Free Firestar by Anne Forbes

for sure is that it wasn’t an attack by a stray magician. It was a man that Rumblegudgeon saw on the screen.”
    “I presume you’ve put a protective shield round Morven?”
    “It was the first thing we did,” nodded the MacArthur.
    Sir James sat back. “This is serious,” he muttered , “but there are some clues. You should have told me about this before, you know. If the hobgoblin saw a man on the screen and you think the attack came from the sky, then the chances are that maybe some sort of spacecraft is involved.” He saw their blank looks. “You know,” he gestured vaguely, “… spaceships, satellites and the like … Machines in space that circle the earth and transmit data about all sorts of things. Lots of countries have them — America, Russia and France to name but a few.”
    There was a silence.
    “America?” Hamish looked at Jaikie, his eyes startled.
    Jaikie sighed. “You’d better tell Sir James about the Americans at Morven Castle, MacArthur.”
    “Morven Castle?” Sir James repeated.
    “It’s in Glenmorven,” Hamish explained, “and quite close to the mountain.”
    “There are four or five of them,” the MacArthur admitted. “Young chaps, all of them. They leasedthe castle from Lord Robertson not long after Firestar was attacked and since they arrived they’ve done nothing but climb all over the mountain . They must know that there’s something odd about it for they’ve taken rock samples and gone over it with some sort of machine as well.”
    “They have, have they?” said Sir James interestedly .
    “They haven’t found Firestar, though,” Hamish said. “They arrived after we’d put a protective shield round the mountain.”
    “I’ll try and find out who they are and what they’re up to, if you like,” Sir James offered. “I’ve a friend in Aberdeen who might be able to help.”
    Jaikie grinned, despite the gravity of the situation . “No need for that, Sir James. We’ve got spies in the castle already!”
    “Ghosts,” nodded the MacArthur.
    “Ghosts?” repeated Sir James, looking taken aback.
    “Red Rory MacGregor and the Black MacTavish,” the MacArthur said, smiling at his expression. “Fearsome fighters, the pair of them. They’ve haunted the castle for years. They never bother Lord Robertson, of course,” he added, “but these Americans have really put their noses out of joint. Apparently, they suspected from the start that something strange was going on and when they heard them talking about how to get into the mountain — well, they passed the message on to the Lords of the North.”
    “They were talking about blowing a hole in it with explosives,” Hamish said disapprovingly.
    “How on earth do you know all this?” Sir James asked in amazement.
    “The Lords of the North have given them a crystal ball,” the MacArthur said reassuringly, “and they keep us up to date on what’s going on.”
    “They’re trying to scare the Americans out of the castle at the moment but so far they haven’t had much success,” Archie added, smiling mischievously . “The trouble is that they’re invisible, of course, so their scope, at the moment, is a bit limited. They reckon they might have to materialize if they’re going to get any results.”

    Sir James left the hill every bit as worried as the MacArthur. As his carpet took him up through the blackness of the tunnels inside Arthur’s Seat into the watery sunshine of an April day, his mind was busy. As always, the magic carpet became invisible the minute it left the hill and as it soared towards Morningside, heading for his flat, he made a mental note to give Bob Grant a ring. Bob was in Aberdeen. Maybe
he
could find out who the Americans were …

10. Jelly Beans
    The minute Prince Kalman merged back into the body of the stag, the petrified beast took off, covering the slopes of the mountainside in great, flying leaps. It didn’t need any urging, for the two giants that had been striding along