“Everyone pull out,” yelled a technician, waving his arms to attract attention. “The press ’copter’s down but they’re all okay. Harvey says to clear the glen. The giants have crossed the ridge and they’re in an ugly mood.”
Nobody needed to be told. They could see the giants crossing the ridge from where they stood. It was a frightening sight as wave after wave of the huge figures loomed up over the ridge and marched on heavy feet into Glenmorven.
“Cripes! Let’s get out of here!” gasped a white-faced reporter. There was a mad rush to get into cars, vans, anything that moved and a hassle of frantic hooting, revving and reversing to get onto the road that led out of the glen.
At the castle, Shane looked frustrated as he climbed into the waiting 4x4. “Chuck staying, then?” Sammy asked. Shane nodded and as the ground started to shake under the weight of the giants’ feet, he started the engine and took off at speed.
Shane grunted. “I tried to reason with him but he wasn’t having any of it!” he said, starting the engine. “I don’t think he was even listening!” he said disgustedly as he backed into the driveway.
And this was, indeed, the truth. Chuck had been so absorbed in the stream of data pouring from his computer that Shane’s panic-stricken pleas to leave had barely registered. Indeed, such was his concentration that he’d barely looked up as Shane told him what was going on outside. Leave the castle with Powerprobe up and running again? What on earth was he on about? A total no-brainer if ever he’d heard one.
Now, although Chuck hadn’t seen the giants, the others had. And it made a difference!
Shane hadn’t wasted time arguing. He knew it was pointless. If Chuck wanted to stay, that was his business — but no way was he going to hang around.
He put his foot down hard on the accelerator, so that the gravel spurted beneath his wheels, and took off down the driveway at speed.
Sammy looked back out of the rear window as they left the castle grounds and whitened as he saw the huge figures of the giants, fast approaching from the ridge, terrible in their intensity.
The scene of panic was repeated at Glenmorven House.
“Quick … into the cars you lot,” Ian Ferguson snapped as they tumbled out of the door to see the giants marching towards them with huge strides. Neil and Clara looked at one another. Scared as they were, they didn’t want to leave, they wanted to see what would happen when the giants reached Morven.
“I wonder what the magicians will do?” Lewis whispered to Clara as they climbed into the back seat of the car.
“Where’s Shona?” Helen Ferguson looked round frantically.
“I’m here, Mum,” Shona shouted, running up with Ugly Mug clutched against her. “I couldn’t leave her behind.”
Her mother smiled, despite herself. “In you get,” she said, “or the giants will be stepping on us!”
“Look,” Neil said, excitedly. “There’s the 4x4 from the castle. Shane and his lot are pulling out, too.”
“I’m not surprised.” Ian Ferguson remarked as he turned out of the driveway and settled in behind the Americans.
Lewis craned his neck. Shane was driving but he couldn’t see Chuck’s spiky hair among the passengers. “Chuck must still be in the castle,” he whispered to Neil.
“He must be mad,” Neil whispered back. “The giants are on the warpath. You can tell by the way they’re stomping along.”
“I hope Hughie’s okay,” Mrs Ferguson said worriedly from the front seat. “I’ve been looking out for Clarissa but I haven’t seen her at all. Do you think we should go back for him?”
“We can’t go back,” her husband said grimly. “The giants would be on top of us before we reached his cottage. And we’ve the children to think of!” He looked through his rear-view mirror and scanned the road behind. It was empty. Maybe, he thought, Hughie didn’t want to run away. He was a very old man. Perhaps he’d decided just to take his chance.
Racing along at the head of the convoy, the television crews were on their mobiles and despite the dangers the giants posed were determined not to pull out completely. Still anxious to get footage of the giants, they’d slowed down as they came to a passing place at the head of the glen. “This is as far as we go,” the producer snapped, jumping down from his jeep. “Offload the gear and get over there,” he pointed to a high bluff of rock that gave them a clear view of Morven. “We ought to have a grandstand view from there!”
“Please stop, Mr Ferguson,” Neil urged, seeing the cameramen puffing up the steep slope. “The TV people are right. The giants are heading for Morven. They won’t come this far. Let’s stop and see what happens!”
“Yes, pull in, Ian,” his wife urged. “We’re far enough away to be safe.”
They clambered out of the car and shivered as the wind hit them. The lay-by gave them a spectacular view and they gasped as they saw the giants approach Morven, their roaring voices carried on the wind.
Shona gripped Clara by the arm as they watched them near Hughie’s cottage. As it happened, all the houses in the glen were safe, even Jenni’s house in Glen Garchory, for the Lords of the North had put a protective shield round them so that no harm would come to them. The children didn’t know this, however, and their hearts were in their mouths as they watched the giants approach. Set in a dip in the road, they were afraid that the giants mightn’t see the little cottage and tramp all over it. The giants, however, sensed the protective shield round the cottage and avoiding the belt of trees round the little house, lumbered past. Seeing this, the children breathed again as they saw that, for the moment at least, Hughie was safe.
The castle, however, reared high and unmistakeable in a stretch of open ground. The giants saw it and much to their relief, circled it carefully. Glenmorven House, with its sheltering trees was also given a wide berth as the giants converged triumphantly on the mountain.
Shona gave a gasping sob as the others looked at one another aghast. Why weren’t the Lords of the North doing something to stop them?