Kerka's Book by Jan Bozarth

Author:Jan Bozarth [Bozarth, Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-89334-6
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2010-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

“What’s that tall pointy thing?” Ardee was looking at the view on the other side of the bridge.

I turned, expecting to see parts of Aventurine I hadn’t visited yet. I gasped when I saw the waking world stretching to another hazy horizon. Far to one side, the green domes of the Helsinki Cathedral and the tall Olympic Tower stood out like toys placed on a paper map of the world. I glanced over the Eiffel Tower, one of Aunt Tuula’s favorite places, across the whitecaps on the Atlantic Ocean to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Ardee was staring at New York City.

“That’s the Empire State Building,” I said. “It was the tallest building in the waking world for a long, long time.”

“But it’s not as tall as your mountain,” the reindeer said.

I smiled as I shifted my gaze back to Aventurine, amazed by the fairies’ artistry. Two worlds seen from a mountaintop was a masterpiece. But I couldn’t stop and stare any longer. I urged Ardee to move on and quickened my own pace. I was getting tired, but I didn’t want to fall behind.

The wings came out of nowhere. The huge bird swooped down on us from the dark blue sky. I ducked, but it flew so close, its talons snagged my hair. I staggered toward the edge of the bridge.

“No!” I shouted and grabbed for Ardee. She clamped on to the back of my coat with her teeth and pulled back. She was stronger than the bird and kept me from falling off. The bird screeched as it flew off. I landed in a sitting position under Ardee’s nose, but I wasn’t out of danger. The bird flew in a wide arc and started back.

“Duck!” I drew up my knees and covered my head with my arms.

Ardee let go of my coat and stood her ground. The white bird flew straight at us. At the last second, Ardee rattled her antlers and gave a warning cry that sounded like a foghorn! The bird decided she didn’t want to tangle with Ardee and whooshed over us.

“What was that?” I asked as I watched the bird disappear into the darkening sky.

“A snowy owl,” the reindeer said. “It must be guarding something.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Ardee said. “Some answers just seem to be in my head. But I don’t have the answers to what I really want.”

“I think a lot of people feel that way,” I said. I stood up and rocked back on my heels, shaking.

I took a deep breath. So far, Queen Patchouli’s faith in my abilities wasn’t misplaced. The last leg of my ascent to the peak was within sight, at the far end of the ice bridge. I had come a long way and had endured much.

With Ardee’s help, I reminded myself. I let her take the lead across the rest of the bridge.

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