“I liked your new friends, Clara,” Arthur said as she perched herself comfortably in the crook of his arm.
Clara smiled. “Mmmm … but it’s nice to be back in Arthur’s Seat with old friends, too,” she said, glancing round the Great Hall where George Tatler and Sir James sat talking to the MacArthur.
Neil, sitting beside her, nodded in agreement as he held his arm out so that Cassia, a large black crow, could perch comfortably on it. Her mate, Kitor, however, landed in a flap of wings on Clara’s shoulder and nibbled her ear gently with his beak. Hearing of all their adventures up north, he wished that he had gone to Morven with them.
“Who is Shona again?” John MacLean asked, trying to sort out all the new names in his head.
“Shona is in Lewis’s class, Dad,” Neil explained, “and Jennifer is a year below them. She lives in the next glen to Shona, that’s how they’re friends.”
“That was the glen you rescued us from, Arthur.” Clara shivered as she remembered the giants. She looked at Jaikie and Hamish. “It’s a pity you weren’t there,” she said, “for it was the most fantastic thing you ever saw. The giants were chucking huge rocks about like confetti and when they started to grow tall, I thought they were going to reach out and catch Arthur! I didn’t realize he’d put a spell on them.”
Arthur blew smoke down his long nose as if to say that it would take much more than a giant to catch him. Kitor coughed and flapped his wings. He always kept a wary eye on Arthur who had an alarming tendency to blow fire and smoke at the drop of a hat.
Archie grinned. “I must say, it’s great to have you both back in Edinburgh. It’s been a bit boring here after our adventure with the giants.”
“Is there any news from Lord Rothlan?” Neil asked, looking at the MacArthur hopefully.
“Lord Rothlan and Lady Ellan have already left Morven,” the MacArthur answered. “They’re back at Jarishan now.”
“Amgarad will be pleased, then,” Clara smiled. “He didn’t like being cooped up in the mountain.”
“What was it like, Archie, flying with Amgarad?” Neil asked, remembering that Archie had merged with the eagle to fly back to Morven.
“It was the most amazing thing,” Archie said, his eyes bright with pleasure at the memory. “The strength of his wings was amazing. It was too short a journey, though, for Morven was only a few miles away. It was really a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to fly with the eagles, you know.”
Hamish met Clara’s eyes and smiled. “We know,” he said pointedly.
“Thank goodness you managed it, Archie,” Jaikie said. “Maybe you’ll stop pestering us now!”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Hamish observed. “Just wait until the next eagle comes along, eh, Archie!”
Sir James looked at the MacArthur, sitting on his carved, wooden chair and interrupted the exchange with a smile for Archie had already told him several times of his wonderful flight. “Archie’s been telling us about the giants, too, Neil. It sounds as though you and Clara had a very exciting time.”
“If it hadn’t been for the Americans and their wretched satellite,” Tatler snorted, “the virus would never have got into Firestar in the first place and none of it would ever have happened.”
“It caused a lot of hardship,” Sir James admitted. “Most of the glens up north have been cleared but it’ll be a while before the Highlands really get back to normal.” He stretched his long legs and relaxed comfortably on a long divan.
“I see from the newspapers that everything’s been put down to extreme weather conditions,” John MacLean said.
“Yes,” Neil added. “No mention of the giants these days, which is a bit surprising given the headlines they caused!”
Sir James looked at the MacArthur searchingly and smiled slightly. “Did the Lords of the North have anything to do with that, by any chance?” he queried.
The MacArthur nodded. “I should imagine so,” he said. “Such things are best forgotten, don’t you think?”
Sir James nodded in agreement. “Global warming’s probably as good an excuse as any,” he said approvingly. “But what about the Americans? What are they doing now?” he queried. “Does anyone know?”
“Prince Casimir tells me that they’re on their way back to the States,” the MacArthur replied. “Powerprobe’s been behaving very erratically and he reckons it won’t be long before they shut the whole project down.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Tatler sat up and then looked at him shrewdly. “Did the Lords of the North have a hand in that as well?”
“Well … yes,” the MacArthur admitted, smiling slightly, “but there were other factors as well. Apparently, Lord Robertson saw what was happening on television while he was in Canada and was so upset that he cut his holiday short. The ghosts are delighted to have him back, needless to say!”
“They didn’t like the Americans much,” Neil said with a grin.
“Ah, but that was because they wanted to get inside the mountain,” the MacArthur said. “Rory and the MacTavish didn’t approve of that at all! It’s understandable! Now, if they’d been normal tourists, I think the ghosts would have kept themselves to themselves and bothered no one.”
“Shona will be over the moon to see Lord Robertson again,” Clara smiled, “and she’ll be able to climb Morven to her heart’s content over the summer holidays!”
Arthur blew a cloud of smoke down his long nose that sent Kitor and Cassia coughing. “Give over, Arthur,” Archie complained, waving his hands around. “The MacArthur’s pipe is bad enough without you joining in!”
“Come on, you two,” John MacLean said, looking at his watch and getting to his feet. “It’s getting late and you still have homework to finish, haven’t you?”
Neil nodded guiltily.
Listening to the tale of their adventures, his father had already decided to give his wife a very watered down version of the whole affair. No need to worry her unduly and the children, after all, were safe and sound. His mind veered towards other things as they called their magic carpets, for his brother, David was still seriously ill and he planned to drive down to the Borders the following morning.
Clara looked at Neil and sighed; after dealing with dragons, giants and magicians it was a bit much, she felt, to be landed with homework.
Sir James and Tatler rose to leave as well and as the magic carpets sailed across the Great Hall the MacArthur eased himself back gently in his chair and reached for his pipe. It had been a fairly desperate time but they seemed to have got through it without too much trouble. Firestar was back to normal, the Cri’achan had returned to the mountains and the Lords of the North were safe.
Nevertheless, he shifted uneasily in his chair. It was the knowledge that Lord Jezail had been mixed up in it all, that worried him. The Sultan, too, had been startled at the news and had already arranged a meeting in Turkey. Maybe Prince Casimir, who had visited Ashgar more than once, would be able to throw some light on the matter. But he doubted it. Jezail had always been a law unto himself. And, as Arthur curled lazily by his side, the MacArthur thoughtfully lit his pipe. More trouble brewing, he mused with a sigh …