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Chapter One

The Kingdom of Arthwen was huge. It spread from the Frozen Tundra in the north to the Parched Desert in the south; from the Fickle Ocean in the east all the way to Western Valley.

In the middle of the kingdom, just by Lake Sapphire, was Steadysong Forest, the home of a very special tree. This tree was the largest in Arthwen. At the

The Magic Potions Shop

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top was a little house with three bedrooms: one for Tibben, one for Grandpa and one for Wizz. At the base, hollowed out inside the trunk, was a very unusual shop. The shop sold potions. Creatures came here from miles around to get

Super Strength Potion or Arm Stretch Cream or even Never-

ending Chocolate

Powder.Grandpa was the Potions

Master and he could mix any potion. He wore a cloak covered in hundreds of

The Blizzard Bear

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Glints, the magical sign of potions skill. The Glints were all different shapes and sizes and they sparkled in the light whenever Grandpa moved.

Tibben was the

Potions Apprentice. He was learning how to make potions to help all the different creatures, and to keep Harmony in the kingdom.

So far he had earned two shiny Glints for his cloak. One Glint was shaped like a hexagon and the other one looked like a dark blue egg. Tibben was

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so proud of them! He only had three more Glints to go before he could take the Master’s Challenge to become a Potions Master just like Grandpa. He was training every day. Not all his potions worked yet. His

Cat Language made him

Potionmoo all day and his

Long Beard Gel seemed to only affect his eyebrows. Whenever he tried it, he ended up with two bushy shrubs on his face.

Wizz was helping Tibben train. She was a Gatherer – a very rare

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and special gift – she could find all kinds of hidden ingredients that no other creature could.

Today Tibben was practising making Dig Fast Mix. It was the most popular potion at this time of year, when all the creatures liked to hide their food and dig their shelters for the winter. Wisgar the Specs Mole had already made a special trip above ground to ask for it, and a little Star Mouse had come in squeaking for a teeny tiny vial of the potion.

“Right, Tibben,” said Grandpa,

The Blizzard Bear

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“I’ve made two lots of Dig Fast . Now it’s your turn.”

MixTibben reached under the counter and pulled out a heavy red book with golden writing. This was The Book of Potions, and inside were pages and pages of recipes and lists of ingredients. Tibben flicked through until he found:

EFFECT:

Increases diing spd by 1000

times for one hour.

INGREDIENTS:

Quick Sand

Strong Thorn

The Blizzard Bear

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“Hmm . . . Quick Sand . . .” he said. “I know that’s here somewhere . . .” His eyes scanned the shelves of the Potions Shop.

Wizz jumped up. “Wizz get!” she cried, and in a flash she had lifted down a bright green jar with her tail.

“Sand wooz,” she said proudly. She had gathered the Quick Sand

herself at Mouse Pond, when they went to help the River Horse.

“Thanks, Wizz.” Tibben carefully sprinkled it into his

Mage Nuttraining bowl. “Um . . . where’s the Strong Thorn? I can never remember.”

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Wizz leaped up and came back with a spiky purple plant in her paws.

“You’re so fast!” Tibben shook his head in amazement. He peeled off the purple bark, watching out for the spikes, and mushed it into his bowl.