The Jack Brenin Collection

by Catherine Cooper

  ‘What about Peabody?’

  ‘Humph! What about Peabody?’ grumbled Camelin.

  ‘We have to do our best to rescue everyone who is being held against their will,’ said Nora, so sternly that Camelin clamped his beak tightly shut.

  ‘But how?’ asked Jack. ‘We can’t just walk into Elidon, knock on Velindur’s door and demand he releases everyone.’

  ‘No, we can’t,’ agreed Elan, ‘but Kerne can. In Elidon, Velindur is answerable to the Lord and Protector of the Wildwood, he who cares for all the creatures that dwell within the forest. We have to meet with Kerne and explain the situation. He can demand the release of the captives.’

  ‘Velindur won’t like that,’ said Camelin.

  Jack leapt to his feet.

  ‘Does that mean Kerne could demand the return of the Book of Sorrows?’

  ‘I’m afraid not,’ said Elan. ‘He only has power over the trees and living creatures. A book would not be something Kerne could do anything about.’

  ‘Not even if Velindur intends to harm others by opening it?’

  ‘No, not even then.’

  Jack sat down heavily. For one brief moment he had thought he’d found a solution to their problem. He looked at Nora and then Elan.

  ‘What do we do?’

  Nora clasped her hands together and leant forward.

  ‘We need to think of a way to contact Kerne.’

  ‘Neither Jack nor I are allowed to enter Elidon again until after Jack’s been crowned. We used up all our visits looking for the torc. Remember?’ said Camelin.

  ‘Yes,’ said Nora, ‘and Elan cannot enter Elidon without an invitation. As Queen she could, but without Cora or Gwen here she’d be on her own and have no right to enter Kerne’s domain. We desperately need his help, but none of us can risk barging into Elidon and damaging our chances of speaking with him.’

  Nora looked thoughtful.

  ‘There is one way. If we could summon Kerne to the edge of the forest then we could all speak with him, but enticing him to the edge of his realm is not going to be easy.’

  They all sat in silence. Jack wracked his brains trying to find a solution to the problem. He went over everything he’d seen and heard while he’d been in Elidon. When the answer came it was simple, so simple he didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before. There was one who could enter Elidon freely at any time, one whom they could approach, one who’d be able to convey a message into the Land of Shadows that would eventually reach Kerne. One who had freedom of movement between both worlds, for she had the power to be a nymph or to transform into the river itself. Jack lifted his head and spoke one word:

  ‘Sabrina.’

  THE GELSTON RIVER

  Nora patted Jack on the back and went over to the bookshelf. She picked up her Book of Shadows and brought it back to the table.

  ‘Sabrina is our best and probably only hope to contact Kerne. However, finding her might be a bit of a problem.’

  Jack couldn’t see why. Surely they could go down to the river and call her? That’s how Nora called Jennet and the other water nymphs when she wanted to speak with them. Elan seemed to read Jack’s thoughts.

  ‘It’s not like summoning a nymph from a well or lake. Sabrina is the river and at any one time she could be anywhere.’

  Nora laid her hand on her book and commanded it to show her the Gelston River. The pages rapidly flicked over to almost the middle of the book. When they stopped, a map began to appear across both the open pages. Nora tapped it three times with her wand. The Gribeira Hills and Moel Hened rose from the page. A familiar landscape formed in mid-air. Westwood took shape, followed by Glasruhen, Winberry and Silver Hill. Jack looked beyond them and watched as the crags from Stonytop Ridge appeared. Towns and villages, farms and fields filled the lowlands. Forests sprang up on the slopes of the hills and valleys. The map continued to grow. It extended outwards beyond the width of the two pages to places Jack had never seen before. Eventually, when the map had almost reached each end of the kitchen table, the coastline and sea appeared at one end and a high mountain at the other.

  Camelin nudged him and whispered in his ear.

  ‘Watch this next bit, it’s brilliant.’

  Jack didn’t know what could better than the sight he’d just seen, but Nora directed her wand to the mountains at the far end of the map. Out of a boggy patch of ground from the top of the highest mountain, a pool began to form. Jack could hear a faint gurgling sound. He watched as the growing pool of water flowed swiftly to the edge of the summit. It picked up speed and instantaneously took on a life of its own. It cascaded down the mountain with a deafening noise. Jack was fascinated and he couldn’t take his eyes from the scene before him. He watched as the Gelston River raced around the foothills and carved a path through the landscape. When it reached the lowlands and entered the places Jack was more familiar with, it meandered around towns and villages. The river looped and curved, getting wider and wider as it made its way to the sea. Once its journey was done, and the whole Gelston River stretched before them, Nora laid down her wand and spoke.

  ‘Can you see the problem? The river is over two hundred miles long and Sabrina could be anywhere along its course. We’ll have our work cut out to find her.’

  Jack felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the task but couldn’t bear the thought of Twink and the others being held captive.

  ‘We are going to try though, aren’t we?’

  ‘We will, Jack,’ said Nora, ‘but we’re going to need some help. The Night Guard and Timmery can spread the word amongst the night creatures tonight. Tomorrow, Elan and I will enlist the help of the nymphs while you and Camelin, along with the Flying Squad, can begin to search outwards from Glasruhen.’

  Nora tapped the map, which immediately began to fold itself inwards. When only the two pages of the book were left, it closed noisily. Elan stood and spoke to Jack and Camelin.

  ‘You two had better go and get some sleep. You might have a long day’s flying ahead of you tomorrow.’

  Camelin grumbled and made his way to the door. He had to wait for Nora to open it for him.

  ‘Isn’t it about time you put a raven flap in this door for me?’

  ‘Raven flap?’ asked Elan.

  ‘You know, like a cat flap, only raven-sized. I could get in and out of the kitchen without having to wait for the door to be opened.’

  Nora must have thought it was a good idea because she pointed her wand at the door.

  ‘Foro!’ she commanded. ‘Try that for size.’

  Camelin pushed the flap open with his beak and hopped through. The flap immediately swung open from the other side and his head and shoulders appeared.

  ‘Aw! Thanks. That’s perfect.’

  Jack woke with a start. From nowhere a thought had somehow wormed its way into his head. He hadn’t been dreaming and so where had this nagging doubt come from? It must have been thoughts about Twink and the fate of poor Arin’s beetle that had prompted the question he needed answering. He had to know just how big the hand was that had been snatching the creatures. What if the hand was gigantic and didn’t belong to Velindur at all? What if it were Judd who’d been snatching the Fairies? Before they even tried to speak to Kerne he needed to be sure the giant wasn’t involved. Judd had been kind to them, but giants could be unpredictable. If he was collecting Fairies he might not mean them any harm. His great hands could have crushed everything without meaning to. However, it would be a different matter altogether if Velindur had made Judd do his bidding. This could not wait until morning. Even if it meant waking Arin, he needed to find out about the size of the hand that had tried to grab her.

  Jack put on his slippers and his dressing gown before making his way to the Herborium. He could hear Raggs and Orin talking as he stood outside the door. Their voices stopped when he opened it.

  ‘It’s only me,’ said Jack. ‘I wouldn’t have disturbed you if it hadn’t been urgent.’

  Raggs swung himself ou
t of his hammock, picked up his crutch and stood to attention.

  ‘Ready for duty,’ he said.

  ‘You can relax, Raggs, it’s Arin I need to speak to. Is she awake?’

  ‘Awake! There aren’t many that fall asleep when I’m telling stories. Come and join us. We’ve been telling Arin the story about the Clever Rat and the Treacle Vat. I’ve just got to the best part.’

  ‘I won’t this time, Raggs, if you don’t mind, I just need to ask Arin a question and then I can leave you to finish the story.’

  Raggs stood to one side to let Jack pass. Arin was sitting up in bed, propped up on two pillows. Orin was on a cushion next to the bed. Jack knelt down and they both smiled at him.

  ‘I’m sorry but I need to ask you something. It’s very important and a matter of some urgency.’

  ‘Yes, of course, what do you need to know?’

  Jack held up his hand for her to see.

  ‘Was the hand that grabbed you this big?’

  ‘Oh no! It was much bigger.’

  Jack made an enormous shape in the air, as big as Judd’s hand would have been.

  ‘This big?’

  Arin giggled.

  ‘Don’t be silly, that would be as big as a giant’s hand, the one that grabbed me and the others was man-sized.’

  Jack let out a sigh of relief.

  ‘Thank you Arin, you’ve been a great help. That’s all I needed to know. I’ll say goodnight to you all and leave you to hear the rest of the story.’

  Jack gave Raggs a hand up into his hammock. By the time he’d got to the door, Raggs had already picked up the story again. He smiled as he heard Arin and Orin laughing. A good story can be very strong medicine. He felt bad about suspecting Judd but at least he’d be able to sleep easy now, without any nagging doubts about who was responsible for the Fairynapping.

  Jack quietly climbed the stairs, taking care not to step on the ones that creaked. He carefully closed his bedroom door and hung his dressing gown on the hook. As he turned to sit down and take off his slippers, he saw a familiar black shape lying on his bed. What’s more, it had its head on his pillow. Jack didn’t bother trying to be quiet. He sat down heavily on the bed. It had the desired effect. Camelin woke and sat up. He yawned deeply.

  ‘Where’ve you been?’ he asked sleepily. ‘Have they found Sabrina?’

  ‘I’ve got a more important question for you. What are you doing in my bed, when you’ve got one of your own?’

  ‘Aw, Jack! You’ve no idea what it’s like in my loft. Starlings everywhere. They think they’re allowed to stay there until all this trouble with Velindur has been sorted out.’

  ‘Nora did say they could.’

  ‘Without asking me first! It’s my loft. How would she like it if they took over her bedroom?’

  ‘So you come and make yourself at home in mine, without asking!’

  ‘But we’re friends and, besides, you weren’t here to ask ... were you?’

  Camelin hopped off the bed and pulled the cushion from Jack’s chair.

  ‘I’ll sleep on the floor, then, but please don’t make me go back upstairs, they all snore. Not the good kind of snoring but the whistling kind, the one that keeps you awake. There’s not just a couple of them doing it, they’re all at it, all fifteen of them. Be a pal, Jack, let me stay.’

  Jack picked up the cushion and put it at the foot of his bed.

  ‘Just until you get your loft back.’

  Camelin half jumped and half flew back onto the bed. He shuffled over to Jack and leant on his arm.

  ‘So where have you been?’

  ‘To see Arin, there was something I needed to ask her.’

  Camelin shrugged his wings.

  ‘Is that all? I thought you might at least have been in the pantry. You don’t happen to have a little snack in one of those bags, do you?’

  Jack didn’t reply. It was cold in his room and he knew his bed would be warm. Camelin would have to sort out his own snack. He got back into bed and pulled the quilt up over his head. There was a loud disappointed sigh from the end of the bed but it wasn’t long before Camelin began to snore. Jack snuggled down to sleep.

  The sound of loud squabbling woke Jack. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen. Camelin was nowhere to be seen. He jumped out of bed, shuffled into his slippers and ran down the stairs to find out what all the fuss was about. As soon as he opened the door, the noise stopped. Jack stepped into the kitchen to find fifteen starlings frozen in various positions. Each had one eye on him.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ he asked.

  Crosspatch shook himself and hopped towards Jack. The other starlings shook their feathers too but didn’t utter a sound.

  ‘We’re waiting for orders. We were told we were needed in the kitchen, but when we got here there wasn’t anyone around. We didn’t know what to do.’

  Jack presumed Camelin had sent them to the kitchen so he could have his loft back. He looked at the clock and realised they’d all overslept.

  ‘There’s nothing any of us can do until we get some news.’

  The raven flap opened a fraction and all the starlings froze again. When Camelin hopped through, they all started squawking at him. Jack clapped his hands and the awful sound stopped.

  ‘We’ve all got to work together, so no more bickering.’

  Camelin hopped onto the back of a chair and positioned himself above the starlings before turning towards Jack.

  ‘Should you be giving orders in your pyjamas? You could have put your clothes on, you know. In fact, you ought to go and get dressed before Nora and Elan come down.’

  Jack raced upstairs and got ready in double-quick time. He made it back to the kitchen in time to see the new raven flap opening. Camelin didn’t look pleased as the Night Guard bounded into the kitchen.

  ‘That’s mine, it was for me to use,’ he grumbled.

  ‘Well it’s also a rat flap now,’ said Nora as she came into the kitchen.

  Everyone looked at the flap as it opened a tiny fraction.

  ‘Ooh! A bat flap,’ said Timmery as he flew into the kitchen.

  Camelin wailed.

  ‘Can’t a raven have anything of his own without having to share?’

  Nora didn’t reply. Jack made room for the rats to sit on the table. He placed upturned beakers in a semicircle close to Nora. Elan and Jack sat on opposite sides of the table. They all waited expectantly.

  Motley stood.

  ‘We’ve sent word to every creature we could find that lives either near or in the banks of the river from beyond Glasruhen to the rapids. What we could really do with, if you don’t mind me saying, is a Bogie or Dorysk. Information gathering’s what they do best, don’t you know.’

  There was a general murmuring around the table again, but Camelin’s grumble was heard above the rest.

  ‘We’ve got no use for a double-crossing Bogie.’

  Nora frowned at him but he continued.

  ‘He’s a dustbin thief too. All this talk about rescuing him because he’s been Bogienapped, he’s not in any danger, he’s working for Velindur and has been all along.’

  ‘You don’t know that for sure,’ said Elan.

  Camelin humphed loudly. Jack knew he wouldn’t be dissuaded from his opinion, no matter what anyone said. He humphed again when Timmery started flittering around the table.

  ‘I visited every bat in Glasruhen and explained our problem; they were so excited to be asked to help search for Sabrina. Word will go back with them to every roost this morning and will spread quickly throughout the whole area.’

  Nora nodded.

  ‘Today, Elan and I must enlist the help of the water nymphs and Dryads. The Flying Squad can start searching for Sabrina from the air. Begin at Beconbury and follow the river downstream.’

  Nora waited until the starlings had all nodded to show they understood. She then looked at Jack and Camelin.

  ‘You two can start just below the rapids at Brion Ridge and work your way u
pstream. If there’s no sign of Sabrina, come back to Ewell House when you meet up. If any of you sight her, send one member of the team to find the other group to let them know. You might have a better chance of catching sight of her in daylight. If she is there in the form of a fish, you’ll be able to see her from above. Now, have you all got your protectors on?’

  The Flying Squad all nodded their heads vigorously.

  ‘I don’t think you’ll have any trouble but it’s best to be careful.’

  ‘Are there any questions?’ asked Elan. ‘No? Then take care, everyone.’

  ‘We will,’ Jack assured her. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked Camelin.

  ‘I suppose.’

  There was a blinding flash, which lit up the whole kitchen. Jack shook his feathers. It felt good to be a raven again.

  ‘Ready?’ he asked the Flying Squad.

  The room filled with a deafening chirruping as all fifteen starlings confirmed they were ready to go.

  Jack turned before leaving.

  ‘We’ll see you all later, hopefully with some news.’

  THE SEARCH

  Crosspatch turned towards the kitchen door.

  ‘To the starling flap,’ he squawked.

  All fifteen starlings pushed and shoved their way to the door. Jack saw Beaky and Tweek prodding the other members of their squad with their beaks in their hurry to hop through the flap and leave the kitchen first. By the time Jack and Camelin emerged into the garden, the Flying Squad were nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Ready?’ croaked Camelin.

  ‘Ready,’ said Jack.

  As soon as they were airborne they flew at top speed towards Glasruhen. A cold blast of air hit them as they crested the summit and momentarily slowed their progress. Camelin signalled for them to drop down to the lower slopes. The forest provided some shelter from the wind, but its force swept leaves from the trees and sent them swirling into the air. Jack had never flown through a leaf storm before. Camelin veered to the left and dropped even lower; Jack did the same. They were soon flying over open countryside. Jack could see small clusters of farm buildings surrounded by a patchwork of brown fields as they headed towards Brion Ridge. Jack felt as much at home in the air now as he did on the ground but Camelin was still the better flyer. Jack realised he’d been paying too much attention to the landscape and was now lagging behind. He pulled down hard on his wings until he managed to catch up. When he eventually drew level with Camelin, he called across.