legs from toes to thighs. Slowly, laboriously, he forced his numbed hands to dig himself free.
His entire body was one great ache, and his hair was frozen stiff. Instantly another panicked
thought flashed through his mind. Ned, where was Ned?
A reply came back promptly to Ben. "I think I've joined the angels, mate. Try not to grieve too
much."
Ben pulled his legs free. "Ned, where are you?" "Right above your head, you great frosted
lump. Look up!" There was the faithful hound, draped over a fir branch three feet above his
master's head. He wagged his tail carefully. "I'm coming down, get ready to catch me. One,
two ..."
The black Labrador landed in Ben's outstretched arms, knocking them both flat in the snow.
They lay for a moment, exhausted.
"Maaaaah!" A bleat rang out, followed by Arnela's voice. "Ajax the Less, stop nibbling my
sleeves, they're ragged enough as it is. Be still!"
Ben and Ned struggled upright as the big goatherd woman came scrunching through the deep-
packed snow with a young goat tucked under one arm. She waved to Ben and Ned. "Good
evening! Have ye seen the other two and that old bear?"
Ben shook his head. "Not so far. We haven't even checked to see if we're in one piece yet,
have we, Ned?"
The dog shook his head no. Arnela chuckled. "You've got the cleverest dog in the world there,
Ben, he's worth all my goats put together. Well, here we are, still alive, no thanks to my
foolishness. Just look at this mountain—it'll never be the same again. It's a good job the
avalanche fell mainly to the left and we shot off to the right. I must've been mad, flying you
all down the mountain and telling you to fire all the pistols like that. 'Twas sheer insanity!"
Ben ran to his big friend and hugged her. "You saved our lives, Arnela. Trouble like we were
in calls for desperate measures. I dread to think what those Razan might've done to us if we'd
been recaptured."
Arnela ruffled Ben's hair, loosening the ice from it. The little goat, Ajax the Less, maaaaahed
piteously as the goatherd spoke to him like a spoiled child. "Huh, don't think I'm going to
carry you around, stroking ye all night. Go on, off home, young rip, tell your mamma I won't
be long."
She turned to Ben and Ned. "You two go with him, the cave's just below this ridge. I had to
dig my way into it. The stream and pool have gone, vanished somewhere, but my goats all
survived by staying inside. Nothing's the same since we brought the mountain peak down. I'll
search for the others, don't worry. Well, go on, you pair! Do something useful, light a fire, put
some water on to boil, search about and find something to cook—that's if those goats haven't
eaten everything. Ooh, that Pantyro, I'm going to have a word or two with him when I get
time!"
Ben stood shivering in the cold, reluctant to desert Arnela. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"
She lifted him bodily until they were face-to-face. "Why shouldn't I be? Nobody knows this
mountain the way I do. You'd only be in the way. I'll find them, go on, off with you!"
Without the pool and the pretty little waterfall, the cave was just a black hole in the snow.
Ned ambled in, shouldering goats aside as he passed Ben a thought. "Arnela's already lit the
lanterns, thank goodness. Whew, this place smells a bit goaty, though. What a mess!"
Ben took dry pine branches, moss and charcoal, stacking them in the rift that served as a
fireplace. He listened to his dog complaining.
"Ahoy there, mate, that's my tail, not a midnight snack! Hmph! You goats, you've been living
here like, like... animals!"
Ben lit the fire from a lantern, then winked at Ned. "At least animals are more civilised than
the Razan. Chase some of the bigger goats out, Ned. It'll make a bit more room in here, and
the fresh air will do them good!"
Behind the slate slabs that served as a larder, Ben found goat cheese, some eggs and a few
hard barley cakes. He boiled six eggs in the water cauldron. Spreading the cheese on the
barley cakes, he sat toasting them. Ned sat by his side, enjoying the warmth from the fire.
After all they had been through, Ben's mind was like his body, numbed and exhausted. They
ate some of the food, then sat together, eyelids drooping, heads nodding, not attempting to
resist the temptation of sleep.
Then a voice roused them instantly. "Here, what's all this? No supper for me?"
Dominic staggered in and fell against Ned. He slumped there. "Never thought I'd see a nice
warm fire again 'til I spotted this cave. I saw the light glimmering and made straight for it."
Ben rubbed his eyes and blinked. "Welcome home, Dom, where did you get to? Arnela's out
looking for you. Have you seen Karay or our bear in your travels?"
Ice water trickled out of Dominic's hair and ran down his cheeks. "No, Ben, I'm afraid not.
First thing I knew when I came around was that I was upside down in a snowdrift. Water
dripping up my nose woke me—it took me ages to get free. After that I just blundered about
among some tiny trees. Then when I took stock of where I was, I realised I was somewhere in
the foothills—the trees were so small because snow and ice from the avalanche had filled the
valley. I was actually walking amongst treetops, not tiny trees! Can you believe it? Good job
you lit the fire, or I might've wandered about until I collapsed and froze to death!"
Ben watched Dominic tearing ravenously into bread and toasted cheese. "Thank heaven you're
alive, Dom!"
The facemaker nodded upward. "More than you can say for those Razan villains. Nobody up
there could've survived the avalanche. Though if any did, they'd have been far worse off.
Imagine being entombed alive in those caves, a living death!"
Ben stared into the glowing charcoal fire. "Don't forget that the tunnels ran downward, the
debris would have showered into there and filled the caves in a flash. They'd have been slain
in the wink of an eye. The Razan are gone forever, I'd bet my life on that."
Dominic covered his eyes with his arm as he murmured, "And Adamo, too, if he was in
there."
Ben was forced to agree with his friend. "Aye, our mission failed, even though we rid the
comte of the curse of Razan. Though I remember Maguda telling me that Adamo was already
dead. She said it in a strange way—I can't recall her exact words. Perhaps tomorrow, when
I'm not so tired, it'll come back to me."
Both boys and the dog had fallen asleep in front of the fire. Ben's mind was free of
everything. It was like being unconscious, a merciful blackness. Most of the goats curled up
around them, wanting to be close to the warmth. It was quiet and peaceful inside the cave.
Outside, the night was still, amidst the devastation wrought by the avalanche.
It was in the hour before dawn that Arnela returned. The goats began bleating as the giant
figure of their mistress ducked into the cave entrance. Ned leapt up and ran to greet her. His
bark wakened Ben and Dominic, and both boys began firing anxious questions at the big
woman.
"Where's Karay, did you find her?"
"She's not injured ... or dead?"
The goats began bleating furiously. They hurried to the back of the cave and continued with
their din.
Arnela lifted both arms and roared, "Silence! All of you!"
Everybody, dog, boys and goats, went quiet. Arnela continued in a normal voice. "No, Karay