Emily Feather and the Chest of Charms by Holly Webb Page A

out into a clearing, carpeted with white, star-like flowers.
    â€œNice…” Emily agreed, but then she saw what Sasha was really pointing at, and gasped.
    Hanging from a smaller tree in the centre of the clearing, pretty as a picture in a cloud of pink and white blossom, was a small, golden cage. It swung gently in the soft breeze and petals floated down around it, like scented snow.
    It was probably the prettiest prison anyone had ever seen, and inside it was slumped a tiny orange and gold and crimson bird.
    â€œLory!” Emily gasped, recognizing the patterns on the bird’s half-spread wings. She started to run out across the star-like flowers, but Robin grabbed her wrist, hauling her back.
    â€œWatch it! We don’t know where he is!”
    â€œOh…” Emily stopped, looking around anxiously. Robin was right. Dan could be hiding anywhere. “I didn’t think… How are we going to get to her then?”
    â€œWe should go around the edge of the clearing,” Sasha whispered. “Behind the trees.”
    â€œWe’ll probably walk right into him,” Robin muttered. But he started to creep round the next large oak tree as he said it, his wings tucked tightly against his back, as though he were trying to make himself as small as possible. For a moment Emily wondered if that was what they should do – make themselves tiny. She was sure Robin and Sasha could do it. But perhaps it would use up magic that they needed to save for rescuing Lory. And if they were beetle-sized, it would be horribly easy for someone to tread on them.
    â€œWe’re coming, Lory,” Emily whispered, reaching out one hand to the tiny bird. She hated to turn away from her. The bird’s wings were drooping so sadly, so hopelessly. So unlike her stroppy, confident sister. She looked as though she had given up – but surely she was expecting them to rescue her? Did she think they wouldn’t follow her after the way she had behaved? Or perhaps she thought they would all have been caught in the trap spell on the chest. Then there would be no one to come after her until it was too late.
    Emily shuddered. They could have been caught so easily. It was pure luck that Lark had dashed up to the attic ahead of them and sprung the spell.
    She glanced fearfully over her shoulder, wondering if Dan had set any other traps.
    â€œCan you see anything?” Sasha breathed, looking at her worriedly, and Emily shook her head. “You?”
    Sasha sighed. “I keep thinking I do, but it’s just the wind shaking the trees. Or I can hear the river.”
    â€œAll I can hear is you,” Robin hissed crossly, flapping one hand at them. “Shut up!”
    â€œI wish we knew where Dan was,” Emily whispered, ignoring Robin. “I hate thinking that he might be creeping up on us. Can’t we tell where he might be? Like with Lory and the feather?”
    â€œNo!” Robin glared at her. “We don’t have any of his magic to follow, do we? Look, let’s just get to Lory. If we can get her out of that cage it’ll probably bring him running. Then we can try and fight him, and let’s just hope he’s still weak from his exile.” He peered through the branches towards the blossom tree and the sparkling cage. “It all seems a lot more real now we’re here,” he admitted reluctantly. “If he’s managed to get his strength back, we might just have to grab Lory and run…”
    â€œAnd leave him to try and overthrow the king?” Emily hissed. “You want him and his evil sister in charge over here? Anyway, we need to take Dan back with us to break the spell on Lark.” Then her eyes widened and she clutched Robin’s wrist.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWe do have some of his magic!”
    Robin and Sasha stared at her, and she nodded excitedly. “We do! The song, remember! The song he wrote for Lory. That was a spell.