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Emily slept so late the following morning that her mother came down to the cellar to check on her. She was just surfacing, and remembering the events of the previous day – and the night – when she saw Gwen in the doorway.
“Are you feeling all right? The others came up a while ago. What’s the matter with Alice? She’s hardly said a word. You haven’t been quarrelling, have you?”
Emily shook herself free of her hay. Her bed was in a mess, so she had obviously been tossing and turning. “Not really,” she said, wondering what to say. She obviously couldn’t tell her mother the real reason. Gwen looked sympathetic, which made her feel guilty.
“It wouldn’t be surprising,” she said. “You’ve been cooped up together for a long time now. I’m surprised you haven’t started fighting. And I’m really amazed that Angelica hasn’t turned us out before now. Especially on indoor Tail-Stane days!”
“If only we could go out for a proper fly!” said Emily as they crossed to the stairs. “I’d love to explore round here before we go back to the Glen. When do you think Des will be back?”
“Not yet. It would take him at least two days to get there, even at his speed. And we don’t know if he’ll need to stay. It’s hard to wait for news, isn’t it?” Looking at her mother, Emily realised it was even harder for her, and gave her a quick hug.
“I’ll try not to fight with Alice! Sorry!” she said.
“What for?” Fortunately they had reached the kitchen and Gwen didn’t seem to be expecting an answer. Oliver was just coming in through the hole in the front door.
“It’s getting warmer outside. Thick mist out there, so we might manage to get them out. What do you think?” he addressed Gwen, but Emily listened open-mouthed.
“Us?” she asked, breathlessly.
“Breakfast!” said her mother firmly, pushing her through the door. Oliver bounded up the stairs to the tower room in search of Duncan.
It was hard to see inside the kitchen, which was full of smoke from the fire mixing with mist drifting in through the window. Alice was playing a game with Lily and Georgie and didn’t look up, but Ollie gave her a searching glance from the other side of the room.
“You’re late!” said Tom. Emily ignored him and sat down with a bowl of porridge.
Alice stalked across the room followed by the little dragons, falling over each other and both talking at once. “Tom, we’re going to set up that run with the wee balls in the other room,” she called. “Not enough room in here. Coming?”
Tom, who had found a bag of marbles while rummaging in the upstairs cupboard in a fruitless search for another tennis ball, agreed and followed them across the hall. Gwen looked at Ellen and raised significant eyes to the ceiling. Ellen shook her head and shrugged her wings. Emily was scowling as she finished her porridge. Ollie finished stacking a pile of firewood and looked thoughtfully at her.
“Shall I take Grandad a drink?” he offered. His mother looked surprised. “Thanks, Ollie. Here you are. He’s probably better staying in his room as it’s so foggy and damp.”
“Can I go and say hallo to him?” Emily asked. She was very fond of Old George. As Ellen nodded, she vanished into the hall after Ollie. Their mothers stared suspiciously after them.
“There’s certainly something going on!” said Ellen. “I agree – they need to get out! Let’s hope Duncan and Oliver decide it would be safe.”
Emily headed for the stairs, following Ollie. Once he had delivered the tea, they might have a chance to talk over their plan. Old George looked drowsy, but twinkled his thanks to them both as they left him to rest in his little room. It was the only room with a window intact, so was always cosy and warm. They paused for a whispered consultation before going down the stairs, but were almost knocked over by the flurry of Duncan and Oliver hurtling down from the tower.
“What’s up?” asked Ollie.
“Great flock of rooks just gone over,” Oliver said over his shoulder as he followed Duncan down the stairs. “They’ve settled in the trees outside. Worth a hunt.”
Ollie and Emily looked at each other, then dashed down the stairs after them and followed them through the hole in the door. The mist outside was so thick they could hardly make out the fence at the edge of the garden.
“We can’t possibly be seen in this, Dad,” Ollie panted. “We could help...”
“No harm, I suppose,” said Oliver to Duncan, who nodded.
“All right,” he said. “Listen. This is what we do...” Quietly he explained that they had to fly all together above the trees, space out and drop all at once into the mass of birds in the treetops, taking them by surprise. “Swipe as many as you can with your tails as they take off in fright,” he added. “Dead or stunned, they’ll tumble to the ground and we can collect them up when the flock’s gone. Should manage a fair few before they escape. OK? Ready?”
“You’ve done this once before, remember Ollie?” said Oliver. “You haven’t, have you Emily? Sure you want to have a try?”
“Course I do!” said Emily. Duncan looked pleased. “Just don’t get your tail tangled in the branches,” he said.
“We’ll come and rescue you if you do!” added Ollie, and Emily gave him a friendly punch as Oliver gave the signal to take off. She had quite forgotten about Alice!
They took off as quietly as possible, with Duncan bringing up the rear, and headed into the mist away from the trees. They soon lost sight of the ground, and then even the tops of the trees disappeared into the blanketing mist. Oliver wheeled round and headed for the wood. Emily could see nothing, but gradually the raucous chattering of the rooks could be heard below them. When Duncan had reached the spot, he signalled to Emily and the others to space out. They all hovered silently, then dived together.
Taken by surprise, and calling in alarm, the rooks rose in a mass, and the four dragons dived into the flock, tails swinging. Emily had no idea how many birds she hit, but she closed her eyes tightly and felt her tail connect with battering wings. It felt as though she was lost inside a whirling black cloud, but it actually only took a couple of minutes before the flock had departed, still shrieking furiously, and she realised she was in danger of tangling herself in the higher branches. Just before that happened, her father loomed out of the mist and beckoned her to follow him. The dragons regrouped in the air, and Oliver led them safely through the trees to the ground below.
Ollie and Emily were breathless but beaming and excited, especially when they found the place where the rooks had fallen and realised how many were lying on the ground beneath the trees. “Well done, you two!” said Duncan. “Looks like a good number.”
“You collect the ones here, and I’ll check for any lodged in the branches,” said Oliver. “No point risking your wing, Duncan.” A few minutes later they gathered together and inspected their haul. They each took two or three rooks in each claw and prepared to fly back.
“D’you think they’ll come back?” asked Ollie, obviously longing to repeat the experience.
“Not for a while,” said
