by A. E. Rayne
He was in the book.
The book would strike down every one of his enemies.
Soon, he would find where Axl Furyck and his bitch wife were hiding and kill them too.
The noise as the birds smashed themselves against the house had them all jumping and shaking. They may have killed the ones inside, but it sounded as though an army of ravens was trying to get in.
‘Shields?’ Jael asked desperately, glancing around in the near darkness. ‘Entorp, hold the horses! Fyn and I have to go!’
‘What?’ Gisila was horrified.
‘Mother, keep Eydis close.’ Jael glanced down at Eydis, who she could see shaking under the bed.
Fyn gave the reins to Entorp, while Kormac hurried to find something to use as shields.
Jael looked up. ‘They might come down the smoke hole! Biddy, grab some furs. Cover the horses! Cover yourselves! Use anything you can! Buckets! Cauldrons! Cover your heads! And stay under the beds!’
Kormac hurried back from the storage room with two large, wooden lids. ‘It’s the best I can do,’ he said regretfully, looking up as the house became even darker.
Jael took a lid, glancing quickly at her grandmother. ‘Keep Edela safe!’ she cried. ‘Come on, Fyn!’ And with one last look at Kormac, she ran for the door.
‘Jael!’ Gisila screamed as her daughter disappeared. ‘Where are you going?’
The birds surged past the cave in endless waves of shining, black feathers.
Aleksander and Axl lay with their heads pressed against the dirt, watching them, hoping they would keep going, continuing north.
Amma kept her eyes closed, shuddering at the terrifying sound, gripping Axl’s hand. She had a mouthful of dust and blood, having bitten her tongue when they’d thrown her to the ground.
She was so scared; she could barely breathe.
But then she sneezed.
Amma’s eyes widened in terror as she tried to bury her head, pretending as though it had never happened.
But even in the furore of the bird’s migration, heads turned, bodies changed course, and some of the ravens broke away, swarming towards them. More following.
Axl and Aleksander scrambled to their feet, drawing their swords, wishing they had shields.
‘Stay behind us, Amma!’ Axl yelled.
Jael ran out into the main street, Fyn right behind her.
It was as dark as night. The ravens covered the sky, their black wings flapping with urgency as they swooped down, attacking the helpless Tuurans who had not made it inside in time.
Jael and Fyn had a wooden lid each, protecting their heads, but the ravens swooped towards them anyway, claws out, ripping their clothing, piercing their skin. They ducked their heads, batting away the birds, and ran for the stables as fast as they could.
Kormac wished he could reach the smoke hole and block it with a lid but it was too high, and the table was over the window, keeping the ravens out. Although, as he looked towards it, he saw it starting to move; jerking about as the birds hammered at it from the other side.
Entorp stood between the horses, pulling the reins as close to his chest as he could, soothing them as if they were children.
‘Eydis,’ Edela breathed, worried that she would lose consciousness at any moment. ‘Find the page, Eydis. Find the page.’
Biddy had no idea what she was talking about as they sheltered under the beds, listening to the violent battering outside the house.
But Eydis did.
‘Arrrhhh!’ Fyn roared as a bird gouged his arm. He shook the flapping creature away, smashing his lid across its back. And then another.
‘Beorn! Open the door!’ Jael cried, pounding on the stable doors. ‘Quick!’
The birds saw them and funnelled into a speeding mass of glistening, black feathers, pointing towards Jael and Fyn. Jael took one look at them and kicked the door open. Fyn ran in behind her, and together they slammed the stable door shut as the birds clattered angrily against it.
‘Hold it! Hold that door, Fyn! Help him!’ she yelled at Beorn and her men as she ran to the back of the stables, past the terrified horses and the crouching, shaking Tuurans who had hidden with her men.
To the room.
Marcus’ secret room.
It was locked.
Jael dropped her sword and lid and dug into her pouch, fumbling, her hands slippery with blood.
She found the key and quickly jiggled it in the lock.
Racing into the pitch-black room, she skidded onto her knees in front of the chest, feeling around for the lock. Slotting in the key, she turned it, pushed open the lid, grabbed the book, and ran.
Morana was not in Hest anymore.
She was in Tuura, and she could see Jael Furyck, and Jael Furyck was running for her life, that stupid boy beside her.
Morana swooped in, feeling the power of her expansive wings, the iron tang of blood in her mouth. She dove straight towards Jael’s neck, but Jael turned just before she reached the door, whipping her wooden lid across the raven’s throat with all the strength she had.
The bird screeched in pain, stunned, falling to the ground, blood coursing down its chest; its friends swarming over Jael and Fyn, snapping their beaks as they pulled open the door and quickly slammed it shut behind them.
Morana was back in Hest, cursing and screaming, losing her hold on the raven as it stilled, dying and useless. She lay there on the dewy grass, looking from side to side, smiling again as she watched everyone around her, lost in the trance.
She took a deep breath, lay her head back, closed her eyes and started chanting again.
The shadows flickered ominously back and forth across the smoke hole.
Gisila closed her eyes, gripping Eydis’ hand, holding a shaking Vella in her other arm, reminded of what had happened the last time someone hid under a bed in Tuura.
Eydis could hear Vella whimpering; she could feel Ido shaking as she pulled him to her chest, but it was all so far away. She wasn’t really there at all.
The door flung open, then quickly closed, the horses rising up on their hind-legs, whinnying loudly, but Eydis was not there. She was in another place altogether, looking through the book.
She could see each page: the symbols, instructions, lists of ingredients, corrections, notes. It was a thick fog of a daydream, but she found herself lingering on one page, her eyes popping open.
But there was only darkness.
Then the ravens came rushing down the smoke hole.
‘Shit!’ Axl yelled as a raven flew past his sword, snapping at his face. He stepped back and swung around, slashing through the air, but there were so many birds in the cave now; their wings beating loudly, their shrill cries bouncing off the walls like knives.
Black feathers everywhere.
Amma shrieked as a beak pierced her arm.
Axl sliced his sword across its back, glancing at Aleksander. His face was covered in blood, his hands dripping red as he tried to fight them off with a sword and a spear. But it looked hopeless.
More and more birds were streaming into the cave.
They were completely overwhelmed.
‘Jael!’ Eydis screamed as the ravens surged down the smoke hole, filling the house. ‘Jael!’ Eydis screamed over the terror of the horses and the plaintiff wails of Ido. ‘Page nine!’
Jael gave Entorp her lid and left him and Fyn to protect the horses. She slid under the bed next to Eydis, Marcus’ book in her hands. Flicking through the pages, she panted, counting each one until she reached the ninth. ‘I can’t read it!’ It was dark, but she could see well enough to know that she didn’t understand the words on the page.
Kormac wriggled out from under the opposite bed and ran to Jael, yelping as he was attacked. ‘Here!’ he cried, wiping blood out of his eyes. ‘Give it to me!’ He snatched the book and slid under the bed beside Jael.
The swarming ravens had shut off most of the light, so Kormac had to squint, running his finger under the scrawled words. ‘Blood!’ he cried at last. �
�You have to draw this symbol in blood!’ He looked at Jael. ‘A dreamer’s blood! Your blood! Then you need to say these words!’
Jael reached up to her arm, dipping a finger into one of her many wounds. ‘Show me!’
Kormac pushed the book towards her and Jael cleared a spot on the floorboards in front of her, cringing as Tig roared. She knew that sound. He was getting hurt. Both horses were.
She heard the puppies wails; Entorp screaming out in agony.
Fyn groaning as he tried to protect the horses.
Jael leaned forward, drawing the symbol. ‘Tell me the words! What do I say?’
‘No!’ Morana screeched, watching in horror as Jael Furyck started to draw the symbol. ‘Stop her! Stop her!’
Meena blinked, trying to pull herself out of the trance but her mind was so hazy. She felt as though she was flying, lost amongst the blur of black wings, following as the ravens dived at the horses, gouging their flesh, hurting them.
Trying to get under the beds.
They wanted to destroy them all. She could feel it.
But most of all, they wanted to kill Jael Furyck.
To stop her.
But Jael Furyck had her own book, and she was going to stop them.
Meena smiled.
Jael drew the symbol, repeating the words after Kormac, certain that hers didn’t sound anything like his. But slowly growing more confident, she started bellowing them out. And when the symbol was finished, she screamed them out one last time.
And then silence.
The storm of ravens suddenly clattered to the floor all around them.
‘Tig!’ Jael was scrambling out from under the bed, rushing for the horses. Tig was covered with gaping, bleeding holes. Aron’s horse looked much the same.
Fyn’s arms were a mess, as were Entorp’s. Both of them leaned over, panting, their faces contorted in pain.
Kormac squeezed out from under the bed, his frame almost too big to fit into such a narrow space. He pulled Branwyn out after him.
‘The boys! The baby!’ Branwyn screamed frantically. ‘Please! Go!’
Kormac took one look at his tearful wife and hunted around for a lid and his sword.
Jael grabbed the other lid and turned to Fyn. ‘Let’s go!’ She glanced at Biddy, who was hurrying to her feet. ‘Lock the door. We’ll be back as soon as we can. Don’t let anyone in!’
‘Jael!’ Branwyn called. ‘Find Alaric too, and Derwa! Bring them here!’
Jael nodded, running after Kormac and Fyn.
‘What is happening?’ Jaeger shouted, sitting up in frustration, shocked at how light it was. How long had they been lying there? His back was wet through, his head muddled, his throat so dry that he could barely form the angry words he was so desperate to spit at Morana, who sat up next to him, still gripping his hand.
He yanked it away from her.
‘She has a book,’ Morana panted, her head swimming with the memory of it.
‘What book?’ Jaeger seethed. ‘A more important book than my book? Than the book?’
Yorik was up now, stretching his back, his brow furrowed as he held out a hand to Morana, his eyes sharp on Jaeger, not appreciating his vicious tone.
He was a measured man. A man who understood that setbacks would happen. But ultimately he knew that they would reach their goal if they were patient enough. ‘She has a book that can help her, yes. But we can get that book and besides, it was her brother you wanted more, wasn’t it?’ He thought quickly, trying to placate Jaeger, to shift his focus away from their failure, towards a new hope.
They needed him. And while it wasn’t entirely necessary, it would be better if he was a willing participant.
Jaeger’s head started clearing in the light breeze, his disappointment turning into urgency. He wanted more. He wanted to cause more destruction, more pain, and this time, death. ‘Axl Furyck,’ he said quietly, watching as the men and women in the circle started pulling each other up, blinking in the morning light. ‘Axl Furyck doesn’t have a book, does he?’
‘I don’t imagine so,’ Morana growled. ‘And even if he does, he is no dreamer. It would do him no good to read a spell.’
Jaeger frowned as he stood, leaving Meena alone on the sodden ground. ‘Good, then you must find him again. And quickly.’
Meena swallowed, wishing that she was back in her little chamber. All alone.
Safe from them all.
They were too stunned to move.
Shuddering, breathless, confused; worried that the birds would come back to life somehow and attack them again.
Amma burst into tears, and Axl pulled her close.
‘I’m sorry,’ she sobbed, her face pressed into his torn tunic; blood splattered tatters barely covering his wounds. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Sssshhh,’ Axl said distractedly, not knowing what to think. He glanced at Aleksander whose eyes did not leave the birds.
‘We have to leave,’ Aleksander said mutely, crouching down, checking the ravens. They were dead. Definitely dead. ‘We have to go to Tuura. They were flying north.’ He wiped blood out of his eyes and looked up at Axl and Amma.
And this time, they nodded in agreement.
22
Kormac pounded on the battered door, his heartbeat loud in his ears. ‘Aedan! Aron!’ he cried anxiously as Jael and Fyn stood behind him, checking the dead ravens for any sign of movement. ‘Kayla?’
The ravens lay motionless all over the street.
Beaks open. Eyes glazed over.
Jael shook her head and turned back to the door as Aedan opened it and threw his arms around his father. The shock was all over his bleeding face.
‘Are you alright?’ Jael asked quickly as they hurried inside, shutting the door behind them, glancing around at the dead birds, the broken furniture, the floor littered with feathers.
Aedan’s wife, Kayla, was sobbing as she held their tiny daughter in her arms, tears streaming down both their faces. Aron hurried to his father, sword in hand, his tunic hanging in ribbons from his shoulders.
‘Your mother wants you back at the house. It’s best if we’re all together for now,’ Jael said.
Kormac nodded. ‘Bring your weapons, boys, and let’s get to the smithy. We need some shields.’
‘I have to find Alaric and Derwa,’ Jael said, cringing as the shock receded and the pain of her wounds started to bite. She stung all over. ‘We need to bring them to the house too. Edela has woken up.’
‘Has she?’ Aron looked amazed. ‘I’ll take you to them,’ he said eagerly.
Kayla sobbed, not ready to move at all. Kormac put an arm around her shaking shoulders and pushed her gently towards the door. ‘Let’s get you to Branwyn,’ he said kindly. ‘We need to look at those cuts. I have a feeling that Entorp is going to be very busy with his salves!’
Jael ducked through the door after her cousin and Fyn. ‘I’ll meet you back at the house. But don’t be long. We don’t know what else is coming. And we need to think about how to block up the smoke hole...’ Jael let that hang in the air, distracted suddenly by the book.
She had to get it back to the secret room quickly.
Entorp had dragged the horses out of the house. They were unsure whether they were more unhappy inside or out, but nobody could move with them shuffling about, and the stench of fresh dung was unbearable. He secured them to the rail outside the door, before hurrying inside to carry Edela back to her bed.
The puppies shook uncontrollably, not entertaining the thought of coming out from under the bed at all. Branwyn decided that it was the best place for them as she started sweeping the bird carcasses towards the door, desperate to get them out of the house.
There were black, shining feathers everywhere.
Dead-eyed birds staring up at her.
Blood already drying on the floorboards.
Branwyn shuddered and leaned the broom against the wall, checking on Eydis again. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like to lie down?’ she asked.
Eydis shook her head, happy with her stool next to Edela’s bed.
‘Here,’ Biddy said as she tried to make Edela more comfortable. ‘Let me prop you up a bit.’
Edela hadn’t said a thing; not one word since the birds had died and Jael had left, but her eyes fluttered open occasionally, and they all felt encouraged by that.
‘We need to get the fire going,’ Biddy realised, trying to strengthen her voice. She couldn’t stop shaking, worrying about Edela, Jael, Eydis, the horses who were bleeding, covered in holes, the puppies...
And then her mind jumped to Axl, Aleksander, and Amma. What if this had not just happened in Tuura? What if the whole of Osterland had been attacked?
There was a furious rapping on the door, and everyone froze.
Alaric’s teeth were chattering. He didn’t have many left, but he could hear them banging against each other, rattling in time with his bones as he walked. ‘But what was that?’ he asked again, his eyes darting about, searching the street, checking the birds, making sure they weren’t moving. ‘Who d-d-did this? How?’
Jael wasn’t listening, though, as she hurried him along, her hand under his arm. Fyn and Aron were helping Derwa on her other side.
The streets were littered with bodies; face up, eyes gouged out.
Animals too.
Both Alaric and Derwa had been in their cottages when it had happened, and they were able to quickly slip under their beds, covering themselves in furs until the terrifying ordeal was over.
Derwa couldn’t catch her breath as Fyn helped her through Branwyn’s door. ‘It’s a bad sign,’ she said ominously. ‘A sign of things to come. Terrifying things. Such things have happened before, but not for a long, long time.’
Jael had her mind on the horses, worried about some of the wounds she’d seen on their hind-legs, and she wasn’t paying attention as she pushed Alaric inside.