darkness. He was damp and shivering.
"Yes!" she shouted back. "Don't worry. It'll be all right."
She wanted to shout, I've got a mother and a father, just like I always knew I had. I've found them at last. But she only smiled.
"Look, there's light up ahead. Daylight," cried Questrid.
"I see it," said Copper. "I knew it would be all right. I just knew it."
The circle of light grew brighter and larger as they sped toward it. Then, suddenly, they were at the end of the tunnel and the wave gushed out, like water from a burst pipe. Questrid and Copper popped out into the fresh air, screaming and shouting.
There was nothing in front of them now except the snow-covered hill stretching out below.
Copper tensed, ready for the boat to crash onto the ground, but it didn't. The wave of water had thrown them down onto the hillside, and as the water met the freezing air it turned to ice beneath them, and now the boat was speeding down the hillside, sailing on a frozen ice river.
"Yahoo!" Questrid cried, pulling himself onto his knees in the prow. "Yahoo!"
The boat tipped and tilted as it slithered down the blue and silver mountainside, smooth as glass, toward Spindle House far below.
The boat was going home.
"Wheeeee!" cheered Ralick, peeping through the front of Copper's coat.
Behind them, the great shards and blocks of ice pushed and bounced and tumbled along as if trying to catch up. Looking back, Copper half expected to see Granite and his men somersaulting along among the ice, but there was no sign of them, they were safe inside the Rock.
At last the boat slid slowly into the courtyard where everyone was waiting for them.
"Copper! Questrid! We saw the ice. We saw it all falling and we didn't know . . . ," cried Oriole, rushing to them and hugging them.
"Oh, thank goodness you're back."
"What's been going on?"
"Copper? Questrid, are you all right?"
They pulled them out of the boat and kissed them and hugged them.
It was a hard moment for Copper. The one and only time she'd seen her father, she had run away from him, and now she didn't know what to do. She avoided meeting his gaze, and when Cedar touched her, she was as solid as a tree trunk in his arms. Pretending she'd dropped her crochet needle in the boat, she went back to it, to have a moment alone.
"What's the matter?" hissed Ralick.
"Nothing. Just avoiding someone, that's all."
In case she was being watched, she pretended to search the boat. Of course there was nothing there, but she saw something she hadn't noticed before: the boat's name. Carved in intricate letters on the little boat's prow was the name LINDEN.
Copper was astonished. Was this the Linden she had to be kind to? Was it possible to be kind to a boat? But it was a Linden who had been kind to them and saved them from Granite. I'm sure Aunt Ruby said a person called Linden, she thought. What's the connection? Silver. Linden. Amber and Cedar . . . She looked up at her father, who was watching her, and then away. What could she say to him? Would they ever be able to say anything to each other?
Quickly she followed the others into the kitchen, which smelled wonderful—of new bread and wood smoke. The birds twittered noisily. When Questrid and Copper had put on dry clothes, they sat by the fire and sipped hot chocolate. Copper propped Ralick up against the warm stove to dry, and Questrid described his part of the adventure.
"Well done, Questrid," said Cedar, when he'd finished. "It was very brave of you to go into the Rock. I wish I could have fit through that broken window."
"You should have seen your father, Copper," Oriole said. "He made such a fuss and banged and yelled. But we couldn't get in. The Rock's as impenetrable as a fort."
"We were going to send the birds in to drop smoke bombs," said Robin. "We contemplated setting fire to the wooden bits but we worried about hurting you."
"We didn't want to endanger you," said Cedar. "We were going to go back with reinforcements."
"Thank you
"Yes!" she shouted back. "Don't worry. It'll be all right."
She wanted to shout, I've got a mother and a father, just like I always knew I had. I've found them at last. But she only smiled.
"Look, there's light up ahead. Daylight," cried Questrid.
"I see it," said Copper. "I knew it would be all right. I just knew it."
The circle of light grew brighter and larger as they sped toward it. Then, suddenly, they were at the end of the tunnel and the wave gushed out, like water from a burst pipe. Questrid and Copper popped out into the fresh air, screaming and shouting.
There was nothing in front of them now except the snow-covered hill stretching out below.
Copper tensed, ready for the boat to crash onto the ground, but it didn't. The wave of water had thrown them down onto the hillside, and as the water met the freezing air it turned to ice beneath them, and now the boat was speeding down the hillside, sailing on a frozen ice river.
"Yahoo!" Questrid cried, pulling himself onto his knees in the prow. "Yahoo!"
The boat tipped and tilted as it slithered down the blue and silver mountainside, smooth as glass, toward Spindle House far below.
The boat was going home.
"Wheeeee!" cheered Ralick, peeping through the front of Copper's coat.
Behind them, the great shards and blocks of ice pushed and bounced and tumbled along as if trying to catch up. Looking back, Copper half expected to see Granite and his men somersaulting along among the ice, but there was no sign of them, they were safe inside the Rock.
At last the boat slid slowly into the courtyard where everyone was waiting for them.
"Copper! Questrid! We saw the ice. We saw it all falling and we didn't know . . . ," cried Oriole, rushing to them and hugging them.
"Oh, thank goodness you're back."
"What's been going on?"
"Copper? Questrid, are you all right?"
They pulled them out of the boat and kissed them and hugged them.
It was a hard moment for Copper. The one and only time she'd seen her father, she had run away from him, and now she didn't know what to do. She avoided meeting his gaze, and when Cedar touched her, she was as solid as a tree trunk in his arms. Pretending she'd dropped her crochet needle in the boat, she went back to it, to have a moment alone.
"What's the matter?" hissed Ralick.
"Nothing. Just avoiding someone, that's all."
In case she was being watched, she pretended to search the boat. Of course there was nothing there, but she saw something she hadn't noticed before: the boat's name. Carved in intricate letters on the little boat's prow was the name LINDEN.
Copper was astonished. Was this the Linden she had to be kind to? Was it possible to be kind to a boat? But it was a Linden who had been kind to them and saved them from Granite. I'm sure Aunt Ruby said a person called Linden, she thought. What's the connection? Silver. Linden. Amber and Cedar . . . She looked up at her father, who was watching her, and then away. What could she say to him? Would they ever be able to say anything to each other?
Quickly she followed the others into the kitchen, which smelled wonderful—of new bread and wood smoke. The birds twittered noisily. When Questrid and Copper had put on dry clothes, they sat by the fire and sipped hot chocolate. Copper propped Ralick up against the warm stove to dry, and Questrid described his part of the adventure.
"Well done, Questrid," said Cedar, when he'd finished. "It was very brave of you to go into the Rock. I wish I could have fit through that broken window."
"You should have seen your father, Copper," Oriole said. "He made such a fuss and banged and yelled. But we couldn't get in. The Rock's as impenetrable as a fort."
"We were going to send the birds in to drop smoke bombs," said Robin. "We contemplated setting fire to the wooden bits but we worried about hurting you."
"We didn't want to endanger you," said Cedar. "We were going to go back with reinforcements."
"Thank you
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