by Jen Pretty
That night, after a nice meal with Colvin and the rest of the kids at the school, Falcor, Jax and I were seated in the vampires’ lounge with a group of warlocks, witches and vampires.
"We have lost a few teachers and support staff, but not too many," Niri said, standing in front of the group. "It's a good sign that you are all here. We may be able to stop this war before it escalates."
"I've heard from my father again," Falcor said with a scowl. "There was a vote."
"A vote?" I asked.
"About whether they wanted to go to war or not," Falcor expanded.
"Jesus," I muttered. A few of the vampires muttered something similar, but the warlocks and witches froze.
"It was close, but they have voted not to go to war and to attempt some reconciliation if it can be managed. The problem is the new vampire king--" Falcor's eyes shifted to mine-- "is out for revenge."
Niri sighed, the sound forlorn. "Anick isn't likely to stop until he finds it. He has never been a patient boy."
I rubbed my face. "This is a disaster."
"There is still a branch of warlocks and witches that are waging war, no matter what my father has declared," Falcor added.
Some general muttering around the room added to my anxiety. "So, who do I talk to try and end this? Nick?"
Niri slunk down into a chair, his face looking older than he had before. "It seems too soon for that. You might need to take this to the warlock who is stirring up the trouble."
"And who would that be?" Jax asked.
"One much older than myself," Niri said. "But he won't be easy to stop."
We all stood waiting for Niri to finish.
"They call him the White Crow."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"The White Crow?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. "Is he some kind of extra-special warlock?"
Niri scoffed. "Besides the fact he is very old, no, he is just a warlock."
"So why the name?" Jax asked.
"Because he is more myth than man," Falcor said. "He is a bedtime story witches tell their small children to get them to behave."
"I'm afraid that's not the whole truth," Niri countered.
"Okay, well, where can we find this White Crow?" I asked.
Crow chose that moment to come flapping into the room like his tail feathers were on fire and cawing loud enough to wake the dead. Several people in the room jumped, but I was pleased I didn't squeak this time. Maybe I was getting used to his abrupt entrances.
"I have no way of knowing where he might be, but he does tend to spend some time in a place only one other person I know has been." Niri eyed me as if I should know what he was talking about.
After a long moment, his voice came into my mind. "Nevermore," he whispered silently.
"Oh," I pulled out a chair and collapsed in it. I had only been through it twice as a crow, and it was just a blurry mess in my memory.
Crow cawed again from the back of a vacant chair. Some of the other vampires, witches and warlocks had begun to mutter, their words drifting to my ears, but none of them making sense. I was too lost in Crow's black eyes. He stared at me as if he could tell me something if I only stared back hard enough.
The images I could remember were so fractured, I wasn't sure of anything, but I might have seen a terrible creature racing across a desert. It was just a flash of black on a spill of white, the sky a nearly purple backdrop. But the longer I stared at Crow, the surer I was that I had seen what I remembered.
"It's dangerous," I said, without thought.
Crow's beak opened and a single trill slithered out, the sound almost too high pitched to hear, but so strong a few of the vampires covered their ears. I knew instinctively that he was warning me.
I also knew I would take the risk. I might not be the bravest, but I wouldn't let more people die for no good reason. This war started because of a man who was already dead, it didn't need to continue.
"I'm going," I whispered.
I could see Niri's grin through his beard out of the corner of my eye, but it was the crow that I was staring at. In slow motion, he crouched on his perch and then leapt into the air, his silky black wings flapping hard to lift him from the furniture. Two solid flaps and he then tucked his wings into his sides and flattened out his body like an Olympic diver. His shiny beak led the way as he launched toward me. He hit me hard, knocking the wind from my lungs and my legs out from under me, but before I could even land on my back with a crash, I was airborne and my body was an empty shell, caught in Jax's arms below me.
I screamed once and flapped out of the room. I had to say goodbye to Colvin and warn him to be careful, but it was too late to talk to him. If I could just see him once more, that would have to do.
My strong wings rustled in the confines of the school halls. Voices called out behind me, but they didn't matter anymore. I knew that my body was safe here and I would go with Crow to find a way to end the war.
I dove around a corner, an invisible pull tugging me toward Colvin. A glittery thread of blue that matched our magic led the way until I came to a closed door. I slunk through without a blink and found myself in a dark room with a few bunk beds. Colvin's face was in a stream of moonlight coming in from the slightly open curtains as if the moon itself wanted to make sure I found him. I flapped down onto the bed and hopped up to his face.
His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell in slight motion. The expression on his face was peaceful and though I longed to wake him and say goodbye properly, I knew he would need his rest. I wasn't sure how I knew, or what I knew, as I secretly thought perhaps Crow was holding back a bit of information that would have maybe changed my mind about going, but somewhere deep inside, I knew the next few days would be particularly hard on Colvin and I would see him sooner than planned.
One last look and I turned, hopping to the end of the bed.
"Selena?" his raspy voice broke the silence.
I turned around.
"Is it time already?"
I just stood and blinked at him, unsure how to communicate.
I could feel Crow pressing at me to take over. He was ready to go, but a feeling in my gut told me to soak up the look on Colvin's face and the way his messy hair stuck up. For some reason, I knew he wouldn't be the same the next time I saw him. Something was shifting in the world and my life. Something that would forever change us both.
"I knew you would go," Colvin whispered. "I hoped we would have another day." He rubbed at his eyes but didn't sit up. "See you later, alligator." He snuggled back down into his blankets and sighed, then he was asleep again.
In my head I replied, "In a while, crocodile," then took flight, soaring out of the room, through the closed door, and out of the school.
Crow pushed me aside and took over completely, but I could still feel the divide between us. As if he had taken control, but not completely. I was still me.
The yard was so full of magic, it was pressing at me even in Crow's form, but that almost seemed to make it easier. Like I was meant to be in this form, in this magic-heavy area of the school.
Between one blink and the next, the school fell away and a whole new world sprang up before me. The colours were more vibrant than any I had seen before. Lush grass and trees dotted the land far into the distance where mountain peaks reached up into the sky where they disappeared into white fluffy clouds.
Magic was as thick here as it was outside the school and that thought made me pause. I wondered if the school had a bit of Nevermore around it.
Unusual birds flew, twisting and spinning among the tree branches below as Crow made slow flaps. None of the other birds were plain colours, they were bright and iridescent in pinks and purples.
We dropped below the canopy of trees and continued, passing a herd of small creatures that looked a little like rabbits, except their coats glittered in the sun streaming down from between the trees as if they were made of magic. Of my magic. The blue specks flickered and shone. I wanted to get a closer look, bu
t Crow kept flapping as if he knew where to go. I wasn't sure he didn't. But taking a quick moment out of our journey to whatever danger lay ahead didn't sound like a bad idea to me.
Crow called out and beautiful bird voices replied in harmony. Nevermore was like a dream world.
We flew out of the forest and came upon a deep blue lake. The water was so clear I could see the bottom and fish of every colour swam through the clear water. Their bodies waving back and forth changing from blue to green to orange as the sun reflected off their scales.
I could see why sometimes Crow wasn't around. I would never want to leave this place.
The lake gave way to a vast meadow, but the mountains ahead seemed to loom almost menacingly now. As if they hid something dark and dangerous. I knew I was supposed to meet the White Crow here and that he was the cause of the war, so probably not a great guy, but I found it hard to look past all that bright magic and glitter of the land and animals.
The meadow displayed herds of deer-like creatures, their noses bright red and glittering like Rudolph. I would have giggled if I wasn't travelling around as a blackbird.
As Crow flapped across the field, the clouds began to gather. At first, they were bright and fluffy, but as we approached the mountains, they grew darker and heavy with rain. Eventually, they blocked out the sun and the ground below grew dull and dreary.
A few small animals scurried about, but none of them shone with the vibrancy of the ones we had seen further away. A chill swept through me somehow; though I couldn't feel the cold, it was more a sense of foreboding.
The mountainside was steep and rocky with few scraggly trees mostly bare of leaves or branches. They clung to the rock.
Crow began to flap harder, driving us high up the sheer cliff toward the peak that disappeared into the dark clouds.
It seemed Crow was having to work harder to fly now, his wings barely pulling us up the height as we disappeared into the clouds. His wings worked, mist gathering and dripping off his feathers as the pounded against the air.
There was no up or down, just foggy gray and the sound of Crow's wings beating.
"Are we lost?" I whispered in my head.
A rush of calm settled in my mind and I had to assume that was Crow assuring me we were in the right place. I tried to stay calm, but the eerie, solitary feeling felt like eyes watching us from every direction.
"You are a long way from home, child," A voice finally came to my mind, almost the same tone as Niri's but it was tinged with mockery instead of the patient kindness that usually coloured Niri's voice.
"I didn't have much choice," I replied, glad the voice in my head sounded confident. I didn't feel confident and if this White Crow man could read my thoughts, he wouldn't be fooled by the steadiness in my voice.
"I can read your thoughts, and right you are," he said.
Shit. So much for that idea.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked.
Crow was still flapping madly, but it felt as if we were slowly sinking. I couldn't be sure without any visual frame of reference.
"Why am I doing what, exactly? I do a lot of things."
I tried hard not to scoff. "Starting a war between the vampires, witches, and warlocks."
"I haven't done anything. It was the king of the vampires who started this war."
"He is dead," I replied.
"His heir lives."
An immediate flash of fear and also something like anger surged. I didn't want this White Crow guy talking about Nick. He was mine. Ours. The immediate desire to protect Nick was stronger than what I would feel on my own. I knew Crow was pushing his feelings on the matter, too.
Deep laughter floated to my mind. "So, you have claimed a vampire? Seems fitting. Perhaps we both want the same thing? You have chosen a vampire; I have chosen a warlock."
I paused. Who was he talking about?
"A battle between them will rip the worlds to shreds," White Crow laughed. "A bloody magic war to stamp all of the time. The end of peace is not the end, it is only the new beginning."
"People would die. Too many." I said.
"Blood to wash the worlds clean." His voice held laughter that sent a chill down my spine. "Maybe we should send some help."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I wasn't sure what he was talking about. Crow was panting and straining, his wings shaking against the pressure of whatever was pushing us down.
"What do you say old friend?" the White Crow asked.
Crow screamed in reply and I finally realized who he was talking to. Crow’s wings flapped for all they were worth, pushing us high enough that the fog began to thin enough that I could see the edge of the mountain. The peak came into view. A man stood there, hunched over and stark white like Niri, but all around him stood creatures I had only ever seen in the book of monsters.
"An army to defeat the chosen one." White Crow's mule eyes landed on us and seemed to look straight through Crow to my soul. "It should be a worthy battle, Selena."
The monsters slithered and leapt down the mountain, disappearing into the fog. White Crow straightened a wicked grin curling his lips. "You have some work to do and I'm very busy. Off you go."
The old man flicked his wrist and Crow flew back, tumbling through the air. The feeling of free-falling and tumbling was completely opposed to the slate grey around us, but after a few more seconds we burst out from under the fog, the ground rushing toward us faster and faster.
A scream tried to burst from me, but I was breathless inside Crow and no sound escaped. A flash of the monsters climbing down the mountain somehow reached my eyes and registered in my brain and any spark of magic I might have been carrying flew out, stabilizing Crow on the wind and we righted, gliding down to the meadow, where small creatures scurried and hid from the oncoming onslaught of monsters.
A terrible snake scooped up a glittery bunny, swallowing it whole and forcing a scream from Crow's beak. Suddenly we were driving again, the ground rushing toward us faster than when we were free-falling a moment before.
A scream tried to tear out, but without a body, I was completely trapped by Crow's plan. Luckily it seemed he was a bit more than just a bird here, because as we got close, a deep purple spill of glittery magic flowed out toward the ground, burning the bushes and grasses that clung to life in this struggling area of the world turned to ash.
The magic gobbled up the ground and everything on it until it reached the snake creature.
The monster hissed and recoiled but it was too late. Crow's magic reached the monster and burst into a purple flame that flickered like a propane torch, lighting the beast up like paper. His body curled and writhed for only a moment before crumpling and burning out.
The magic had left a wide trail of destruction, but it would be worth it to kill all the monsters. I tried to urge Crow to do it again, but instead, he turned and began to fly back the way we had come.
I lost sight of the beasts but could hear screams behind us as we raced across the meadow and rose in the sky to fly over the forest. Behind us, the noise stopped, and Crow dropped suddenly, turning and landing on the branch of a tall tree. The meadow was empty, not a monster in sight. The burn mark was still visible, like a tear in the fabric of the beautiful world, but everywhere else was as it had been.
"Where did they go?" I tried to ask. Crow called out once, but no birds replied. No creatures scurried. He flapped his wings hard, launching us back the way we had come with new energy. Almost desperate. I had no idea what was going on, but a flash of fear leaked through from Crow, so I didn't question where we were going.
If Crow was afraid, I probably had good reason to be afraid, too.
As we left the forest and passed the lake, the birds began to sing again. The fish swam in glittering schools, but the thick fear kept me from seeing their beauty now.
The space between Crow and I was thinning; his fear was as thick as the forest below us.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice stronger in my mind.
> That was when a single thought slipped through from Crow's mind to mine. "The children."
I didn't need more information than that. Add in his fear and I was on board for whatever the hell we were doing, as long as it meant getting home.
I pressed at my magic to try and help us go faster, sure it wasn't helping, but it was all I could do while I was trapped in Crow's form.
He dove through the trees and flapped between the trunks. I wanted to scream at him to get us back, but it felt like that was his goal, too. I just had to wait and pray.
I thought of Colvin and prayed whatever was going on, he was safe. The school was protected, wasn't it? All that magic was there to protect the kids. Surely, they would be fine.
When we finally burst back out of the forest, it was like we had flown through a portal. One second we were in a beautiful land, the next we were in the Sanctuary and the world was on fire.
Smoke was thick, clogging my vision. Crow coughed and dove toward the ground. The smoke was thinner but still didn't allow much visibility.
The sound of people yelling grew louder and something that sounded like a lion roaring joined them.
"Find my body," I tried to yell. Crow screamed and flapped harder. I had no idea where we were, but a moment later we burst into a room that had no smoke. The door was closed and lying on a bottom bunk was my body.
Crow didn't even pause. He flew straight at me and suddenly I was coughing and choking.
I flung myself off the bed, tangled in blankets and jammed my hand down my throat, pulling out the feather without a second thought.
I jumped to my feet and wobbled a bit as I raced back to the door, throwing it open and yelling out a hoarse cry. I coughed as smoke reached my lungs, but before I could even clear my throat again, I threw out all the magic I had. It wasn't much, but it cleared the smoke and lit the way.