by Lydia Deyes
Amery came up to check on me. I didn’t look at her; I just stared into the sunset. It wasn’t fair. Why did such beauty exist in such a cruel world? How could the sky be such fantastic shades of orange and pink, the weather so warm and calm, when everything had gone so wrong? The cold sadness inside of me contrasted starkly with the painted sky and warmth of the summer evening. My senses of sight and touch tingled with delight, but all the negative thoughts threatened to push out the good ones.
I can’t hear the crickets chirping. I can’t hear the river rushing, nor the humans bustling about. I can’t even hear myself speak. What kind of life is this?
I wish I had died in the storm, before I lost my memory.
I wish I had died in the fire, before any of this started.
I wish I had died from the poisoned berries. At least Gander would’ve been reunited with his family.
I wish I had died in the cave of smoke with Reika and Barrie and Violet.
Everyone I love is dead.
Who is left that cares if I live or die?
Amery came closer and sat next to me. I sighed. Amery is the only one I have left. If I had to have only one… why couldn’t it be Samuel? I knew I should go back inside, since it was getting dark, but part of me didn’t want to go. I wanted to watch the end of the sunset. I wanted to watch the last of the sun’s rays vanish, like all of my hope. I wanted to embrace what might happen if I stayed out alone.
Not saying anything – not that I could understand without looking at her – Amery stayed silently beside me until the sun had almost completely disappeared from the horizon. I looked straight ahead at the last fading shades of orange as she finally stood and began to head back. Then she stopped, and I couldn’t help glancing up at her.
Her eyes softened in relief when I met her gaze. “Don’t worry about the other animals. I’ll tell them what we know. I’ll prepare them for what’s coming. You should come inside and rest. It’s not safe to be alone out here after dark.”
I shook my head. With a cracked throat, I made my decision. “No, Amery. That’s not your responsibility. You don’t need that kind of weight dragging you down. I’ll tell them. it’s my duty and my responsibility now, not yours.”
“All right,” she responded. “But you need to rest first. You’ve been through a lot. Please try to get some sleep.”
I nodded, then followed her back into the building, into the sparrow room. For a moment, my gaze lingered on Violet’s empty perch. I landed on it, feeling the grooves where her claws had worn into its surface. I missed her. Trying to push the thought from my mind, I hopped to my own familiar branch. I closed my eyes and struggled for several minutes to put up a mental wall against the derogatory thoughts that continued to seep into my mind, to no avail.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep from pure exhaustion. When sunlight began to filter through the dusty window, it felt as if I’d only just shut my eyes. I sighed. It was time. No matter what the others thought of me, I had to do the right thing. Samuel wasn’t here to guide them anymore, and they needed to know about the coming battle. Whether they chose to take my advice or leave it, it didn’t matter to me. At least I would have warned them.
XX
As soon as I entered the great hall during the communal breakfast, I was overwhelmed by the hostile glares. I tried to ignore them, but their fantasied meanings jumped to my mind again. I flew to the head of the table, to Samuel’s empty place. If anyone hadn’t been staring before, they were now. I closed my eyes, hoping if I couldn’t see them, the thoughts would go away.
“Listen!” I cried out, hoping by opening my throat more, my voice would project across the room. “Please,” I begged. “I know this is hard, and I know you don’t trust me, but there’s something that you all need to hear.” I peeked through my eyelids to gauge the expressions of the crowd. Most of the animals continued to look at me with suspicion, but some had adopted an expression of curiosity. I continued with urgency, shifting my focus from one attentive creature to the next, ignoring the ones still glaring. “I know that I could never replace Samuel, and I’m not trying to. I know you’re all anxious about what will happen to the thirteenth floor without him. But we have something much more dangerous to face, and we need to work together to fight it. A war is coming to our doorstep. A crow named Spike is planning on amassing an army to get past Samuel’s wards and attack the thirteenth floor.”
Many animals stood or fluttered into the air and spoke out of fear and anger. “Hush!” Anna shouted from the back of the room, so loudly, I could feel the reverberations of her voice from the walls. “Listen to him!”
I nodded to her in thanks. “We have to prepare,” I continued. “We can’t let them win this battle. Are there any scouts that can look to recruit anyone who can join the fight for us?”
For a few moments, no one moved. Then a couple of hawks, wild cats, and rats came forward. Nyoka was among them. After acknowledging them, I addressed everyone else. “In the meantime, I need all of you to be careful until the time comes. Even if creatures appear to be on our side, it’s always possible they are spies for the enemy, trying to find easier ways to get past our guard. Don’t disclose any information about our plans to newcomers that I haven’t screened.”
I hesitated for a moment, then closed my eyes to conjure a vision of the room. Last time, when Nyoka was transforming from a snake to a rat, procuring a vision in real-time had drained my energy and left me dizzy. I didn’t want to take it too far, but I needed to know everyone in the building could be trusted.
When the image appeared, everything was gray and blurry except for the animals. None of them, not even Nyoka, was surrounded by darkness. I almost opened my eyes, then Gander wandered in.
Has he spoken to Spike, even after I told him we could help him?
A few wisps of the mysterious smoke clung to his feet like chains, but they didn’t encompass his entire form, nor did they go inside him. I dismissed the image. I felt a bit lightheaded, but the feeling was fleeting. I made a mental note to keep this type of vision no longer than I just had, then left my post at the head of the table.
“You do realize,” I prodded as I approached the spy, “that Spike has probably been lying to you?”
Gander nodded and looked into my eyes. “I know… but I had to try. I had no other choice!”
“Do you know where he was keeping your family?”
Gander replied with a simple phrase, then his head. The cave of smoke. They’re dead.
My heart fell. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know what to do! He can’t hurt them anymore at least, but if I stop helping him… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to step outside this building again.”
“There is one thing you can do,” I said solemnly. “Do you think you can continue to see him but switch your allegiance? Can you give him reports that are only partially true and instead divulge his plans to us? When this is all over, he’ll be defeated. He won’t be able to hurt you.”
Gander’s eyes expressed pain and sorrow, but a desire to trust. “Do you really think so?”
“Of course,” I responded. “He’s after me, too, you know. Defeating him is partly an act of self-preservation.”
“Partly? What’s the rest of it?”
Revenge, I thought. Revenge for killing everyone I cared about.
I knew that wasn’t the best thing to say right now, though. Out loud, I simply said, “He’s evil. His reign needs to come to an end.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
◆◆◆
Several days later, Nyoka returned with a few dozen small mammals and birds from the forest. None of the other scouts had any news, and Gander didn’t know yet when Spike would attack. Many of the animals Nyoka recruited had lived close to the cave of smoke and wanted to help defeat the mastermind who’d lured so many to their deaths. None of the other squirrels or rabbits I’d lived with were interested in joining a fight for me, but Hazel had agreed to com
e.
“Hazel!” I said as soon as our eyes met. “I haven’t seen you in so long! How are you?”
Hazel smiled and waved, then nodded to signify good.
I rushed forward and gave her a hug, wrapping my wings around her and leaning my head against her shoulder. “I can read expressions now! I’m very good at it. Try me!”
“Oh! I’m so glad to hear that, Sheer. Did you find your family?” My high spirits plummeted faster than a drop of rain. Hazel’s eyes creased in concern. “Is something wrong?”
“I found my sister and my mother,” I replied with a sigh. “But it wasn’t long before I lost them again. This time, for good.”
While Hazel and I reminisced, everyone else sorted into different rooms for battle training. No one really knew what they were doing, but many of the thirteenth floor members had made visible improvements in strength and dexterity in the last few days. They were nowhere near ready to fight against Spike and his crows, but they were more coordinated and capable than they had been before.
I took a break from supervising the activities and flew down from the thirteenth floor, to the outskirts of the forest. I spotted a red beetle with beady black eyes sitting on a branch.
Perfect.
With a battle looming on the horizon, I couldn’t push down the skill I’d developed at the waterfall anymore. We needed every advantage we could get. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, I concentrated on the beetle, trying to bring it to me with my mind.
To my surprise, the beetle shot towards me at incredible speed and attacked my head. I shrieked, and Amery flew down from the window to help. She snatched the beetle out of the air and held it down with her claw, gentle enough not to crush it.
Amery looked at me with wide eyes. “It’s speaking fragments of Kisalan,” she said. “I don’t know where it learned our language. It’s asking you not to eat it.” She looked to the beetle, her eyes furrowed. “Sorry,” she continued, turning back to me. “He’s asking you not to eat him.”
“What? Um… okay,” I said, not sure whether to address Amery or the beetle. I’d spoken to many different kinds of animals, but none of them had ever been potential meals. I wondered if that was how Samuel and the other predators felt all the time. A pang of grief wrapped around me. I missed my mentor.
“I don’t know if he has a name, or what it is,” Amery said. “He just keeps saying he’s poisonous and doesn’t taste good. It’s possible his name is Poison… oh, it is?”
“Okay, Poison,” I replied. “I’m sorry I tried to eat you. You can release him,” I continued, looking up at Amery. “I’ve definitely lost my appetite.”
To my confusion, Poison didn’t fly off. “Now… he’s asking if you’re in league with Spike,” Amery explained.
“No,” I told him. I didn’t want to reveal anything else to this beetle that could speak the language of songbirds.
Amery listened to the beetle for a moment, then looked at me. “He said, ‘Danger! War! Bad plans that crow has.’ I think he’s on our side.”
I pondered the words, then addressed Poison directly. “What do you know about the crow’s plans?”
“He says he knows Spike tried to kill you,” Amery translated. “He also says he came here to ask if you needed help in battle. Should we trust him?”
I quickly conjured a vision and immediately dismissed it when I saw he wasn’t surrounded by darkness of any kind. There was no residual dizziness, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “I think we should,” I told her. “We could use the help. What exactly can you do for us?” I asked, turning to the beetle again.
How much could a tiny beetle do?
“He plans to gather up all of his kind, and all the fruit bats in the region. He says he’s known them for some time.”
Now, that sounded like a modest proposal. “I accept your help, Poison. Please bring the bats and beetles as soon as possible.” With that, the beetle zipped away at a speed I’d never have expected of such a small creature. I shook my head in disbelief and hoped he wouldn’t get eaten along the way. Amery and I flew back to the thirteenth floor, still marveling at the strange encounter.
XXI
In my dream that night, I was far away on a deserted island. I saw Spike, surrounded by the mysterious dark smoke to which I was so accustomed. He uttered a loud “Caw!”, which could probably be heard for miles. He’d begun recruiting his armies. I wondered where Bruce was, and whether he was also recruiting. Then I noticed something Spike hadn’t: a stray crow among the reeds, watching him.
Somehow, I knew it was Spike’s niece. Rebekah. I didn’t know how this information came to me, but I accepted it as true. Regardless, she wasn’t enclosed by darkness, so I knew I could trust her. She slipped away from her hiding place and crept to a neighboring island, then flew low to the mainland. There, she was joined by a ruby-throated hummingbird. She nodded to the tiny bird, who then chirped sweetly. Her shrill voice carried far and was answered by a swarm of hummingbirds rising from their places in the fields. Rebekah was calling her own army to fight against her uncle’s.
I woke up, startled. We had to find this crow and her flock of hummingbirds, so we could join our forces together. If she tried to attack Spike on her own time, the effect wouldn’t be as great as if we all worked together. Determined, I flew to the great hall, where breakfast was being served. I asked around if anyone knew someone who could fly far and fast. Eventually, I was directed to a peregrine falcon, fondly referred to as “Swift.”
“Would you be willing to do me a favor?” I asked, taking a brief moment to explain the situation to him.
“Of course, Sheer.” He polished off his fish and took off with a burst of speed. I was slightly taken aback, uneasy that I’d so suddenly become well known among the members of the thirteenth floor. Everyone seemed to know my name.
I shook off the feeling, now revived with energy. We’d soon have four armies bound together. Nyoka led the modest group of birds and mammals from the forest, Poison was coming with beetles and bats, and Rebekah would soon arrive with a flock of hummingbirds. Amery, Anna, and I led the members of the thirteenth floor. We might actually have a chance in this battle. Spike would be caught off guard when he arrived to find not only the existing members of the thirteenth floor, but three additional armies.
Gander pulled me aside when I was leaving breakfast. “I know when Spike is coming,” he said. “But you’re not going to like it.”
“When?”
“Four days. He’s finished recruiting all the crows for miles.”
My heart started to race. We may have had the numbers, but we didn’t have much strength or coordination yet. I’d hoped we would have more time to prepare. “Four days! That’s so soon! Have you heard anything about Bruce and the recruitment he was going to do?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything.”
◆◆◆
Swift returned on the third day. With him, he brought not only Rebekah and her small but feisty hummingbirds, but also Poison and his huge army of beetles and bats. Swift had crossed paths with the other scouts on the way back, and they’d returned empty-handed. It didn’t look like anyone else would be joining us before the battle. They had a night to rest. Thanks to Gander, I knew Spike was planning on attacking at nightfall the next day. I tried my best to get sleep, but anticipation and anxiety kept me awake most of the night.
◆◆◆
It was an hour before Spike was supposed to attack. Everyone gathered in the great hall. Most were anxious, but some were excited. None of us had ever been in a war before. I began instructing the leaders in turn, hoping my voice was loud enough for all the other animals to hear. I’d been planning with each leader individually in private, trying to coordinate how we’d work this out, but now everyone needed to hear. We all needed to be in tune with each other, to work together, or else we’d fail. There would be no secrets on the thirteenth floor.
“Poison,” I began, “I want beetles behind every d
oor. Attack the crows’ faces first. Try to blind them if you can.” I waited for Poison to translate the message to the swarm of beetles. When they all took to the air, I hastily added, “Don’t go anywhere yet! Everyone should know what everyone else is doing.”
The beetles settled down again, so I continued. “Bats, be prepared on the ceiling. Surprise them from above and distract them. If you can, wound them and get them out of the building.” All of the bats shook their wings in acknowledgment. Many of them yawned. “Perk up!” I called. “I know it’s early for you, but we all need to be as alert as possible when Spike’s army arrives.”
I turned to the flock of brightly colored birds, with Rebekah at the point. “Hummingbirds, I need you stationed evenly throughout the thirteenth floor. You may be small, but you’re fast and have long, sharp beaks. Use them.”
Finally, I addressed the entire room. “And for the rest of you, use your natural talents. Use your claws and teeth, talons and beaks. Remember the training you’ve had over the last few days. We’re not vicious, like Spike — let’s hope for few casualties. But do wound your opponents. The best way to defeat them is to injure them and get them out of the building. When they’re weak and coming a few at a time, they won’t be able to get past Samuel’s magical wards. It’s only when they come in strong droves that they’ll be able to enter the building.”
Looking around at all of the animals, I felt honored that they were willing to give me such rapt attention. “Alright,” I finished. “Now all we have to do is wait. Go to your positions. Do not loosen your guard!” As all the animals filed out of the great hall to wait for Spike’s army, I turned to where Amery stood beside me. “Dim the lights.” Since we knew our way around the building, we had an advantage in the darkness.