Free The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner Page A

shall find our chance; but for the present we watch, and wait. Firefrost is not in Nastrond’s hand, and for that we must be thankful.
    â€œThere! You have it all, and now we go our ways once more.”
    Colin and Susan were so relieved to find the wizard unharmed that parting from him did not seem anything like so bleak an experience as it had been before.
    â€œIs there still nothing we can do?” asked Susan.
    â€œNo more than you have been doing all these months. You have played your part well (if we forget this afternoon!), and you must continue to do so, for we do not want you to fall foul of that one again.”
    He pointed with his staff. About the trees through which the Black Lake could normally be seen hung a blanket of fog. Elsewhere, as far as the eye could see, the sunset plain was free of haze or mist, but Llyn-dhu brooded under a fallen cloud.
    â€œIt has been there for over a week,” said the wizard. “I donot know what he is about, but my guess is that he is trying to seal Firefrost within a circle of magic to prevent its power from reaching Fundindelve. He will not succeed, and he has not the strength to destroy the stone. But then, I have not the power to take it by force, so the matter rests, though we do not.”
    Cadellin walked with the children as far as the road, and they left him, lighter at heart than they had been for many a day.
    The mist was still there the following morning. Colin and Susan had set out on their bicycles soon after dawn to spend the day exploring the countryside, and when they had reached the top of the “front” hill Colin had suggested taking another look at Llyn-dhu. So there they now were, sitting on Castle Rock, and gazing at the mist.
    For a long time they were silent, and when next Colin spoke he did no more than put his sister’s thoughts into words.
    â€œI wonder,” he said, “what it’s like … close to.”
    â€œDo you think we’d be breaking a promise if we went just to look?”
    â€œWell, we’re looking now, and we’d be doing the same thing, only from a lot nearer, wouldn’t we?”
    That decided it; but then they realised that they had not the least idea of how to reach the lake. However, by picking out what few landmarks they knew, it seemed that if theymade for Wilmslow, and there turned left, they would be heading in something like the right direction. So, without further delay, Colin and Susan rode to Alderley, bought a bottle of lemonade to go with their sandwiches, posted a view of Stormy Point to their father and mother, and within thirty minutes of making their decision were in the centre of Wilmslow, and wondering which road to take next.
    â€œThere’s the man to ask,” said Colin.
    He had seen a small beetle of a car, from which was emerging a police sergeant of such vast proportions that he hid the car almost completely from view. It was incredible that he could ever have fitted into it, even curled up.
    The children cycled over to him, and Colin said:
    â€œExcuse me, can you tell us the way to Llyn-dhu, please?”
    â€œWhere?” said the sergeant in obvious surprise.
    â€œLlyn-dhu, the Black Lake. It’s not far from here.”
    The sergeant grinned.
    â€œYou’re not pulling my leg, are you?”
    â€œNo,” said Susan, “we’re not – promise!”
    â€œThen somebody must be pulling yours, because there’s no such place of that name round here that I know of, and I’ve been at Wilmslow all of nine years. Sounds more Welsh than anything.”
    Colin and Susan were so taken aback that, for a moment, they could not speak.
    â€œBut we saw it from Castle Rock less than an hour ago!” said Susan, and tears of exasperation pricked her eyes. “Well, we didn’t really see it, because it was covered in mist, but we know it’s there.”
    â€œMist, did you say? Ah, now perhaps we’re getting