Adolphus could even remember the way? And how was the young dragon going to get anyone to understand him? And what was he, Max, going to do if Sir Richardand Morgana turned up in the meantime? Should he try to get the prince away?
“Er, your highness? Do you think you can walk?”
“Oh, no, no way,” said Cael cheerfully. “My legs feel like bits of string.”
“Ah,” said Max, heavily. Nothing for it, then. He had to face the possibility of being here when Sir Richard and that awful witch arrived. But in the meantime, Olivia needed rescuing as badly as the prince. Max remembered her small, frightened voice when he’d left, and made up his mind.
“Ferocious, you go with Adolphus. Between you, that makes one brain and one pair of wings – they should be enough to get you to Merlin’s rooms. If he’s not there, you’d better try to find Dad. Merlin will probably understand you, but Dad will need a note – hang on, I’ll write one and tie it to Adolphus’s leg.”
Max found a scrap of parchment in oneof Snotty’s saddlebags and, using a charred stick from the fire, managed to roughly scratch out: Olivia Hogsbottom’s room. Hurry!
“I hope it’s still readable when you get there,” he said, frowning, and rolled it up and tied it on while Adolphus did his best to stand still. “Ferocious? Are you ready?”
The black rat scampered over to Max and nipped him affectionately.
“I’ll make sure we get there and I’ll make sure we find Merlin, don’t you worry. Much as I love your dear father, I don’t think he’d last ten seconds against that le Fay woman. Just you sit tight, and if they get here before us, well, then, spit at them for me, eh, Max?”
Max laughed, shakily, and Ferocious grinned. “That’s the spirit! Come on, Adolphus. We’re off to the castle, quick as your wings will take us!”
He hopped on to Adolphus’s back and dug in with his claws. Adolphus leaped into the air and shot off like a rocket, a streak of blue-green hurtling intothe late afternoon sun, with a thin wail of “Maybe not thaat faaaaaaast!” trailing behind him.
Max smiled, and returned to the fire, where he sat hugging his knees and wondering how many seconds he could last against that le Fay woman, if he had to.
The Gagging Spell
Olivia was feeling bored, hungry and just a bit frightened. It wasn’t a good combination. She seemed to have been stuck in Sir Richard’s rooms for hours – certainly right through lunchtime, and probably well into the afternoon. She had tried shouting out of the window and banging on the door, but the window was too high up and there was too much noise and music down below. A couple oftimes someone had glanced up and seen her, but they’d obviously just thought she was waving at the crowd and they’d waved happily back. As for the door, it was heavy oak and the sound of her fists or even a chair leg on it made no more than a dull, faint thud that was not going to attract anyone’s attention.
“Oh, what’s happening?” she groaned for maybe the twentieth time. Why did she have to be the one stuck here on her own, with all the action happening somewhere else? Never mind having to wait until Lady Morgana got round to coming back and dealing with you, whatever that meant. Oh, why couldn’t she have been the frog and Max the one who had to stay and wait? Where were they? What was happening?
Suddenly she heard footsteps in the corridor outside. She stopped stamping and stood very still, listening. Were they going to stop? Was it Sir Richard – or worse, Morgana? There was no point trying to hide as they knew she was there. All the same, she didn’t like just standing there in themiddle of the room. She crept into the small arched recess in the corner and pressed herself against the wall.
The footsteps stopped and there was the sound of a key in the door. Olivia held her breath as the door opened and someone came in.
“Olivia?” came an uncertain voice from across the
“Er, your highness? Do you think you can walk?”
“Oh, no, no way,” said Cael cheerfully. “My legs feel like bits of string.”
“Ah,” said Max, heavily. Nothing for it, then. He had to face the possibility of being here when Sir Richard and that awful witch arrived. But in the meantime, Olivia needed rescuing as badly as the prince. Max remembered her small, frightened voice when he’d left, and made up his mind.
“Ferocious, you go with Adolphus. Between you, that makes one brain and one pair of wings – they should be enough to get you to Merlin’s rooms. If he’s not there, you’d better try to find Dad. Merlin will probably understand you, but Dad will need a note – hang on, I’ll write one and tie it to Adolphus’s leg.”
Max found a scrap of parchment in oneof Snotty’s saddlebags and, using a charred stick from the fire, managed to roughly scratch out: Olivia Hogsbottom’s room. Hurry!
“I hope it’s still readable when you get there,” he said, frowning, and rolled it up and tied it on while Adolphus did his best to stand still. “Ferocious? Are you ready?”
The black rat scampered over to Max and nipped him affectionately.
“I’ll make sure we get there and I’ll make sure we find Merlin, don’t you worry. Much as I love your dear father, I don’t think he’d last ten seconds against that le Fay woman. Just you sit tight, and if they get here before us, well, then, spit at them for me, eh, Max?”
Max laughed, shakily, and Ferocious grinned. “That’s the spirit! Come on, Adolphus. We’re off to the castle, quick as your wings will take us!”
He hopped on to Adolphus’s back and dug in with his claws. Adolphus leaped into the air and shot off like a rocket, a streak of blue-green hurtling intothe late afternoon sun, with a thin wail of “Maybe not thaat faaaaaaast!” trailing behind him.
Max smiled, and returned to the fire, where he sat hugging his knees and wondering how many seconds he could last against that le Fay woman, if he had to.
The Gagging Spell
Olivia was feeling bored, hungry and just a bit frightened. It wasn’t a good combination. She seemed to have been stuck in Sir Richard’s rooms for hours – certainly right through lunchtime, and probably well into the afternoon. She had tried shouting out of the window and banging on the door, but the window was too high up and there was too much noise and music down below. A couple oftimes someone had glanced up and seen her, but they’d obviously just thought she was waving at the crowd and they’d waved happily back. As for the door, it was heavy oak and the sound of her fists or even a chair leg on it made no more than a dull, faint thud that was not going to attract anyone’s attention.
“Oh, what’s happening?” she groaned for maybe the twentieth time. Why did she have to be the one stuck here on her own, with all the action happening somewhere else? Never mind having to wait until Lady Morgana got round to coming back and dealing with you, whatever that meant. Oh, why couldn’t she have been the frog and Max the one who had to stay and wait? Where were they? What was happening?
Suddenly she heard footsteps in the corridor outside. She stopped stamping and stood very still, listening. Were they going to stop? Was it Sir Richard – or worse, Morgana? There was no point trying to hide as they knew she was there. All the same, she didn’t like just standing there in themiddle of the room. She crept into the small arched recess in the corner and pressed herself against the wall.
The footsteps stopped and there was the sound of a key in the door. Olivia held her breath as the door opened and someone came in.
“Olivia?” came an uncertain voice from across the
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