Manathus has a Cunning Plan

"Like all members of the crow family, rooks are fascinated by shiny objects," he said. "The rook we want will not be able to resist flying down and trying to carry off the pendant in its beak, either by wrenching it free from the necklace or by lifting the whole necklace over Astra's head. That will give you the chance to capture the bird. Because he continually flies around the tower, he is almost certain to spot the trinket before any of his fellows does so, so you need not worry about attracting the right one."

"So after suffering bruised breasts, this time I get throttled," Astra remarked drily.

"Not if the two of you are alert and catch the rook quickly enough. For that, you can use this." He produced another item, a dart, and handed it to Fred.

He went on: "When the bird flies down to Astra, Fred will step forward and scratch the bird with this. The point of the dart has been soaked in a powerful sedative, and the rook will fall asleep almost instantly. Then you can bring him to me."

"I suppose that might work," Fred conceded.

1. "But I still don't see the relevance of this rook to the recipe. That doesn't mention rooks that I can see," he went on. [38832]
2. "Since we'll be going outside, is there any chance that you could provide us with some more practical clothing?" Astra put in.
3. "Of course it will work," Manathus said a little testily.
4. "But wouldn't it be much easier for you to capture the rook using magic?" Fred continued. "Animals are far harder to control through magic than people are."

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