Storm. Sarah Driver

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СКАЧАТЬ Da coming back?’ asks Sparrow, blundering into the midst of my thoughts.

      We’re cross-legged before the fire in my chamber and I’m smoothing fat into my longbow, Kin-Keeper, to seal the new runes I’ve carved into the yew – though I’ve not yet managed to bring them to life, like Egret Runesmith can. Folk reckon she’s the most gifted rune-worker on the mountain, and many are bitter that she left. But I know there’s no way she and Kes would be apart.

      Before I can reply, Sparrow pipes up again. ‘How long do we have to wait around here? When can we go home? The whales need us, you know.’ A slug of blue gloop leaks from his nostril and he sniffs it back in. ‘The ones that ran away from Stag and then got stuck under the ice.’

      I feel sick at the mention of Stag. He’s taken everything from us – our home, our grandma, the whales. He tried to kill Da, and Kestrel. He made Crow do his dark bidding.

      ‘The only way we can help them is by getting the Opals to the Crown, wherever that is.’ I stand and brush myself down, rubbing the fat into my hands.

      ‘But how?’

      ‘Leo’s planning to look for the Land-Opal while she’s at the Wastes. So if Da gets back first, my bet is he’ll go too.’

      ‘And then he’ll have to get all three to the Crown?’

      ‘Aye. So, we need to think over everything we already know about it. There must be clues we’ve missed.’

      ‘Well, we know that the Sea-Opal and the Sky-Opal are here, at Hackles,’ he says, firelight tickling his cheeks.

      I roll my eyes. ‘Aye, course !’

      ‘And the Fangtooths got the Land-Opal.’ Sparrow wrinkles his nose. ‘But Leo’s gonna snatch it off them!’

      ‘Aye – but we’ve got to pray the Opal’s still there . . .’

      ‘Cos the map’s broken.’

      I nod again. The map got so broken, when Stag kept trying to unlock it, that all the runes on it died. None of the Runesmiths at Hackles could revive them – not even Egret. ‘So, that leaves the Crown.’

      ‘The Crown’s in a whale’s belly, ent it? That’s why Stag was dredging all them whales.’

      ‘That’s what the legend says, aye. But the Skybrarian reckons it’s a lie, that Rattlebones never hid the Crown in belly of a whale. And that whale that swallowed me said that Glint-of-gold cannot adorn a man’s head, so we know there’s more to the mystery than just finding some rusty old normal crown.’

      Sparrow’s mouth opens but before he can reply Thaw screeches, thumping down out of the darkness to peer under my bed.

       Thaw?

       Sneakythinglurks!

      A beast? I listen past her chatter for what type of thing might be lurking under there – and slam against the same void as before. The void where beast-chatter should be.

      A lemming shoots out from under the hanging blankets. Sparrow shrieks.

      Thaw ducks low to grab it in her talons, but it changes into a slug, lengthens itself on a strand of slime and drops away into the darkness of the floor. I sink to my knees, waves of horror stroking up and down my spine.

      That ent no natural creature. And I’ve never seen anyone have a choice of shapes before. I try to find the thing and close my hand over a lump of hard, slimy flesh, but it shrinks suddenly down, and it’s become a thick-legged spider. I lunge for it, both hands outstretched, but it scuttles through a wormhole in the wall. I rock back onto my heels, swallowing a mouthful of spew.

      What is going on here? I whisper.

      Baaaaaaaaad-featheredblunderings, breathes Thaw, landing on my arm and snuggling her head under my chin.

      Me and Sparrow face each other, his eyes pinned to the air next to my head. He opens his mouth, but a horn bellows outside, smothering his voice. Then shouting echoes off the rocks. I press my eye to an arrow-slit in the wall and gasp as I see the black outline of a draggle, wobbling towards the stronghold, caught in the mouth of a storm. I run, ignoring Sparrow’s questions.

      Folk yell at me as I barrel past them. It feels like an age before I reach the lower levels.

      I jump down the steep steps into the guts of the mountain and tear past a startled Lunda – then double back and catch her wrist.

      ‘Is it Leo? Where is she?’

      A look of disgust traces her features. ‘It’s “the Protector”, to you.’

      ‘Where is she?’ I hiss again, through my teeth.

      ‘She’s not here,’ says Lunda, wrenching back her wrist. ‘Her draggle returned with a message, is all.’

      I push past her and tear to the draggle caves. A few snoozing draggles crack open their eyes to peer at me. Coati and Crow are trying to tether Leo’s draggle. It’s the one she always rides, with a stripe of silver fur through the orange. I step closer to the draggle to listen to her chatter.

      She’s so strongly frighted that I can feel her chatter pulling on my brain and crowding my bones. I try to breathe, putting out a hand to steady myself.

      ‘Grab the other wing, boy,’ gruffs Coati.

      ‘I’m trying!’ says Crow, eyes flashing. He’s been helping with the draggles cos they’re the closest things to horses, in a Sky-realm.

      I take a deep breath and try to tune to the chatter again. It takes a few beats to untangle even a word of sense.

       Fleefleefleebloodhandssilverflashmissingriderwhere?

      I force my mind back from hers, then reel, leaning on the wall for support.

      ‘Mouse?’ says Crow, noticing me for the first time.

      ‘I need your full attention here, lad!’ commands Coati. Eventually they get the draggle tethered.

      ‘She won’t settle,’ says Crow in concern, stroking the beast’s muzzle. She knocks his hand away, eyes rolling back.

      ‘Must’ve had a bad flight though the storms,’ says Coati. ‘Get her warm and watered, then keep watch over her until she settles – they always do. Strong of spirit, each one.’ He turns towards the tack room and almost crashes into me.

      ‘Watch where you’re treading!’ he says. His arms are full of saddle, but a crumpled piece of parchment pokes through the gaps in his fist.

      I point at it. ‘What does the message say?’

      ‘Just that the Protector has reached the Wastes and started secret talks with the Chieftain,’ says Crow, still trying to soothe the beast.

      ‘Why didn’t she send one of her warriors?’ I ask doubtfully.

      ‘Guard СКАЧАТЬ