The Last Apprentice Complete Collection by Joseph Delaney

Author:Joseph Delaney
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: 2014-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXV

The Beating of Wings

IT was a cloudless night; the moon wasn’t up yet, but the stars were very bright. We were walking through the trees, approaching the keep, when I heard an owl hoot three times somewhere ahead.

“That’s Adriana,” Alice whispered, leading us toward the sound.

As we got nearer, I had a sudden strong feeling of being watched. Everything seemed very still, and there wasn’t a breath of wind. And then I glanced up and saw hundreds of eyes staring down at me intently. The branches above were covered with birds. There wasn’t enough light to identify the different species, but they ranged in size from sparrows to large crows. They should have been roosting at this time of night, yet here they were, wide awake. It was unnerving to see them watching us like that.

Adriana was waiting with Simon under a tree. She put her finger to her lips to indicate the need for silence. Through the trees beyond her, I could see the entrance to Greeba Keep. The portcullis was down, and five men were striding toward the gate.

Adriana stepped forward and placed her left hand on Alice’s shoulder, her right on mine. Then she looked up to where the birds waited silently, opened her mouth, and gave a strange cry. It was something like a bird’s call—though none that I recognized. In response, the flock seemed to move as one. There was a rustling of feathers, a settling, then silence again.

“You’ll be safe now,” Adriana whispered. “They won’t touch you. I only wish we could come with you.”

“Ain’t worth the risk,” Alice whispered back. “Lizzie would sniff you out for sure. Once we’ve dealt with her, we’ll meet you back here. No knowing how long. Could be hours, or even a day or more.”

The men had almost reached the gate now. We heard the grind of metal on metal and the clank of chains as the portcullis was slowly raised.

“Simon and I will wait here, no matter how long it takes. And we’ll watch the keep. Now go down toward the wall directly ahead,” Adriana told us, her voice still low. “When the birds attack, slip in through the gate.”

We did as she instructed and started heading down the slope. The portcullis was fully raised now, and the guard was about to change. There were about a dozen men there. In a few moments the old guard would set off home. If they glanced our way, there was a danger that we might be spotted.

Somehow we reached the wall without attracting their attention. Half the yeomen were heading toward the trees, and there was a clank of chains again as the others began to lower the gate. In a few moments it would be too late. But then there was another noise—the beating of wings. I looked up and saw that the stars were eclipsed. Like a black cloud, a huge flock of birds descended upon the two groups of men. I heard curses, shouts, and then a loud cry of pain.

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