she was off, running to her brother.
    Marianna walked on, taking advantage of the space and the brightness to see exactly who was in the crowd. She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like every child in town. Anyone she could think of seemed to be there—except Jakob. Oh, why hadn’t she spoken up? The Piper hadn’t noticed Jakob lagging behind. He would have waited if he had known, wouldn’t he?
    Marianna felt a stab of guilt, sharp as a bee sting. She turned her attention back to the others and tried to ignore it.
    Was she the oldest in the group? No. She could see big strong lads of thirteen or fourteen. Who was the youngest? There were wide-eyed four- and five-year-olds, holding on to their older brothers and sisters. But everyone was walking. No one was being carried.
    Marianna wondered why the Piper didn’t want toddlers. Why did he want anyone? What was he planning to do?
    Marianna shivered and it wasn’t just from the cold. But looking around, she seemed to be the only one who was getting nervous. The other children were wild with excitement. They were linking arms and pointing out strange shapes in the rock: an angel with arching wings, a snake rearing its head. Then one of the boys found a bit that looked green and slimy.
    â€œ Eurgh! ” he said. “Miner’s sneeze!”
    Everyone laughed. They were all giddy with happiness. Even Greta seemed brighter. She wasn’t hugging her rag doll anymore. She was showing it the stalactites.
    The Piper led them on, back into a twisting, narrow tunnel, then down a slippery flight of steps. Marianna could hear running water, getting louder and louder—and soon she discovered why. They emerged into an immense cavern, as big as a cathedral, with not one but two waterfalls cascading down from the roof.
    Marianna’s jaw dropped. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The most magical thing she had ever seen in all her eleven years. And just when Marianna thought life could never, ever be better, the Piper made the moment even more wonderful.
    He led them between the waterfalls. First they had to walk along a thin ridge of rock—slipping and sliding, trying not to fall—then across a low wooden bridge that lay between the twin walls of water.
    Marianna paused as she crossed the bridge. Above her rose the waterfalls: thunderous torrents of water that cascaded endlessly from on high. Right beneath her feet was a deep pool. It rumbled and churned, sending up swirling clouds of mist. They hung in the air like ghosts. Trailed their phantom fingers across Marianna’s face. Soaked her clothes. Drenched her hair—but she squealed in delight. This was surely Paradise.
    When the children reached the far side of the bridge, the Piper led them up another flight of steps to a rocky platform. And there, as they all gazed at the glorious cathedral cave, Greta’s brother Fredrik said what everyone was thinking. “Well! Haven’t we got a tale to tell the folks back home!”
    Suddenly the air seemed to shatter around them, as if a diamond had been dropped. The Piper was laughing . A strange, eerie laugh that echoed off the cavern walls and fell back down like