Wizard at Large Read Free Page B

Questor's hands for a moment, then settled over Abernathy. Abernathy saw none of it, his eyes still tightly closed. Questor continued to murmur, his tone changing, growing sharper, becoming more a chant. The silver dust swirled, the light of the room seemed to brighten, and there was a sudden coldness in the air. Ben felt the G'home Gnomes shrink back behind his legs, muttering guardedly. Willow's hand closed tighter about his own.
    “Ezaratz!” Questor cried out suddenly—or something like it—and there was a brilliant flash of light that ricocheted off Ben's medallion and caused them all to flinch away.
    When they looked back again, there stood Abernathy— unchanged.
    No, wait, thought Ben, his hands are gone! He has paws!
    ‘Oh, oh,”Questor said.
    Abernathy's eyes blinked open. “Arf!” he barked. Then, in horror, “Arf, arf, arf!”
    “Questor, you've turned him completely into a dog!” Ben exclaimed in disbelief. “Do something!”
    “Drat!” the wizard muttered. “A moment, a moment!” His hands gestured, and the silver dust flew. He resumed the incantation. Abernathy had discovered paws where his hands had been. His eyes had snapped wide open and his muzzle had begun to quiver.
    “Erazaratz!” Questor cried. The light flashed, the medallion flared, and the paws disappeared. Abernathy had his hands back. “Abernathy!” the wizard exulted.
    “Wizard, when I get my hands on you… !”the scribe howled. Clearly, he had his voice back as well.
    “Stand still!” Questor ordered sharply, but Abernathy was already advancing on him, moving out of the ring of silver dust. Questor moved quickly to stop him, brushing at the dust where it formed a screen between them. The dust darted away from him as if alive and flew suddenly into his face.
    “Erazzatza!” Questor Thews sneezed suddenly.
    A well of light opened up beneath Abernathy, a cloudy brightness that seemed to fasten about the dog's legs with tiny feelers. Slowly, the light began to draw Abernathy down.
    “Help!” Abernathy cried.
    “Questor!” Ben screamed.
    He started forward and tripped over the G'home Gnomes, who had somehow edged in front of him.
    “I… I have him… High Lord!” Questor Thews gasped between sniffles. His hands tried desperately to regain control of the swirling dust.
    Abernathy's eyes had opened even wider, if that werepossible, and he was struggling to climb free of the pooled light, calling out to them frantically. Ben tried to untangle himself from the G'home Gnomes.
    “Be… calm!” Questor urged. “Be… ca… ah, ah, ah … ACHOOO!”
    He sneezed so hard, he lurched backward into Ben and the others and knocked them all sprawling. The silver dust flew out the windows into the sunlit gardens. Abernathy gave one final cry and was sucked down into the light. The light flared once and disappeared.
    Ben pushed himself up on his hands and knees and glared at Questor Thews. “Gesundheit!” he snapped.
    Questor Thews turned crimson.

“Well?” Ben demanded. “Where is he? What's happened to him?”
    Questor Thews didn't seem to have a ready answer, so Ben diverted his attention from the flustered wizard long enough to help Willow up, then turned quickly back again. He wasn't angry yet—he was still too shocked—but he was going to be very angry any second. Abernathy had disappeared just as surely as if he had never been—vanished, just like that. And, of course, Ben's medallion, the medallion that protected the kingship and his life, the medallion Questor had assured him would be perfectly safe, had vanished as well.
    He changed his mind. He wasn't going to be angry after all. He was going to be sick.
    “Questor, where is Abernathy?” he repeated.
    “Well, I… the fact of the matter is, High Lord, I… I am not entirely certain,”the wizard managed finally.
    Ben seized the front of the wizard's robes. He wasgoing to be angry after all. “Don't tell me that! You've got to get him back, damnit!”
    “High