"I knew my parents were still out there!" Zann exclaimed. "They must have found World X."
"Yeah. Too bad we still don't know how to get there," Perda said.
Darb looked thoughtful. "We know World X has a blue sky.
If we peek through the wormholes and check every world with blue skies, we'll find World X eventually."
Zann smiled hopefully. "That could work!"
"There are lots of worlds with blue skies though."
Gliss glanced up at the Paxian sky.
"Yeah. Including that creepy no-magic world we got stuck in," Perda said.
"We'll be careful," Zann said. "We'll hang onto the edge of each wormhole so it can't close behind us.
If we recognize that no-magic world, we can duck back into the vortex before we're trapped."
"Like we did the second time in Fardark," Perda said with a nod. "I guess that could work."
Vee was listening carefully. "If you find Morb, will you look for our stolen mibbit?" she asked. "We're very worried about it."
"Sure," Darb said. "What do mibbits look like?"
"I'll show you." Vee closed her eyes.
Soon a small, fluffy creature hopped out of the forest.
Zing let out an excited chirp. "Not so fast," Zann said, grabbing the dragon.
"That little critter is definitely not lunch."
"It doesn't look very scary," Perda commented as the mibbit nibbled at the grass.
Vee smiled. "I know. But trust me—you don't want to panic one."
"How can we rescue the stolen one without panicking it?" Darb asked.
Vee picked up the mibbit. It snuggled into her arms.
"If the mibbit panics, you can calm it by rubbing its ears."
She demonstrated, and the mibbit let out a squeak of pleasure.
Darb was watching intently. "May I try?"
"Certainly." Vee held out the mibbit.
"Easy, little fellow," Darb cooed. He rubbed the mibbit's long ears.
Vee smiled. "The soothing effects usually last a couple of hours."
Perda looked impatient. "Let's get going. The sooner we warn someone about Morb, the better."
"Right." Zann took a step toward the lake.
"Guess it's time to get wet again."
"There's no need for that." Vee set down the mibbit, which hopped away into the forest.
"I can take you there by boat."
Minutes later Zann and his friends were back in the vortex.
"Pax was nice," Gliss said. "I wouldn't mind visiting again someday."
"Yeah." Perda laughed. "Just watch out for those scary mibbits!"
Zann was barely listening. He watched for glimpses of blue through the wormholes.
The first world they passed showed a drab green sky, and the next two skies were gray.
Then he spotted a flash of blue. "There's one!" he cried.
He was so excited that he pulled himself all the way through the wormhole, flopping on his stomach on the other side.
"Oof!" Darb grunted as he landed beside Zann.
"Hey," Perda complained, sitting up. "You were supposed to hold onto the edge, remember?"
Zann's face flushed. "Sorry," he mumbled, glancing back at the wormhole as it swirled shut. "I forgot."
"Um, guys?" Darb said. "We're not alone."
Five girls stood in a semicircle, staring at the visitors.
All of them were Zann's age or younger.
They looked almost like regular Magicians, except for their green skin and vine-like hair.
"What are they?" one of the girls whispered to the others.
Zann climbed to his feet. "Hey. What world is this?"
The girls all stared at him. "It speaks!" one of them said.
Another girl noticed Zing. "Look, a dragon!" She let out a whistle.
Zing chirped with delight and scampered over, snuggling against her leg.
Zann was surprised. Zing didn't usually warm up to strangers so quickly. Zann glanced at Darb, who shrugged.
One of the girls turned to address Gliss and Perda.
"What sort of odd creatures are you traveling with?" she asked.
"You mean Zing?" Perda said. "He's a fire whistler."
Hearing his name, Zing let out another chirp.
"Not the dragon, silly," the tallest girl said, laughing.
"We mean those creatures." She pointed at the two boys.
"Zann and Darb?" Gliss said uncertainly. "What do you mean?"
"They're so odd!" the girl said. "We've never seen anything like them!
Are they dolls, made to look almost human?"
"Or perhaps some magical apparition?" Another girl looked excited. "We've heard tales of such things!"
"We're not dolls or apparitions," Zann said.
All the girls giggled and stared. "It speaks almost as if it understands us!" one exclaimed.
Gliss shook her head. "I don't understand. They're just boys."
"Boys?" The oldest girl echoed. "Is this a species related to humans?"
"Wow, you've really never seen boys before?" Perda sounded amazed. "How can that be?"
"Never mind," Zann said. "We're wasting time."
He glanced at the spot where the wormhole had been. "Is there magic in this world?"
The girls stared at him in wonder, not responding. Perda repeated Zann's question.
"Of course there's magic here," one of the girls told her.
Next Zann asked about Wyssa and Morb.
Once again the girls merely stared. But when Gliss repeated the question, the girls shook their heads.
"You're the first visitors in many moons," one said.
"Okay." Zann was already tired of the strange girls. "Then let's get going."
"Did you hear what it said?" a girl exclaimed.
"Yes. I'll fix it." The oldest girl let out a puff of air toward Zann and Darb.
Suddenly the two boys were completely immobilized!
"Hey!" Zann cried—or tried to anyway. He could barely move his lips.
"What did you do to them?" Perda demanded.
The girls giggled. "They're fine," one said.
"Yes," another said. "We don't want them to run off just yet, that's all.
First we must show them to Mother!"