Publisher's Synopsis
Synopsis of Mouse Prince
At the end of The Spider King, the "Quartet of Innocence" namely Vikram, Sita, Becky and Jojo vanquish the enchantress Enneth. At that moment the king is changed back into his human form but the joy of release is destroyed when they enter the castle and discover his son Prince Idwal, has been turned into a mouse by the enchantress.
Now the children are back in Quandah to offer their assistance in reversing the enchantment. After much debate they find there is an elusive sorcerer in an African type land who can work that kind of magic, but how to get there?
Lamghi, a beautiful, lonely, black and gold dragon is prepared to transport them. A harness with sitting/sleeping pouches is made to fit her.
They have a shock when they stop at a tiny oasis as the rock turns out to be an abandoned troll with vivid blue eyes, unlike the yellow eyed ones who live in Quandah. They stop for a rest in a thickly forested area in the mountains and are attacked by baboons but receive help from an unexpected quarter.
Finally, they make it to a dry, grassy area and make contact with some locals who escort them to the Rain Queen's compound, where they meet her two children S'bu and his sister, the heir apparent Toko. After a nasty incidence, they decide it would be safer to sleep in their pouches but there is an unusually heavy rainstorm, of course, that is how the Rain Queen arrives.
After much debate, Lamghi offers to transport all the children to the sorcerer Nkosi. On the way, S'bu learns to respect the healing powers of little Sita and realizes together the children are a formidable fighting team.
Nkosi listens to their story and says he will help but they must do the work. He gives his instructions in a very oblique manner but eventually the four children with the help of Ozy, the dog magician, work out what each quest will involve. Each child must go alone to find a specific ingredient and when they do there will be an accompanying sound which they must remember.
While not out on a quest, they must learn how to make all the pots needed for the ritual, they must also gather the wood on their own and haul the water from the river which will be needed in the making of the muti. Toko must accompany the questors to the camp site to see everything is done according to instructions. When they return with their ingredients and their sounds it is time for the ritual to begin. S'bu and Toko take important roles in the process. When it is done they bottle the precious liquid and return. The prince is anointed with the powerful liquid for three days while everyone waits expectantly, will it work?
