Firestar (13 page)

Even as Lewis said the magic word, the cold wind and the mountain disappeared and he felt a
whirling
, crushing feeling of blackness surround him. Just as he was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to stop, there was a sudden, warm surge of shimmering, comforting light. Tentatively, he opened his eyes, wondering where he had landed and what he might see. With magic, he thought worriedly, one just never knew. He hoped it wasn’t a goblin’s cave for a start. Of all the magic places he had visited in the past with Casimir,
that
had definitely been the worst.

The sight that met his eyes, however, was
breathtaking
in its beauty. He found himself staring in awe round the vast reaches of an elegant cavern whose lofty heights shone with a clear, blue-white light. A half circle of tall, silver thrones faced him and looking at the line-up of old, bearded figures that regarded him speculatively, he knew immediately where he was; for Prince Casimir had told him of the Court of the Lords of the North.

Feeling totally inadequate in old trainers, wet jeans and a scruffy anorak he walked towards the thrones and bowed so low that his head almost touched his knees.

“Welcome, Lewis,” a familiar voice said, kindly. “Welcome to the Court of the Lords of the North.”

Lewis straightened with a jerk, his eyes shining
with relief and affection as Prince Casimir rose from one of the thrones and came towards him, resplendent in robes of dull red velvet.

“We are delighted to see you, Lewis,” Lady Ellan smiled as she came forward, followed by her
husband
. “You are most welcome.”

“Well, Lewis,” Lord Rothlan smiled
understandingly
. “Been getting up to mischief again, have you?”

Lewis almost blurted out the whole story there and then but experience had taught him to hold his tongue. He hadn’t yet been introduced to the Lords of the North and that must come first. Casimir was a real stickler for proper behaviour.

The Lords of the North were particularly
affable
to Lewis and treated him with great kindness. Firestar, in its own inimitable fashion, had
communicated
the result of its actions to them and they were still dizzy with relief that the attacking power had been destroyed. Indeed, they had just been marvelling at their escape when Lewis had landed so unexpectedly in their midst.

Lewis, mindful of the fact that Casimir missed nothing, bowed low as he was introduced to each of the lords and was ushered by Lord Alarid,
himself
, to a chair by the low table where a crystal ball rested on an ebony stand.

“Now, Lewis,” Prince Casimir said gravely as they took their seats round the table, “tell us your errand, for we know you wouldn’t have come here without good reason.”

Lewis, overawed despite himself, looked round the table at the expressions of polite enquiry on
their faces. Lord Rothlan winked at him and,
feeling
heartened, he began his story. “Neil, Clara and I were in the next valley with Shona when … when there was a sort of explosion and the mountains all shook. You … you must have felt it …” he looked at them doubtfully. “This
is
Morven, isn’t it?”

Lord Rothlan nodded. “We did feel it, Lewis. And, yes, this
is
Morven. We’ll tell you what
happened
later. Go on with your story.”

“We saw a sort of bluish light shoot into the sky from Morven and as it fell back it seemed to spread over the whole area. I don’t know if it was because of the light but stone giants suddenly rose from all the slopes around us. They’re huge, twice as tall as houses, and we had to climb up the side of the mountain quickly to get out of their way. It was easy, though, for the magic dust seemed to have affected us as well — even Shona and
she
doesn’t have a firestone. We could take huge steps and jump over high boulders without any effort at all.”

The Lords of the North eyed one another
anxiously
. “The stone giants,” Lord Alarid looked guiltily at Casimir. “I didn’t know they had come so close to us.”

“Neil and the girls are stuck on the side of Ben Garchory,” Lewis added. “That’s why I came to you, Prince Casimir. The giants were all around us, knocking boulders and stuff from the sides of the mountains. We were trapped. And … well, that’s why I came; so that you could rescue them.”

Lord Alarid passed his hand over the glittering crystal and immediately the swirling mist cleared
to show a huddled group of children crouched in a corrie near the top of the mountain. Then the view widened to reveal the length and breadth of Jennifer’s glen. Lady Ellan gave a gasp of
astonishment
and her husband sat up in alarm, for the glen was full of enormous giants.

Malfior felt their dismay but this time was unable to influence their minds for the giants were there, in front of them, on the edge of Glenmorven itself.

Lord Alarid looked at each of the old lords in turn and, as they nodded, chanted the words of a hex. “They will not be able to enter,” he said. “I have put a protective spell round the glen.”

“And the children?” queried Lady Ellan
anxiously
.

Again the lords looked at one another.

“We could bring Neil and Clara in right away,” Rothlan said, looking at Lewis enquiringly. “They
are
wearing their firestones, aren’t they?”

Lewis nodded. “Yes, but Shona isn’t.”

“Arthur, I think,” Casimir said thoughtfully. “The dragon will be able to stand up to the giants quite easily and the children can ride on his back.”

“Better leave Neil and Clara where they are then,” Lady Ellan said. “You’ll need someone there to reassure Shona, otherwise she’ll never go
anywhere
near Arthur.”

“It’s really urgent,” Lewis looked at Casimir anxiously, “and Edinburgh’s a long way away …”

Lord Alarid passed a hand over the crystal so that it once again glowed to life.

“It’s all right,” Casimir assured him as the MacArthur’s face appeared. “If Arthur uses a magic mirror, he can be here in seconds.”

Lewis nodded and tried not to look
disbelieving
. He knew exactly how big Arthur was and the thought of the dragon squeezing its huge bulk through a magic mirror was mind-boggling. That, however, was exactly what happened. Everyone turned as one of the magic mirrors started to
ripple
. Arthur’s head appeared followed by his neck, body, wings and tail, all of which expanded to their normal size in a burst of scarlet scales as he clawed his way through. The mirror rippled again as Archie and the MacArthur followed Arthur into the Great Hall and bowed low to the Lords of the North.

“Where’s Lewis, Neil?” Shona demanded, looking round the corrie. “You were talking to him just a minute ago.”

Neil glanced at Clara and looked uncomfortable. “He’s gone to get help, Shona,” he said. “He’ll be back soon. Just hang on.”

As Ugly Mug miaowed protestingly, Shona looked close to tears. “If he’s found a way down the
mountain
then why couldn’t we have gone with him?” she protested.

“Shhhh! Careful!” Neil hissed as one of the giants walked by quite close to them, its great feet crashing over rock and stone. Although it had no eyes, he could have sworn that its great head turned and looked at him. But the giant did nothing; it merely looked away again and strode purposefully on towards the head of the valley. All the giants seemed to be gathering there and Neil paled at the thought of them crossing the ridge and heading for Morven.

“I hope they don’t cause a landslide,” Clara whispered, pressing her back against the rocky wall of the corrie, “for that’s our only way into Glenmorven.”

Shona, however, was not to be diverted. Once the giant had passed she persisted. “I didn’t see Lewis leave,” she hissed. “He just seemed to disappear!”

Clara gave up. “Actually,” she said, with a quick glance at Neil, “he did disappear.”

“Clara,” Neil said warningly.

“He has a magic ring,” Clara said, “and he rubbed it so that he could bring us help.”

Shona looked at her in disbelief. “A magic ring?” She repeated, her eyes round. “Are you nuts or something?”

Clara took a deep breath. “Actually, Neil and I have magic rings as well. Watch!” Clara changed her ring over to the other hand and immediately disappeared.

Shona’s mouth fell open but before she could say anything, Clara switched the ring back to her other hand and reappeared. “Want me to do it again?” she asked with a grin.

“I don’t believe you just did that,” Shona gasped. “I mean … it isn’t possible!”

“Yes it is,” Neil smiled. “Just watch me!” And he promptly did the same.

Clara smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay, Shona,” she said. “I know it takes some believing but the fact is that we both have magic rings that can make us invisible.”

Shona still looked white. “What are you?” she asked.

Neil burst out laughing. “Cool it, Shona,” he smiled, “we’re not aliens or anything.”

Shona looked nervously from one to the other, still unconvinced.

“Okay, then. Just tell me — why, exactly, are we hiding here?” Neil asked.

Shona glanced fearfully towards the glen. “We’re … we’re hiding from the giants,” she admitted.

“And aren’t giants magic?” Clara asked.

“Yes, but … but that’s all folk tales and legends. Hughie’s a great one for stories about kelpies and the like … but nobody really believes in magic. I mean,” she eyed the giants doubtfully, “they look solid enough but …”

They turned their heads in alarm as there was a sudden, great noise from the far end of the glen where the giants now seemed to be milling around angrily. Neil counted fourteen in all and wondered worriedly what was going on. Although he didn’t realize it, the protective shield set by the Lords of the North had slid into place just in time. It stopped the giants in their tracks and try as they might, they found to their dismay that they couldn’t get into Glenmorven.

The noise was tremendous as they heaved their weight again and again against the protective shield and, in their anger at finding their way so efficiently barred, many of them started to lash out at the mountains with great stone arms. Some turned and began to walk back the way they’d come but they were no longer the peaceful figures of before. They were now furiously angry and, as they stomped their way along, they thumped
furiously
at rock, cliff and crag; anything that stood in their way.

“If you think about it, Shona, magic’s the only explanation,” Neil remarked. “As I said, if it isn’t magic then what are we doing here on the side of Ben Garchary, hiding from giants? It’s not a dream, is it?”

Shona peered through the gathering darkness at the crowd of giants that were still clomping and
clattering around at the head of the glen. “It has to be a dream,” she said in a very small, scared voice. “It has to be a dream because I can see a dragon flying towards us.”

Neil and Clara jerked round and saw, not only a dragon flying towards them but, soaring above it, the winged shape of a great eagle.

“Arthur,” Neil gasped. “He’s come to rescue us!”

“Amgarad!” Clara’s eyes shone with delight. “Amgarad as well!” she said, excitedly. “What do you bet that Lord Rothlan’s in Morven!”

Shona shrank back, petrified, and dropping the tiny kitten, opened her mouth and let out an
ear-splitting
shriek as the huge, winged shape of the enormous dragon swooped over the mountains towards them.

“For goodness sake, grab the cat, Clara,” Neil said urgently. And, as Clara scooped up a dazed Ugly Mug from the heather, Neil jumped on top of a boulder, waved his arms wildly and yelled “Arthur!” at the top of his voice.

Clara stuffed the frightened kitten down the front of her anorak and tightened the cord round the waist, hoping that the kitten wouldn’t try and scratch her way out. Ugly Mug, however, was not unintelligent. She much preferred the warmth and safety of Clara’s anorak to being carried in a bouncing bag and promptly settled herself
comfortably
in the folds of her sweater.

“Amgarad,” Clara said in delight as the great eagle flew down beside her. “Did Lewis tell you that we were here?”

The eagle settled his wings and nodded
majestically
.
“Prince Casimir summoned Arthur to rescue you.”

“Amgarad,” Neil called in sudden dismay, “come and look, quick! The giants are attacking Arthur! And, gosh, Archie’s on his back!”

Actually, the giants had had it in for Arthur from the start. Why, Neil didn’t know, although Arthur told him later that it was a centuries-old hatred that had never died. He himself had forgotten the reason for it and so, probably, had the giants. But there it was. The minute they spotted him, there was complete and utter pandemonium.

Fourteen enormous giants on the rampage was a breathtaking sight. Despite their size and clumsy movements, they entered into the spirit of
battle
with a wild determination that bordered on enthusiasm; grabbing rocks from the sides of the mountains and happily slinging anything and everything they could lay their hands on, at the dragon. Fortunately for Arthur, the giants were, to put it mildly, rotten shots — but the hail of largely unguided missiles that were sailing through the air was, nevertheless, impressive. Arthur’s magic, however, protected him and even when it seemed that a lucky shot would most certainly hit him, the rock was somehow deflected and fell harmlessly to one side.

The realization that nothing seemed to be
hitting
the dragon, spurred the giants to greater efforts and, as the hail of rocks and stones grew heavier, Arthur was forced to veer away from the children, in case they were hit.

Shona couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched
Neil and Clara clutch at one another in anxiety as the dragon was pelted with rocks. And how come Clara seemed to be able to talk to an eagle? The fearsome bird was perched beside her, hissing angrily at the giants as they lobbed huge rocks around like so much confetti.

Again Arthur’s magic came into play. Neil and Clara didn’t realize it at the time and, for a few minutes, their hearts sank at the thought that the giants might be winning; for before their startled eyes, the stone figures started to grow. Indeed, Clara put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying out in horror as she watched them shoot up until they were the height of
skyscrapers
. As they grew taller and taller, however, they also became thinner and thinner until they were little more than huge, rickety skeletons of rock and stone.

It didn’t take the giants long to realize the
dangers
of such unexpected growth and they roared with rage as the magic spell took hold. Indeed, they promptly forgot about Arthur as the need to keep their balance became paramount. Now disastrously unstable, many of the giants grabbed at cliffs for support as they started to sway dangerously.

Arthur hissed in satisfaction as the giants’
faltering
steps became more and more perilous and swept towards the mountain top in a blaze of fire and smoke. He landed, wings outspread, on a
jutting
spur of rock, his wonderful eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Come on, Neil,” he hissed in his dragon’s voice, “let’s get you out of here!”

Clambering awkwardly down from the spur of rock towards them, Arthur blew a triumphant stream of sparkling fire. Neil and Clara were quite used to what they termed ‘Arthur’s fireworks’ but Shona was understandably terrified of the great red dragon that was only feet from them. She clutched frantically at Neil as the dragon blew another stream of sparkling, glittering fire.

“Don’t
do
that, Arthur! You’re scaring Shona,” Clara said, rushing forward to hug him.

“Hi, Arthur! Hi Archie!” Neil grinned as Archie slipped down from Arthur’s back. “It’s great to see you! Come and meet Shona.”

Shona looked at Archie in fascinated wonder as he bowed to her and gave her a reassuring grin, knowing that it wasn’t every day that she met faery folk. When Amgarad spread his wings,
however
, she looked more than a bit apprehensive and turned to Neil fearfully.

“Look, there’s no time to explain right now,” Neil said, seeing the confused mixture of horror and disbelief on her face, “but it’s all magic. Archie is magic, the dragon is magic and so is Amgarad.”

“Come and meet Arthur, Shona,” Clara said, tugging her hand. “He’s really not the least bit
terrifying
when you know him. He’s fabulous. Look at his wonderful eyes. He’s come to rescue us!”

Shona was quite definite about it. “I am not,” she said determinedly, “I am not getting on that dragon.”

Clara glanced up at Arthur. He did, she
supposed
, look quite fearsome. He was huge for a start
and the swirling clouds of dust that the giants had kicked up made him look exciting, mysterious and … well, she could understand how Shona felt.

“Neil’s flown on him before, Shona,” she said encouragingly, “and he loved every minute of it. Arthur’s a lovely dragon. He’s our friend and he won’t hurt you, I promise.”

It was one of the giants that eventually
persuaded
Shona that it was safer to climb onto Arthur’s back with the others than stay where she was. One giant had grown so tall that his head was more or less on a level with them and as the rocky, eyeless head appeared above the rim of the corrie, Shona gave a yell of fright.

“Here, take my hand, Shona,” Neil said, “and I’ll help you up onto Arthur’s back. Clara, you go first.”

Arthur dropped his wing obligingly so that Clara could clamber up and perch behind his neck; then Shona, too, scrambled up and settled herself behind Clara, her arms clutching her tightly round the waist.

As Neil climbed up behind her, Archie then ran up to Amgarad and Shona’s eyes widened as he seemed to melt into the great eagle. Clara,
however
, hid a smile as she, too, watched Archie merge with the enormous bird; for poor Archie was more accustomed to merging with humble pigeons and it had long been his ambition to merge with an eagle. Now, at last, he had his wish and she was happy for him. She watched as Amgarad’s wings flapped strongly and, with effortless ease, he soared upwards over the top of the mountain.

“Archie’s merged with an eagle at last,” she said, turning to look at Neil whose eyes were following Amgarad’s flight enviously.

Arthur flapped his wings as Amgarad soared into the sky. “Our turn next,” Neil said, warningly. “Hang on everyone!”

Instinctively, they gripped Arthur’s sides with their knees, clinging tightly to one another as Arthur blew a stream of fire and smoke, flapped his great wings and soared effortlessly into the sky.

In the last rays of the setting sun, they could see where he was heading, for the mountain stood sharply outlined against the night sky. Like Amgarad, Arthur was making for Morven.