by Aimee Carter
“I don’t need you to save me,” he said, and she gave him an exasperated look.
“You’re about to follow the rats into their own territory. You really think they’ll let you see the surface again?”
Simon yanked his arm away. Her grip broke easily, unlike Darryl’s, and he started back toward the sidewalk. “They have my mother.”
“Not down there, they don’t.”
“And I’m sure you know exactly where she is,” he said sarcastically. He didn’t have time for this.
“I don’t. But I know someone who does.”
He stopped.
Winter smiled. “Got your attention, didn’t I?” she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Orion saw the whole thing happen.”
Orion. His grandfather. The very man his mother had been trying to evade. Simon’s throat tightened. “I’m supposed to be running away from Orion, not toward him.”
“He’s trying to protect you, despite your best efforts,” said Winter, and her voice softened. “We don’t have much time. We’ve been trying to hold off the rats all day, but there are too many of them. If you don’t come with me, the mammals are going to find you, and they’re going to kill you.”
“So—you can talk to animals, too,” he said faintly.
“Told you you’re not the only one.”
Simon eyed the bustling street. Something was happening. Something big. If he went back out there and met his uncle at the ferry, part of him—a very large part—was sure he would never find out what it was. And worse, he feared he would never see his mother again.
But if he went with Winter to meet Orion, he would be doing exactly what his mother and uncle didn’t want him to do. He wanted to trust Winter though. She’d stood up for him in school, and she’d tried to reassure him that he wasn’t crazy, talking to animals like he did. Darryl had no plan to rescue his mother—just a way out of the city. But Orion . . . if he’d really sent the pigeons to help them—if he really knew where his mother was . . .
Darryl was going to kill him.
“Where is he?” said Simon. “Where’s Orion?”
“Your mom tried to fly away from the rats, but she was too injured, so Orion’s following them,” said Winter. “He wanted to be here, but if they drag her underground before he can track them . . .”
Fly away. His mother had tried to fly away. Simon shook his head. His mother didn’t have wings. Then again, up until ten minutes ago, Darryl hadn’t had a tail, either.
“I’m supposed to meet my uncle,” said Simon, feeling light-headed. “I have to make sure he knows I’m okay. If I’m not there when he—”
The squeal of tires echoed between the buildings, and a black sedan appeared at the end of the alleyway. Simon backed away, but Winter didn’t seem the least bit surprised, even when two large men exited the car.
“Who are they?” said Simon.
“Our ride,” said Winter. When Simon didn’t move, she let out a frustrated hiss and lowered her voice. “The rats are almost here, and if they catch us, we’re both going to become human chew toys. And if you don’t come with me and something happens to you, Orion will never forgive me, and—please.” For the first time since Simon had met her, she sounded desperate. “He loves you. He’s your family, and not everyone’s lucky enough to have that, all right? He wants to protect you and your mother, and this is the only way. Please.”
Simon’s heart raced. Darryl would be furious, but if he didn’t go with Winter, he would probably never see his mother again, and Simon couldn’t live with that. He’d lost her before, more times than he could count. He couldn’t lose her forever.
At last he moved toward the sedan. “If anything happens to my mother—”
“It won’t,” she said. “Feathers are family, and we protect our own.”
As Simon ducked into the car, all he could do was hope Winter was right.
5
THE BIRD LORD
Simon stared out the window as the black sedan navigated through rush hour traffic, his hand in his sweatshirt pocket as he stroked Felix’s soft fur. What would Darryl think when he reached the ferry and found Simon missing? Would he assume he’d been kidnapped? Simon couldn’t work up much guilt. Darryl had lied to him his entire life. Not only had he secretly been a wolf, but he had also known about Simon’s ability to talk to animals. Instead of telling him the truth, he’d let Simon think he was weird and alone. And unlike his mother, he hadn’t had a good excuse.
“How did you get away from the rats?” said Winter as they drove toward the Upper East Side. “Have you shifted already?”
“Shifted?” said Simon, but he had an uneasy feeling he already knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Into your Animalgam form, of course,” she said.
“Ani-what?” said Simon.
“Ani-mal-gam,” said Winter, looking at him strangely. “Do you even know what the five kingdoms are?”
Simon stared at her blankly, and Winter sighed. “This is going to be fun.”
The sedan stopped outside a glitzy tower on Park Avenue a few minutes later. Winter hopped out of the car, and Simon followed, frowning. The tower had to be at least forty stories tall, and when he craned his neck, he could see a strange glass observatory on the very top level. “I need to let my uncle know where I am.”
“Orion will send a messenger,” said Winter as she bounded past the doorman and into the building. After taking one last look at the bustling street, Simon followed her inside. His uncle wouldn’t leave the city without him, but he would undoubtedly assume Simon had been taken by the rats, too.
“What is this place?” he said once they were inside the lobby. The foyer was lined with trees that seemed to grow straight out of the marble floor, and the ceiling swirled with animated clouds.
“Sky Tower,” said Winter. “You’ve seriously never heard of it?”
Simon had a feeling there was a lot he hadn’t heard of. A security guard in the elevator welcomed them with a nod. Though there were forty floors to choose from, he swiped a card and pressed the top button—a big P.
“I take it Orion lives in the penthouse,” said Simon as the elevator rose. “Do you live there, too?”
Winter nodded. “My father was the head of his security team.”
“Was?” said Simon.
Her expression darkened. “He’s dead.”
“Oh.” His stomach twisted into knots. “I’m sorry. My dad’s dead, too.”
“I know.” She didn’t look at him, but her voice softened a little. Simon took that as a good sign.
“Do you really think Orion can save my mom?” he said, and Winter nodded.
“Orion wouldn’t let her die. She’s his family.”
It wasn’t much reassurance, but it was all Simon had for now, and he hoped against hope she was right. They spent the rest of the elevator ride in silence, until at last the doors opened, revealing the penthouse.
Simon blinked. Hard. The penthouse was enormous, but instead of marble and chandeliers, he might as well have stepped into the middle of a forest. Dozens of trees grew from a carpet of grass and dirt, stretching up toward a ceiling five stories above them. One oak tree towered above the rest, with gnarled branches that bowed under their own weight. The walls on all four sides were made of glass, and at least a dozen birds flew from tree to tree, chattering in voices that sounded strangely human.
“This is where you live?” he said, his mouth hanging open.
“The floor below this is where we sleep, but we spend almost all our time in the tree house,” she said, pausing to wave at a robin.
They reached a spiral staircase. Simon tried to peer down into the level below, but Winter began the dizzying climb up instead, and he scrambled to follow.
When they reached the top, Simon stopped and stared. It wasn’t a tree house at all, but a circular walkway that extended all the way around the penthouse. Armchairs were scattered around the roomy level, all facing the windows t
hat provided a view of the entire city. There was even a large desk looking over Central Park, and low bookshelves created an inner wall. But the most amazing part was the huge old oak tree that grew from below, its branches so high that the glass ceiling had been specially built to form a dome around them.
“Like it?” said Winter with a smirk.
“Of course he does, my dear,” said a voice Simon immediately recognized. Halfway up the massive tree, the trunk twisted into a seat, and perched in the center was the one-eyed eagle.
“What are you doing here?” said Simon.
“This is my home,” said the eagle. “I am so very glad to see you safe at last.”
“Winter said Orion knew where the rats took my mother,” said Simon. “I want to talk to him.”
“Of course, of course,” said the eagle. “If you’ll indulge me for a moment.”
“What—” started Simon, but the eagle took flight, landing gracefully at Simon’s feet. The air shimmered, and the eagle began to change shape just as Darryl had. His body elongated; his massive wings turned into arms, and his brown feathers melded together to form clothes. The eagle’s one beady eye stayed the same, but the beak retracted, morphing into a human nose and mouth. White feathers formed a trim silver beard and a head full of hair, revealing tanned skin where they disappeared.
Within seconds, the transformation was complete. Instead of an eagle, a man stood in front of Simon, tall and regal, with a thin nose half a size too big for his long face. He wore a plain white shirt and brown pants, and what had once been talons were now bare feet, gnarled with age. One eye was scarred over, and he fixed the good one on Simon and smiled.
“My boy,” he said warmly. “I have waited for this day for a very long time.”
“You’re Orion,” said Simon. His mouth went dry. This was who his mother and Darryl had been so afraid of—the same eagle that had been stalking him all day. “Where’s my mother?”
Orion’s bushy eyebrows knit together. “I followed them for as long as I could, but despite my efforts, the mammals took her hostage. I am certain they will not kill her, not when she is so valuable to both of us, but how long that mercy will last, I cannot say.”
Cold fear washed over Simon, and he gulped. “So get her back.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t that simple,” said Orion. “My kingdom has been at war with the mammals for years. I have no more control over the rats than you do.”
“Then who—”
“The Alpha, of course.”
The Alpha. The same name the rats had murmured. “How do we find them?” said Simon, clutching the hilt of Darryl’s knife where it hung from his belt.
“Not them. Her. The Alpha is well protected by her subjects, and even without their support, she is a formidable foe,” said Orion. “By now, I do not doubt your mother has been taken deep into mammal territory. To try to save her would be suicide.”
“But the pigeons—they can help us.” There had to be a million in the city.
Orion regarded him with his one good eye. “How much did your mother tell you about me?”
Simon fidgeted. Talking to Orion felt like he was betraying her, but he had tried to save them from the rats. “She told me you’re my grandfather, and that you’ve been hunting us since I was a baby,” said Simon. “That she had to abandon me just so you wouldn’t find us.”
Orion sank wearily into the nearest chair. Despite his apparent frailty, he gripped the arms of the chair hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “Your mother abandoned you to stop the Alpha from finding you. I have only ever wanted to keep you and your mother safe, but I am growing older and weaker. After the Alpha’s soldiers killed your father while he was supposed to be under my protection, your mother feared I would fail to protect you, too.”
Suddenly the room tilted and Simon’s knees buckled. “The Alpha murdered my father? But—my mother never said—”
“No, I suspect she did not.” Orion leaned toward the window, his brow furrowing. “Perrin!”
Half a dozen birds flew up into the tree house, and a hawk rose above the rest, perching on the back of the chair beside Orion’s. “Sir,” he said in a man’s voice.
“I see movement,” said Orion, nodding toward Central Park. “Double the park guard, and keep me apprised of the pack’s whereabouts. The Alpha no doubt knows of our involvement by now, and we must remain one step ahead of her if we are to succeed.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” said the hawk, and he spread his wings, taking off toward the highest branches of the tall oak. One of the glass panels must have been open, because he turned sharply and glided out into the open air above the city.
Simon’s head was spinning. The Alpha had murdered his father, and now she was after his mother, too. “I have to find her,” he said, his voice breaking. “Please—you have to help me.”
Orion refocused on Simon and patted the seat beside him. Simon didn’t budge. “I will do everything I can, my boy, I promise. But the might of the mammal kingdom surpasses even my own, at least within the city.”
“You mean rats and dogs and . . .” And wolves, but Simon couldn’t say it.
“He doesn’t know anything about us,” said Winter from her armchair. She had pulled her book out and was steadily turning pages. “He doesn’t even know about the five kingdoms.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” said Simon, his voice shaking. “I just want to find my mother.”
“Then despite what you may think, you do care, for it is an integral part of why this happened to her. To both of you.” Orion stood and limped to the edge of the glass, flinching with each step. Winter dropped her book and hurried over with a cane, and he took it with a grateful smile. “I hear you have been able to talk to animals for quite some time.”
“They come to me for things. For food, and when they’re sick and stuff.”
“Birds in particular?” said Orion. Simon nodded. “That is because you are my grandson.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Orion set his hand against the glass and gazed out toward Central Park. “I am the King of the Skies, and I rule over every animal with the ability to fly. Except for insects, of course, but I consider that quite a bit of luck.”
Several of the birds in the oak’s branches tweeted with laughter. Simon didn’t see what was so funny. “You’re a—king,” he said.
“Indeed,” he said. “Animalgams—people born with the ability to turn into animals, like us—are split into five kingdoms: birds, land mammals, insects, reptiles, and the underwater kingdom. We all have the ability to shift into animals. For instance, as you have seen, I am a golden eagle, and the leader of the bird kingdom. Your mother, as my heir, is also an eagle, and your guardian is a wolf and a member of the mammal kingdom.”
“But I can’t shift into an eagle,” said Simon. “I can’t shift into anything.”
“Not yet, but you will. Rather soon, I’d say. The first transformation usually comes around twelve or thirteen. Winter has not yet shifted, either, but when she does, she will be a hawk like her father,” he added. “I guarantee you are one of us, Simon. Your ability to talk to animals has already proven that. Most don’t develop that gift until they have shifted, but you—you are special.”
Simon wasn’t sure he believed it. He’d never been extraordinary or talented at anything, except for accidentally egging on bullies. “Is that how the Alpha found us? Because of me?”
Orion grimaced. “No, no, my boy. You did nothing wrong. I have been searching for you for a very long time, but it wasn’t until I heard rumors of a boy who could speak to pigeons—who helped and befriended them even when so many believe them to be nothing but nuisances—that I learned where you were. And I fear in the process of finding you, I am regrettably the one who led the Alpha directly to your doorstep.”
A lump formed in Simon’s throat. So the fault lay with both of them. “I don’t understand why she wants to kill us.”
>
“The Alpha wants to enslave all five kingdoms and seize ultimate power for herself,” said Orion. “She has already threatened and blackmailed the other three kingdoms into bowing down to her and giving her the means to control them. I am all that stands in her way now, and because I refuse to yield, the Alpha has made it her mission to destroy my line, allowing her to take control. That is why she sent the rats to attack you and your mother. Without an heir, my kingdom will fall, and with it the final resistance to the Alpha’s tyranny. Should I surrender, she will strip the kingdoms of their rights and slaughter anyone who opposes her. Mammals will run wild and unchecked, and there will be chaos. But you and I will not be around to see it,” he added. “Nor will your mother, because we will all be dead. That is what I am fighting for, Simon—our family, our kingdom, and the freedom of every Animalgam. If we do not fight, no one else will.”
Simon swallowed hard. He didn’t know whether Orion was telling the truth, but he had witnessed the fights between rats and pigeons in the streets with his own eyes. He had seen the rats band together by the thousands. If that was what the Alpha was willing to do in order to get to him and his mother . . .
“I need to tell my uncle where I am,” he said.
“Darryl Thorn is a wolf,” said Orion, his lips twisting with disdain. “While I . . . admire the lengths he has gone to in order to secure your safety, against the very foundation of his breed, it is far too dangerous for you to see him.”
“But he protected me from the rats,” said Simon, his hands balling into fists. “He would never hurt me. He raised me. He’s my family.”
Orion hesitated. “Perhaps one day, once the Alpha is defeated, it will be possible. But for now, you must stay here, where it is safe.” He turned to the window, wincing and touching his back. “There are millions of mammals in the city, and every single one of them will be searching for you. The moment you step out of Sky Tower, I can no longer protect you.”
Simon sputtered. “But—”
“I am sorry, my boy. Truly. I know what it is to be caged, and I would not wish that on anyone. But your life, and the fate of the five kingdoms, is in jeopardy. I do not know if I will be able to save Isabel, but I can protect you.”