‘I must rest,’ Tomar told himself. ‘Even if my journey is urgent, I need to regain some of my strength. The flight will be long and arduous, and will probably be the last that I ever undertake. But I am not daunted. The Creator will fly with me, and will keep me aloft if I falter. I will not fail at the eleventh hour. But, for now, my nest is calling me.’
He woke, refreshed, several hours later. Darkness had descended, and the heat of the day had given way to a cool and fresh evening. ‘Perfect weather,’ he told himself. ‘This was always my favourite time of day for a flight.’
Tomar emerged from his nest-hole, and stood gingerly on the bough that had been his goal when he essayed that tortuous climb. ‘This was what you went through all that for. Do not let your courage fail you now. You can do this.’
With such words of self-encouragement Tomar sought to stiffen his resolve. He knew that he had, at best, only a fifty-fifty chance of managing to fly at all, and that, if Fate was against him, he would be dead brief seconds after he launched himself into the air. ‘Oh well,’ he chuckled, nervously. ‘We all have to die sometime.’
Without further ado, Tomar opened his wings to their fullest extent, and flapped them slowly to get out all of the kinks in his feathers, and to ensure a good circulation of blood. Then, pushing off with his feet, the old owl flung himself into the night air.
Chapter Twenty One
Tired, covered in dust and weary to the bone, Merion and Olivia flew back to Tanglewood. Over the last few days their efforts had been unstinting, but now, on the eve of the anniversary of the Great Battle, they had reunited and had agreed at once to return to be at Tomar’s side when the time came. Avia was so close. Tomorrow they would know the answer, as would every true bird in Birddom. Excitement countered their exhaustion, and gave them the strength to fly back to their mentor and friend.
The pair of robins were astonished to find that Tomar was nowhere to be found. They searched high and low, checking the bushes and undergrowth around the crooked fir, to see if the old owl had hidden there in the face of some danger. But Tomar had gone. What should they do now? There was no time to begin a wider search for their old friend. Besides, they needed to rest. Tomorrow was full of uncertainties, but both of them wanted to be fresh and ready to face whatever trial lay ahead.
‘We can no longer worry about Tomar. Something tells me that it was meant to be this way. We must ensure that we are prepared to enter into Avia.’
Olivia’s voice betrayed her disquiet, which tempered the excitement that she felt now that the time was so near. Her brother looked at her lovingly. She had changed a great deal since they had returned home, and still carried the hurt of their mother’s loss. That wound would never heal. But she had not let it overwhelm her, and her resilience and strength – needed so desperately in these final hours – left him open-beaked with admiration. Merion went to his sister, and wrapped her in his wings. They sat together like that for a long time, drawing comfort from each other. Then Merion asked his sister a question. ‘What would Father and Mother do now? If they were in our position, facing what we have to face? Where would they go to find the gateway into Avia?’
Olivia’s reply surprised her brother. ‘We should go to the Council ring.’
She said it with a certainty that brooked no denial, but Merion could not help himself. ‘Why, sis?’
‘Because it is the holiest place in all of Birddom. It is also the place where everything began. So it will be a fitting place to be when it all ends.’
‘Do you really believe that Birddom will come to an end, Olivia?’ Merion asked, in a subdued voice.
‘I do not know how it will happen,’ she replied. ‘But I trust Tomar. He has said that Birddom is finished, and the timing of our planned entry into Avia was very specific. Septimus ensured that we understood that, at least. Why would we need to adhere to a particular date for leaving if some catastrophe were not imminent? We could wait here, and see if Tomar comes back, but I feel strongly that the Council ring is the right place.’
‘Then we will go without delay,’ Merion confirmed, kissing his sister tenderly. ‘Come on, sis. One final journey. One more adventure.’
‘Not so, brother. Tomorrow we will take our last journey – in Birddom, at least. And that will be our greatest adventure.’
*
Every wing-beat was agony for the old owl, but sheer persistence kept him in the air. He faced a dilemma when thirst began to parch the roof of his beak. It had taken such a huge effort to get airborne in the first place that Tomar was loath to land, lest he would be unable to take wing once more. So he tried as best he could to ignore the dryness in his throat, and flew on.
To travel from Tanglewood to the eastern coast of Birddom was always going to be a huge task, even for the fittest and most able-bodied bird. Tomar’s years weighed heavily upon him, and by the early hours of the morning his ancient body had suffered enough. The owl began to scan ahead for a suitable perch, where he could rest for a couple of hours. An elder provided him with the answer. Its trunk was great in girth, indicating its age, and even its uppermost branches were sturdy enough to support the old owl’s weight. More importantly, they were well-leafed to provide both shelter and concealment, and bore a late crop of berries, whose sweet juice helped Tomar to slake his thirst and fill his belly. In the morning light, he found that he had chosen wisely, for he had perched at sufficient height to enable a safe launch. Moreover, his flight-path was clear, as the tree stood some way apart from a copse of its own species.
The slow flap of his wings gradually ate up the miles, and he eventually spied the sparkle of sunlight on water that announced that he was close to his destination. Looking down, Tomar was both amazed and disgusted by the casual damage that Man had wrought. For many miles inland from the coast, he had abandoned his vehicles in every available field or patch of wild scrub-land. The roads were completely clogged, and it seemed that the late-comers would have had to walk for several miles from the point where they were forced to park.
Any with a view to the future would have blanched at the logistical nightmare of reclaiming their cars, when finally Man returned to his homeland. No one doubted that their car would be exactly where they had left it. After all, who could possibly steal it, when the country would be devoid of all human presence? But the immediate priority of evacuation had clearly overridden any innate caution. Time did not allow for any undue precautions. These were problems for the future. The pressing need was to leave – and to leave quickly.
And it seemed to Tomar that this particular aim had been achieved, far more quickly than he would have expected. Why had Man acted with such urgency? Why had he left Birddom in such a hurry?
Traska’s flight back to Tanglewood had brought him to Tomar’s crooked fir scant minutes after Merion and Olivia had left it. Only sheer good-fortune had meant that the robins had avoided a potentially-deadly confrontation with their oldest enemy. The evil magpie roared with anger as he found that his travels were fruitless. Where had that bloody owl gone? Had he been killed by a predator? He was weak and old, and probably unable to fly away from any attacker. But there were no signs of blood in the vicinity to support such a theory. No owl bones either.
He couldn’t be sure that Tomar had been taken, and, with nothing left but his revenge, Traska’s only option was to cast about for clues as to what had happened to his foe. It took a while for him to focus his search at its most central point, but finally the magpie noticed the damage done to the trunk and lower branches of Tomar’s own tree. Sap still bled from the wounds that the old owl’s claws had inflicted during his desperate climb.
Traska chose a simpler and quicker route in reaching the owl’s nest-hole, and, having flown there, found a residue of warmth that told him that Tomar had slept there, and not long ago.
‘The old fool must have flown. I didn’t think that he still had it i
n him,’ he said aloud. ‘But then, I’ve underestimated him before. I will not be thwarted. Someone must have seen him go, and they will know the direction that he took. So, I will do what I do best: torture someone, until they tell me what I need to know!’
The aura of calm and peace still radiated from the sacred ring, as the two robins crested the brink of the hollow and flew in, between the mighty oaks. It seemed that not even the sacrilege of Traska’s attempts to defile and debase it had adversely affected the holiness of that place.
Merion spoke in a hushed and reverential tone. ‘You were right, Olivia. This is the place. If Avia is as Tomar has described it, then this Council ring must be as close to it as Birddom gets.’
The robins landed on the springy, flower-strewn carpet of lush grass that occupied the space encircled by the dozen oaks. Its softness provided a cushion for their weary bodies, and they rested awhile where they landed.
Merion broke the comfortable silence. ‘What do we do now, sis?’
‘We wait. What else can we do? I suppose it will all be about preparing mentally, now that we are here and the time is almost upon us. Remember Septimus’ words: “Avia is a state of mind, which few if any bird can find.”’
‘Well, I’m going to be one of the few. I’ve not been through so much just to fall at the final hurdle,’ Merion said, belligerently. ‘And anyway, we should have a better chance than any, as we’ve had the longest to prepare. We were the first to know, sis! Doesn’t that make you feel special?’
‘In a way, yes. But we were very much only messengers. And we haven’t made too good a claw of solving the riddle, have we? Besides, by being the first to know, we have had the longest to become confused and defeated by the old wolf’s subtleties.’
‘Don’t start getting negative, Olivia,’ Merion scolded, fondly. ‘That certainly isn’t the right frame of mind. We need to be positive, yet ready and willing to accept the will of someone far greater than ourselves. It will be hard though, sis. Knowing me as you do, can you see me accepting without question whatever will befall us?’
‘Maybe it will be so marvellous and wonderful that it will silence even you, Merion!’
Tomar wasn’t entirely sure where to look when he finally arrived at the cliff-side dwelling where Kraken had ruled his sea-bird colony in his prime. As the owl had suspected, the place was utterly deserted and seemingly devoid of life. But Tomar knew that this could not be so. Kraken must be here somewhere. It would not have been possible for the great black-backed gull to have left, whatever threat had assailed his community.
Evidence was everywhere of recent human invasion, although this place was only a point of passage en route to the more accessible harbour areas, where the embarkation would have lately taken place. The very height of these cliffs meant that Man had not remained here long in his impatience to be gone from Birddom. But the devastation that he had caused in his brief sojourn was sickening. Litter of every possible form covered the grass, and was wedged among the rocks. Bottles, whole and smashed, reflected the sunlight into Tomar’s eyes, and the old owl had to choose a place to alight with considerable care.
Well, he had arrived. But what was he to do now? Tomar was exhausted, and somewhat annoyed with himself that he had not thought things through very well.
‘How could I have done anything differently? The journey had to be made. Well, I made it. I am here now, and that’s half the problem solved anyway.’
Tomar hopped hither and thither, not sure what he was looking for, but largely to keep himself busy so that he would not have to consider that he might have come on a wasted journey. But Lady Luck smiled down upon him once more when the bright sun overhead flashed off an empty coke bottle. Tomar shielded his eyes with his wing against the sudden glare. He was about to turn away when he noticed a frantic movement inside the bottle. A tiny mouse had crawled into it and was now trapped and desperate, as the fierce heat generated by the sun was magnified by the glass of her prison.
Tomar shuffled over to where the coke bottle lay, and, without ceremony, upended it and began to shake. Within a few seconds, the mouse fell out of the neck of the bottle and landed on the ground below. Instantly, she bunched her muscles, preparing for a speedy escape. After what she had been through, she was not going to be a snack for a hungry owl, that was for sure. But as she began to run away, Tomar called out to her.
‘Wait, my friend. I mean you no harm. How could I? I saved your life, didn’t I? You owe me a few seconds of your time for that, don’t you?’
The small mouse hesitated, and then squeaked back at him. ‘Thank you for freeing me. It was an unexpected kindness from one whom I would normally call my mortal enemy. What can I do to help you?’
‘Courteously said. My name is Tomar, and I am looking for a seagull friend of mine.’
‘They are all gone,’ she replied. ‘They were the lucky ones. They had their wings to carry them far from here. We could only hide when Man came in his multitudes. And then, when he had gone, we emerged to find all this.’ The mouse gestured expressively at the devastation all around. ‘Our homeland is ruined. I do not think that the seagulls will return here. Their homes too have been destroyed.’
‘My friend would not have left. Indeed, he could not. He is blind, and quite unable to fly.’
‘Do you mean old Kraken?’ asked the mouse.
Tomar heaved a huge sigh of relief. ‘Why, yes, do you know him?’
‘Everyone around here knows Kraken. For years he was the biggest villain in the region. A real killer. I can tell you that he didn’t receive much sympathy from my kind when he lost his sight. But perhaps I do not really mean that. I would not wish such a plight upon any living thing. I do not know if he is still there, but he was housed in a hole halfway down the cliff-side. You may look askance, but it is the truth. There is a tunnel, not far from here, that leads down to a chamber, which also has an exit on the cliff-face. That is how they feed him. I will show you the entrance, but I’ll not come down with you, if you don’t mind. I’d rather not push my luck too far!’
Tomar smiled down at the tiny creature at his feet. ‘You have been a great help. Thank you, my little friend. Lead on.’
Dusk was falling, and the light inside the Council ring dimmed as the sun began to sink behind the rim of the natural dish. The robins sat in silence, each lost in their own private thoughts. Besides, there was no more need for talk, only preparation. However, their voices were reawakened involuntarily when they saw a familiar shape appear over the horizon, silhouetted against the setting sun.
‘Storne!’ they cried, in unison, and the great golden eagle, hearing their greeting, circled once before alighting by their side.
‘I wondered if I might find anyone else here,’ he said. ‘I thought that it would be the best place to be, and, if even I could work that out, I’m surprised that there aren’t more here.’
‘It is good to see you,’ Olivia replied. ‘I can’t think of a finer companion for our journey into Avia.’
‘Do you think that there might be room for a couple more?’ Darreal called out, as he flew in fast over the top of the Great Owl’s oak. At his side flew Pagen, and the two majestic birds swooped down without further ado, and joined the three already there.
There was much joy in their mutual greetings, and any individual nervousness about the morrow was lessened by the fact of their number.
‘Peril is much easier to face when you’re in good company,’ Pagen said.
Storne nodded in agreement. ‘The best,’ he screeched loudly. ‘The very best.’
Darreal joined in the good-humoured banter. ‘Five of us. That’s almost enough to hold a Council of our own. But then, maybe it’s not such a good idea, after all. Whoever heard of a Council without any owls?’
‘Who indeed?’ A familiar hoot answered the falcon’s jesting question, and, in seconds, Mel
dra had flapped down from her perch on her own oak tree, and joined them.
‘How long have you been there?’ Merion asked, intrigued by the owl’s sudden appearance.
‘I arrived this morning,’ Meldra replied. ‘I’ve been asleep since then, I’m afraid. You see, that was my tree when the Council meetings were held here, and there is such a comfortable nest-hole.’
Laughter drowned out the rest of her explanations, and another round of back-slapping and welcome started.
Finally, however, darkness took hold of the scene, and the birds settled into a comfortable, companionable silence, and waited for the dawn.
The governments of both countries met in celebration, and, all across the Continent, parties of welcome were held. Hosts and guests united in recognising the magnificent achievement. After a few drinks, language barriers magically disappeared, and bonhomie reigned supreme.
A somewhat more subdued celebration took place on an off-shore rig, fifteen miles from the coast of the now-empty island. The scientists there had every reason to be pleased with themselves. It had been their idea in the first place, and it was most gratifying to them that the nation had responded. Now the country was empty and their job could begin. Maybe the odd vagrant might have been left behind, but that could not be helped. To all intents and purposes, the task of evacuation had been achieved.
Now, at midnight, the clock could be set to countdown. The magnets would require twelve hours to reach full power – an inordinate length of time for producing a pulse that would last for scarcely more than a single second. But it would be enough. Every indication from their experiments confirmed this. Anything longer would be overkill, and a massive waste of expensive energy. As it was, the population would be paying for this for years to come. But what a benefit. No more insects to buzz and annoy; bite and sting.
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