"What the—" Zafron's exclamation was cut short as the ground beneath their battered cart suddenly illuminated with an intricate pattern of glowing purple runes. The sand began to shift and swirl, forming a vortex that pulled them downward with inexorable force.
'Oh, come on!' Zafron thought, his mind racing. 'As if crashing wasn't enough, now we're being eaten by magic sand?'
He instinctively wrapped himself and the unconscious Matilda in a protective cocoon of slime just as the cart was engulfed completely. For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and the sensation of falling.
Then, with a bone-jarring impact, they crashed onto solid ground. The slime cushioned their landing, but Zafron still felt like he'd been punched by a very angry giant.
'Note to self,' he groaned internally, 'never complain about bumpy cart rides again.'
