‘No, my dear. I think that he would counsel against it. Anyway, I’d like to surprise him. Imagine his face when he sees an eagle coming to his aid once again.’
Tomar would have welcomed a friendly face. He was meeting a stone wall in his effort to persuade his Council colleagues to change their minds and support him against Engar. Tomar knew that the barn owl would soon find a way to engineer another vote of no confidence. And he could not afford to go into that particular battle with Calipha as his sole supporter. Engar would use any means, fair or foul, to make the short-eared owl choose what was, frankly, the far easier option, and abandon her support for the incumbent Great Owl.
But, no matter who he spoke to, he received no joy. Every other owl on the Council was against him. Or, rather, for Engar. For Engar’s vision of the future: equality for all, in a utopian world, without rule or government, where self-determination and restraint would create an idyllic society. Hadn’t the fools realised that there would no longer be a Council of the Owls, no independent body to resolve differences between species, or combat threats to Birddom. What would they do about Man? Almost every day he posed them a new puzzle, which they had to solve in order to survive. Who would think for Birddom?
The answer was obvious. Engar would. He would gradually manoeuvre himself into a position of absolute power, while still espousing his clap-trap about ‘everybird’. And they would beg him to lead them, so that they wouldn’t have to think about their problems, or even think for themselves. They would replace a benevolent Council with a monarch. An absolute ruler. A dictator.
But none could see it. Creer, Pellar, Steele and Cerca – to a bird, they rejected his words as a jealous diatribe against the coming ‘bird’. Meldra, Wensus and Janvar listened with more politeness, and were kinder in their refusal of him. But, in the end, it was the same. He had lost them all. Faron had got wind of his consultations, and had disappeared without a trace. His had been the penultimate vote, the tenth against Tomar, and he hadn’t wanted to face the hurt behind Tomar’s stoicism, the defeat in those once proud eyes.
Tomar had left Lostri until last. He had deliberately given his friend time to think. The Great Owl knew that an immediate attack upon Lostri’s newly-discovered idealism would certainly have met with failure. He had hoped, in this way, that Lostri would have pondered the constantly-raging debate that was going on all around him, and would have heard, as he had, the note of falsehood behind the rhetoric. If any other owl had the capacity to perceive the lie, it would have been Lostri.
But the coolness in his friend’s greeting, when Lostri had landed on the crooked fir, made Tomar fear the worst. Even so, he tried to persuade the other owl that Engar was not worthy of his support. That the barn owl’s vision for the future was a sham. Lostri listened in silence and, when Tomar was finally done, left without a word.
Kopa was becoming increasingly frustrated. He had stayed in the vicinity of Cra Wyd for several nights now, and had been disappointed at the lack of activity. Every instinct told him that the answer was here, that he had not made his long journey in vain. Local chit-chat seemed to confirm this. There was much talk of secret meetings in the dead of night, of debauchery and ritual sacrifice. Many a bird there testified that one of their own relatives had disappeared, never to be seen again, and that it was most likely that they had been taken by the rooks and hideously slaughtered at special ceremonies. The lack of grief in the telling made Kopa suspect that most of the stories were apocryphal. But if even a tenth of them were true, it was undoubtedly a grisly and frightening place.
Each successive night, the chaffinch had had to steel himself to make his perilous excursion to the rookery itself, but Cra Wyd revealed none of its terrors. Huge though the community was, it portrayed merely a magnification of normal life in any forest or woodland. Corvidae ate and slept, squabbled and fought. There was mating now and then, and the sounds of young demanding food. But no evil deeds to chill the marrow of Kopa’s bones. The young chaffinch began to despair, believing that he had undertaken a fool’s errand. He felt very lonely, so far away from his family and friends, and began to long for the warmth and comfort of his own nest. Only a stubborn will had kept him from abandoning his mission so far, but his resolve was weakening.
And then, on the seventh night, he felt a change in the place. The whole atmosphere in Cra Wyd had been transformed. The air seemed to crackle with tension and excitement. It vibrated, like electricity from a gathering storm. The rooks and crows were much more active. Squabbles were more frequent and more violent. And everywhere there were the whispers: ‘He is coming. Our Master will soon be with us. The time of our victory approaches.’
Storne was both astonished and delighted when, as once before, a pair of robins alighted on his nest-step.
‘Portia, my dear friend!’ he exclaimed, with genuine pleasure. ‘And Olivia, too. My, how you’ve grown up. And every bit as beautiful as your mother.’
Olivia blushed at the compliment, and then stared around her, open-beaked. She had not realised that an eyrie could be so huge. But, seeing Storne up close, she realised that his massive frame fitted perfectly into such imposing surroundings.
‘Forgive the intrusion, Storne,’ said Portia. ‘I know too well that one’s home is a precious and private place, and that the arrival of strangers...’
‘You will never be strangers to me, my friends,’ Storne interrupted. ‘You are as dear to my heart as family. It is wonderful to see you again. But tell me, what brings you on such a journey? You have had ill adventures in this land.’
‘This land is my home,’ Portia replied. ‘And both of us have many good memories, as well as dark ones.’
‘It is a beautiful land,’ Olivia added. ‘And one that is fitting for the lord of the eagles.’
‘Your words of praise do me great honour,’ Storne responded, courteously. ‘There have been times when I have felt altogether too small for these mountains. They demand so much.’
‘And you have given, in full measure,’ Portia said, smiling.
‘Enough of this mutual admiration, ladies. You have not answered my question. What brings you here?’
‘All is not well with the Council of the Owls. Tomar is beleaguered, and his position as Great Owl is threatened.’
‘How can this be?’ asked Storne, anger rising in his voice.
‘A new owl has been voted onto the Council. An owl full of ideas, and just as full of his own importance. Engar is his name, and, in him, I fear that I have met, for the first time, an owl that I do not trust.’
‘How can such a one have been accepted onto the Council?’
‘Engar is very persuasive, and very modern in his thinking. I believe that somehow he sensed the mood of the times, and was able to take advantage. His ideas seemed fresh and exciting. But his words felt wrong somehow. Tomar certainly is against him, but then Engar is trying to usurp his position as Great Owl.’
‘But Tomar has been the bed-rock on which Birddom has been rebuilt. But for him there would be darkness across the whole of the land.’
Portia nodded. ‘I know. We all owe him a debt that we can never repay. That is why we are here. Tomar needs your help. At the last Council meeting he survived by a feather. Control is slipping from his talons.’
‘I can scarcely believe what I am hearing. But I do not doubt your word. Of course I will do whatever I can to help my old friend. I cannot leave immediately, however. I must make certain arrangements here to ensure that things run smoothly in my absence. But, rest assured, I will come – and soon.’
‘Thank you, Storne. That is good news indeed. And my heart feels lightened by your assurances. I feel better than I have done for a long time. Oh, why can’t life always be peaceful and happy? We had both, for a time. The corvidae were vanquished. The Council ruled the land with wisdom and justice, and we had peace. Why could it not last for ever?’
<
br /> ‘Nothing lasts for ever, my dear,’ Storne answered. ‘The best that any of us can hope for is a brief reprieve from the trials that are put before us to make us stronger.’
‘Well, in that case, meet the Hercules of robins!’
The golden eagle and the two robins laughed, then a look of puzzlement spread across Storne’s face. ‘You both made a dangerous journey, coming so far to see me. I’m surprised that Merion didn’t accompany you. Where is he? There’s nothing wrong with him, is there?’
The laughter died on Portia’s beak, and it was Olivia who replied. ‘There is everything wrong with Merion. He is utterly lost to us. He has chosen his own path, and has cast his lot with Engar. My brother has become one of his staunchest advocates. He has turned his back on his own family, has rejected Tomar, and has been ensnared by Engar’s promises and lies.’
‘Do not distress yourself,’ Storne said, soothingly. ‘I am sure that it is but a temporary aberration. Merion is a sensible, sound young robin. He will come to his senses. I am sure that he would do nothing that would bring dishonour to the name of his father, Kirrick.’
‘I am terribly afraid, Storne. Afraid that things may have already gone too far. He makes speeches in support of Engar, in which he favours breaking Tomar’s edict against taking insects for food. And I very much fear that he now practises what he preaches.’
‘Surely not. The pact brought us to the peace that we still enjoy to this day, or so I had thought until your visit. Without the help of the insects, we would not have beaten the corvidae, and Birddom would be a very different, much darker place. Surely Merion would not be such a fool?’
‘My brother is not the bird you knew, Storne. Indeed, he has become a stranger even to his own mother and sister.’
Engar looked around the circle of trees, his gaze passing briefly over the two unoccupied oaks. ‘Thank you for coming to this informal gathering. I did not see the need to request an official session of the Council. This is just a meeting of friends, nothing more. I simply wanted to tell you about my plans, and to ask a few favours of you while I am away.’
A murmur of consternation rose among the other owls, but Engar quashed it immediately. ‘Oh, don’t worry. I won’t be gone for long. But it is vital for the future of Birddom that I undertake my journey. The Birddom that we strive for can only be won with total support across the length and breadth of the land. We can sit here, holding Councils and making grand pronouncements, but unless we win the hearts and minds of every species, any laws that we pass will be unworkable in the real world.’
Engar paused and gestured dramatically with a sweep of his wing. ‘We must influence the strong. We must enlist the bold. We must ally with the mighty!’
A cheer broke out from the gathering, and Engar preened himself briefly before continuing, ‘Tomar is a stubborn old fool, if even we, his friends, cannot persuade him. But perhaps he will listen to the counsel of others close to him. So I am going to pay a visit to Storne, the golden eagle, once a member himself of our noble Council. Maybe he will be able to show Tomar the error of his ways. Anyway, for the sake of Birddom, I am prepared to try.
‘But, while I am gone, we must not lose momentum here. The ground-swell of opinion favours our ideas for the future. It will be up to you to make sure that this does not diminish. Talk to the world. Spread the message that ours is the only way. The right way!’
The gathering broke up, and owls flapped off in all directions. But five lingered behind, as arranged earlier by Engar. When he was sure that they were alone, he addressed them in less flowery tones.
‘You lot have two tasks to perform. Firstly, I want you to keep an eye on those others. Make sure that no one weakens or breaks rank. I want a united front out there. One message. One voice. Do I make myself clear?’
Pellar, Janvar, Wensus, Creer and Cerca all hooted in affirmation, and Engar bestowed a benevolent gaze upon them as they fawned.
‘There is one other thing. We need to deal with Calipha. I don’t like losing, and I’m not going to lose again. She must be persuaded that she made a misjudgement at the last Council. She must be made to see that it is in everyone’s interest that she correct that mistake at the earliest opportunity. I want all of you to put some effort into this. Use whatever methods you deem necessary, but get her to change her damned mind! Find the point of leverage and put some pressure on it. She must have family, doesn’t she?’
‘A younger sister, I believe,’ replied Wensus, submissively.
‘Perfect! A younger sister is a precious commodity. Not something that one would want to see broken. See to it, all of you. I want some good news when I get back. Some very good news!’
Chapter Six
Engar was somewhat taken aback by the frostiness of his reception when he arrived at Storne’s mountain eyrie. Although he had never met the great golden eagle himself, Engar was fully aware of the cordiality of the relationship between the leader of the eagles and the Council of the Owls. It was a link that had been maintained since their initial alliance at the Great Battle. Engar had expected a friendlier welcome.
‘You must be Engar,’ Storne said, curtly. ‘What is your business here?’
Engar hesitated before replying, to cover his surprise and annoyance at the eagle’s harsh words. ‘And you are undoubtedly Storne, lord of the eagles. I am flattered that you know of one so lowly in Birddom. But tell me, how is it that you come to have heard of me?’
‘Your fame precedes you,’ replied Storne, cryptically.
‘It is a modest fame at best,’ Engar responded, with insincere humility. ‘ I hope that word is spreading about what I am trying to do to help Birddom in its hour of need.’
‘Is Birddom in such need?’
‘Indeed it is. Look around you, Storne. Consider the life of every bird residing in your domain. Not your eagles themselves, for they are the least affected by the malaise which is destroying our homeland. Birds are hungry, cold and sick of a quality of life turning ever more sour. The odds seem stacked against them. And why? Because they are under the yoke of oppression. I see your disbelief when I say that. Indeed, it is hard to force myself to accept such a reality. For it is altogether a benevolent oppression, directed with love, honesty and honour. But it is a misdirection, which I believe is killing Birddom. And I am one of its perpetrators.’
The barn owl paused, fixing Storne with a limpid, beseeching gaze. ‘I am a member of the Council of the Owls, the law-givers, whose wisdom, or otherwise, shapes and moulds the future of Birddom and the lives of all of its citizens. I have spent all of my life believing in the rightness of that way of ruling our land. It has been hard to admit that I was wrong. But now that I am privileged to be a part of that decision-making process, I have the opportunity, not to mention the duty to every bird, to influence those decisions and to change them for the betterment of Birddom. Indeed, it has been of considerable encouragement to me to see how receptive the majority of the Council members have been to my vision for the future of Birddom.’
‘There are some who are of the opinion that your vision is not necessarily in the best interests of Birddom.’
Storne watched Engar’s face, acutely, for a reaction. But the owl’s countenance betrayed nothing.
‘As I said, the majority share my views, and I respect the opinions of those who do not. Respect them, but hope to change them by the force of my argument. The will of the Council must prevail.’
‘Forgive me,’ Storne interjected, ‘but the last I heard, Tomar was Great Owl and leader of the Council of the Owls.’
‘And so he remains,’ Engar replied, cautiously. ‘Tomar is held in the highest esteem throughout Birddom, and I too have the greatest personal regard and love for the Great Owl. I am proud to call him my friend.’
Once again, Storne was no match for his visitor when it came to hiding his reactions. Open ast
onishment registered on his features, and his beak gaped, dumb-struck.
‘Why would it be hard to believe that I admire and love the leader of Birddom? He is a saint and has led us all, in good times and bad, with a purity and selflessness that should be an example to us all. His only failing has been an unwillingness to change, and therein lies our peril. I called the Council benevolent oppressors, and angered you in so doing. But it is my sincerely-held belief that the title is justified. The law that forbids taking any insect as food, has left every bird starving and dying. It was a law formed of dire necessity, but it is outmoded and now works against Birddom like no other. That is why I say that Tomar is resistant to change, much as I love him. And why I will continue to argue against him on this matter in Council. Do you not see?’
Storne found it hard not to be impressed by the barn owl’s vehement convictions, and felt himself persuaded by the power of Engar’s argument. Surely, Portia and Olivia had misjudged this owl. He could detect no falsehood in him. The robins were seeing Engar’s sincere beliefs as an attack on their old and dear friend. But it was obvious that Engar felt nothing but reverence for the Great Owl.
However, the eagle sought to clarify this with his next question. ‘Do you intend to replace Tomar as leader of the Council?’
Engar’s next meeting differed greatly in the reception that he received. Waves of adulation replaced the frosty courtesy, and he contented himself in basking in their warmth, while Traska spoke.
‘Brothers and sisters, thank you for your welcome. You do us great honour by inviting us here tonight. For Cra Wyd is held in high renown. If the corvidae are to regain their glory, and we will regain it, then Cra Wyd will be seen as a mighty jewel in the crown of the new Birddom. A Birddom ruled by its rightful leaders. You should note that I do not say ruled by magpies and crows, rooks and ravens. We will be the lords of this land, but not alone. We will welcome strong allies. We will embrace those who see as we see. Think as we think. And it is in this spirit that I bring my friend Engar here today. For he is a visionary owl. He understands that Birddom is a lesser place without the corvidae sharing in its leadership. Partners in rule.
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