As soon as they’d explained what had happened, Kai was adamant- he wanted to come with them.

“But you’re safe here!” protested Sleet.

“Colwyn’s not!  The whole reason they took him prisoner is that they think he helped me escape!”

“He wanted you to escape!  He’d want you to stay here!”  Sleet looked at Jeanette and her sisters as if asking them to confirm it, but the horse’s head hadn’t said anything about what he wanted Kai to do, so they were out of luck.

Rube tried anyway.  “Kai, we’ll get him back.  Don’t worry.”

“But I know the area!”  Kai waved his furry front legs in frustration.  “I broke out-I can help you break back in!”

“But it’ll be horrible for you,” said Rube.  She was crouched down so that her face was level with Sally’s shoulder and she could (sort of) look Kai in the eye.  “You only just got away from them- you need some time to rest.”

“I’m rested!  Trust me!”

Jeanette found herself listening closely to Kai’s voice, trying to work out how old he was and what he might look like if he was still human-shaped.  There had been a little high-pitched crackle on the vowels there that made him sound like a musician.  A guy about Rube’s age with a wide-eyed, slightly craggy face.  “If he wants to help us, I think we should let him,” she said.

Sleet gave her a wounded look.  “But he’s still recovering!”

Jeanette looked over at Kai, who seemed to have made himself comfortable where he was.  “Well… he can recover on Sally’s shoulder, right?”

“Not if he’s going back to Opal Hill!”

Kai decided to cut in.  “You said yourself, the council are useless!  What if they won’t help?  What are Sally and the others supposed to do then?”

“Of course they’ll help!” snapped Sleet, “It’s Colwyn!”

“You don’t know that!  It’s never happened before!”

Sleet went quiet.  It was hard to tell whether or not a face had gone pale when it was already grey, but Jeanette thought theirs had.

Sally looked at Kai, and then at Sleet.  “If he does come, we’ll take care of him,” she said, a little meekly.

Rube gave Sleet an apologetic look.   “I guess… he’ll be safer in a group, right?”

Sleet made a noise- a kind of defeated growl that Jeanette had sometimes heard from her mum (usually when she was on the phone to Dad).  “I don’t like this.”  They paused for just long enough for Jeanette to think of a response, then added, “Look, Kai, if you change your mind… if any of you change your mind… just come back here.”  They pointed to the pool behind them.  “You’re always safe here.  That’s a promise.”

It was impossible to know for sure, but Kai definitely looked as if he was smiling.

(To be continued)