From the Ashes: Ch 7

Instructions

Chapter Seven Lina and Wisdom spend most of the journey bickering, to the displeasure of Gisele. “Lina, don’t you have any manners?” She clucks, winging from tree to tree. “Me?” Lina hisses. “I’m just trying to watch our backs!” “For the last time, Lina, they are friends!” Gisele sighs. “Please keep your beak quiet during the council meeting, or you’ll be exiled.” It’s not long before the sound of many wingbeats reaches us. “Wraiths. Hide. Hurry!” Gisele calls, clinging to the trunk of a thick oak tree. Her spotted coat blends in perfectly with the bark. Wisdom melts into the shadows, becoming one with the night. Lina curses under her breath and dives into the bushes, followed by Sage. I hesitate. There - a hollowed-out pine tree. I stuff myself into the opening. The hollow is six taillengths wide and very wet. I peer out of the tree and watch as the wraith leader lands, followed by a flurry of dark wings. “Search the area. They cannot be far!” I shiver and press myself against the wet, rotting wood. A bright reddish-orange bird isn’t easy to miss, even in the night’s darkness. One of the crows is combing through the bushes-the very bushes where Lina and Sage are concealed. It disappears into the leafy brush. I hold my breath until I can’t bear to keep it in, but the wraith never comes back up. Suddenly, there’s an agonized squawk from the bushes. A large wraith flies over to investigate. It digs through the bush with one claw and pulls out a broken lump of black feathers. “Dead, Nyx.” The leader hops over to peer at the dead wraith. “How could this be, Radaz? They were alive and breathing just a moment ago.” Radaz shrugs. “Do not ask me, Wraithking Nyx. Perhaps Onyx broke their neck on a twig.” “Doubtful,” Nyx mutters. “Doubtful indeed.” Their evil red eyes glimmer hungrily. “Come out, firebird.” I hear a noise like a sharp, high-pitched whistle, and something whizzes past me out of the hollow and slams into the wraithking’s neck. “GET OUT OF MAH WOODS, YAH SHADOW-BRAiNED EVIL-EYED BULLIES!” Something screeches. More birds resembling small feather fireballs dive into the clearing, pouncing on the unsuspecting wraiths. The wraithking shakes themself free. “There are no firebirds here! Leave this place!” The wraiths take to the air, melting into liquid shadows to escape their attackers, until they have disappeared into the forest. The attacking birds are incredibly small, no bigger than a medium-sized rat. Their feathers are a patchwork of brown, red and grey, framing their small, bright yellow eyes. The biggest one, which I assume is the leader, clacks his beak importantly. “Yer welcome, ah ridded’ yer of the nasty shadow-birds, no what do yer say?” Gisele detached herself from the tree and lands at the feet of the bird, dipping her head respectfully. “We are most grateful for your service, Lord Bravetalon.” “Yer very welcome! Ah was lookin’ fer nuts in yonder tree and yon firebird came in all breathin’ a-panicked. What would ah do but help yer out?” Lord Bravetalon chirps. Wisdom slowly creeps out of the shadows. “Not to be rude or anything, but, um, who are you?” The bird puffs himself up indignantly. “Don’t yer know who ah am, snow-bird? Ah’m no other then Lord Bravetalon Warbeak of the Kestrels, young snow-bird! There’s ah name you’re not likely to ferget, by me feathers!” “Hah!” Lina laughs scornfully. “I could have finished those wraiths off in the beat of a wing! We didn’t need your help anyways-” Gisele buffets her over the head. “Sorry about my rebellious daughter, Lord Bravetalon. She is young and foolish and does not know how to respect her elders.” Lina slinks off, muttering darkly under her breath. “The kestrels are born killers, independent and bold,” Gisele whispers as Lord Bravetalon takes off into the sky “The only reason they have a king is so they don’t kill each other off.” “Creepy,” Wisdom inhales as the last of the kestrels leave. The battle scene is relatively clean. A handful of dead wraiths and a few dead or injured kestrels are all that remains.