hillside without all that peering and staring!”
“Not swans. He uses other birds too.”
“You had pheasants dancing for you earlier. Aren’t you afraid they might have been his spies?” Pearl didn’t hide the scorn in her voice.
“I didn’t make the pheasants dance. Jasper’s song did.” Thomas frowned. “I knew the triplets’ powers would be different from ours, but I didn’t expect dancing pheasants!” He shook his head. “Anyway, pheasants are too dim for the Laird to use as spies.”
“Do you really believe that if some birds see us, they’ll tell the Laird and we’ll be in danger?”
“I believe it,” he said firmly. “Perhaps you should believe it too, along with all the other things you’ve believed this morning, like rings rolling uphill.”
Pearl turned round slowly. A thin scattering of tiny meadow pipits darted about to her left, and she remembered hearing the distinctive sound of a startled grouse not long ago. Tipping her head up, she saw two specks high in the sky, probably crows swooping in the air currents.
“Pipits? Grouse? Or crows?” she asked.
Thomas stopped a pace above her and shrugged. “Most likely crows, they’re the cleverest and they fly furthest.”
Pearl couldn’t believe they were being spied on by birds, but she had spent the morning hunting rocking horses, so perhaps it would be wise to be cautious. She looked at herself and Thomas. Her clothes had been dull enough when she put them on, and now they were camouflaged with mud. But Thomas was far too bright.
“Button your jacket to cover your red waistcoat,” she instructed, “and pull the lapels up to hide your ridiculously clean shirt. If we’re being hunted, we should use the land to hide ourselves, and we should stop arguing so loudly.”
Thomas frowned, but he did close his jacket before they set off again up the slope.
Then Pearl’s steady eye glimpsed a dark movement ahead of them. Instantly, she dropped down into the low heather.
Chapter 10
“Stop! Down!” Pearl whispered hoarsely.
Thomas stared at her, flat on the ground at his feet.
“Get down!” She tugged the hem of his jacket so he landed in the dirt, and she almost smiled as she realised that might finally take the edge of his dangerous tidiness.
Before he could yell at her, she put a finger to her lips, pointed up the hill and mouthed, “Deer.”
“Deer?” He responded in a whisper because she’d spoken in a whisper. “We don’t need to worry about deer. He never controls anything that doesn’t fly. Come on, and stop being scared of everything !”
She leant close to him to whisper, “I’m not scared of deer. But if we scare the deer, they’ll run. Then anyone, or an ything , watching, will know the deer have been spooked and might guess we’re here. So stay down and stay quiet.”
He glowered at her, but nodded once.
Now he was persuaded, she stopped using words and gestured that he must stay where he was. He rolled over and lay back casually in the heather with his arms behind his head like someone having a nap, but Pearl noticed he did it very quietly and he was careful to keep below the tops of the sparse heather.
Pearl crawled upwards, checking the wind. Even on a still day, there were always air currents around the peaks. Pearl felt a gentle current coming down the side of the Anvil. She was downwind of the herd, if they were there.
And they were. The red deer were grazing just over the next rise, hidden on the hillside far better than people with bright clothes and silver rifles. Pearl edged closer and saw a skinny stag with ten fragile points on his antlers, in the middle of his harem of eleven thin hinds and five stunted calves. This small herd wasn’t as impressive as the ones she hunted on the northern mountains.
The stag kept lifting his head, sniffing the air and glancing round. The movement she’d seen was the tip of an antler swinging up and down. But his vigilance was mostly for show. Pearl
“Not swans. He uses other birds too.”
“You had pheasants dancing for you earlier. Aren’t you afraid they might have been his spies?” Pearl didn’t hide the scorn in her voice.
“I didn’t make the pheasants dance. Jasper’s song did.” Thomas frowned. “I knew the triplets’ powers would be different from ours, but I didn’t expect dancing pheasants!” He shook his head. “Anyway, pheasants are too dim for the Laird to use as spies.”
“Do you really believe that if some birds see us, they’ll tell the Laird and we’ll be in danger?”
“I believe it,” he said firmly. “Perhaps you should believe it too, along with all the other things you’ve believed this morning, like rings rolling uphill.”
Pearl turned round slowly. A thin scattering of tiny meadow pipits darted about to her left, and she remembered hearing the distinctive sound of a startled grouse not long ago. Tipping her head up, she saw two specks high in the sky, probably crows swooping in the air currents.
“Pipits? Grouse? Or crows?” she asked.
Thomas stopped a pace above her and shrugged. “Most likely crows, they’re the cleverest and they fly furthest.”
Pearl couldn’t believe they were being spied on by birds, but she had spent the morning hunting rocking horses, so perhaps it would be wise to be cautious. She looked at herself and Thomas. Her clothes had been dull enough when she put them on, and now they were camouflaged with mud. But Thomas was far too bright.
“Button your jacket to cover your red waistcoat,” she instructed, “and pull the lapels up to hide your ridiculously clean shirt. If we’re being hunted, we should use the land to hide ourselves, and we should stop arguing so loudly.”
Thomas frowned, but he did close his jacket before they set off again up the slope.
Then Pearl’s steady eye glimpsed a dark movement ahead of them. Instantly, she dropped down into the low heather.
Chapter 10
“Stop! Down!” Pearl whispered hoarsely.
Thomas stared at her, flat on the ground at his feet.
“Get down!” She tugged the hem of his jacket so he landed in the dirt, and she almost smiled as she realised that might finally take the edge of his dangerous tidiness.
Before he could yell at her, she put a finger to her lips, pointed up the hill and mouthed, “Deer.”
“Deer?” He responded in a whisper because she’d spoken in a whisper. “We don’t need to worry about deer. He never controls anything that doesn’t fly. Come on, and stop being scared of everything !”
She leant close to him to whisper, “I’m not scared of deer. But if we scare the deer, they’ll run. Then anyone, or an ything , watching, will know the deer have been spooked and might guess we’re here. So stay down and stay quiet.”
He glowered at her, but nodded once.
Now he was persuaded, she stopped using words and gestured that he must stay where he was. He rolled over and lay back casually in the heather with his arms behind his head like someone having a nap, but Pearl noticed he did it very quietly and he was careful to keep below the tops of the sparse heather.
Pearl crawled upwards, checking the wind. Even on a still day, there were always air currents around the peaks. Pearl felt a gentle current coming down the side of the Anvil. She was downwind of the herd, if they were there.
And they were. The red deer were grazing just over the next rise, hidden on the hillside far better than people with bright clothes and silver rifles. Pearl edged closer and saw a skinny stag with ten fragile points on his antlers, in the middle of his harem of eleven thin hinds and five stunted calves. This small herd wasn’t as impressive as the ones she hunted on the northern mountains.
The stag kept lifting his head, sniffing the air and glancing round. The movement she’d seen was the tip of an antler swinging up and down. But his vigilance was mostly for show. Pearl
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