Crusade (The Ravenmaster Chronicles Book 3) by K.A. Riley

Author:K.A. Riley [Riley, K.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Travel Duck Press
Published: 2022-05-13T16:00:00+00:00

34

THE BIRDS OF CHATEAU DES MILANDES

Talons-first, the falcons swarm around us. These aren’t curious birds. And they’re not defending their territory. These are dangerous predators out for blood.

Flapping their wings and screeching loud enough to disorient all of us, they drive us into a panicked, crouched sprint.

We swing our fists and flail our arms as we run toward the castle, but the razor-sharp claws and hooked beaks find their way through our defenses. In two seconds, we’re a bloody, moaning mess.

With heroic foolishness, Méridienne hurls her body over Corbin’s. It’s the pure protective instinct of one sibling for another. It keeps Corbin safe, but before our eyes, Méridienne’s back and face are instantly dotted and streaked with blood as the falcons, in a vicious mass and without hesitation, rake their deadly talons over her. She screams for help, but I can barely see or stand anymore as the disorienting yellow and brown cloud of attacking birds descends on me with what feels like the weight of a bull elephant.

I cry out for Render to help Méridienne and her brother, but he ignores my order and plunges out of the sky and right into the middle of the falcons clustered around me.

The combined shrieks and thunderous wing-flapping of the birds is deafening. I barrel-roll to the side, covering my face with my hands as I try to scramble over to Brohn.

I’ve personally seen bullets glance off him, but I know he’s vulnerable to sharp objects, especially pointed, needle-like barbs. Which are exactly the falcons’ natural weapons of choice.

As I try to claw my way over the rocky ground to get to him, the falcons break off their attack on me and swarm to him. Their claws scrape through his compression top and leave long red streaks down the length of his arms.

Ducking, he manages to scoop Corbin up and tuck him against his side. At the same time, I take advantage of the distraction provided by Render to grab Méridienne by her wrist and pull her away from her screeching attackers. His arms over his head, Brohn shouts out, “This way!” He leads the four of us toward a wooden door at the base of the castle’s largest tower. The falcons are screeching bloody murder behind us and are closing in for a follow-up attack. Without pausing or taking time to assess the situation, Brohn charges, shoulder-first and full speed, at the huge door. It must weigh a ton, but under Brohn’s assault, it crashes in with an explosion of long splinters, rusted iron hinges, and a cloud of dust.

Render streaks in above our heads as we fall over each other in our scramble to get inside.

The falcons don’t follow us into the castle. Instead, they land on the ground or perch on the skeletal remains of the trees and shrubs scattered around the property. Six of them land on the leaning remains of an iron guardrail at the edge of the path we just ran down. A few others circle silently over the dead gardens outside the castle.

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