Firestar

by Anne Forbes

  His fears, as it happened, were justified for the first thing the Americans saw on the monitor was Rumblegudgeon streaking towards them, his face displaying a variety of emotions. Alarm, fear and horror all registered as the little hobgoblin shot, shrieking, across the marble with the grace and speed of a twenty ton elephant slipping on a banana skin and as he’d no control over his flight whatsoever, it was hardly his fault that he landed up smack against the machine.

  Venner’s monitor picked the whole thing up. Hitherto sceptical NASA scientists grabbed at one another in panic as they saw Rumblegudgeon careering towards them, screaming fearsomely and as he grew ever larger, they ducked, as though expecting him to shoot straight through the screen and land in their midst. As it was, the final picture on the monitor gave them a pretty good view of his tonsils.

  Predictably, chaos reigned supreme as everyone in the control room totally lost the plot.

  Then Powerprobe’s monitor went blank.

  That shut everybody up.

  As the babble of alarmed voices quietened abruptly, the horrified silence deepened, all eyes focusing on Pat Venner as he bent over his keyboard and tapped at it frantically. Apart from a single, dancing point of light, the monitor remained blank. He tried again and again to raise some kind of response from Powerprobe — any kind of response — but to no avail. He sat back in his chair with a sigh and, in a voice shaking with nerves, told everyone what they had already gathered.

  “Sorry, guys,” he said as a frisson of alarm rippled through the crowd, “but I reckon that Powerprobe’s been zapped!”

  Powerprobe had, indeed, been zapped.

  Ever since the first attack, Firestar had been ripe for retaliation. As it had been in existence since more or less the beginning of time, it had a pretty fair working knowledge of the universe and although the original attack had taken it by surprise, causing it to miss the arrival of Malfior, the constituents of the lasers had by no means escaped its understanding.

  So, as it happened, Firestar hadn’t been at all disappointed when it felt the first tentative probing of the lasers. Indeed, it embraced them in much the same way as a spider welcomes a fly to its web; gladly and with a certain mouth-watering sense of anticipation. Once caught in its clutches, poor Powerprobe had as much chance of survival as a snowflake in hell.

  With painstaking care, Firestar gathered together every ounce of power it possessed and with a massive surge of blistering energy, shot a beam of light back through the lasers to Powerprobe and quite successfully zapped all of its computers.

  The force of Firestar’s assault not only shook Morven but rocked the entire glen. For an instant, the mountain became as clear as crystal with a bluish-white, vibrant core that shot in a stream of blazing light from the top of the mountain, through the sky and into the furthest reaches of the heavens. And, as the beam hung, suspended in the air, the wind picked it up in its arms so that its magic drifted over the land, houses and farms of Glenmorven and into the screes and corries of the surrounding glens.

  Deep in the heart of the mountain, Firestar relaxed and breathed in its power once more. Scores had been settled and its charges, the Lords of the North and the peoples of the world of magic, could now live their lives in peace and safety to the days at the end of the world.

  However, while Firestar swelled comfortably in satisfaction at a job well done, Malfior, curled in its depths, smiled nastily. It knew Firestar’s mind and, indeed, it suited it that the connection to Powerprobe had been cut. Hidden and unsuspected, it could now grow unseen and unchecked.

  24. Trapped

  “There she is,” Neil pointed in relief to a little scrap of a kitten that was scrambling frantically across the rough ground towards them.

  “Ugly Mug!” Shona called. “Ugly Mug, We’re coming!”

  They all ran towards the kitten and Shona beamed happily as she scooped it up and cuddled it. “Are you hungry, then?” she crooned.

  “She must be starving,” Clara said, looking concerned, for Jennifer and her parents hadn’t left Glenmorven until after lunch and it was now quite late in the afternoon.

  The kitten miaowed plaintively. “We’ve brought you some food,” Shona soothed, looking at Neil who’d pulled the lid off the can of cat food.

  “She’ll have to eat it out of the can,” Neil said, bending down to let the kitten eat.

  Ugly Mug wasn’t fussy. She gobbled down the cat food until she could manage no more and then sat back to lick her paws and wash her face.

  “Enough,” Shona grinned, bending down to pick her up. Ugly Mug, however, seemed to think she was playing a game and by the time they caught her, it was later than Shona would have liked.

  “We’ll have to get a move on,” she said, looking round. “It’ll be dark soon.”

  Lewis zipped up his anorak and pulled the hood over his head as the wind gusted round them.

  Then he stopped suddenly. “What was that?” he said, looking startled.

  A strange noise, almost like an explosion, echoed round the glen and the ground shook under them. They looked at one another in alarm, thinking it was an earthquake until Shona looked up and pointed to the sky over the ridge. “Wow! Look at that! Morven’s all lit up!”

  Lewis, Neil and Clara eyed one another in astonishment. What was going on? This definitely looked like magic, and serious magic at that! They watched in awe as the great pillar of blue-white light that shot straight as an arrow into the sky, started to fade as the wind caught it and blew it in sweeping gusts towards them. As they made their way towards the ridge, they watched the sparkles of blue, glint in the wind and gradually fall to the ground until they were scattered here and there over the hillside, resting in the slopes around them. Soon there was nothing left to show that anything untoward had happened; the strange light faded and Morven reared in the distance, looking much the same as usual.

  It was then that they heard a roaring from the glen behind them and, swinging round at the sudden sound of crashing rocks, saw that the slopes of the mountains were heaving with movement as giant shapes rose from the slopes and stretched stone limbs.

  “The Cri’achan,” Clara said, appalled. “They’re rising from the mountains!”

  “What are we going to do?” Shona gasped. “There … there are so many of them!”

  Jennifer’s father had talked of there being three giants in the glen the night before but Neil reckoned at a quick glance that this time there must be ten or twelve at least. And they were huge. The newspapers had talked of giants the size of houses! These were more like blocks of flats!

  “Run,” Lewis gulped, “come on, run for the ridge!”

  They didn’t need to be told twice but when they turned to head for home, they saw, ahead of them, the rearing shapes of more giants.

  “Do you think they are the same giants the Sinclairs saw yesterday?” Shona gasped, still clutching Ugly Mug.

  Lewis looked round and turned pale as he realized that they were now cut off from Glenmorven. “We’ll have to climb as high as we can,” he gasped, “and maybe find a cave or something to shelter in until the giants pass. We can’t stay here! We’re right in their way!”

  They started to run and, as they scrambled up the slopes, found to their amazement that they were covering the ground in huge leaps. Higher and higher they climbed until the top of the mountain was in sight. It was like being one of the men on the moon, Neil thought as he leapt effortlessly over a huge boulder and then struggled to keep his balance as he hit a steep slope on the other side. A corrie! Thank goodness! His eyes swept the cup-like hollow that nestled hidden on the side of the mountain.

  “I’ve found a corrie,” he shouted urgently, clambering up to the rim and waving his arms. “Quick! Over here! It’ll hide us from the giants!”

  Still taking huge leaps, they headed towards him and piled into the hollow, collapsing in a heap against the rough grass and stones that formed its steep sides.

  Neil, crouching behind its edge, pe
ered down anxiously at the enormous giants that strode the valley floor. They were almost half as tall as the mountains themselves and as they marched along, their flailing arms knocked rocks and boulders from the sides of the mountains. They might not mean to harm anyone intentionally, he thought, but they could still do an enormous amount of damage to anyone standing in their way. He looked worriedly at Lewis who had climbed up beside him to scout out the lie of the land.

  “We’re still not safe,” Neil muttered. “I don’t know about you, but I’d give anything to be able to call a magic carpet.”

  Lewis smiled ruefully. They both knew that they were far too far away for their magic carpets to be of any use to them. “There’s Casimir’s ring,” he whispered, so that Shona wouldn’t hear him. “I could use it, couldn’t I?” He held out his hand and they looked at the magic ring that Casimir had given him. “I’ve never used it before,” he said doubtfully, “and I don’t really know what would happen if I did. But this is an emergency, isn’t it? I mean, we’re completely surrounded.”

  Neil nodded and flinched as some of the giants moved closer to their part of the mountain.

  Lewis ducked down below the rim of the corrie. “Casimir told me to rub it and call him if I needed help,” he said, “and we certainly need it now.”

  “It means that we’ll have to give the game away, though,” Neil pointed out. “Shona doesn’t know anything about our magic.”

  Lewis looked down at the two girls. “I know,” he said, “but it’s too dangerous to stay here. We can’t go any further without the giants spotting us. We’re trapped, Neil!”

  Clara and Shona looked up at them anxiously as the giants’ voices carried on the breeze. Only Neil, Clara and Lewis understood what they were saying, however, and Clara gripped her firestone tightly as the gravelly voices thundered and roared.

  “Death to the Lords of Morven!” chanted the giants. “Death! Death!”

  “That’s it,” Neil muttered, “go on, Lewis. You’ve no choice! You’ve got to tell the Lords of the North what’s going on. Rub the ring! It’s our only chance!”

  Lewis held his right hand out, fingers spread, and looked at the strangely-formed ring with its design of interlocking snakes. “Yasran,” he said, experimentally, rubbing the metal gently and hoping fervently that he’d said the magic word properly. “Yasran,” he said again.

  25. Court Appearance

  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 passe
d 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.

  26. Arthur to the Rescue

  “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!”