The Crow scrambled over hastily. ‘Good work, Seren.’ It looked inside.

‘Ah,’ it said.

Seren and Tomos ran to see. For a few moments they both stood there silent.

Then Seren said the obvious.

‘It’s empty.’

She was so disappointed!

Hastily the Crow put its head right inside and looked in every corner. ‘There must be more than this. There has to be!’

Actually Seren thought, it wasn’t quite empty. There was a cushioned interior of pale blue silk. It was a large empty padded space. And the space was egg-shaped.

‘It’s to hold the Swan’s Egg,’ she said, understanding. ‘That’s all. That’s Her heart’s desire after all, and that makes it yours, too.’

‘Well, it’s absolutely no use to me!’ the Crow snapped. He sounded bitterly annoyed. ‘And you saying it would help!’

‘It’s not my fault!’ Seren frowned. ‘Well, at least when we find the Egg we have something safe to put it in.’

‘Find it! HA! You have no idea…!’

‘He’s right, Seren.’ Tomos shook his head sadly. ‘It doesn’t help him get his human shape back.’

‘Not only that.’ The Crow was acid. ‘They gave you this Box. They played a trick on you … and you fell for it. No wonder all those goblin faces were laughing. They must think you such a silly girl!’

Seren went red. She felt so upset she wanted to cry. ‘You’re wrong,’ she snapped. ‘I stole it. And anyway, how hard did you actually try to find the Egg?’

‘Very hard.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Tried for a hundred years,’ the Crow said huffily.

Seren shook her head. ‘You’ve always been scared of Them…’

‘Never!’

‘I mean They captured you and put you in a cage. They want you…’

‘Of course. Who wouldn’t? But…’

‘Did you ever go into Their country?’

The Crow was silent. Then it muttered, ‘Of course not. Do I look totally mad?’

Tomos groaned.

Seren said, ‘But that’s what we need to do! Go and see Them. Ask Them…’

‘Pointless.’ The Crow hopped down into the carpet of petals and turned its back. ‘Besides I would NEVER lower myself to beg!’

‘Then you’re far too proud, and you deserve to be a Crow for ever!’ She was so angry she turned her back too. He was so infuriating!

There was an awkward silence.

Birds sang outside in the hot shimmer of the air. Bees hummed in the lavender.

A few petals rose from the floor and drifted back down again.

Tomos said, ‘Stop arguing, you two. It won’t get us anywhere.’

‘Well, that’s all right because HE doesn’t want to go anywhere,’ Seren said. She felt really annoyed and wanted to scream but it wasn’t just about the Crow and the Box. It was because she didn’t know what was going to happen to her, and she was scared.

‘Tell HER,’ the Crow said loftily, ‘that only fools go into Their country. I’m far too wise.’

‘Tell HIM,’ Seren snapped, ‘that he’s not worth bothering with.’