Just then I heard a chattering sound above my head and a squirrel dropped down on the grass in front of me.

Perfect! I took a deep breath and brought my mind and body to stillness. Standing on its hind legs, the squirrel looked at me out of its black eyes and twitched its nose. I reached out and touched its furry head. The wave rippled over me from my feet to my head. My stomach swooped as if I was falling and I shrank down small, my skin tingled as red fur sprouted all over it. It was the strangest sensation as my tailbone grew longer and curled up behind me. My ears lengthened and grew tufty. My front teeth sharpened. When the transformation was complete, I hopped out of the dress, and bounced around in a circle, testing my new arms and legs and getting used to my new senses.

I twitched my new nose. Its sense of smell was acute. The rich scent of the nuts hanging from the tree above was enticing and delicious but I had no time to waste. I bounded over to the wall. The stones were uneven, providing plenty of handholds. If I grabbed on and heaved myself up . . . Next thing I knew I was running vertically up the wall, a thrill electrifying my little body. It was almost as exhilarating as flying. My tiny hands and feet knew exactly where to place themselves and I scrambled up in no time. Soon I was perched on top of the wall looking down into the forbidden garden, my tail instinctively counterbalancing my weight so I didn't topple over.

Darkness had fallen. The rising moon bathed the garden in its silvery light. It was eerily beautiful — the beds of flowers, herb bushes and fruit trees, the cobbled walkways meandering between them, the silent pools of lilies and lotuses, white moonlight reflecting off their still waters. I scampered halfway down the other side of the wall, then jumped the rest of the way and landed on all fours on one of the cobbled paths. I looked around — with eyes on either side of my head, I barely needed to move my neck. This pathway was wider and straighter than the others and led in towards the middle of the garden. This must be one of the wheel's spokes, I thought and started scurrying along it.

The Garden's varied scents wafted towards me on the evening breeze. To my sensitive nose they were intoxicating: stronger, more vivid and rounded than any I'd experienced with my human nose. Some I recognised: lavender, mint, hyssop, comfrey. Some were new to me: fragrant, spicy, exotic aromas, rich with the promise of unknown powers. I longed to follow them, to wander off the path and explore, to discover these mysterious plants.

No! I had to remember why I'd come here. I put my head down and carried on running, faster now and more determined.

As I approached the centre, all at once I was hit by new, even more powerful fragrances. If the garden's other smells were a whisper, these were a huge booming thunderclap. Bright, vibrant smells that filled me with joy, hope and a sense of optimism, dark, insidious smells that filled me with terror and foreboding and made my little body tremble. They were so overpowering, they made my head spin, my fur stand on end and my limbs lose strength. It took all my concentration to keep running towards them.

At last I saw the great wheel shaped bed that housed the Plants of Power ahead of me. I sensed its aura of promise and danger and a shiver of fear and excitement shook my body. Mustering my courage, I scampered up the path towards the shadowy tree that grew in the wheel's centre.

Suddenly there I was, standing on my hind legs in front of the legendary Plague Tree, my stomach clenched with dread. I gazed up at its branches, heart-shaped leaves and red fruits, my breath coming much too fast, my body almost paralysed with fear. It had the most powerful smell of all: sharp, acrid, acidic, powerfully toxic but at the same time I detected a different smell underneath the poison smell. This one was sweet and exotic. It reminded me of the one time in my life I'd eaten a mango. A Quaini fruit seller had come to Frailing with a cartful of unfamiliar fruit. Cook had bought a mango for the Royal Table and Annifer had given me a piece to try. It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.

I tried to slow my breathing and concentrate. The Plague Tree was no bigger than an apple tree but it was covered in hundreds and hundreds of tiny fruits. I knew my eyes could never find the Plaguesbane amongst them, but if I used my nose to follow the sweet fragrance, maybe I could find it that way. I hopped to the base of the tree and used my claws to clamber up its smooth bark.

Halfway up the tree, I heard voices not far away and froze, clinging on to the trunk. I recognised Morwain's evil hiss,

"What about these yellow fruits? What do they do?"

There was silence.

"Well, old man, if you don't want to tell me I can find out quite easily. Guard, pick this yellow fruit and feed it to one of the Secret Gardeners. I'll watch what happens to him."

"No . . ." This voice was cracked and weak. Ilfred, I thought.

"I'm waiting, old man," Morwain's voice was heavy with menace.

"It's poison . . . the most potent known to man, untraceable and undetectable. When the fruits are ripe, one drop of their juice on a man's evening meal, he'll go to bed feeling fine but he'll never wake up again. No doctor will ever be able to work out why."

"I see. Very interesting. Very interesting indeed. How long till they're ripe?"

"Maybe a week."

"Thank you, Ilfred," Morwain purred. "That sounds like just what I need." He gave a hollow, mirthless laugh which made my fur bristle and I heard them walk away, their footsteps receding into the distance.

Oh Goddess! Who was Morwain intending to poison? I shook my head. I'd have to think about that later. Now I had to find the Plaguesbane. I scrambled higher up the tree. The sweet smell was getting stronger now. Following my nose, I climbed right to the very top and out from the trunk along a branch.

There, right at the end, from a thin stalk, hung a small fruit. I sniffed the air. Yes, this was the source of the sweet smell. Even in the moonlight I could tell it was a different colour from the other fruits — lighter. In the daytime I was sure it would look white.

I gripped the branch between my paws and climbed along it. It was getting thinner and thinner. I steadied myself, using my tail for balance and hand over hand I crept towards the fruit, my heart beating rapidly. The branch dipped under my weight. I clung on tight. When I got to the end, I swung upside down and hung off the branch with my back feet. The Plaguesbane was within my reach now. I grasped its stalk between my front paws and clamped down on it with my teeth. I gnawed at it, trying to bite through with my powerful jaws. But it was tough. I chewed and chewed but to no avail — the stalk was stronger than steel wire. I'd barely dented it. I bit down till my jaws hurt. But it wouldn't give.

Oh Goddess! Help me! I cried inwardly in desperation.

Just then I heard a rustling behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see another squirrel clawing its way down the branch towards me. Somehow my squirrel senses recognised her as the mother of the baby squirrel I'd saved on my first day in Quain. Chattering, she clambered towards me and swung her upper body off the branch so she was hanging down next to me, the Plaguesbane stalk in between us. She nuzzled my face affectionately, took the stalk in her front paws and started to bite down on it. She was bigger and stronger than I was and she attacked the stalk with a power I didn't have, chomping and chomping, making the whole top of the tree shake. I tried to hang onto the branch with my front and back paws but the shaking was too much. I lost my grip and the next thing I knew, my stomach turned to water and I was tumbling down between the lower branches with their heart-shaped leaves.

I flipped over in the air so I was falling feet first and landed on the ground with a jolt. I shook my head and tail, my heart racing, and breathed deeply to steady myself. Just as I was recovering my senses I heard a crashing noise in the branches above. The Plaguesbane landed beside me with a plop, its stem severed, shortly followed by the other squirrel. I gave a tiny squeal of delight. She squealed in reply and we bounced around in a circle chattering joyfully until she nuzzled me goodbye and ran off to rejoin her family.

Relief flooding me, I turned and scurried back towards the wall, the stem of the Plaguesbane firmly gripped between my teeth. I was halfway up the wall when fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I suddenly felt how very weary my little body was. Pulling myself up was much harder than it had been on the way in, my every muscle ached, my insides felt empty, as if drained of all energy. Painfully I dragged myself to the top and clawed my way down the other side. I scampered more slowly now, out of the forest and into the streets, the tiredness threatening to overtake me. I kept to the shadows so as not to draw attention to myself, a woodland creature in the city.

There were no people around apart from the guards who were patrolling up and down looking for anyone foolish enough to break curfew. I turned left and right and left again. The smells overwhelmed me now. Each cat, fox and rat that roamed the night streets had its own powerful odour and the smell of rotting waste from the rubbish bins was making my head swim. Nausea rose in my throat. I forced it down and ran on, trying to concentrate on making it back to Eleanor's in time. The sky was getting lighter and I'd need to be safely back inside before I shifted back to my human body. I blinked and shook my head, trying to clear the fuzziness.

Wait, am I going the right way? Stomach sinking, I stopped and looked around at the buildings and trees. Nothing was familiar. I scoured the street for landmarks but didn't see anything I recognised. Oh no! There was no mistaking it. I was lost. Totally lost.

I tried to think what to do but it was like someone had filled my brain with treacle. Think! I had to think! My eyes rested on the tall palm tree in front of me. That's it! If I could climb to the top of it I'd be able to see the library's tower and from there I knew the way to Eleanor's. I dug my claws into the trunk and pulled myself a little way up. Every movement was harder and more painful than the last one. My muscles trembled with exhaustion and I wanted to throw up. I got halfway up, before my shaking paws gave out and I lost my grip. I fell backwards, my body bumping against the trunk but landing feet first, unhurt.

I tried to turn and climb again but my vision swam. My body was heavy as lead. I couldn't do it. All my energy was gone. I was finished. Spent. With the Plaguesbane still held between my teeth I collapsed at the base of the tree. A voice inside me screamed at me to carry on,

Don't give up, Daisy! So much depends on you! Don't give up!

But it was too late. I was too weak now. All I wanted to do was sleep.

My eyes closed involuntarily and darkness engulfed me.

😊

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