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CHAPTER I

ENTRANCE, ON A PANTHER

In Which a Boy Named Hawthorn Is Spirited Off by Means of a Panther, Learns the Rules of the World, and Perfor

Once upon a time, a troll named Hawthorn lived very happily indeed in his e queens’ crowns every day, slept on the sae and cantankerous toad Because he had been born in Septeht cheek, and because his hands were very small and delicate, for a troll, the Red Wind conspired to cause mischief, and flew to the creaky old well that served as the chi just after his first birthday She was dressed in a red breastplate, and red hunting boots, and a red gown, and a red bandit’s erous below the banana trees, in the Rhyle where the Red Wind hides her secrets

“You seeh child,” said the Red Wind “Hoould you like to coh Storreat desert that lies in the er there, as Parched Cliree with me, but I should be happy to deposit you upon the Wild and Walloping Wastes”

“No, no,” cried Hawthorn, who deeply loved his green and violet gean to wail in his whale-skull cradle

“Well, then, coood boy, and do not thrash about too much, nor pull too harshly on my Panther’s fur, as she bites”

The Red Wind held out her arloves, and Hawthorn, for ared Leaves, soelilies, blood, wine, apples (both poison and not), toadstools, riding hoods Red was dark and fascinating You couldn’t deny red things He once saw a Redcap dancing on a wild led with beautiful poison berries and had never wanted anything so much in his life He would have named it Walter and fed it fresh white rats His h for a Redcap and besides the little felloould certainly ot Hawthorn had sighed with longing He kept a few e by her bed from then on, just in case

Hawthorn’s eyes got so full of the Red Wind that he could see nothing else And so, even though he knew he oughtn’t, Hawthorn reached out and took both the beautiful scarlet hand of the Red Wind and a very deep breath

The Panther of Rough Storht do to a naughty kitten The great black cat lifted the troll out of his whale-skull cradle, out of his lovely fa, blue, long-lashed eyes, out of his underground house, leaving a parlorful of untidy green and violet queens’ croith enchants by the skin of their teeth

One enchantment had been cast by Hawthorn’s father, who, at that ician’s cloak, snoring sreen butterflies with a wand clutched in his ar cap It waspirates, of whom he had an irrational fear

One had been cast by Hawthorn’sover an overturned church bell full of leprechaun teeth in a distant mi

dnightIt wasdisappointments, of which she had too much experience for any one troll

One had been cast by a cabbage-gnoo It was nome’s birthday Of these enchantments, one missed its mark, one bided its time, and one had no effect whatsoever, as trolls have very few leaves

“Now,” said the Red Wind, when she had Hawthorn fir ruby saddle, “there are important rules in your new home, rules from which I am entirely exempt, as Hot Air is the friend of all bureaucracies I am afraid that if you trample upon the rules, I cannot help you You iven a splendid parade, depending upon the fashions of the day”

Trolls are quick learners and quicker growers They speak as quickly as a newborn giraffe can walk and sprout up like pumpkin plants who have heard Halloween means to come early Hawthorn was only a baby still, but tall as a table already He had ood ones at that But at the moment, the poor creature was far too terrified to use the better ones on the red-cheeked lady who had burgled hih a troll-child were no more than a very fine hat in a shopOr her wildcat All he couldair all around theue was:

“Is it so terrible there?”

The Red Wind frowned into her dark crimson hair “All countries are terrible,” she admitted finally “But this one, at least, has some lovely scenery”

“Tell me the rules at least?” Hawthorn said uncertainly His father had taught him when he was quite small that if one finds oneself captured by pirates, politeness pays better than sass, and Hawthorn had begun to feel that his current situation ht share a drink or tith piracy