When the tale was done, instead of treating him like a hero, Mrs. Malikum had brought him down to the wood with a bump. She’d slapped his face so hard the whole house shook, and shouted at him to never put himself in such danger again. Ark found himself smiling at the memory.
“So, how did you know about the apples?” he asked Corwenna. “Was it luck that Petronio stabbed me where he did?”
“Luck or the gift of the wood!”
They all fell silent for a second, listening to the soft hiss of autumn leaves.
“And now a question for my brave young warrior. Did the arrows really listen to you?”
“I couldn’t believe it!” said Ark proudly.
“Nor could I foresee such ingenuity! I said to you once that the trees hold deeper mysteries that science can only guess at.”
But Ark had stopped listening, remembering the one arrow that got away, that killed his friend’s father. If only he could have stopped it. Flo had said several times that she didn’t blame him. It didn’t make it any easier. He changed the subject. “And that phial you gave me.” Ark remembered the look on his tormentor’s face as his arm turned to cold, dead wood. “Goodwoody warned me about murder, but Petronio had gone too far.”
“Though I have never met your Warden, she is right. But so were you when you grabbed that boy of shadows by his hand and held on tight! He deserved all that the trees could offer!”
It was an answer, of sorts, though Ark still felt queasy at the thought of it, the ease with which his dark deed was enacted.
“D’yer fink Petronio’s still alive?” Mucum piped in.
“I spoke to an acquaintance of mine, a certain mud-pirate who told me categorically that no bodies matching the description of the envoy or the Grasp boy were found at the base of the palace trees.”
Ark didn’t want to think about it anymore. For now, they were gone. He took the bag of clams and emptied it by the water’s edge to give them a good scrub.
Corwenna continued. “The events of the Harvest Festival were only a skirmish. Even if that foul boy passed over to the other side, there are many more hungry for profitable change. Maw won’t give up the prize so easily!”
She is right, thought Ark, suddenly tired despite the sun. They had merely stung the hide of a great beast. A brown, curled-up leaf slowly drifted down in front of him. He felt something stir deep within the roots of his soul. If he was of the trees, if their sap truly flowed through him, what was he capable of? The thought both excited and terrified him.
“If they come back again, whoi, Oi’ll be the first to greet them all with moi harpoon!” Flo said.
“And that is why I still hold hope for the Ravenwood and this whole raised-up dream of Arborium. With such words and courage, they will have a fight on their hands.”
“And I can scream them all away!” butted in Shiv.
“Sure you can, little one!” said Mucum.
“I heard that you wielded a certain sewage cannon with great skill, Mucum!” Corwenna laughed.
Mucum blushed. Having started off listening to his colleague gabbling about plots against the King, he’d come a long way. “I reckon we did oakay.”
“And to think I missed the sight of Rootshooters in flight!”
“It was smelting good, warghhh! Moi brothers and sisters forgin’ those leaves into shapes loike feathers that the wind found pleasin’!” Flo beamed at the thought of it and the frightened look on the faces of Flint’s men. Maybe the Rootshooters had been down in the deeps too long. A bit of fresh air was no bad thing.
“Your father gave his life so that all of us could be here today. We are free because of him.” Corwenna’s words were an arrow of kindness, hitting Flo in the weakest of places.
“Yow be too kind. It ain’t fair, though.” Sudden tears trickled down her cheeks.
“No,” said Corwenna, “it isn’t. But his deeds will live on in books and tales. Trust me on this.” She leaned forward to kiss Flo on her forehead.
Ark was surprised. Warden Goodwoody was normally the one for blessings.
“As for the rest of you, I hope the King has recognized your actions!”
“Too right ‘e did!” said Mucum. “Some snooty vice commander from the armories came ridin’ in jes’ as the battle was over, demanding to know what all these kids were doing. He called it ‘interfering in matters of state.’ Broadbeam was ‘is name. The bloke was even bigger than me, and a proud budder if ever I met one. It was a laugh to see old Quercus nearly bite his head off. As the King pointed out, without us lot, Arborium would be no more. Even better, the soldier was forced to hand over his best sword so that Flo, Ark, and me could be knighted for services to the country.”
“Oh, that is too rich!” Corwenna laughed. “Must I bow down and call you Sir Mucum?”
Mucum was offended. “That’s me name now! Don’t you forget it!”
“I would not dream of it! Well, my lords and ladies, is it possible we could eat now? I have traveled farther than I’ve been in a hundred years. It does make one hungry, hmmm?”
“Yes,” said Ark, “I’m raven-ous!”
Everyone groaned and even Hedd, son of Hedd, looked down, most unamused.
And they all sat in the afternoon sun, the first chill of winter on their skin, digging into the gifts that Arborium had to offer, as the raven guarded them with bright, unblinking eyes. There was more laughter and tears and toasts raised to Joe, the bravest of Rootshooters, and those who had fallen to protect this land that dreamed of sky.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Peters, who also publishes under the name Andrew Fusek Peters, has written extensively for readers of all ages, often in collaboration with his wife, Polly. Their work includes poetry collections, picture books, anthologies, plays, and graphic novels. Ravenwood, an epic fantasy set in a vast treescape, is Andrew’s most prominent novel to date, and the first in a planned series. In addition to the original English-language edition, Ravenwood will be translated for publication in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, Turkey, Russia, China, and Brazil. As acclaimed publisher Barry Cunningham of the Chicken House describes it, “Andrew has created a world to match the best in classic fantasy. Ravenwood is breathtaking in its imaginative detail, gripping in scope, with real characters embarking on the biggest adventure of their lives with daredevil courage and always a sense of humor.”
Andrew’s school visits are renowned for their dramatic performances, infectious enthusiasm, and elaborate props. For Ravenwood, Andrew and his creative team crafted an incredible costume fashioned from real feathers, with a light-up velvet waistcoat! Check out YouTube for a sneak peek at Andrew’s Ravenwood tour, and follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook at RavenwoodNovel.
Following photos: Andrew Peters in his Ravenwood tour costume, photos © Rosalind Peters.
Copyright
Text copyright © 2011 by Andrew Peters
Cover art by Steve Rawlings
Cover design by Whitney Lyle
All rights reserved. Published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. CHICKEN HOUSE, SCHOLASTIC, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. www.scholastic.com
First published in the United Kingdom by Chicken House, 2 Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS. www.doublecluck.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Excerpt from Wandering by Hermann Hesse (Picador, 1972), copyright © Hermann Hesse
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peters, Andrew, 1965–
Ravenwood/Andrew Peters.
p. cm.
S
ummary: On Arborium, the last forested island in the future, fourteen-year-old Ark, who lives in a mile-high city set in the treetops, overhears a plot to rob Arborium of its wood, a natural resource more precious than gold.
ISBN 978-0-545-30550-1
[1. Fantasy. 2. Adventure and adventurers — Fiction. 3. Trees — Fiction. 4. Conservation of natural resources — Fiction.] I. Title. PZ7.P4415466Rav 2011 [Fic] — dc22 2010044484
First American edition, August 2011
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eISBN: 978-0-545-38944-0
Ravenwood Page 30