Dragonfire by Anne Forbes

relief, it seemed that his journey was really over, as the shaft brought them straight into the middle of the main cavern where the MacArthurs huddled round their chief. Sir James sensed a feeling of deep gloom as he demerged and made his bow to the MacArthur and Lady Ellan.
    “Sir James!!” Neil and Clara rushed forward to grasp hishands. “Sir James, you were a pigeon! How did you do it?”
    “What was it like?” asked Neil enviously. “Did you really fly in the air?”
    “I did,” said Sir James, smoothing his hair and looking at his arms and legs as if to make sure that he was still all there. “It was a wonderful experience, although,” and here he grinned, “I think I gave Jaikie and Hamish a few bad moments! Believe me, there’s more to being a pigeon than meets the eye!”
    Lady Ellan, glancing from Jaikie and Hamish to Sir James, raised her eyebrows and hid a smile as she stepped forward to welcome him.
    “I’m so glad you were able to come,” she said, shaking hands with Sir James. “We’re in serious trouble and we badly need your help.”
    “Jamie mentioned something about treasure and stolen jewels?”
    “I suppose they are jewels, but actually firestones are much more than that. They are magic stones and have powers of their own. We kept ours with the rest of Arthur’s treasure and, I must admit that over the years we tended to forget that they were there. Those stones given to us by the Lords of the North were imbued with very strong magic. A necklace, a belt and a ring, all studded with firestones, were the most powerful. As my father told you earlier, they kept the shield in place around Lord Rothlan’s lands. They also protected us here in the hill. Now the stones have been stolen and although we’re still searching the hill, we know that they’ve gone.”
    “You might still find them,” Clara said seriously, looking round at the vastness that surrounded them. “The inside of the hill is huge!”
    Lady Ellan smiled. “We know that they’ve gone because our own power is waning. We feel their loss within us!”
    “Rothlan’s at the bottom of all this!” snarled the MacArthur, sunk in gloom. “You mark my words!”
    “It’s all my fault!” Hamish interrupted, wringing his hands.“When Arthur left the hill, I should have gone to his cave to take the firestones into safe-keeping. Instead, I stayed to watch the police arrive and by the time I reached the cave, the stones had gone. And I found those!” He showed them a soft, dirty bundle of feathers.
    “The bird,” gasped Clara, taking one in her fingers and looking at Hamish in alarm, “Amgarad!”
    “Yes,” sighed the MacArthur. “Amgarad must have stolen the stones and with
them
in his hands, Jarishan will be open to the world. Rothlan must have been feasting on his anger for years. There will be war and it will be to the hill that he will come first, to take his revenge on me. The irony of it all is that although he doesn’t know it, I was the only one who stood up for him when the Lords of the North were deciding his punishment. It was Prince Kalman that did for him in the end. He was determined to see him cowed and controlled.”
    “What about Dougal MacLeod?” asked Clara suddenly. “He might have gone back and stolen the stones.”
    “I’m afraid that won’t wash, Clara!” interrupted Sir James. “Dougal MacLeod is
not
one of my favourite people but I’ve known him for years and he’s as honest as the day is long; MacLeod’s no thief.”
    A whooshing noise and a frantic fluttering of wings announced the arrival of a pigeon through the shaft. It could barely speak and tumbled over itself in its anxiety to get to the MacArthur. “Rothlan’s eagles have come, MacArthur!” it stuttered. “They are gathered in the crags with Amgarad.”
    At the same time, a commotion at the back of the hall revealed several stumbling, bleeding figures. “Rothlan’s here! In the tunnels!” gasped one, making his way to