Chibb flew to the window, dropping the latest supplies in. He caught the empty sacks that Gingivere tossed up to him. In the shaft of light the wildcat was looking strangely sane and healthy.

“What news, Chibb?”

“Ahemhem. The Corim have decided that you must soon be rescued, all three of you. How they propose to do it, I don’t know yet.”

Gingivere nodded. “I hope they realize that the longer they wait, the more dangerous it becomes for Ferdy and Coggs.”

Chibb slung the empty sacks around his neck. “Ahem, I’m sure they do. At present the message is, keep on the alert and keep up your courage. You are not forgotten.”

* * *

Chibb flew off swiftly. Gaining the woodlands, he paused to perch on a spruce branch as he adjusted the bags about his neck for easier flight.

Argulor belched dozily and glanced at the robin perched beside him. Chibb gave a jump of surprise, but did not forget his manners.

“Ahem, beg pardon.” The fat robin darted from the branch like a flame-tipped arrow.

Argulor shifted his claws. Wearily he dropped his eyelids back into the slumbering position.

Were the small birds getting faster, or was he getting slower? The eagle dismissed the problem, reasoning that there were still plenty of soldiers in Kotir who were a lot slower than a single robin redbreast.

A lot tastier, too.

* * *

Dinny and Gonff sat quite still at the edge of the pond as Martin whispered to them, “Now, very slowly, look to your left. Do you see the female swan over there? She’s sitting on her nest with her back to us. Right. Don’t look, just take my word for it, in the open water to the other side there’s a big male swan—it’s her mate. He’s not seen us yet, but he’s headed this way and bound to sight us if we stop here, so let’s move away as silently as possible.”

With great care Gonff let the fish slip back into the water. He cut his fishing line. The three friends moved speedily, ducking behind the rushes with not a second to spare.

The huge white swan glided by them serenely. He was like a ship in full sail, an awesome spectacle, the snowy white body and half-folded wings complimenting perfectly the muscular serpentine neck column surmounted by a solid orange bill and fierce black eyes.

Martin shuddered. He thought of how close they had been to death. The male swan was warlike and fearless, absolute monarch of his pond. Any creature who dared trespass upon these waters while his mate sat upon the three new-hatched cygnets in their nest was fated never to see the sunset. The white colossus swept by, continuing his patrol of the pond.

When he was past, the three friends slipped away. Gonff whispered a silent goodbye to the silver fish in the shallows. “We were both lucky that time, matey. Swim free.”

A respectable distance from the water, Dinny untangled a streamer of duckweed from his paw.