[Ferals #2] The Swarm Descends by Jacob Grey

Author:Jacob Grey
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Tags: Urban, Young Adult, Animals, Childrens, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780008164737
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Published: 2016-04-30T23:00:00+00:00

he roar of the train seemed to burrow into his head and the air filled with the smell of engine oil, heat and dust.

Caw felt his body jerked aside and pain shot through his shoulder again. It took a moment to realise he wasn’t dead. The Mother of Flies had pulled him upright and gripped him tight by the collar as the train thundered past just a foot away, shaking his bones. Then it was gone, carrying its sound and fury off into the night and leaving the air trembling in its wake. Caw felt barely strong enough to stand.

“Brave,” she said. “But this is a waste of time. You’re only delaying the inevitable.”

A limo pulled up on the road below the bridge. From its huge grille and bulk, Caw guessed it was armoured. One of the rear doors opened and Mr Silk climbed out. He’d changed out of the police uniform back into his white hat and suit, which was covered in the shimmering bodies of his moths.

Cynthia Davenport spun Caw round and then dissolved into flies. They swarmed over his skin and suddenly the world lurched as he felt himself hoisted into the air by the buzzing bodies. The sensation was weird and frightening – and completely unlike when the crows carried him. He was a prisoner.

The swarm lowered him on to the ground beside the limo, then dispersed, flying up and away. Caw felt cold metal clasp over his wrists as a pair of handcuffs clicked into place. The pain from his shoulder brought him close to retching as the moth feral shoved him into the car. He fell awkwardly across the seats. Mr and Mrs Strickham and Lydia sat opposite, all in cuffs like Caw. Mrs Strickham’s eyes passed over him emptily.

“Do make yourself comfortable,” said Mr Silk with a smile. He slammed the door.

“Caw, are you OK?” said Lydia, eyes fixed on his torn clothes.

Caw righted himself, hissing through his teeth as his bones ground together. “I think my shoulder is dislocated,” he said. “Where’s Crumb?”

“They kept him at the prison,” said Mr Strickham. His cheek was badly grazed, his lip swollen, and he looked utterly dejected.

The limo started to move. Still Mrs Strickham only stared into space.

“And … Selina?” asked Caw.

“Why d’you even care?” snapped Lydia. “She betrayed us again, the first chance she got.”

It was true. But Caw knew what he’d seen in her face in the prison yard – the look of fear as she struggled to understand, of being completely lost. And he knew how that felt.

The car drove fast, throwing them around in the back every time it swerved. Caw glanced out of the window. They were heading south, unless he was mistaken, and back towards the river. The prison was in the other direction entirely. Where’s she taking us?

“So where is this stone that she’s after?” asked Mr Strickham.

Caw checked all around for flies before he answered. “I hid it.”

“Well, where?” asked Lydia’s father angrily.

“Don’t tell us,” said Mrs Strickham.

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