Gliss' eyes filled with tears. "Please don't hurt my friends," she whimpered.
"I didn't tell you talk to me," Morb snarled. "Talk to them. Or would you rather get this over with quickly?"
Gliss looked at Darb, Zann, and Perda. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she stood straight up. "Yes, I want to say something."
"Fine. Hurry up," Morb said, turning away to fiddle with his contraption.
"I just want to say you've been the best friends ever," Gliss said loudly. "It's been fun going on adventures with you and stuff. Perda, you're the bravest person I know, and probably the smartest too. Although Zann is awfully smart too. He always seems to figure things out. And Darb, well, you probably know how special I think you are." Her voice softened for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and continued talking, describing all the adventures they'd had over the past few months.
Zann stared at her, astonished. What had come over her? Gliss never talked this much!
Even Morb seemed surprised. He turned away from the contraption to gaze at Gliss with his mouth hanging open.
"What's wrong with her?" Perda muttered in Zann's ear.
Before he could answer, he spotted sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. A rope flew out of the rocks at the base of the Seeing Stone. It looped over Gliss and yanked her off her feet and right over the edge of the plateau!
A nomad popped into view. "Catch her!" she shouted.
Several other nomads jumped out and broke Gliss' fall. They quickly untied her. Now Zann knew why Gliss had started babbling. She saw the nomads sneaking up on the group; she was distracting Morb!
Morb roared with fury.
"Give her back!" Morb shouted. He rubbed his hands together.
More nomads appeared behind him. They threw rocks and branches at the contraption, which was now unprotected by any kind of Shield spell.
Morb spun around. "No!" he cried. He conjured a new Shield spell. At the same time, the glowing green shield in front of Zann and his friends blinked off.
A couple of nomads helped Gliss up onto a hoof beast. More hoof beasts appeared, wild-eyed and terrified. But they stopped long enough for Zann and the others to fling themselves onto their backs.
"Stop!" Morb cried.
Zann bent low over his animal's neck as he felt magic energy zinging around him. The entire group was already galloping off in a cloud of dust.
* * *
Zann watched several nomads pack tools and clothing into a sack. "Thank you again for all your help," he said. "I hope the rest of the search party returns soon."
"We hope so too." A nomad shot a worried look toward the mouth of the cave.
The kids and their rescuers had been hiding in a cave since escaping from Morb about an hour earlier. Most of the other nomads had now returned. Only a few were still missing.
"Are you really moving on so soon?" Darb asked.
The nomads all nodded. "It's what we do," one said.
"Besides," another added, "we want to get as deep into the Far Frontier as we can before . . ." Her voice trailed off, and she exchanged a look with some other nomads.
"You want to stay far from whatever is going to happen," Zann finished for her. "We understand."
A nomad stepped over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You could come with us," he said. "Trust me, we know how to remain hidden."
Zann glanced at his friends. Gliss was huddled beside Darb, still looking relieved to be free.
"We can't," she said, her voice shaking a little. "We have to try to stop Morb."
"Yes," Zann said, while Perda and Darb nodded. "I don't know what sort of horror Morb is planning for Magica. But we have to get back to First City and warn everyone."
"Right," Perda said. "But how will we get back without Wyssa?"
"What?" a voice rang out from the cave entrance. "You're planning to leave me behind? Ungrateful brats!"
"Wyssa!" Perda cried as the old woman strode in.
"Wait," Zann said, his eyes narrowing. "Is it really Wyssa this time? What if . . .?"
He didn't bother to go on, but now everyone looked suspicious.
"Morb told us you were dead," Darb said.
Wyssa rolled her eyes. "It would take more than a sand beast to take me out," she snapped. "Obviously Morb didn't do his research. Everyone knows sand beasts can be tamed if you tickle them in just the right spot on the lips."
Zann felt uncertain. This person certainly sounded like Wyssa. But Morb had already tricked them twice.
Just then several nomads burst in. The others greeted them with relief.
"Now we are all here!" one cried. "We can depart."
One of the newcomers nodded. "We found your friend," he told the kids, gesturing toward Wyssa. "Although I imagine she would have found you on her own."
"Yes," another newcomer said with a laugh. "Anyone who can tame a sand beast can surely do anything!"
That made Zann relax a little. Perda elbowed him. "Look at her ring," she whispered. "That's the ring that Wyssa always wears!"
Perda was right. The glowing stone peeked out from Wyssa's gnarled hand.
Zann grinned, feeling reassured. "It must be the real Wyssa."
"Thanks for everything," Wyssa told the nomads. She pulled some dragon scales out of one pocket and her small contraption out of another. "We have to go."
She sprinkled the scales over the contraption. Suddenly Zann and his friends were hurtling back toward First City.