Never Trust a Troll! by Kate McMullan Page A

coming, Dud!” cried Wiglaf. When he was close enough, Wiglaf stuck out the stick that held his bundle. “Grab on!” he cried.
    Dudwin grabbed the end of the stick.
    “Pull harder, Wiggie!” wailed Dudwin. “I’m going down fast!”
    “I’m trying!” called Wiglaf, wobbling on a rock. He was half afraid he’d fall, too.
    Then suddenly his brother began to rise out of the quicksand. Up, up, up! Wiglaf had a funny feeling that he wasn’t the one pulling Dudwin up. How was it happening?
    Dudwin let go of the stick. He kept rising.
    “Look, Wiggie! No hands!” cried Dudwin.
    Now Wiglaf saw a pair of scrawny arms under his brother, lifting him out of the swamp. The arms were followed by a pointed hat. The hat was followed by the face of an ancient wizard.
    “Zelnoc!” exclaimed Wiglaf.
    “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” The wizard continued to rise magically out of the swamp. From the tip of his hat to the soles of his slippers, Zelnoc was coated in swamp ooze. So was Dudwin. The wizard glided over and set Wiglaf’s brother down on the bank.
    “Thanks, wiz,” said Dudwin. “That was awesome.”
    Zelnoc smiled. “What sort of gift would you like, lad?”
    “I get a gift?” said Dudwin.
    The wizard nodded. “Wizard Rule Number 886 says that if I save your life, I must give you a gift.”

    “You don’t have to take it, Dud,” said Wiglaf. Zelnoc’s gifts could backfire in strange ways.
    “Surely you jest!” said Dudwin. “I love gifts! Okay, wiz—do you have something that will turn me invisible?”
    “No, Dud!” cried Wiglaf. “Zelnoc’s spells-they always go wrong!”
    “Hush, Wiglunk!” said Zelnoc. “I’ve been soaking in the power-restoring quicksand for three weeks. My magic is in tip-top shape.”
    The wizard extended his skinny swamp-oozy arms out in front of him and turned his palms up. He began to chant:
    “Zippity-Zippity, Zoopity-Zoopity,
Zupity-Zupity, Zap!
Give this lad the Invisible Cap!”
    A light flashed. ZAP! And Zelnoc was holding a bright blue cap decorated with silver lightning bolts.
    “Awesome!” said Dudwin.
    “For you, lad,” Zelnoc said, placing the cap on Dudwin’s head.
    “What do you think of my spells now, Waglip?” asked the wizard.
    “Do you know the magic words to make it work?” Wiglaf asked.
    “I certainly do,” said the wizard huffily. “When you want to become invisible, lad, say, ‘Zippity Zap.’ And when you want to reappear, you say, ‘Zappity Zip.’ That’s all there is to it.”
    “Zippity Zap!” said Dudwin.
    Instantly, he vanished.
    “Can you see me?” asked Dudwin’s voice.
    “No,” said Wiglaf. “Reappear now, Dud.”
    “Zappity Zip!” said Dudwin.
    And there he was again.
    Wiglaf breathed a sigh of relief. It was amazing. Zelnoc’s spell worked perfectly. Three weeks in the swamp really had done the trick.
    “Thanks, wiz!” said Dudwin.
    “Tah-tah, lads,” said Zelnoc. “I’m off to see Zizmor. The Amazing One is still miffed at me for breaking his brand-new Cloud Maker. But now, with my powers restored, I can fix it!”
    A blast of purple smoke rose around the wizard. When it vanished, the wizard had, too.
    “Zounds, Wiggie!” exclaimed Dudwin. “This cap shall make me the envy of all the Class I lads and lasses!”
    “Just be careful, Dud,” said Wiglaf. “If you go showing it off at school, Mordred will take the cap away from you.”
    “That’s not going to happen!” said Dudwin. Then he cried, “Zippity Zap!” and vanished.
    Wiglaf leaped over the rocks after his invisible brother. He had a feeling that this cap would bring nothing but trouble. And how could he keep an eye on Dudwin if he couldn’t even see him?

Chapter 2
    W iglaf and Dudwin, visible once more, ran over the drawbridge and through the gatehouse of Dragon Slayers’ Academy.
    Wiglaf smiled as he looked around the castle yard. It was filled with blue-uniformed students. And Class I lads and lasses, like Dudwin, who did