They all crouched together, sheltered beneath the glowing trees. The sound of serrated wings and talons thrashing against the bark rang through the forest as the birds desperately tried to prise a way in. But the trees stayed firm.

‘The forest!’ Moll whispered. ‘It’s . . . it’s helping us.’

A yellow eye filled a crack between the branches and blinked at them slowly.

Alfie shifted closer to Moll, then he pointed to the gnarled trunks around them. ‘Look at the bark!’

Carved into each trunk was a symbol, lit up by the silvery glow. On one, a star inside a circle; on another, a dash surrounded by dots; on another, a triangle balanced on an arrow.

‘It’s Oracle Bone script,’ Moll murmured.

‘Does that mean it’s the old magic fighting back?’ Siddy asked.

Scrap stood up and walked towards a crack in the trees. She craned her neck against the bark, then blew hard into her whistle.

Moll scrambled to her feet and pulled her back. ‘Careful, Scrap. Those owls are dangerous; we can’t take any chances.’

Scrap stuck out her bottom lip and pointed towards the crack in the branches. Moll took a step closer, then screwed up her eyes and peered through the gap. She gasped, squeezed her eyes tight, then opened them again, just to be sure that what she was seeing was real.

Something silvery white was gliding between the trees. It was moving too fast for Moll to understand what it was, but, as it swooped and soared, they could see its glow swell round the owls, snatching them from the air and thrashing them to the ground. Siddy and Alfie huddled behind Moll, stretching their necks to see more. The owls that had been hurled to the floor were croaking and shuddering and then, one by one, their bodies crumpled until all that was left were scattered heaps of feathers and blades.

They all watched, open-mouthed, until just one owl remained. It dived towards the crack the children had gathered at and they leapt backwards. But once again the glow intervened, blocking the owl’s path. Moll blinked at its brightness. The bird crashed to the ground and the light faded to a wisp and was gone. The forest was dark once more; only the trees around the children were left glowing.

Suddenly the owl on the ground hauled itself upright and screeched with such bite the sound juddered inside Moll’s bones. It wasn’t dead, but it seemed weakened by the fight and, dragging its bladed wings behind it, the bird hobbled away, lost in the darkness of the forest.

There was silence once again and the children looked at one another.

‘What on earth was that light?’ Siddy asked. ‘Was it part of the old magic?’

Moll shook her head. ‘I’ve no idea.’ She peeked out of the crack in the trees. ‘Do you think that last owl will be back?’

Alfie fiddled with his earring. ‘It’s hurt so it’s not going anywhere fast. But if it manages to leave the forest it won’t be long before—’

‘—the Shadowmasks are back,’ Moll finished.

She looked at the enormous trunks around them, their branches knotted tight. The bark had ridges so knobbly and rough they could have been centuries old and yet these trees had grown up in front of their eyes. Moll’s gaze followed the trunks upwards to where the branches swept over their heads.

‘Leaves!’ she cried.

The green foliage covered the roof of the woodland cage, shining with life in the silvery glow.

‘These are the only trees living in the forest,’ Siddy said. ‘They’re untouched by the Shadowmasks’ magic.’

Alfie squinted upwards. ‘Dark green leaves with blunt lobes. These are oak trees.’

‘Just like the Sacred Oaks in Tanglefern Forest.’ A smile spread across Moll’s face; it felt like someone had sent them a message telling them not to give up. She looked at the others in turn. ‘We can rest a while in here, but with that owl out there we’ll need to set off for the Blinking Eye soon.’

‘If we can get out,’ Siddy said quietly.

No one said anything. The thought hadn’t even crossed Moll’s mind. Leaves above them rustled and a pigeon appeared. Swift as light, Gryff darted up the tree and leapt into the canopy. The pigeon didn’t reappear, but they could hear the wildcat’s jaws working amid the leaves. He leapt down and hung back by the trunks, watching through the cracks for danger.

Siddy shuffled away from Gryff, then looked at Moll. ‘If he eats Hermit, I’m expelling you both from the Tribe.’

Before anyone could reply, the glowing trees around them seemed to dim and the darkness grew.

Moll moved closer to the trunks and felt for Gryff.

And then, one by one, tiny lights appeared in the canopy above them and dozens of fireflies lit up the night like candles.

‘It looks like whatever helped us out with those owls is still watching out for us,’ Alfie said.

Moll nodded and somehow she didn’t feel afraid.

They talked together long into the night – discussing ways to escape from the trees and reach the Blinking Eye before the Shadowmasks found them – but eventually their eyes couldn’t fight the tiredness and they lifted the blankets from the rucksack and lay down to sleep.