Free The Wings of Ruksh by Anne Forbes Page B

let me explain. The children have no magic in their bodies for the crown to react to, but if I implant the words of the spell in them, I will virtually be speaking through them and my words will be powerful enough to break any spell that ties the crown to the prince.”
    “Yeeeah!” Neil leapt to his feet, punching the air. “Great!
Now
can we go, Dad?”
    Clara, too, looked excited as Neil grabbed her hands and whirled her round and round.
    “Clara! Neil! Calm down the pair of you,” Mrs MacLean scolded. “Really, your behaviour! And in front of the Sultan, too!”
    Both children collapsed on the divan, their eyes shining withexcitement.
    “It’s all right, Mrs MacLean,” the Sultan said, his lips curving in a rare smile. “I, too, was young once.”
    At this remark, Sir James shot him a speculative glance. Just how long ago, he wondered, had
that
been!
    “Perhaps,” suggested Lord Rothlan, “it might be a good idea for Neil and Clara to wait in the Great Hall until we’ve talked this over.”
    John MacLean nodded in agreement. “Off you go, you two,” he said. “We’ll call you back when we’ve decided what to do.”
    Neil made a face at Clara but they got to their feet willingly enough and walked along the short tunnel that led to the Great Hall.
    “What d’you think, Neil?” Clara asked despondently as they plumped themselves down on a couple of cushions. “Mum’ll never let us go. Not in a month of Sundays, she won’t!”
    In this, she was mistaken, however, as once Mrs MacLean heard Lord Rothlan’s plan to take the crown from Ardray, she looked less worried and eyed her husband questioningly.
    “Neil and Clara are as dear to us as they are to you, John,” Lady Ellan urged gently. “We’ll all protect them from any harm that might come their way, you know that. And remember, you’ll be with us, after all.”
    “The Sultan, too, turned towards the MacLeans. “I know how you both feel,” he said, meeting their eyes understandingly, “but if you allow the children to carry my words, I assure you that they will be protected throughout the journey. It’s my intention to give each rider a magic cloak. As long as they are wearing them, neither heat nor cold, hunger nor thirst will affect them — and, of course, the cloaks will shield them from any hexes that may come their way.”
    “Our plan is relatively simple and straightforward,” Rothlan said, outlining what they intended to do. “Kalman may be a powerful magician but even he can’t be in two places at once, you know. The MacArthur will keep in touch with us throughthe crystal and when Kalman’s attending an important meeting or a session in parliament, he’ll tell us so that we can go into the tower and take the crown.”
    “What about getting through the magic forest, though? Won’t there be a protective shield round it to keep people out?” the Ranger objected.
    “Probably,” admitted Rothlan, turning to the Sultan.
    “The magic words will destroy any protective shield,” the Sultan assured him.
    “You see, it’s really of the utmost importance that we take the crown from Kalman,” Rothlan said, his voice serious, “and to be honest, John, I think that giving the magic words to the children is probably our only chance of getting it back at all.”
    Janet MacLean pursed her lips. She liked and trusted Lord Rothlan and knew that as far as the crown was concerned, he spoke the truth. Looking at her husband, her forehead creased in a worried frown, she said at last. “You’ll be with the children, John, and … and the Sultan has given us his word.”
    Although the Ranger looked doubtful, he nevertheless appreciated the truth of what had been said and, seeing the set of serious and concerned faces that confronted him, finally nodded his head in agreement.
    The Sultan rose to his feet and shook him by the hand. “Thank you, Mr MacLean,” he said gratefully. “I appreciate the trust you have put in us. You will all