Shadow Wrack (10 page)

He doesn't stand a chance,
she thought.

A sudden excitable
clacking
rose below them, from the direction of the lookout. Then there was a rumble, the entire hill shook, and they heard an
ear-splitting
CRR-ACK
and the thunder of falling rock.

“It's out!” Willa whispered, and shivered. Above them the dragon snorted. There was a crunch of gravel, and rocks skittered down around them. Willa could just make out the form of the dragon creeping headfirst down the hill. Trang was moving in their direction, and for a
heart-stopping
moment the huge body passed right by them.

“She's gone after the big
whatever-it
-is,” whispered Willa. “That's lucky. She can take care of
it
while we find Horace!”

Tengu nodded. “If we can find him!”

They crept out and up to the top of the hill. The town glowed from beneath the blanket of fog. A siren wailed in the night, and a red light moved through the streets, coming closer.

“Police!” exclaimed Willa. “That's Hacker at work.” She smiled at the memory of how scared he had looked, though she knew this was probably not going to help their situation. The police car reached the foot of the hill and parked, lights cutting through the fog.

Tengu stood. “Horace!” he shouted, slowly turning to call in all directions. “Horace! HORACE!”

Baz paced back and forth while the other cats watched. Willa felt a sudden jolt of electricity, like the feeling she had when she called Miss Trang, and when she had made Horace change from lion to human.

Maybe that's how I can find him,
she thought.
It's worth a try.

Willa closed her eyes and concentrated her thoughts on a message:
Horace! We're at the top of the hill! Come find us, Horace!

She felt another electrical
zap
. There was a yowl from Baz as Willa passed on the spark.

“Sorry, Baz.”

The wind whipped up around them, leaves and branches whirled in the air. Tengu looked around in surprise.

“It's coming.”

Willa scanned the trees, looking for movement. “Horace? Where?”

But Tengu was looking up at the sky.

“Nooo … not Horace. Look!”

The
ever-present
birds were still swirling, but now they formed a great whirlpool in the sky, like the iris of an eye opening. At that moment another blast of wind hit, and darkness rose over them like a wave. The sides of the wave curled inward, and massive talons, large enough to pick up a car, reached out of the darkness toward them.

Wherein things get even worse

A
roaring filled Willa's ears and a blast of air slam­med them to the ground. The giant claws whooshed above their heads.

“Run!” shrieked Willa. Baz found her feet and shot forward. Cats scattered in all directions. Tengu and Willa scrambled after them. Willa couldn't get a good look at the creature above them. The clawed feet were definitely those of a bird, but so enormous they were more like aircraft landing gear. There was another rush of air, and Willa realized the rhythmic gusts were caused by the flapping of gigantic wings.

She and Tengu barely kept ahead of the claws, which scraped along the rock behind them, sending up sparks in a screech of metal on stone. They slipped and slid and stumbled down the hill until they came to a jutting boulder with a narrow cleft underneath that they threw themselves into. Baz was already crouched under there, her eyes wild and fierce. As Willa and Tengu piled in on top of her, there was a crash and a jarring thud as the claws slammed into the boulder, which trembled but held. An
ear-shattering
shriek, and then silence. Willa and Tengu exchanged terrified looks. Tengu looked down at the ninja star clenched in his fist.

“I should've had them make these bigger!” he moaned. The claws crashed into the rock again, shaking everything. Baz let out a great
Yeowp!
and shot out into the night.

“Baz! Come back!” cried Willa, but she was gone. There was another moment of quiet.

“Do you know what it is, Tengu?” asked Willa.

“Well, I'm no expert, but I don't think it's a local bird.”

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! The bird redoubled its efforts, pounding on the boulder. The rock began to shift and crack.

“I'll count to three, and we'll run in different directions!” shouted Willa. “It can't follow both of us!”

Tengu nodded just as the bulge of rock disintegrated on top of them.

“One two THREE!” Willa burst out of the rubble, heading for a stand of trees a short distance away. She heard an angry shriek but didn't look back. Air roared around her ears once more. She ran on, tensing for the impact. As the rush of air abated, she suddenly heard horse's hooves. A dark shape crossed in front of her, a man on a horse … no, a man who
was
a horse.

“Robert!” Willa sprinted past him to the trees. She dove into the underbrush, and Tengu landed on top of her.

“You were supposed to run the other way,” she gasped.

“No,
you
were supposed to run the other way!”

They looked out to see Robert galloping into the fog, bellowing, his sword held high. A dark shape followed at his heels.

“Good old Baz!” breathed Willa. “How does she move so fast?”

The massive bird chased after them, its claws reaching out for Robert.
Whoosh!
The wings flapped, creating another roar of wind. Willa stared up as the bird passed, saw the yellow legs and
eagle-sharp
talons, and above that feathers with a coppery sheen. Behind the front legs the feathers ended and the body, too long for a bird, was covered in golden fur. It definitely looked more animal than bird in the back; there were even back legs hanging down and a long, thin tail. It was so huge, it took a while to pass over them.

“What
is
it?” Willa felt a light touch on her shoulder and was startled to see Mab hovering there, glinting in her armour with her hair floating about her.

“It's a griffin,” said Mab, smiling brightly. “Big sucker too.” Sarah cowered behind her, not looking quite so cheerful. Willa looked around as other figures emerged from the gloom. The dwarves!

“Omigosh! You all came!”

“We brought you a sword.” Mab was quivering with excitement. “The dwarves made it just for you.”

Willa turned to the dwarves. “Thank you, thank you so much!”

Mjodvitnir, the leader, bowed low. The other dwarves grinned, blushing and kicking at the ground. There was a moment of silence as Willa looked around.

“Where is it?”

The dwarves looked at each other. One slapped his forehead.

“Ohhh … Robert has it,” Mab answered sheepishly.

Willa could still hear Robert's hooves thudding in the distance amid the rhythmic hurricane of the Griffin's wingflaps.

“That's okay,” she smiled. “I'll get it later.”

The other fairies were arriving, each flying up to Mab to whisper in her ear. When they were done, Mab reported to Willa.

“We've combed the entire hill, and Horace isn't here. As man
or
lion.”

“But he
has
to be here, I saw him earlier!” exclaimed Willa. “Maybe he's hiding in a cave or something.” The only cave she could think of was the crevice. “Let's go back to the lookout. Come on!”

She jogged back to the path, leading Tengu and a motley crew of cats, dwarves, and fairies. Baz rejoined them along the way, huffing and puffing.

“Baz! How's Robert doing? Can he outrun that thing?”

“He's a dodgy old codger,” she wheezed. “Don't you worry about him.”

They raced on through the night. As Willa rounded an outcropping, she came face to face with a whole column of Stork Men. The leader raised a dusty wing to point at her and began
clacking
his beak. The sound battered at her brain. Willa felt wave after wave of fear wash over her. She couldn't look away. She couldn't move.

Then suddenly a voice sounded at her elbow.

“Charge!”

It was Mjodvitnir. The dwarf leader barrelled past her, followed by the other dwarves, their heads down like battering rams. The storks were taken by surprise and were easily tumbled off the path.

That's the first time I've heard him speak!
thought Willa as she took up the cry and followed.

“Charge!”

Before the storks could find their feet, Willa, Baz, and Tengu thundered through and knocked them off the path again, where they were pounced on by armed fairies and yowling, scratching cats. Willa looked back, laughing at the sight, before following the dwarves to the lookout.

The black stain was now a gaping hole where the griffin had forced his way out of the rock. Boulders and debris were scattered all the way down the hill. The blackness yawned before them. Willa felt a sudden chill.

Tengu let out a low whistle. “So that's where it came from.”

“Tengu, I think I helped it come out.”

Tengu raised a quizzical eyebrow. Willa continued. “Do you remember last time we figured out that the black spots got bigger when we argued? Earlier tonight, this hole was smaller, just a crack. I was looking into it for Horace, and feeling sorry for myself, and angry at everything, and … it started growing bigger. The madder I got, the bigger
it
got. Then I saw the griffin's wing sticking out. I didn't mean to, but I think I helped it come through!”

Tengu thought this over for a moment. “I don't think anything
that
big needs any help from anybody.” He peered into the black hole. “Do you think Horace could be in there?”

“He doesn't seem to be anywhere else on this hill.”

Tengu stepped back, shaking his head. “If Horace
is
in there, I don't know how we can help him now.”

Before Willa could answer, Baz growled behind her. The storks were back, and there were many, many more of them. They formed a chain,
shoulder-to
-shoulder with wings linked, and they were advancing, smirking horribly and
clacking
their beaks. The sound shattered the air. Willa felt herself trembling uncontrollably. Tengu covered his ears with his hands, and Baz hissed.

Mjodvitnir stepped forward, a short stick in his hand. He gave it a sharp shake, and it extended quickly into a fighting staff. He gave the staff a showy twirl before grasping it with both hands, levelling it horizontally, and charging the stork line. The other dwarves followed him, but the storks were ready for them this time. They clamped their dreadful big beaks on the staff, splintering it into pieces. The tallest bird knocked the pieces from Mjodvitnir's hands with a mighty blow of his wing, and the dwarf staggered back. The dwarves regrouped, pulling axes from their cloaks, and charged again. The storks dodged, stepping back to draw each dwarf on until he was surrounded and alone, swinging wildly without making any contact.

Meanwhile, more storks stepped up to fill in the chain, which continued to advance on Willa, Tengu, and Baz, backing them up against the black hole. Tengu whipped ninja stars into three of them without any effect. Baz leaped onto the head of one stork, and he stumbled back, but the others weren't fazed. They kept coming.

Willa and Tengu edged backward, closer and closer to the edge of the black abyss.

“Tengu! What do we do?” hollered Willa.

“Just don't fall in!” he answered.

Suddenly, there was a roar and Robert smashed through the stork line, eyes blazing. The storks went down like bowling pins. Robert reached down to scoop Willa up onto his back and then pulled Tengu up behind her. He hacked at the storks with his sword and then galloped off into the trees.

Willa wrapped her arms around Robert's waist and hung on. She could feel Tengu's arms tight around her waist. Baz, incredibly, ran alongside, effortlessly keeping pace. The other cats and the dwarves fell in too, galumphing through the underbrush. Mab and her fairies gathered on Robert's shoulders and arms.

Robert was in fine mettle; he roared with laughter as he galloped, his sword glinting in the moonlight.

“Is everyone all right?”

“Yes,” answered Willa. “You came just in time! What happened to the griffin?”

“I was giving it the runaround when who should come strolling up but Miss Trang.” He laughed again. “When I left them, they were having a good old
knock-down
brawl.”

“Do you think … do you think she needs help? Should we go there?”

Robert slowed to a trot. “I was going to take you home.” He stopped and twisted to look back at her. “What do
you
want to do?”

Willa smiled. “I hear you have a sword for me.”

Robert let out a gleeful whoop. “Good girl! I knew you were up for a fight!”

He reached for a second sheath hanging at his side and pulled out a gleaming sword. Flipping it around, he offered the handle to Willa. She took it gingerly. It was lighter than she'd expected and felt utterly perfect in her hand. A thrill of excitement went through her; she felt full of energy and fire. She looked to Mjodvitnir and the other dwarves.

“Thank you for this. I'm afraid I … doubted you before. I wasn't sure what you were up to.”

Mjodvitnir just shrugged.

“I … I even thought you might be working for the other side. I'm so, so sorry. I had no reason to be suspicious.”

“That is all in the past. Right now we are at your service,” answered Mjodvitnir, bowing. “We are ready to fight.” The dwarves stepped forward as one and thumped their axe handles on the ground.

Willa looked around. “How about the rest of you?”

Mab and her fairies thrust their swords into the air with a loud shout. Baz and the other cats were growling and pacing restlessly, their hackles raised. Willa twisted around to look at Tengu, who was gazing sadly at his last ninja star.

“Fear not, Tengu,” chuckled Robert. “The dwarves haven't forgotten you.”

Fjalarr stepped forward, holding up two long daggers with curvy blades. Tengu slipped off Robert's back to the ground and took them, his eyes shining. He turned them slowly and then flipped them up into the air and caught them neatly.

“I love weapons,” he sighed, hugging the daggers to his chest. All eyes turned to Willa; all faces were bright and eager. Willa nodded to Robert.

“All right. Let's go.”

Robert turned around, breaking into a trot. They heard the
clacking
before they saw the Stork Men striding toward them. They now held long wooden staffs tipped with spikes. And this time they had backup — the air was filled with birds, and marching alongside the storks Willa could make out smaller
owl-people
, the ones she had thought were children. Their white faces glowed in the moonlight, which also glinted on the daggers in their hands.

Willa led her friends to meet them, riding on Robert's back. Her heart jumped as both sides stopped, facing each other solemnly. She suddenly realized that all eyes had turned to her, so she called out.

“We are looking for our friend Horace. Have you seen him?”

The entire line of storks and owls erupted in amused howls and screeches. Willa didn't know what to do. They cackled away until the tallest stork lifted his staff over his head. The laughter died down, and as he swung the staff down, the whole line lowered their spears and rushed at them.

Robert lunged forward, and their whole line broke into a run to meet the foe.

This is a war, a real war,
thought Willa. She felt sick to her stomach.

There was a loud clang as they met. Swords and axes crashed against the heavy wooden staffs. Willa swung her sword and it hit and bounced off a staff. She nearly lost her grip on it. For the next blow she used both hands, but that meant she couldn't hang on to Robert, and she was terrified of falling off. She swung the sword again and again, but it was deflected again and again by the storks' staffs.

The noise was deafening — beaks
clacking
, dwarves roaring, weapons clashing. The dwarves advanced slowly, cats leaped and hissed, fairies buzzed on all sides. The storks swung and stabbed with their spears. The owls leaped on the cats and grappled with the dwarves. And the fog rolled in, slowly obscuring the scene. Willa lost sight of her friends, but the terrible sounds of battle grew louder and louder.