The Ark of Dun Ruah, Book 1 (18 page)

Niamh placed a hand on Kerry's shoulder. ‘Let him go, Kerry,' she said.

Kerry reached out to stroke Pod's breast. Then she looked into his amber eyes. ‘Goodbye, my brave friend,' she said. ‘I'll miss you so very much.'

Pod's head had tilted to one side. His glittering eyes filled with golden warmth. Kerry saw a little flutter inside his breast and then he lifted his wings to fly. He glided out over the clifftop and hovered there for a moment looking back at his friends. Then he drifted out over the waves and flew into the distant blue horizon.

Instead of feeling sad, Kerry suddenly felt lighter. It was as if a heavy cloud had been lifted from her heart. The air grew sweet and crystal clearness descended over the clifftop. She could hear the sound of Pod's hooting ringing across the heavens.

The little group stood gazing out over the Sea of Sorrows until the sun set. As they walked back to the town of Coracle, Kerry looked down over its calm blue harbour and at the people working there to bring the island back to life. The curse of Red Beak was broken, the water spirits were silent and the sea was at peace.

CHAPTER 28

New Beginnings

That night Malachy came to visit Kerry in the town hall. The villagers had worked hard during the day to repair the roof and make it comfortable for the night. Victory was sweet and peace reigned on the island but Kerry felt a deep sorrow in her heart for the loss of her friend Pod. She sat with Malachy high up on the town hall terrace overlooking the town of Coracle and the silent sea beyond.

Malachy told Kerry that the monks had made good progress on the restor ation of the Ark of Dun Ruah. The ship would be restored within a few days and ready to take her to the Land of Fire with Simon and the swiftails. Despite the great blow it had received hitting the chapel wall, the repairs it needed were quite minor. The Abbot had kindly offered to place a crew of his best seafaring monks at their disposal.

‘But I don't want to leave the island without Pod,' said Kerry.

‘Pod has gone on an exciting new adventure of his own, Kerry. And now it's time for you to get on with your life.'

‘You don't understand.'

‘Maybe I do understand something,' said Malachy. ‘Would I be right in saying that you blame me for what happened to Pod?'

‘Why couldn't you help him Malachy? I believe you could have healed him if you put your mind to it. But you didn't want to. You just let him go. What's the point in having all these miraculous powers if you don't use them?'

‘I'm really a very simple man, Kerry. I'm a great lover of nature and I've learnt the discipline of keeping my eyes and ears open. I've studied the weather and the seas and the skies. I have trained myself to listen carefully to what the people and creatures of this planet tell me. I just watch. I know that Pod was happy to sacrifice himself for you and the islanders. It was his choice to give his life to save you. He choose to be a hero. And I know he is going to a good place now. It's a place where he can rest and be restored!'

‘But why did he have to leave us?' Kerry asked.

‘It was his choice Kerry.'

‘But I miss his voice.'

‘Keep his memory in your heart. You are a lucky girl to have a great future ahead of you. You have been blessed by the one who is much greater than all of us. Develop your gifts and use them the way God created you to use them.'

‘I wish I could just stay here with you and my friends. Why can't we all stay together on this beautiful island?'

‘Things always change. Adventures end and new ones begin. Remember the words of the prophet who wrote:

Do not dwell on the past.

See I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland.

The wild animals honour me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the desert.'

‘That's the same scripture we found in the Abbey,' said Kerry. ‘It was written on the last page of the manuscript in the library! Pod read it to me. You knew it, Malachy! You were there.'

‘I was keeping an eye on you, my child. And I always will.'

‘Will you come with us Malachy?'

‘Your brother and your friends will be with you. The Abbot wants me to stay here to help the islanders with rebuilding their lives. And I will do that until the Great Creator of the universe calls me somewhere else. But don't worry, child. This is not the last you've seen of the Messenger. There will be many more adventures. And remember, whenever you need me, Kerry, just whisper the words to the wind and I promise I'll be there.'

‘I'll miss you, Malachy. I'll miss all my friends on this island.'

Malachy looked at her thoughtfully. ‘But now you must think about the future. What about that famous trip to the Land of Fire? President Lumina is waiting for you.'

On a clear blue morning the Ark of Dun Ruah was ready to set sail. Kerry, Simon and the swiftails were saying goodbye to their friends at the pier in Coracle when a flock of eagles appeared on the horizon and made straight for the village. Kerry saw that Queen Kiki was at the head of the flock. She quickly descended and alighted with her entourage before Kerry on the pier wall. She wore a silver crown of jewels in many colours and a long headress of black feathers.

‘I've come to say goodbye,' said Kiki. ‘And I want to thank you for telling me the truth about my husband when you came to see me at the Lone Peak. I didn't want to hear it at the time, Kerry. Sometimes the truth is the last thing we want to hear.'

‘You are a wise queen,' said Kerry. ‘Will you stay here on the Isle of Dun Ruah and lead the colony?'

‘Red Beak is still alive,' said Kiki. ‘He is hanging on by a thread. I've thought about leaving him and going back to my family but I can't. I will stay loyal to him. It sounds crazy but I do love him still, Kerry. His power is broken and I will be there for him if he needs me. I hope that I can be a good influence on my husband if he recovers. And I'm sorry for all the pain he has caused you.'

Kerry reached out to embrace the Eagle Queen. ‘Where will I find you when I come to visit Coracle?' she said.

‘In my Crystal Chamber, of course,' laughed Queen Kiki, ‘on the Lone Peak Mountains. It is beautiful there, far more comfortable than the Abbey. And much more fitting for an Eagle Queen. You know, despite all the work we did to the Abbey, it was never suited to be a palace!'

‘I'll see you at the Crystal Chamber then,' called Kerry as she boarded the Ark of Dun Ruah with Simon and the swiftails. She gazed out over the Sea of Sorrows on the beautiful island where Browdan, Niamh, Coleman, Grinwick and all the birds and villagers of Coracle stood to wave them off.

As the ship sailed across the peaceful waters, Kerry thought she heard a faint hooting call above her. She looked up at the mast and she saw two amber eyes looking down. There was a flutter of blue feathers as the bird flew high up into the heavens and disappeared.

Then she remembered the owl's last words.

‘I'll always be your friend, Kerry, remember that. Keep me close to your heart.'

Protectors of the Flame

CHAPTER 1

Protectors of the Flame

Kerry sat at the window of Macken Cottage gazing out into the garden. She searched for some sign of her brother and wondered what was taking him so long. Her wide, blue eyes scanned the line of old oak trees that skirted the bottom of the garden where the Swishtree Forest began. Earlier she had seen the THING staring at her through the trees again. She was being watched, she was sure of it now. It was beginning to haunt her dreams.

‘Simon's been gone for ages,' she complained, drumming her fingers on the windowsill. ‘When I asked him to check the garden I didn't think it would take this long!'

‘Maybe he found the THING!' said Timmy.

‘That's what worries me …'

‘Look there's a light in the shed,' cried Dot, darting onto Kerry's shoulder.

They stared through the fading autumn sunlight at the flickering bulb inside the shed window. Something was wrong in there and Kerry knew it. A low rumble echoed around them like distant thunder. Suddenly, a rapid series of bright green flashes lit up the shed.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion hit their ears. The sky lit up. And a blaze of fire burst from the shed. The kitchen window cracked open. Beneath them the floorboards rocked. Shards of glass sprayed onto the counter top, shattering all over the floor. The kitchen dresser shook violently and collapsed, sending crockery flying in all directions. Cupboard doors flew open. Saucepans rattled across the room. Plates and cups smashed into tiny pieces.

Kerry and the swiftails were flung backwards by the force of the flying glass. Kerry hit the wall and a shelf piled with jugs and tumblers crashed down onto her head. Timmy and Dot flew up to the rafters trying to escape falling debris. Broken pictures and kitchen implements fell from scattered drawers and containers. Food tins clattered across Kerry's limp body.

Then – silence.

With a loud moan, Kerry tried to free herself from the debris. She managed to push the fallen shelf off of her and raise herself to her knees. Drops of blood dripped onto the dusty rubble that covered the floor. She wondered where the blood came from. A heavy haze flooded across her brain and she swayed dangerously towards the floor. Through the fog she saw Timmy hovering before her. He fanned her face with his feathers. The soft breeze cleared the dust and the dizziness subsided.

‘You OK, Kerry?' he said.

‘What on earth was that?' she said as she struggled to free herself from the broken remnants of her kitchen.

‘The shed's on fire,' cried Dot. ‘Look out the window.'

Kerry turned to see scorching flames leaping up outside the gaping hole that had been her window.

‘Simon,' Kerry yelled as she pulled herself onto her feet. She staggered to the back door and rushed towards the shed which was now completely engulfed in flames.

‘Simon,' she screamed louder. She tried to get closer to the shed door. But a powerful blast of heat forced her back.

‘Keep back,' came Timmy's voice close behind her. ‘You'll be burned alive.'

‘But Simon is in there. We've got to get him out.'

‘Kerry get back from the fire,' screamed familiar voices. She turned to see two of her neighbours running up the garden path with buckets of water in their hands. It was Tom Dillon and his son John from up the road. They ran towards the shed and emptied their buckets in through the broken window. But the fire raged on with enormous flames ripping through the roof.

‘We've got to get Simon,' cried Kerry. ‘He said he was going to check the shed.' She lunged towards the blaze.

‘Keep back,' shouted Tom Dillon grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away from the flames. ‘Do you know that there's blood pouring down your face?'

‘Let me go, I've got to find Simon.'

‘Get back, Kerry. You'll be burned alive if you go in there. The fire brigade are on their way. Let them do the job.'

‘But he's the only family I have in the world. Let me go.'

Kerry struggled in Tom's arms but he had a tight grip. She tried to shake him off but he held her fast. She could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. People were running up the road with more buckets. Within minutes the fire brigade were on the scene smothering the blaze with their powerful hoses.

‘Be careful,' yelled Kerry. ‘My brother's in there.'

‘We know what we're doing, young lady,' said the chief fireman. ‘Now keep away from the blaze.'

Within minutes the fire brigade had the fire under control. Soon the last flames were out. Thick black smoke rose from the ruins. Kerry held her breath while the firemen entered the shed to search for Simon. They picked their way through the charred remains of his equipment. At last, when she thought she couldn't bear it any longer, the chief fireman emerged through the ruined doorway.

‘There is no sign of your brother in here,' he said. ‘The place is burned badly but we'd definitely see his body if he was here.'

Tears of relief sprang into Kerry's eyes. ‘Are you sure?' she asked.

‘Yes and you need to get some medical attention. Let Mr Dillon take you to the doctor.'

‘I'm not leaving here without Simon.'

‘Maybe he saw the THING,' said Dot. ‘And went after it.'

‘What THING?' asked the fireman.

‘There was something in the garden,' said Dot. ‘Simon went out to see what it was. It was watching us through the trees.'

‘What did it look like?'

‘I don't know,' Kerry answered. ‘Please help me! We've got to find Simon.' She wiped her hand across her forehead and gasped when she saw that it was smeared with blood.

‘You've got to get that seen to, Kerry,' said Timmy. ‘Look, I'll go and search the forest for Simon. He may have spotted something in there and gone after it.' Timmy flew off into the Swishtree Forest.

The chief fireman took Kerry firmly by the arm and led her towards Tom Dillon. ‘My men will be here on the grounds for a while checking things out,' he said. ‘Don't worry about Simon. We'll find him. Now get yourself to the doctor before you pass out.'

Kerry and Dot sat in the Dillon's front sitting room waiting for news of Simon. A big wad of white gauze was wound around Kerry's head. Her face was pale. The doctor had spent the last half hour removing some fine slivers of glass from her forehead before he stitched her up. After her painful ordeal, Tom Dillon insisted on taking Kerry home to his wife for a cup of tea. Mrs Dillon did her best to make Kerry comfortable on the sofa and offered her a plate of freshly-baked brown scones. But Kerry pushed it away.

There was a loud knock on the front door.

‘Stay where you are. I'll get it,' said Mrs Dillon as she hurried off to answer it.

‘Oh hello, Lord Mayor,' they heard her say from the hallway. ‘Yes she's here, come on in. I'll go and make you a fresh pot of tea.' She showed him into the sitting room.

‘It's the Lord Mayor for you, Kerry,' she said.

Kerry rose to greet the Mayor, who swept into the room wearing a shiny blue suit.

‘My dearest Kerry,' he said, ‘you look absolutely awful, you poor thing. What a dreadful thing to happen. I came as soon as I could get away from the town hall.'

‘Have you seen Simon?' Kerry demanded.

‘No. He's still missing. But we all heard the blast of that explosion down in the town hall. It could be heard for miles and miles. Some of the old town councillors are in a state of shock. We're lucky one of them didn't drop dead. One of these days that brother of yours will blow up the entire town. Everybody is talking about it. The police are down at Macken Cottage right now asking questions. They want to talk to you about what happened before the fire.'

‘Oh no!' said Kerry.

‘What does that boy keep in the shed? It sounded like a nuclear explosion.'

‘I'm so sorry,' said Kerry. ‘Simon's been worse than ever since we came back from our trip to the Land of Fire. He's always in the shed doing some experiment or other. I'm so worried. I wish I knew where he was.'

‘President Lumina told me that he's been working on a project for her.'

‘Yes,' said Dot. ‘He says it's top secret and that it will change the world.'

‘He always says things like that,' said Kerry. But why haven't they found him? He's been gone so long.'

‘Simon is always missing when you want him the most, Kerry,' said Dot. ‘You know what he's like. Don't worry, he'll turn up soon.'

‘Yes, let's look at the bright side,' said the Lord Mayor. ‘They didn't find any trace of Simon in the shed, so it is possible that he's still alive. The fire brigade are still searching for him around the grounds. They said his body may have been flung from the building during the explosion. And the chief fireman has assured me that the house is fine, apart from the broken window, the ruined kitchen and smoke damage. With a few renovations it will be all back to normal. So don't worry.'

‘Don't worry, you say! My brother is missing, the police want to question me, I can't afford to renovate my burned-down house and I've got a blinding headache …'

‘My dear Kerry,' said the Mayor, ‘you never told me that you were having financial difficulties. President Lumina is constantly asking for you to visit her at Fire City. She's got plenty of work for you there. I can't understand why you came back.'

‘I was worried about Simon falling behind with his school work. And I love being at home in Kilbeggin. It's a pity there's so little work in this town.'

‘There's no point in being broke Kerry,' said the Mayor. ‘I'll cover the cost of your voyage to the Land of Fire. It's the least I can do.'

‘This is very kind of you but I'm not going anywhere without Simon. I'll clean the mess up myself. The fire brigade said they would board up the kitchen window until I can afford to get it replaced. I can manage … really …'

‘Kerry, you simply cannot go back to that awful mess and live without windows. I wont allow you.'

At that moment there was a tapping at the window. They all leaped up and saw Timmy hovering outside. Kerry raced over to unlatch the window.

‘It's OK, Kerry. I saw him,' said Timmy. ‘He's in the forest.'

‘Is he alive?' she cried. Large tears welled up in her eyes.

‘Of course he's alive. He says someone blew the shed up.'

‘I think everyone agrees that Simon blew it up,' said the Mayor.

‘Why would he blow up his own shed?' asked Timmy.

‘Accidents always happen when people leave dangerous chemicals lying around unattended,' said the Mayor. ‘They become unstable and can explode at any time. Everybody is saying that—'

‘Timmy,' shouted Kerry. ‘Where is he?'

‘No need to shout, Kerry,' said the Lord Mayor. ‘Calm down. You're in a state of shock and it's not good for you to be getting upset. Now Timmy answer the question – Where is Simon?'

‘That's what I'm trying to explain if you would only listen to me. Everybody is blaming Simon for the explosion but it wasn't his fault. You see he saw someone in the shed …'

‘Who?' said the Mayor.

‘He didn't tell me. He just said it wasn't safe for him to come back.'

‘But that's ridiculous,' laughed the Mayor. ‘Who would want to blow that old shed up?'

‘Simon said that he's been working on a top secret project for President Lumina. Something called “Platinum Fire”. And if it got into the wrong hands it could be very, very dangerous.'

‘Dangerous!' exclaimed Kerry. ‘Why would President Lumina involve him in something dangerous? Take me to him Timmy. Please, I've had enough of this.'

‘I can't.'

‘Why?'

‘Because I don't know where he is.'