The Shattering (Guardians of Ga'hoole) (15 page)

“As you know, young’uns, our situation is grave. We have
won two battles, one last winter during the siege and now in the rescue of Eglantine and Primrose. But we have not won the war, which has turned more deadly than ever. We do not know how many of the St. Aggie’s troops have been conscripted into Kludd’s army of the Pure Ones. But we must assume the worst; that the Pure Ones’ ranks have grown. Therefore, Ezylryb would now like to talk to you about a second mission.”

Ezylryb flew to the center of the birch branch. “You are young, bold owls. You shall be journeying to the land of my hatching in the Northern Kingdoms. The land of the Great North Waters. Your journey was only to be one of mercy, of caring, as you gently escort this sick and broken Burrowing Owl to the Glauxian Sisters on the Isle of Elsemere.”

Soren felt Otulissa stir beside him.
She’s hoping to get out of this, but it’s not going to happen.
Soren could tell something else was coming.

“That is still your mission,” Ezylryb continued.

Soren stole a look at Otulissa. Her beak was set in a most unbecoming fashion. He wasn’t sure if it was anger or disappointment.

“But after you have completed the safe delivery of Dewlap, there is more we would like you to do…”

T
here was more. A lot more! Soren remained awake long after the other members of the band fell asleep. His mind kept running over the tasks they had been given. The enormity of the undertaking was mind-boggling. Otulissa and Gylfie were to go to the Glauxian Brothers Retreat to find another copy of the fleckasia book in their library. Soren, Twilight, and Digger were to proceed to the Firth of Fangs in the most northwestern region of the Everwinter Sea and seek out an old warrior named Moss and then continue on to Stormfast Island, in the Bay of Kiel, to talk to a relative of Octavia’s, a Kielian snake called Hoke of Hock. And finally, they were to go to Dark Fowl Island, where the legendary blacksmith Orf crafted the finest battle claws ever known in the owl world.

It was the chance of a lifetime, a trip to the Northern Kingdoms to recruit owls and arms to battle the Pure Ones who now held St. Aggie’s. But then again how long might their lives last in this new and dangerous world?
Otulissa, of course, was almost triumphant. Finally, the elders had listened to her. This would be the first step in the invasion plan she had thought about for months, ever since the death of Strix Struma. Gylfie, although miffed at being sent to do research, was also excited. Eglantine was thrilled at being included at last. As Boron told her in a graceful and eloquent speech, she had more than proven herself. In an act of unsurpassable bravery she had collected and reassembled the fragments of her nearly shattered mind. Although she had failed to keep Nyra and Kludd’s egg as hostage, her courage had never wavered. It was only at the last minute when the crown fire threatened to engulf her that she had let the egg fall and flown from the tree. When Soren thought of the look in Eglantine’s eyes as Boron had described how courageous she’d been, well, he had never in his life been so proud.

But something is wrong with me,
Soren thought.
Why am I not excited?
He looked over at Digger and Gylfie and Twilight sleeping, each with their own wonderful dreams of the great adventures ahead in the Northern Kingdoms.
And yet I am the one with starsight, the one who dreams about things that sometimes happen, but I cannot sleep and cannot dream.

Finally, Soren gave up trying to sleep. He lofted up to the edge of the sky port of the hollow and perched for a few minutes. The sun rode high in the sky on this late sum
mer day.
Why not go to the library,
he thought. He spread his wings and lifted off toward the higher branches of the great tree to where the library hollow was. The world seemed too bright at this hour of the day, especially as he rose higher to where the branches of the great tree were sparser. The dimness of the library was welcoming, and the change from the brightness to the shadows made him blink as his eyes adjusted. So it was several seconds before he realized that within the shadows there was a denser darkness in the corner, at the desk reserved for Ezylryb. This was so unexpected that Soren blurted out, “What are you doing here?”

Ezylryb churred softly, “I might ask the same of you, young’un.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Come to my hollow, Soren. I have something for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two owls left the library and flew to a sky port on the northwest side of the tree. Octavia was draped over a nearby branch. She swung her head toward Ezylryb. “Be wanting your tea now, sir?”

“That would be lovely, Octavia. Yes, thank you.”

As they entered the hollow, Soren blinked again rapidly to adjust his vision. This time it was not a shadow within the dimness that caught his eye but something
gleaming with a bright intensity. His gizzard gave a quiver of excitement. In the middle of Ezylryb’s tea table were the battle claws made on Dark Fowl Island—the very same battle claws that Gylfie and Soren had first seen the previous autumn when Ezylryb had disappeared, and they had gone into his hollow to snoop for possible clues. Except at that time the claws had been rusty with age and were hung in a secret compartment of the hollow. Now they had been polished to a shimmering radiance. They absolutely glowed on the table. It was almost as if they were a living, breathing thing and not just finely tempered metal.

Soren was dumbfounded. He had thought no one was to know about these battle claws. He cautiously moved around the table, almost mesmerized by the gleaming claws. “What is this all about?”

“It is about you, lad.”

“Me?” Now he was genuinely bewildered.

“They are for you, Soren. Call it, if you will, a passing of the claws.”

“But why me, Ezylryb?”

“For many reasons really, but first and foremost, you are the leader of the band.”

“But when we go to the Northern Kingdoms, it’s really Otulissa’s mission. She is the one who knows the most. She even speaks their language.”

“There are many kinds of knowing, Soren. Otulissa has one kind and you have another. With these claws, Moss, Hoke of Hock, and the smith on Dark Fowl will all know that you are truly an emissary from Ezylryb, once known as Lyze of Kiel. They are your passport, your safe-conduct permit. The claws are, if you will, the keys to the Northern Kingdoms.”

“The keys to the Northern Kingdoms,” Soren spoke in a whispery voice.

“Every owl will know that you are my ward.”

“Ward?” Soren tore his eyes from the radiance of the claws and looked up at Ezylryb. “Your ward?” Soren wasn’t even sure if he knew what the word meant.

“You are under my protection as a son would be.”

“As your son?”

“It is not that complicated, Soren. You have no parents. I have no children. You are my ward now, but with that comes certain responsibilities, one of them being to not only represent me but also the other owls of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree.”

“Ready for tea, sir? And I managed to snitch some milkberry buns from Cook.” Octavia slithered into the hollow with the tea things on her back.

“Yes, do come in. I think our Soren here is a bit overcome.”

“Oh, my, my.” Octavia flicked her tongue. “Oh, dear lad, how hard I worked polishing those claws for you. They were a bit rusty, as you might recall.” She slid her head sideways toward Soren, and Soren gasped. Had she told Ezylryb how he and Gylfie had snooped around last autumn? The old snake laughed, and Ezylryb joined her.

Soren blinked.
Well, if she has, I guess no one thinks it’s that awful.

Soren ate his tart and sipped his tea in a bewildered state, unable to take his eyes off the battle claws. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no place to keep them.

“Sir, we don’t leave until the eve after this one. Where shall I keep them?”

“I shall keep them for you until then. Don’t worry.”

But he was worried. How would he explain all this to the rest of the band, and Otulissa and Eglantine? Suddenly, however, he was quite sleepy. Too sleepy to worry. He tried to stifle a yawn.

“Getting sleepy, dear?” Octavia said.

“Yes, a bit I guess.”

“Well…”—Ezylryb peered out the sky port—“the sun is still pretty high. I would say that you have a good several hours until dusk and tween time. Why don’t you fly along and get some rest?”

“Yes, I think I will, sir.” Soren flapped up to the sky port and just before taking off, he turned and said, “Thank you, Octavia, for the tea and tart. And thank you, Ezylryb.” He paused. “For everything.”

Octavia had cleared up the tea things and slithered out of the hollow. She knew when her master wanted to be alone. It was not the gollymopes this time, however, at least not exactly. The old Whiskered Screech just needed to be alone. That was all.

The arthritis in his starboard wing was kicking up again. Always did this time of year. He’d pluck himself a quill from his port wing although the starboard one always offered the best. He winced as he pulled a new pinfeather. He sat down at his desk and took out a piece of his finest parchment, dipped the quill in an inkwell and began to write.

The time has come,
The claws are passed.
An old owl rests,
A die’s been cast.
It is a war for heart, gizzard, and mind.
The weapons they wield, more deadly than mine.

A blade draws blood,
A fire burns.
But with the flecks,
A mind unlearns,
A soul unhinges,
And then a gizzard quakes and cringes.

Senses dull,
Reason scatters.
The heart grows numb,
An owl shatters.
But these six owls are strong and bold,
And their story has not yet been told.

Ezylryb put down his quill. He turned his head. The red tinge of the setting sun cast an eerie light on the battle claws that now seemed to glow with the heat of a blacksmith’s fire. He reached out with his mangled talon and touched the claws. It was almost as if he could still feel the scorching heat of the fire in which they had been wrought.
My Glaux,
he thought,
what am I sending these owls into? What hagsmire awaits them?

What hagsmire awaits owlkind?

The Band

SOREN: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
from the Forest Kingdom of Tyto; escaped from St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls; training to be a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

GYLFIE: Elf Owl,
Micranthene whitneyi,
from the Desert of Kuneer; escaped from St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls; Soren’s best friend; training to be a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

TWILIGHT: Great Gray Owl,
Strix nebulosa,
free flier, orphaned within hours of hatching; training to be a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

DIGGER: Burrowing Owl,
Speotyto cunicularius,
from the Desert of Kuneer; lost in the desert after attack in which his family was killed by owls from St. Aegolius; training to be a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

The Leaders of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

BORON: Snowy Owl,
Nyctea scandiaca,
the King of Hoole

BARRAN: Snowy Owl,
Nyctea scandiaca,
the Queen of Hoole

EZYLRYB: Whiskered Screech Owl,
Otus trichopsis,
the wise weather-interpretation and colliering ryb (teacher) at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree; Soren’s mentor (also known as Lyze of Kiel)

STRIX STRUMA: Spotted Owl,
Strix occidentalis,
the dignified navigation ryb at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree; killed during siege of the great tree

DEWLAP: Burrowing Owl,
Speotyto cunicularius,
the Ga’Hoolology ryb at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree; betrayed the great tree during the siege by the Pure Ones

SYLVANA: Burrowing Owl,
Speotyto cunicularius,
a young ryb at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree; head of the tracking chaw

Others at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

OTULISSA: Spotted Owl,
Strix occidentalis,
a student of prestigious lineage at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

MARTIN: Northern Saw-whet Owl,
Aegolius acadicus,
in Ezylryb’s chaw with Soren

RUBY: Short-eared Owl,
Asio flammeus,
in Ezylryb’s chaw with Soren

EGLANTINE: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
Soren’s younger sister

PRIMROSE: Pygmy Owl,
Glaucidium californicum,
Eglantine’s best friend

MADAME PLONK: Snowy Owl,
Nyctea scandiaca,
the elegant singer of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

BUBO: Great Horned Owl,
Bubo virginianus,
the blacksmith of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

MRS. PLITHIVER: blind snake, formerly the nest-maid for Soren’s family; now a member of the harp guild at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

OCTAVIA: Kielian snake, nest-maid for Madame Plonk and Ezylryb

GINGER: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
formerly of the Pure Ones; now reformed and sharing Eglantine’s sleeping hollow at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree

The Pure Ones

KLUDD: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
Soren and Eglantine’s older brother; leader of the Pure Ones (also known as Metal Beak and High Tyto)

NYRA: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
Kludd’s mate

STRYKER: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
a Pure Guard lieutenant

UGLAMORE: Barn Owl,
Tyto alba,
a Pure Guard sublieutenant under Nyra

Leaders of St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls

SKENCH: Great Horned Owl,
Bubo virginianus,
the Ablah General of St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls

SPOORN: Western Screech Owl,
Otus kennicottii,
first lieutenant to Skench

Other Characters