The Otherworld was completely different from the dark, cold world Jack and Annie had just left behind.
They were standing at the edge of a pale green meadow. The meadow was bathed in warm, rosy sunlight. Three horses—one black, one brown, one gray—were grazing nearby. On a hillside beyond the meadow, red and purple flowers sparkled like bright buttons.
“It’s so nice here,” said Annie.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “Maybe we won’t need this anymore.” He pulled the hood of the cloak off their heads. He was relieved to see Annie’s face—and to see himself!
“What was the first rhyme again?” asked Annie.
Jack took out his notebook. He found the first rhyme and read aloud:
“Beyond the iron gate
The Keepers of the Cauldron wait.”
He looked around warily. “I wonder where the Keepers of the Cauldron are?” he said.
“What do you mean?” asked Annie. “We just sneaked past them. Remember? WHOOOSH?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “The rhyme says ‘beyond the iron gate.’ Those guards were standing in front of the gate. They weren’t beyond it.”
“Shh,” said Annie. “Listen.… ”
From over the hill came the faint sounds of sweet, joyful music.
“Maybe the Keepers of the Cauldron are playing that music,” said Annie.
“Maybe … ,” said Jack. He listened for a moment and smiled. The music made him feel light and happy.
“Let’s go meet the Keepers!” said Annie.
“Not so fast,” said Jack. “Shouldn’t we be invisible again? Just in case?”
“I guess so,” said Annie, sighing.
Jack pulled the hood of the cloak over their heads. Together, they started walking invisibly across the soft meadow. They passed the three horses and climbed the flower-covered hill. At the top, they looked down.
“Oh, man,” said Jack.
The hill sloped gently down into a misty green glade. In the middle of the glade, a band of musicians played flutes and pipes, drums and violins. Around the band, hundreds of dancers danced in a huge circle.
“The Keepers of the Cauldron!” said Annie.
The dancers and musicians were smiling and laughing. They wore blue coats and green coats, white gowns and yellow gowns. They wore sparkling red slippers and hats with colored feathers.
The dancers looked like people—except they all had glittering gold skin and wings that shimmered in the mist like spun silver.
“They’re beautiful!” said Annie.
“Yeah, they are,” said Jack.
“I don’t think we need to be invisible with them,” said Annie.
“I think you’re right,” said Jack.
He and Annie threw off the red cloak. They left it in the dewy grass and ran down the hillside to the winged dancers. The dancers paid no attention to them. They just kept going around and around in their joyous circle.
“I feel like dancing with them!” said Annie.
“Me too!” said Jack. It was strange—he was usually shy about dancing. But he wanted to join this dance more than anything.
Jack pulled off his backpack. As he set it down, he saw three swords lying in the grass. But he didn’t stop to wonder about them. The music was calling.
The winged dancers broke their circle and welcomed Jack and Annie into their dance. Annie held Jack’s right hand as he grasped the slender golden hand of the dancer on his left.
The dancer smiled down at him. Like the others, she was as tall as a grownup. But she didn’t have any lines or wrinkles on her face. All the dancers looked very young—yet they seemed ancient at the same time.
As Jack danced around in the circle, his heart leaped. His spirits soared. His glasses fell off, but he didn’t care. He kept dancing. As he danced, everything in his mind became a blur. He forgot about Morgan and Camelot. He forgot about the quest for the Water of Memory and Imagination. He forgot all his fears and worries.
“Jack, look!” Annie cried.
Jack looked at her. “Hi!” he shouted, laughing.
“No! Don’t look at me!” she called. “Look there! Look across the circle!”
“I can’t see!” he said.
“Three knights!” Annie shouted. “Three knights dancing!”
“No, Jack! They look awful! They look sick!” Annie yelled. She pulled away from the circle and tumbled back into the grass.
“Jack!” she called. “Stop dancing!”
But Jack didn’t want to stop. He wanted to dance to the wild music forever. Forever … and ever … and ever.