The White Widow's Revenge by Jacob Grey

Author:Jacob Grey [Grey, Jacob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-06-27T04:00:00+00:00

cruel wind whipped across the rubbish dump, tugging at Caw’s freezing, sodden clothes and ruffling the feathers of his crows. He cradled Screech in his hands – a dead weight. The young crow’s head hung limply and his talons were curled. His eyes had already taken on a milky vagueness within their black depths, like a premonition of the Land of the Dead.

Glum had turned away, unable to look. Shimmer was talking to the older crow in a low voice that Caw couldn’t hear. The other crows watched their master with unblinking eyes.

Caw sat heavily, sitting cross-legged with the body laid in his lap, and he began to cry.

Screech had been with him since almost the start. He was the first crow Caw had really understood, the first who had brought him half a sandwich instead of a wriggling worm. They had grown up together, like brothers, and while Caw had gone from a five-year-old to an adolescent, Screech had stayed the same – funny, smart, reckless and loyal. Caw had always known that Screech would have flown into fire for him. He would have given his life.

And now he had.

Screech had never once shied from danger. He had followed Caw everywhere, even when Caw had asked him not to. He was always at his master’s side.

“He can’t be gone. He just can’t.”

Oh, Caw, said Shimmer.

Caw hadn’t realised he’d spoken aloud. Shimmer skipped on to his knee and lowered her head to press it against Screech’s. They hadn’t always seen eye to eye, but their rivalry was a fond one. Screech had liked to show off, and Shimmer enjoyed putting him in his place.

The crows are saying he rescued three others before the spiders overwhelmed him, she murmured.

Caw managed to suppress the sob that rose up at her words. He kept expecting Screech’s wings to flutter, to hear his irrepressible voice – Fooled you!

But Screech didn’t even look like himself any more.

Caw wiped his eyes and looked over at Glum. The old crow was staring vacantly into the distance. “Glum?” he said.

Glum turned, his shoulders hunched. I told you we couldn’t do this alone! he said. Screech tried to tell you as well.

Caw was taken aback. “I didn’t know this would happen. I … I thought we were safe here.”

Glum shook his beak angrily. We’ll never be safe from the spiders, he said. You thought because you beat the Spinning Man once, you could beat him again. Alone.

“No!” said Caw. “I just wanted to help Selina.”

Glum made a disgusted sound. Your arrogance killed Screech.

Glum, that’s not fair, said Shimmer. Caw—

But Glum was already hopping away across the rubbish.

“Glum, wait!” said Caw.

Let him go, said Shimmer. Give him time.

Caw sighed. If Screech had been like his brother, then the young crow had been like a son to Glum. Crows didn’t have family like humans, but the deep love Glum had for Screech had been poorly disguised in his good-natured grumbling.

And he did have a point.

If Caw had done things differently, would Screech still be alive?

Don’t listen to him, said Shimmer, as if reading Caw’s thoughts.

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