Matt Mandrell, unsuspecting graduate student, never imagined his research would lead him to a strange scrap of parchment that would change his life forever. . . . Crossing the void of time and space, Matt is whisked away to an enchanted world where speaking in rhymes works the most dazzling magic. There he wins not only fame and power as the Lord High Wizard, but the heart of the beautiful Queen Alisande. His dreams are shattered, though, when he learns that he can’t marry his true love; wizard or not, Matt is just a commoner in this bizarre land. So Matt makes a foolish vow: to conquer a kingdom, any kingdom, if that’s what it takes to claim his bride. But, as Matt discovers, in this world of enchantment, such an oath cannot be broken. He has truly committed himself to win a crown or die trying. In search of lands to conquer, Matt sets his sights on neighboring Ibile, where the evil Gordorgrosso rules with an iron fist and sinister magic. Matt marches off against the tyrant, gathering a small band of unlikely allies, including a surly dracogriff, a well-spoken cyclop, and a damsel in distress. But against Gordogrosso’s foul genius, Matt is going to need much more than a few stout-hearted companions and some clever rhymes. . . . Oathbound Wizard is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in fantasy and science fiction for readers twelve and up. From the Paperback edition. Prevented by his lack of royal blood from marrying the woman he loves, former college student Matt Mantrell--now Court Wizard to Queen Alisande--swears an oath to overthrow a neighboring tyrant and finds himself bound to carry out his promise. Aided by a group of companions, including a neurotic griffin, a cultured cyclops, and minions from heaven and faerie, Matt enters a land of darkness and evil to fight the good--and seemingly impossible--fight. Fans of pure fantasy will enjoy this sequel to Her Majesty's Wizard ( LJ 10/15/86). Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. CHAPTER ONE Lovers’ Quarrel The horse was steaming, and Matt was fuming. They clattered in over the drawbridge and past the guards with nothing but a perfunctory grunt. The guards exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Matt pulled up by the stables and tossed the reins to the first groom who came running, then turned away on his heel, stalking toward the towering bulk of the keep. The groom stared after him, shocked—the Lord Wizard was unfailing in his politeness, with always time for a cheerful word or two. But Her Majesty’s Wizard was anything but cheerful, and in no mood to be polite to anyone, least of all Her Majesty. The fact that he had to ride a mere horse only made things worse. Of course, he had had to be content with ordinary mounts since his dragon friend Stegoman had gone gallivanting off with his other friend Sir Guy on an errand of errantry, a gallant mission to save the kingdom of Ibile from the wretched stew of sorcery it had simmered into over the last two hundred years—and, at the moment, Matt wished most ardently that he had gone with them. The danger seemed of relatively little importance compared to the simple fact of a mission worth undertaking. Not like this last little fracas, which . . . ! He stormed up to the doors of the royal apartments, but as he laid hold of the handle, a sentry leaped forward, albeit with trepidation. “Nay, my Lord Wizard! Her Majesty hath not given leave!” “Too right she hasn’t!” Matt snarled. Alisande seemed to have developed an aversion to Matt’s company lately, probably because every time he saw her, he pressed her to set a date for their wedding. But they had been engaged for three years now, so it wasn’t surprising that Matt was getting a little impatient. It was time to have it out with her. He yanked the door open and stormed into the corridor, trailing a howling wake of horrified sentries and servants. The queen looked up from her writing, blue eyes wide in surprise, then in outrage. It almost stopped Matt—not her rage, but her beauty. The oval face was framed in a cascade of blond hair, unbound here in her private apartments, and set off perfectly by the mauve of her casual gown. Almost. “Why don’t you just say you don’t want me around anymore?” Matt slapped his gloves down on the table. “That last trip was something any village magician could have taken care of. No, strike that—he would have sent his apprentice!” “I did not deem a plague of locusts a trivial matter, Lord Wizard!” Alisande said in a voice that would have frozen penguins. “It may be of little moment to you, but the poor peasant folk thereabout thought it disastrous!” “Sure, because their village magician had dropped dead two years ago, and their baron was too cheap to hire a replacement! And don’t tell me you didn’t know that!” “Assuredly, I did—and thought it your office to see to it! What, must I undertake every smallest matter myself? Have I none to aid me?” “Oh, come off it