When the girl came to life, the first person she saw was Henry.
Angelica was lying on the grass carefully covered with his cloak.
"Oh, well done!" the old man said seeing that Lica had opened her eyes. "You had coped with the "headless horseman"!"
"Have you seen it?" she asked suspiciously.
"Yes, I have! I had just got out of the forest. What I had heard was your scream. When I had been riding to you I saw him throw-ing his head at you. That was good you had lost consciousness and the nightmare immediately vanished!"
"But it was not my nightmare!" Angelica protested.
"Neither was mine!"
"Then whose?"
"You never know... I'm telling you can find all nightmares collection here. We were just lucky that we had passed so easily."
"Aha! Easily!" Lica needled and tried to sit up.
Something was buzzing in her ears and everything was swimming before her eyes. But she clung to the grass and soon the girl finally came to life.
"How long have I been a "sedated"?" she asked.
"For no more than three hours. In fact it has been morning in your time."
"Oh, what's about my mother?" Angelica scared. "If she comes into my room and I am not there!"
"Do not worry! While you're here no one will even remember about you! No wonder that I am a bit magician."
"Then let's go on!"
"First, you must eat! I had already had while I was keeping watch over you."
Lica had some white bread and milk and our heroes hit the road again. The horses had rested and were running quite briskly.
A wide valley stretched beyond the forest. Here and there were small groves. And they looked very romantic in the moon-light. Very soon they saw a huge lake ahead.
"This is Sleepy Lake!" Henry explained. "If someone sleeps here, it will be forever! So any hook or by crook we mustn't let each other sleep." The horsemen rode up to the lake where they saw a lot of white human bones on the bank. Just near the shore the boat was swaying on the water. Our heroes dismounted and tied the horses to a tree quite far away from the water.
"And what if they want to drink?" Lica asked pointing to the animals.
"There is a lot of fresh grass around. They can quench their thirst. And if they drink from the lake, we will never get them awake!" The girl nodded. Henry untied the baskets with food from the saddles and the travelers went to the boat. There was only one oar at the bottom.
"Only one oar, we will reach eternity with it!" Angelica said.
She returned to the trees and broke off a big wide branch.
"Now - sail!" she told Henry.
Our heroes had put food baskets on the bottom of the boat and pushed off from the bank.
"You will row on the right and I will on the left!" Lica commanded.
And they began to row. They did not always smoothly but the boat was significantly moving forward. Ten minutes later the girl no-ticed that her eyes began to stick together. Henry also was nodding.
"What fools we are!" Lica screamed in the hearts. "Henry, get the salt and knife from our baskets!"
"What for?"
"Even children know that! In order not to fall asleep we must cut ourselves and sprinkle with salt. Then even if you really want to you won't! The pain won't allow you!"
The old man looked at the girl with respect and immediately took out the knife and salt. Travelers slightly notched their hands on the back and covered the wound with salt. They felt such intense pain that forgot about sleeping.
When the boat was moored to the opposite bank Angelica and Henry jumped out and first thing they did was washing off the salt, which they had taken with them, from their hands.
Wide fields were stretching beyond the lake. They were quite different from the valley stretching after the Nightmare Forest. There had been low grass and everywhere they met copses. Here the grass was almost reaching their knees. It was thick and fragrant as a carpet. There were not so many trees and they were scattered throughout the place. Here and there you could see a lonely tree.
"These are Ghosts Fields - a rather peaceful place. And be-hind them the cave of the Evil Wizard is. So let's go! Now we haven't got horses here," the Prince's servant said.
"And shall we turn into birds again?!" Lica suggested. "I will turn into an owl and you will be the eagle owl!"
Henry grinned.
"You know," he said, "I can transform into a bird only for some time each night. Today I have exhausted my limit. So it can't be help we will have to go on foot."
The girl nodded, picked up her food basket and they set off. In the fields above the grass they often saw whitish figures remind-ing people and animals. Sometimes something was lamentably howling or someone was moaning but no one else was chasing our heroes or attacking them.