‘Careful now. Put me on that log.’

She let him hop down.

He looked around in disgust. ‘Well, I haven’t a clue where we are. This journey is not turning out as it should. We might be miles from the Swan’s Garden.’

Seren said, ‘I think…’

But that was all she had time for. Because at that moment a rickety cage fell from the tree overhead and neatly captured the Crow. He gave a great squawk and fluttered against its wooden bars. ‘What the… Get me out of here! NOW!’

Seren tried to spring up but to her astonishment she was caught too. A soft mesh, delicate as cobweb had come down all over her and Tomos, trapping her arms and tangling round her legs. The more she struggled with it the worse it got.

‘Let me out!’ she yelled, and Tomos was shouting, too, but the Crow had gone strangely silent.

At last, breathless, she stopped and looked at him.

He was staring upwards. Seren followed his gaze.

The trees were not empty.

Three owls sat there.

Two were ordinary brown owls but the central one was a huge, snow-white creature with amber eyes.

The Crow drew himself up. ‘What is the meaning of this ATROCITY? I DEMAND TO KNOW…’

‘You’re under arrest,’ the white owl said. Its voice was soft and sinister.

‘Arrest?’ The Crow was astonished. ‘What for?’

‘Illegally impersonating a bird.’

‘But…’

‘Save your defence for the court.’ The owl swivelled its head right round. ‘Take them,’ it said.

With a flutter of feathers four huge eagles swooped down from the trees. One took the cage and the other three snatched up the corners of the net. Seren gave a gasp, because suddenly she was in the air, tumbled together with Tomos, being carried high above the trees.

‘What’s going on?’ he muttered in her ear.

‘I don’t know. Just hold on to the Box and the other things. Keep your ears open and your eyes on me.’

‘But if he’s been arrested…!’

Seren sighed. ‘It’s ridiculous. For being a bird! He’d hardly fool anyone. He’s more moth-eaten than ever.’

They flew so high over the trees that cloud drifted around them, then just as quickly they were descending and, as the eagles circled, Seren wriggled round so that she was lying on her stomach and could see where they were going.

‘Tomos’ she gasped. ‘Look!’

Below them was a vast ruin.

It might have once been a castle, now it was a mass of black walls and ivy-covered towers.

Roofless turrets rose against the sunset.

And everywhere there were rustles and flutters and chirps.

‘It’s full of birds!’ she whispered.

There were thousands of them! As the eagles flew down Seren saw that the bigger birds were perched high on the walls; buzzards, hawks, guillemots, storks and egrets, white in the moonlight. Below them were ranks and ranks of smaller ones. There were tits and finches, starlings and sparrows, robins and wrens and many more she couldn’t even recognise.