part one escape

If you put one finger tip beyond the perimeter of the proon, the skulls would open up their mouths and scream blood-curdling vells, which would wake the guards of Gormincrag and bring them down upon you

This was typical of Xar. Although he had spent his enare young life leading his followers into considerable Trouble, to do him justice, he always tried his hardest to get them OUT of it, even if it put him personally in great peril

Xar was also accompanied by a talking raven - who had his wings over his eyes, such was his horror at the whole dangling-upside-down-and-rescuing-hairy- fairies-from-screaming-skulls episode - and a seven-and- a-half-foot Loner Raving Fangmouth werewolf called Lonesome, who made anxious grunting noises when Xar mentioned the Gormincrag guards.

Xar had met Lonesome in the prison, and while it is not really advisable to make friends with Loner Raving Fangmouth werewolves, neither Xar nor the werewolf had a lot of choice in the matter. They both wanted to escape.

The werewolf gave a smothered howl of discontent. "What is the werewolf saying?' asked the raven.

The talking raven was called Caliburn, and he would have been a handsome bird, but unfortunately it was his job to keep Xar out of trouble, and the worry and general imposability of the hopeless mon man he feathers kept falling ont dank he's saying why are we heading in the

direction and Nar Xar was the only one of them who had been Dught werewolf language, but Xar wasn't great at concentrating in class, and the problem with werewolves is they did mumble their words, so sometimes you could mistake a grunt for a gurgle, or an oooarrghh for an eerrggagh, and completely talking about.

misunderstand what they were "We're going this way, explained Xar, 'because we're just going to drop into the Drood Commander's Room it's an important step in our escape...

The werewolf gave a smothered howl of horror and waved his shaggy paws around with such alarm that he nearly fell off the rope.

"You shouldn't be escaping! And we shouldn't be helping you!" said Caliburn in a flurry of anxiety, 'but surely if we are helping you to escape, the idea would be to do it quietly? Crusher and the animals are waiting for us down at the bottom of the Western battlements

(Crusher was a Longstepper High Walker Giant, and he and the wolves, the snowcats and the bear were also Xar's companions.)

"We should be joining Crusher and the others!" Caliburn pointed out. "Hopping over the back of the wall without telling anyone, not presenting ourselves to the head of the prison for a jolly little chat and a cup of herbal tea Yes, well, that's why no one has ever got out of this

armpit of a jail before." said Xar. How many times have

YOU tried to escape from here. Lonesome>

The werewolf mumbled something that might have

been twenty-three "You see?" said Xar. Trust me, everyone! I have a plan that could just be the cunning-est, most brilliant and daring escape plan in the entire history of the wildwoods

Xar had a lot of good qualities, but modesty wasn't one of them

Inch by inch, the little party crept down the ropes, landed on the windowsill outside the Drood Commander's Room, and peered inside.

The room might have been the shape of a star, or

a circle, or a pentagon, who knew? For the walls had a habit of moving around while you were looking at them, and the floor looked like the sea, and the ceiling might have been the sky. It was enough to make you feel a little bit sick just to look at it.

The only still point in the room was a gigantic desk. Three Wizards were sitting around the desk, talking.

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