Chapter 10

“Uh, you the wizard?” Hal said a little shaken.

“Yes, yes. I am the wizard Blair Smintery,” the wizard said with an old happy voice and a mild scottish accent, “Come out young man.”

Hal glanced over to Brandon who scurried out from behind a pillar. “Yes, sir,” he said.

“I better put this away then,” Blair said lifting up the book, as he put the last of the pastry in his mouth and got up from his throne. Hal saw how frail he was and rushed to help him. Blair held up a wrinkly hand to say ‘don’t worry’ and Hal stopped. Blair slowly walked over to a table and placed the book on top of it. Then he raised his gold tree-shaped walking stick and said, “I can do it myself! I’m only 178, how old do you think I am?”

“Younger actually,” Hal admitted. This was a very old man, but since he was a wizard it kind of made sense to Hal. Kind of.

Blair laughed again in a sort of way that sounded like a Santa Ho Ho. “So, human,” he said somewhat intimidatingly, “How did you get here?”

“With a coin in a little cloth,” Brandon said quickly, seeming quite frightened.

“Oh, good!” Blair smiled, “Well, this might seem a little demanding but, you gotta save the magical world. You gotta save our queen.”

“Now for the overload of questions,” Hal said right before Brandon started asking.

“How do I do that? Will I die? Is it dangerous? Can I go home?”

“Sheeh!” Blair said, “What’s with all the questions?”

“I warned you!” Hal said, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Well, basically, humans have a magical powers when it comes to gentoridges,” Blair said. But when he saw Hal and Brandon’s look he quickly added, “Well, not magical powers, just powers that normal Magi-Land residents can’t do.”

“That’s odd,” thought Hal to himself. Why didn’t the books tell this? Was it… secret? “Why don’t I ever read about that?” Hal asked, “Why haven’t I heard this from anyone? Does S.O.M.L. know?” Oh jeez, now he was the one to ask too many questions.

“S.O.M.L.? S.O.M.L.? (Blair laughed heartily again) No, dear me, no. They don’t care a speck much about the queen. They’re there to protect the city and Magi-Land. No one knows about that. I found out and that’s why I chance sending a coin up to the human world.” Blair cleared his throat and spoke again, “Humans can like lift up gentoridges with their mind and like, make them disappear and stuff. And-”

Blair stopped when he heard a loud smash from the hallway. “Hide!” he whisper-shouted. Hal and Brandon rand under a table with a pile of sticks in front of it.

Two green, warty rhino looking creatures that were standing on their hind legs, busted through the door from the hallway down with their large metal hammers. “We’ve been searching for years, and now we find it!” The first said triumphantly, raising his hammer into the air, “So, having a little chat?”

“Talking to myself as usual,” Blair said calmly, not making even a slight move for protection.

“It’s the N.H.E.A.” Hal whispered to Brandon, afraid.

“Shall we just get him on the spot then Grunt?” asked the second rhino creature.

“Dunno Mall,” said Grunt, raising his hammer so if he swung it forwards it would smash the cabinet.

Blair suddenly raised his hands and got wide eyed, “Wait!” he said loudly, “You can’t just attack like that!”

“Can’t we?” Grunt asked evilly, cocking his head to one side.

“No,” Blair said, suddenly a smile on his face, “You have to sign in! It’s unofficial if you don’t!” Blair motioned to a table with a paper on it and a red button. “Just write your names down and press the button,” he said. Grunt gave Mall an unsure look and then went over. Mall took a quick look around the gold palace room and then followed.

“So, I just press this button?” Mall asked slowly. Blair nodded happily. Mall pressed the red button and nothing happened.

“We’re all signed in now?” Grunt asked. Blair looked worried. Very worried, almost terrified. Hal started to worry too. Was the button supposed to do something? Why was Blair so scared?

Then, the floor under Mall and Grunt bounced up from two giant springs and they flew out the window, flying away as far as Hal could see. Blair gave an enormous sigh of relief and sank very low into his chair.