The Strange Round Bird: Or the Poet, the King, and the Mysterious Men in Black

by Eden Unger Bowditch

  “Yes?” said Sir Edward, looking decidedly anxious. He was wringing his hands when he shuffled out from behind the shelves. He looked somewhat relieved when he saw Faye. “You are here. But he’s already gone and I fear I’ve done something I shouldn’t have and didn’t get a chance to do something I must.”

  Faye knew she was tired but now everyone seemed to be sounding like Lucy. “Sorry?”

  “Noah,” said Sir Edward. “He ran off before I could tell him.”

  “Tell him what?” asked Jasper.

  “About the poet,” said Sir Edward, nervously adjusting his glasses.

  “About the poet?” asked Faye. “Muhabi?”

  “Yes, yes,” said Sir Edward, now patting his pockets and searching on his desk. “I fear that Noah doesn’t understand something important if he’s in search of understanding the Kanunî sultan and the poet…and I fear I’ve misplaced the note and now I cannot find another stylo to rewrite it.”

  “What was the thing you shouldn’t have done?” Jasper asked.

  But Sir Edward wasn’t listening. He pointed to the doorway and shook his head, terrified. Their heads snapping in the direction of the door, both Jasper and Faye felt a moment of relief.

  “They’re with us,” said Faye. “They’re here to guard us, supposedly.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Sir Edward, squinting as if to see the brothers better. “Because the one who came by earlier was not really one at all. He…he tricked me. He told me he was one of them and was helping Noah. I wanted to get some information to Noah, some translations, but also some information I realize he needed to understand. The man in black said he’d take it to Noah. When I said I really should give it to Noah, the man told me Noah had already left on the ship.”

  “What ship?” asked Faye and Jasper at once.

  “That is the dratted thing,” said Sir Edward. “There apparently is no ship. It was a terrible lie. And I gave the man the information.”

  “What was the information?” said Jasper, his mouth suddenly dry.

  “Translations from a poem of Muhabi,” said Sir Edward. “The poem of the map and another poem I discovered in ancient Greek, Farsi, Latin, and Arabic.”

  Leafing through piles of paper, Edward selected one. Jasper could see it said “ὄρνις καινός τε καὶ κυκλότερος ὁμαλοίς πτέροις τρίσι,” which meant nothing to him.

  Sir Edward muttered, “Yes, ornis kainos te kai kukloteros homalois pterois trisi…hmmmm, now where is—”

  “Was it about a strange round bird?” asked Faye, blurting out the words. ‘Ornis’ she recognized, like the root of ornithology.

  “Why, yes, it was,” said Sir Edward, surprised, stopping his nervous searching and looking directly at Faye for the first time.

  “And you told this man?” asked Jasper, his mouth now drier.

  “Unfortunately, I didn’t realize he was not who he claimed to be,” said Sir Edward. “He looked like one of them, though now, come to think of it, there was something …”

  “And was there something, perhaps, odd about his moustache?” asked Faye, again blurting.

  “Why, yes,” said Sir Edward, looking back and forth between Faye and Jasper who, in turn, were staring with expressions of fear at each other. “Do you know who it was?”

  Noah ran through the passageways, never letting go of Sabi’s little hand. They ran up the winding stairway, across the mezzanine through the soot of the iron forgers, down the corridor of silks, and across into another crowd. Sabi never said a word and clung to Noah’s hand so tightly Noah could no longer feel his own fingers. Noah’s eagle eye scanned every face.

  “Al atuul,” said Noah, running with the boy at his side. “Through the sufuuf.”

  Finding a corner to take a breath, Noah looked down and saw a muddy trail of tears down Sabi’s dirty cheeks. Noah would have liked to give Sabi a smile or something to reassure him, but he could not find one to spare. They stepped out and walked swiftly along with everyone else.

  Where are the brothers in black? Noah thought. Hopefully, Faye and Jasper will have gone back and are waiting. A throb of guilt hit Noah. They must be worried sick because he never came out of Corlyss Swayne’s front door. Noah looked behind them, into the crowd, hoping the brothers would come into view and that he and Sabi could become invisible again through the busy alleyway. But he saw a face that made his blood run cold. It was a face of Komar Romak.

  Noah pulled Sabi down. Squatting, he pressed himself and the little boy against the side of the wall behind them. Noah kept Sabi close and eased back up the wall. Komar Romak turned the other direction about three shops away. Noah knew they had only seconds. If they ran for long, Komar Romak would find them. The shop next to them was nothing more than a stand, but next to that was a shop stacked high with boards and boxes. Noah had seen this shop before.

  “The gameshop! In here,” Noah pulled Sabi into the shop, which was filled with chess sets and backgammon boxes, and rows and rows behind which to conceal themselves. “We will hide in the sufuuf.”

  Sabi nodded, pressing his thin arms around Noah’s.

  “Hello,” Noah called out from inside the shop. No one answered. It was not uncommon for a shop to be left alone if the owner went for a bite of food or to the local mosque. “Hello?” Noah called again. Again, no response. The little boy gave a shiver. It was not from the cold, Noah could sense.

  “Ana kha’if,” said Sabi in a quiet whisper. “I am afraid.”

  “I know,” whispered Noah, “but we are brave men, you and me. We’re going to be fine.”

  He pulled Sabi deeper into the small shop. With a finger to his lips, Noah motioned for Sabi to stay quiet.

  “The sufuuf,” said Noah, pointing straight towards the narrow rows through the dark shop.

  They moved farther back into what must have been more of the storage area. They slipped in between stacks until they found a dark corner, deep among chess sets. They sat on the floor, huddling together.

  “We will be fine?” asked Sabi, still shivering.

  “We are together and that makes us fine,” said Noah. “I know it’s all a bit scary, but we need to wait so that the big man doesn’t see us. We can hide in here until—”

  Suddenly, with an earsplitting boom, everything went dark.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  ALL UP IN SMOKE

  OR

  HOW NOAH PLAYS THE GAME

  The sound of the explosion rocked the little bookshop.

  “What was that?” asked Faye, looking first at Jasper, then at the brother in black. The brother whistled through his fingers and suddenly six brothers were in the tiny bookshop. One was wearing a black kilt, black scarf, and black Tam o’ Shanter on his head. He carried a set of black bagpipes and Faye wondered how he had gone unnoticed in the crowd. He spoke in a soft but firm tone to the young brothers, who nodded deferentially and hurried out of the shop, splitting up and all going in different directions.

  “Goodness.” Sir Edward sat heavily onto one of the chairs in his shop. “Goodness.”

  “You stay, go we to find,” said the kilted brother.

  “What does that mean?” asked Faye. “You think we’re just going to sit here?”

  “Maybe we all need to stick together,” suggested Jasper. “We can’t risk—”

  One of the young brothers came running back speaking so fast that Jasper wasn’t even sure what language he was speaking in.

  “Maltese?” said Sir Edward. “How very odd, indeed.”

  “You speak Maltese?” asked Faye.

  “Well, I can understand a few words. Then, there was an explosion. Someone saw two boys go in the games shop ahead of a large man…oh, dear.” Sir Edward’s hand flew to his mouth as if preventing the words from escaping.

  “What, what did they say?” demanded Faye, but Sir Edward shook his head. “What did you say?” she asked the brothers.

  “Boy and boy, crumble danger shop,” said the you
ng brother, who ran back inside.

  “It’s Noah!” cried a girl running into the shop. Neither Faye nor Jasper had ever seen her before. She looked terrified. Her long hair was mussed, and dirt was smeared across her face. “I saw it happen but I don’t know how.”

  “Pamina, you’re a mess.” Sir Edward jumped up. To answer Faye’s unspoken question, he said, “This is Pamina Falk, my niece. She and Noah are friends.”

  Faye and Jasper looked at one another. At another time, this would be amusing and they’d want to know more. Right now, they just needed to help Noah.

  “Are they alright?” Faye asked feebly. “Noah and the little boy that Sir Edward said was with him?”

  “I don’t know,” said Pamina. “I called out but there was so much smoke and dust. No one answered but…but it doesn’t mean anything. They simply must be alright.”

  “We’ve got to dig them out,” said Jasper. “Can you show us where they are?”

  “Come on,” said Pamina and, without hesitation, she ran out of the shop.

  Hot on her heels, Jasper and Faye followed, but they didn’t need Pamina to show them the way. The smoke and dust from the explosion billowed up from the game shop down the way. People were milling about, making the crowd even denser than normal. Pamina pushed through with Faye and Jasper behind her. They could see that outside the game shop, which was bigger than many of the tiny shops along the way, mashrabaya shutters had been blown clear off their hinges. Broken chess and backgammon sets lay strewn in the road, some still smoking from the explosion that tore them apart.

  “Noah!” cried Faye, fear rising as she saw the extent of the damage.

  “Maybe he can’t hear us—his ears could well be ringing from the sound of the explosion,” said Pamina with false hope. “He might be anywhere in there. We can’t just dig without knowing where to dig.”

  “What choice do we have?” said Faye.

  “You’re right,” said Pamina. “Too bad we don’t have Ralph.”

  Faye and Jasper looked at each other. Without even asking herself how Pamina knew about Ralph, Faye felt a rush of hope. “We do.”

  “There’s a good boy,” Jasper said to Ralph, who was lathering smooches all over Jasper’s face. “Where’s Noah? You have to find Noah.”

  Ralph barked.

  “There’s a good dog,” added Faye, giving Ralph a rub on the head.

  Ralph tilted his head as if he understood. Jasper could tell Ralph was thirsty. They had been gone from the carriage longer than they thought. Jasper poured some water into a tin plate. Ralph lapped it up.

  “I swear, those two look like brothers,” Faye said of Noah and the dog.

  “It’s the drool,” said Jasper, trying to find the lightness that Faye was hunting for. Ralph was their hope. He would find Noah. “Find Noah, Ralph. Go on, boy. Find Noah!”

  Ralph barked and pulled at the leash. The little dog was leading them into the Khan and Jasper could feel Ralph was already on the scent. With nose to the dusty ground, Ralph tugged and grunted furiously. He rooted through piles of rubbish and scared shopkeepers surprised to find a furry face digging in their goods. He did eat the bread from one man’s hand and stuck his tongue into someone else’s tea.

  “A boy and his dog,” said Faye, holding back an anxious look.

  Jasper issued many apologies and dropped coins from his pockets as he and Faye raced along, Ralph pulling them through the crowds. He was heading directly towards the game shop, with only a few more edible distractions along the way. Faye and Jasper felt a swell of confidence. Ralph would know how to find Noah. He knew by the tip of his nose.

  As they got closer to the demolished game shop, Ralph began to whine and tug. He dropped a mouthful of buns he had stolen. He barked and howled, tugging harder.

  “He knows Noah is near,” said Jasper, hardly able to hold the lead. “And he knows Noah is in danger.”

  Ralph stopped, looked back at Jasper and Faye, and barked. Tugging again at the leash, he seemed to be urging them to hurry. They ran after him, heading right for the pile of rubble that was once the game shop.

  Ralph barked, jumped up and down, and began running around in circles, trying to drag Jasper to the shop. The determined dog started scratching at the rubble as Pamina came out carrying two pick axes, a shovel, and a pitchfork.

  “Where did you get those?” asked Jasper, impressed at her haul.

  “Just take them and let’s dig,” she said, shoving a pick axe into Jasper’s hand. “Ralph is telling us where.”

  Sure enough, Ralph was scratching and pawing at a spot in the rubble.

  “This will not be fast work,” said Pamina, “but it will go more quickly if we help Ralph dig.”

  She began tossing chunks of clay, wood, and games into a pile as Ralph whined, sniffed, and pawed through the broken pieces of the shop.

  Noah spit out whatever was in his mouth. He coughed and tried to blink, but his face seemed to be covered in sand, dirt, or sawdust. He tried to wipe his eyes but couldn’t move his arms. Someone seemed to be sitting on his hands. He shook his head and searing pain shot through his neck down his shoulder. He blinked several times, letting whatever it was fall from his eyelashes. But it didn’t matter. It was dark. He heard a moan.

  “Hello?” he called softly. “Who is that? Where are we?”

  “It is me, Sabi.”

  Noah felt small hands reaching for him in the dark. Then it came back to him. The boy, the map, Komar Romak, the game shop, and the explosion. He tried to reach for Sabi but his arms were stuck. One felt as if something sharp was pinning it down. The other felt as if it was under something soft.

  “Can you move a bit, Sabi?” asked Noah. “I think you’re sitting on my arm.”

  After Sabi moved, Noah was able to move his left arm. He tried to free his right arm, but his satchel was still over his shoulder. No luck. The strap now served as a tether, tying Noah’s arm to a piece of rubble. Sabi felt the strap and pulled, trying to lift that arm out. Noah groaned. Sabi tried again, but Noah stopped him. The pain was too intense.

  Sabi managed to loosen the strap and the two of them pushed the rock off the bag. Pain was searing into his shoulder and down his arm. With his good arm, Noah moved the satchel and opened it. He reached in and pulled out the electric torch that Wallace had built. Noah shook it to feed the battery from the magnet and the copper coil. He flipped on the switch.

  Disaster everywhere. Sabi quickly dug through the rocks on top of Noah’s legs. Setting Noah free, Sabi lunged at him in a hug. Noah cried out in pain and Sabi leapt back. Noah looked down at his shoulder. It was resting at an impossible angle. His arm felt as if it was in the socket wrong.

  Sabi was mortified. “I am sorry,” he said in a tiny whisper.

  “It’s all right, Sabi, it’s not your fault. It’s just a bit of a bump,” said Noah with false cheer, patting the boy gently on the back with his good hand. “We’ve got ourselves a secret hideout, just you and me. We can camp out here and stay cozy.”

  Sabi tilted his head, clearly not understanding.

  “Let’s stay in here for a while,” said Noah, reaching back into his satchel for the sack of candles and the box of matches he had packed. “It’s warm and…and quiet.”

  The two boys perked up their ears. No, no sound coming from anywhere. Noah tried to move but the pain was excruciating.

  Sabi found several small pieces of game boards and placed them on the most stable bit of plaster. He moved an old curtain aside to prevent a fire. He lit a match to melt the bottoms of the candles and stuck them to the game boards before lighting them. Then, without being asked, Sabi pulled the strap from the satchel. He took his little rag doll that he had brought from his room and pressed it between Noah’s chest and arm, then wrapped the strap and tied it around Noah’s shoulder. Stabilizing the arm helped ease some of the pain.

  “Very clever,” said Noah. Sabi nodded gravely. “Thank you.”

  Noah listened again. Did anyone
know they were in there? Did anyone know there had been an explosion? Everyone in the market must have heard it. Noah’s ears were still ringing. And then Sabi let out the tiniest squeak. At first, Noah wasn’t sure what the sound was. Then he realized the little boy was crying. As he put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Noah’s mind raced. Noah knew this was all his own fault. He had to do something for Sabi. He looked around. Broken pieces of the chessboards and chessmen were strewn everywhere. Suddenly, he had a plan.

  “Are we ever lucky!” said Noah. “Yes, indeed. Why, I haven’t seen a set of this game in ages. It is rare and wonderful. We are so lucky we can play it here!”

  “Game?” asked Sabi, looking around at the detritus.

  “Oh, yes,” said Noah, thinking fast, “Indeed.” He grabbed six pawns from the rubble.

  He scooped up a broken chessboard that still had its nine center squares intact. He wiped off the dust and placed three white pawns in front of Sabi. In front of himself, he placed three black pawns.

  “This is a great game,” said Noah, continuing to stall as he invented the game in his head. “It is great fun.” Noah stared at the game board and began to make up the rules.

  “Here’s how we play,” said Noah. “Okay…yes… well, each player gets three pieces …”

  A creak in a wood beam and a crash sent clouds of dust into their faces. Things were not stable above them. Noah tried not to think of how easily they could be crushed. Sabi began to shiver. Noah was worried he was going into shock.

  “Yes, this will be fun!” he said, hurrying to explain the rules. “Yep. Yes, indeed. Right. So…the players take turns placing their piece on the board. The object of the game is…to move the three pieces into a row. As you place your pieces, you need to be sure that the other player is not able to do the same first.”

  Noah watched Sabi’s face. His eyes were glued to the broken chessboard. His shivering had subsided. Noah continued.

  “Once all three pieces of each player are on the board, the players take turns moving their pieces, one square at a time, adjacent or diagonal, until one player gets three in a row.”