Dragonfire by Anne Forbes Read Free Book Online Page B

frantically. “Nothing of the kind! I was only following a pipeline from the distillery. It led to a bigcave with … well, what looked like a dragon in it!”
    â€œIt was a dragon,” confirmed the MacArthur. “
Our
dragon. Do you have any objection to our having a dragon?”
    Hastily, MacLeod retracted. “No … no,” he said. “None in the world. It was just a wee bit unexpected, that’s all.”
    â€œUnexpected! Un – ex – pect – ed!” He took the metal-detector from Archie’s hands and waved it at Dougal MacLeod. “Do you expect me to believe that? You come here with this fearsome weapon to kill our dragon and then say it was unexpected!”
    â€œBut I didn’t come here to kill your dragon,” wailed Dougal.
    By this time, the MacArthur had worked himself into a fine old rage. “You’re all the same,” he screeched. “All the same! All out to kill these poor, harmless, inoffensive creatures with your swords and your lances. Just so that you can go back home and boast of having killed a fierce dragon. Take him out of my sight, Hamish!” He gestured dismissively.
    â€œBut please …” Dougal struggled violently as Hamish led him, none too gently, out of the Hall.
    â€œCome, Archie,” beckoned the MacArthur. “You know the Ranger’s house. Go and tell him, or one of his children, what has happened. Ask him to tell Sir James that we have a prisoner in the hill and that his name is Dougal MacLeod.”

10. Pigeon Post
    At first glance, there was really nothing remarkable about them at all. Two ordinary-looking pigeons sitting on the windowsill of an Edinburgh school was not guaranteed to excite much interest in passers-by at the best of times, and it had to be admitted that this was hardly the best of times. The weather had again turned cold and the thick mist, known to Edinburgh residents as the “haar,” had returned.
    Cars and buses, their visibility now reduced to almost zero, picked their way tentatively up and down the narrow confines of the High Street and the hardy citizens of the Canongate were far too interested in finishing their shopping to worry about a couple of pigeons.
    Had they been more attentive, however, they would have realized that the pigeons, on their lofty windowsill, seemed a strangely anxious pair. Their beady eyes missed nothing as the mist swirled coldly round the school playground. “I don’t much like this haar, Jaikie,” remarked one. “I think his lordship must have conjured it up!”
    “Ocht! You’ve got his lordship on the brain, Archie!” replied Jaikie. “Ever since Clara told us about that bird that attacked them on the hill.”
    “Well, who else could it be but Amgarad? Feathers like dirty rags, she said.” He shivered. “And Amgarad on the loose means that Rothlan isn’t far away!”
    “But why would he send a mist? Edinburgh weather is always changeable. It’s often like this,” Despite his words Jaikie was not nearly as confident as he sounded and looking rather anxiously around, shrank a bit further back against the window.
    “Aye. There’s probably nothing in it. Just another haar,”remarked Archie.
    “As long as Amgarad isn’t in it!” muttered Jaikie. “We’re pigeons, remember!”
    “Well, I didn’t ask to be a pigeon!” retorted Archie huffily. “I wanted to be an eagle, didn’t I? This pigeon business is just a dead loss. Why couldn’t we have been eagles instead of stupid pigeons? What a life! Nothing but cooo, cooo and peck, peck all the time. My feet, let me tell you, are blooming freezing!”
    “Archie! Will ye haud yer whisht! An eagle! We’re supposed to be unobtrusive, we’re supposed to melt into the scenery and you — you want to be an eagle! For goodness sake, this is the High Street, no’ the Highlands! We’re no’ here to cause a sensation and if it weren’t for your stupidity, we wouldn’t be here in