knowing that the whole set up might collapse at any minute, made it an absolutely hair-raising task. He’d have been even more concerned had he known just how much magic Casimir was using to keep the dangling carriages attached to the rest of the train and it was only when Lewis carried the last man from the last carriage that Casimir cut the spell. The bolts then did what they should have done at least half an hour previously. They snapped with a vicious crack — and with a tearing, grinding jerk, the carriages toppled slowly from the bridge and fell into the dull, grey waters of the Firth of Forth.
Everyone was so busy watching the carriages fall into the water that Lewis was able to become invisible again without anyone noticing. He was utterly exhausted and rested for a while on one of the girders before heading once again for Edinburgh.
“My, you missed such a thrilling rescue!” Mrs Sinclair said as he came in. “You should have stayed and watched it, Lewis! It was just like the cinema. They’re calling him the Shadow, like some comic-strip character. He rescued everybody out of that train, you know! It was wonderful!”
“The Shadow?” Lewis pretended to be surprised. “You’re having me on!” he exclaimed. “He’s a character in my comic books!”
“Aye, but this was a real person, all dressed up in a mask and a cloak. He could fly through the air, just like Superman. And he rescued so many people! Wonderful, he was!”
“I wish I’d seen him,” Lewis did his best to sound disconsolate .“Do you think they’ll show it again?”
“Ocht, of course they will. It’ll be repeated all night, I should think,” Mrs Sinclair said, “but it’ll no’ be as thrilling as watching it when it was happening! What they can’t understand is how the carriages didn’t fall sooner. The engineers were saying they were only held up by a few links!”
“Were they really?” Lewis said slowly.
“You owe me, Lewis!” Casimir said softly as Mrs Sinclair went to serve the dinner. “You owe me big time, believe me!”
14. The Shadow Strikes Again
“I bet it’s him,” Neil muttered to Clara as they sat glued to the television, watching as the black, cloaked figure carried passenger after passenger out of the wrecked carriages that dangled so perilously from the Forth Bridge.
“Bet it’s who?” asked the Ranger, looking at Neil in surprise.
“The boy that Kitor saw on Arthur’s Seat,” Neil answered.
“So?” Clara didn’t sound convinced.
“It must be! Who else is there in Edinburgh that has the magic to do stuff like that?”
“We don’t really know a lot about the world of magic,” his father said doubtfully. “Perhaps there are other magicians in Scotland that we haven’t heard about.”
Kitor flapped his wings. “The MacArthurs are the only magic people here,” he said. “I don’t know where this boy has come from but he is definitely a magician and a powerful magician at that. The magic shield the MacArthurs put round Arthur’s Seat wouldn’t have kept him out otherwise.”
“I wish the MacArthurs would come back,” Janet MacLean sighed. “Is there no way we could get in touch with them, John?”
“No way at all,” her husband replied. “We’ll just have to wait until they turn up!”
“We know where the boy lives,” Neil said, looking at his father doubtfully. “Kitor still keeps an eye on the house. If he could let us know when he goes out, we might be able to follow him.”
“No, Neil,” Mrs MacLean said firmly, “if he’s as powerful amagician as Kitor says, then it might be dangerous. Let’s wait and see what the MacArthurs have to say when they get back.”
“Your mother’s quite right, Neil,” pointed out their father, “for if he was trying to get into the hill to see the MacArthur then it follows that they must know one another. And I can’t help feeling that the MacArthur might not like us interfering in his affairs.”
“That’s true,
Everyone was so busy watching the carriages fall into the water that Lewis was able to become invisible again without anyone noticing. He was utterly exhausted and rested for a while on one of the girders before heading once again for Edinburgh.
“My, you missed such a thrilling rescue!” Mrs Sinclair said as he came in. “You should have stayed and watched it, Lewis! It was just like the cinema. They’re calling him the Shadow, like some comic-strip character. He rescued everybody out of that train, you know! It was wonderful!”
“The Shadow?” Lewis pretended to be surprised. “You’re having me on!” he exclaimed. “He’s a character in my comic books!”
“Aye, but this was a real person, all dressed up in a mask and a cloak. He could fly through the air, just like Superman. And he rescued so many people! Wonderful, he was!”
“I wish I’d seen him,” Lewis did his best to sound disconsolate .“Do you think they’ll show it again?”
“Ocht, of course they will. It’ll be repeated all night, I should think,” Mrs Sinclair said, “but it’ll no’ be as thrilling as watching it when it was happening! What they can’t understand is how the carriages didn’t fall sooner. The engineers were saying they were only held up by a few links!”
“Were they really?” Lewis said slowly.
“You owe me, Lewis!” Casimir said softly as Mrs Sinclair went to serve the dinner. “You owe me big time, believe me!”
14. The Shadow Strikes Again
“I bet it’s him,” Neil muttered to Clara as they sat glued to the television, watching as the black, cloaked figure carried passenger after passenger out of the wrecked carriages that dangled so perilously from the Forth Bridge.
“Bet it’s who?” asked the Ranger, looking at Neil in surprise.
“The boy that Kitor saw on Arthur’s Seat,” Neil answered.
“So?” Clara didn’t sound convinced.
“It must be! Who else is there in Edinburgh that has the magic to do stuff like that?”
“We don’t really know a lot about the world of magic,” his father said doubtfully. “Perhaps there are other magicians in Scotland that we haven’t heard about.”
Kitor flapped his wings. “The MacArthurs are the only magic people here,” he said. “I don’t know where this boy has come from but he is definitely a magician and a powerful magician at that. The magic shield the MacArthurs put round Arthur’s Seat wouldn’t have kept him out otherwise.”
“I wish the MacArthurs would come back,” Janet MacLean sighed. “Is there no way we could get in touch with them, John?”
“No way at all,” her husband replied. “We’ll just have to wait until they turn up!”
“We know where the boy lives,” Neil said, looking at his father doubtfully. “Kitor still keeps an eye on the house. If he could let us know when he goes out, we might be able to follow him.”
“No, Neil,” Mrs MacLean said firmly, “if he’s as powerful amagician as Kitor says, then it might be dangerous. Let’s wait and see what the MacArthurs have to say when they get back.”
“Your mother’s quite right, Neil,” pointed out their father, “for if he was trying to get into the hill to see the MacArthur then it follows that they must know one another. And I can’t help feeling that the MacArthur might not like us interfering in his affairs.”
“That’s true,
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