Free Jack Shian and the King's Chalice by Andrew Symon

from?” Rana’s excitement at the prospect of riding was enough to make her forget her earlier concerns.
    “Down here.” Ossian set off at a smart pace.
    After crossing a couple of streets, they found themselves in a part of the city that was not built up. Around them to the left and right appeared to be grassland, and ahead of them was a hill.
    “That’s Arthur’s Seat!” exclaimed Petros as he looked up.
    “The back o’ it,” corrected Ossian. “Come on, it’s no’ far.”
    “Can’t we get home from here?” asked Lizzie. “I think I can remember the way.”
    Petros looked at the rising rock face in front of them. “No, we came down a different part of the slope. Anyway, you can’t work the charm to get into the square yet.”
    Lizzie followed on, sulkily. Rana hung back a little, and left her alone. Skirting round the base of Arthur’s Seat, they came to a low wall in deep shadow. Jack could just see that about twenty others were crouched down at the wall. Cosmo held his forefinger up to his lips. Dutifully, they fell silent, tiptoeing forward quietly.
    “Three of us’ll go in,” stated Cosmo. “Ten horses should be enough.”
    “Ten horses for twenty-five of us?” whispered Rana.
    “Shhh! Keep your voice down,” hissed Ossian. “You’ll see.”
    He followed Cosmo and one other as they vaulted the low wall.
    “Where are the others?” said Jack. “There was more than this in the entrance hall.”
    “Dunno,” Petros said blankly. “Maybe they’re going another way.”
    “Are we just going to take the horses?” asked Lizzie.
    “Are you still complaining?” retorted her brother.
    “But taking them is stealing.”
    “Oh, unlike your ‘finding’ things up at the castle,” said Petros. “Anyway, we’re only borrowing them. Ossian said they’ll be back before dawn.”
    “Dawn?” exclaimed Lizzie. “We’re not staying up all night, are we?”
    “’Course not. I just meant they’ll be back in their stables before the humans know they’ve gone.”
    Jack was wondering what it would be like to stay up all night, when a low whistle from behind the wall made him start.
    “Come on. You and me’ll go together,” whispered Petros. “Ossian’ll take the girls.”
    “D’you mean I don’t even get my own horse?” demanded Rana.
    “Can you make it fly?” asked her brother sarcastically, as two horses came sailing silently over the wall.
    “Up you get,” said Ossian. He indicated to Rana to leave a space for Lizzie. Mounting quickly, Rana edged back on the saddle-less horse and helped her less confident sister up.
    “Hold tight to my belt,” said Ossian.
    Jack and Petros both vaulted onto the back of the second horse. At a signal, all the horses proceeded forward at a trot along the base of Arthur’s Seat. The trot quickly became a canter, then a gallop. As each mount reached full speed, its lead rider called out, “Horse and hattock!”
    The sudden rise startled Jack. He gripped Petros’s belt with all his might as the chilly wind whipped past him. Slowly, Jack got used to the sensation of speed and cold, and dared to open his eyes. Petros, holding tight to the horse’s mane, looked around occasionally to check Jack was all right.
    After thirty minutes, the horses began to descend. Looking down, Jack saw a trail of lights, a flame circle at its head. Within minutes, they had all landed in a small field ringed with Shian bearing torches. The horses were shuddering with the fear or thrill of the experience, but none made any sound. Each lead rider led his horse towards a small enclosure by the edge of the field. Left with some hay, the horses appeared none the worse for their flight.
    “How did you like that?” asked Ossian, smiling.
    Rana hugged him in reply. Lizzie, relieved to get down out of the cold wind, mumbled indistinctly. In fact, on ground level it was a pleasant summer’s night.
    “That was brilliant.” Petros’s eyes were gleaming. “What a rush,