by Maria Burke
THE ARK OF DUN RUAH
This book is dedicated to my husband Tony and my son Aidan
Maria Burke
The Ark of Dun Ruah
First published in 2012 by
CURRACH PRESS
55A Spruce Avenue,
Stillorgan Industrial Park,
Blackrock,
Co. Dublin
Cover design by Anú Design
Cover illustration: Maria Burke
Origination by Currach Press
Printed by MPG Books Group Ltd
ISBN 978 1 85607 794 1
Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2012, Maria Burke
Acknowledgements
Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to write the book.
To Anna and Sarah Daly, Ivetta Jordanov and family,
Tina and Chris Noon, Helen Murphy, Helen Peffer,
Jo Pottier, Valerie O’Regan and Martin Kelleher.
Thanks also to the staff and families of Currach Press.
Fact File on Eagles
Harpy and Philippine eagles have a wingspan of two and a half metres. They use their massive talons to kill and carry off prey as large as deer.
Eagles have very good eyesight. They see five basic colours. Humans only see three. They can spot a rabbit two miles away.
Eagles lay a clutch of two eggs. Usually the older chick kills the younger sibling and the adults don’t stop it.
An eagle’s territory can range over 100 square miles. To defend territory or attract a mate, eagles put on spectacular displays such as death defying swoops and daring stunts e.g. fighting and locking talons with another bird and then free falling in spirals to the ground.
They can dive at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
A group of eagles is called a convocation or a kettle.
An eagle has at least 7,000 feathers.
Eagles’ nests can weigh up to one and a half tonnes. That’s the weight of a large car.
Giant Eagles once lived in New Zealand and had a 10-foot wingspan. They are reputed to have carried off men, women and children to devour.
Giant Eagles were thought to have become extinct 800 years ago but there were reported sightings of them in the 19th century in remote mountainous areas.
The Golden Eagle was extinct in Ireland for 100 years. It has been reintroduced to Co. Donegal from Scotland.
Extinct creatures have been known to reappear. The Caspian Horse was thought to be extinct for centuries and has now been found. So was the Madagascar Serpent Eagle, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker and the Javan Elephant.
Fact File on Owls
Not all owls hoot. They screech, whistle, bark, click and hiss. Their calls can be heard up to a mile away. Baby owls make snoring sounds when looking for food.
Owls have no teeth. They swallow their prey whole and twelve hours later cough up the feathers, bones and fur in football-shaped pellets.
Unable to move their eyes, owls turn their entire heads to see in different directions. They rotate their heads up to 270 degrees.
Owls have specialised feathers with fringes to muffle sound when they fly.
The tufts of feathers on top of owls’ heads are for display only. Owls’ ears are hidden on the facial disc behind the eyes. They can open and close their ears.
Owls have long, hooked bills. Concealed by feathers, the bills look smaller than they are.
The owl’s flattened, facial disk funnels sound to its ears and magnifies it up to ten times. They hear noises humans can’t detect and can hear a mouse 60 feet away.
An owl has three eyelids: one for blinking, one for sleeping and one for keeping the eye clean and healthy.
A barn owl can eat up to 1,000 mice each year, and farmers like to attract them.
Owls have zygodactyl feet with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward. This gives them a stronger grip.
Most female owls are larger, more aggressive and often more richly coloured than their male counterparts.
A group of owls is called a parliament, wisdom or study.
Blue Owls are extremely rare but an Irish teenager called Simon Macken claims to have one living in his loft.
CHAPTER 1
The Blue Owl
The Blue Owl flew through the busy streets with six Giant Eagles in pursuit. The streamlined bodies of the huge eagle predators swept over the startled crowds. Their penetrating eyes scanned the partygoers who were arriving in the town to attend the Fire Fair. Bent on their evil mission, the eagles honed in on their single victim. They flew low, clipping the heads of stunned pedestrians. The crowds scattered, running for cover.
The Blue Owl knew he was almost within their grasp. He felt an icy fear clawing his heart. At lightning speed the eagles gained on him every moment. His only chance was to keep low and try to lose them among the crowds. If he shook them off he’d make for the Swishtree Forest. There the trees would hide him.
He came to a narrow alley between two tall rickety buildings and took a sudden turn into it. Twisting his head sharply, he craned his neck backwards to see if the eagles were following him.
Then, with a screech, he crashed.
Kerry Macken took the force of the blow straight into the forehead. She fell backwards onto an old terrace, hit a metal garage door and collapsed. A shock of crimson hair fell over her wide blue eyes and a bright red bundle flew out of her arms. She sat stunned on the ground trying to focus on the owl as he reeled across the dim alley. He landed fluttering and spluttering in the gutter.
‘Pod, you daft owl, you nearly killed me!’ cried Kerry. ‘And now look. I’ve dropped the Lord Mayor’s new coat. It’ll be ruined!’
Scrambling to her feet, she limped across the cobbled street and straightened her leather jacket. She retrieved the red bundle and examined it closely. Satisfied that it was still intact, she turned her attention to the agitated owl.
‘Where are you going in such a hurry?’ she asked him. He flitted nervously around her shoulders.
‘The eagles are after me,’ panted Pod. Attaching himself firmly to Kerry’s shoulder he dug his beak into her ear. ‘They’re coming around the corner. This time they’ll get me. I’m done for!’
‘Not eagles again!’ said Kerry, smoothing her hair. She scanned the alley and then hobbled towards the corner, clutching her bundle. Pod burrowed deep inside her jacket while she looked up and down the busy street.
‘There are lots of people around, but I can’t see any eagles.’
Pods voice trembled. ‘They’re after me, I tell you.’
‘Maybe they were chasing a cat or a rat or something else,’ said Kerry. ‘Oh Pod, stop shaking! It’s not good to be getting so worked up. You’ll give yourself another dose of the hiccups. Don’t you remember the last time you got upset? You got such a fit of hiccups. It lasted an entire week!’
‘Those eagles have been following me around for days,’ moaned Pod. ‘Everywhere I go I see them watching me and waiting to pounce. And they’re so big and evil looking. It’s torture living like this. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat—’
‘Oh Pod, what a terrible imagination you have! Last summer you complained that monkeys were following you everywhere. Now it’s Giant Eagles. All this excitement is not good for your nerves.’
‘But the monkeys really were following me everywhere last summer,’ replied Pod. His eyes began to twitch.
‘Don’t you remember that horrible circus that was camped at the edge of the town? I’ll never forget how nasty those little monkeys were—’
‘P
od, I feel really sorry for you but I can’t talk right now,’ said Kerry. ‘I’ve got to get to the town hall to meet the Lord Mayor. The Grand Opening of the Fire Fair is just about to start and he’s waiting for his new coat. It’s a good job you didn’t damage it you silly old owl! It’s taken me months to finish.’
‘I may be old but I am not silly. This is real! Those eagles are out to get me and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. You should see the size of them. They’re deadly. You’ve got to believe me, Kerry – before it’s too late for all of us.’
‘Pod, I do believe you. But there’s no sign of any eagles around here now. So pull yourself together. Go home and calm down. Now I’ve got to find Simon. Have you seen him anywhere? He promised he’d be home early, to come with me to meet the Lord Mayor. And of course he’s gone missing again. Wouldn’t you know? It’s always the same with that brother of mine. He’s never in the right place at the right time.’
‘I did see him somewhere,’ said Pod, blinking his large amber eyes. ‘Where was it? Let me think. Oh yes, I saw him hanging around St John’s Square, shuffling around doorways like he was up to something. At least he was there a few minutes ago when the procession started. That was before those eagles saw me and came after me and—’
‘Thanks, Pod. You’re a big help. I’ll go there now. Promise me you’ll go straight home for a rest. I’ll talk to you later and we’ll sort out the problem with the eagles. I’ll be back after the Grand Opening is over.’
‘Me, go back to Macken Cottage on my own?’ exclaimed Pod. ‘Are you crazy? Don’t you realise that those eagles have it under 24-hour surveillance? I wouldn’t stand a chance back there all on my own. I can’t bear to think of what they’d do to me if they got their horrible, sharp claws all over me—’
‘Pod, I promise I’ll be straight home after the Mayor’s Grand Opening. You know how important this is. He’s waiting right now for this coat I’ve designed for him. And it’s a big break for me. I must go.’
‘Go then. But I know who my real friends are. The swishtrees are the only ones who will protect me. Where else can I go to hide from those vicious eagle giants?’
Before Kerry could reply Pod flew up into the air and, with a great flurry of blue feathers, fled in the direction of the Swishtree Forest.
Kerry sighed. Pod’s behaviour was very odd lately. He had been talking about Giant Eagles for days and was constantly fidgeting and looking over his shoulder. His huge amber eyes never closed and his mind was obsessed with the threat of eagles. At night he flitted nervously back and forth across the loft of Macken Cottage, banging into rafters and disturbing everyone’s sleep.
Kerry hurried on to St John’s Square searching for her younger brother on the way. Earlier she had checked the shed and outhouses of Macken Cottage, where Simon was usually busy doing one of his crazy experiments with explos ives. But he was nowhere to be found. The trouble with Simon was that he was never there when she wanted him. And he always popped up in places where he was least expected. He was one of those boys who kept getting stuck into things that were none of his business. Kerry tried her best to look after him but his curious interests and hobbies caused a lot of trouble between them.
The candlelight procession wound its way around the ancient streets of Kilbeggin on its way to St John’s Square. A long line of monks clad in white, hooded robes chanted verses in deep harmonies as they marched in unison. They moved slowly, carrying long, tapered candles that flickered in the deepening twilight. Kerry skirted along the edges, searching through the crowds as the procession progressed. She followed the monks through the narrow streets and right up to the doors of St John’s Cathedral.
Her eyes scanned the sea of faces looking for Simon. Some quick movement above the huge gothic doorway stopped Kerry in her tracks. She studied the ancient stone carvings. A host of menacing gargoyles leered down from the heights, their jaws gaping at the crowds who followed the monks’ procession into the cathedral.
She looked closely at one of the gargoyles. Its eyes seemed to be moving. Her heart leaped as two red beams of light flashed through the stone carved eye sockets and flooded down over the crowds. Kerry followed the laser-like beams with her eyes as they fell upon a side door of the cathedral, saturating it with an eerie red glow. There she spotted a tall, hooded figure lurking in the shadows under a pointed archway. The laser beams scanned him as he gazed straight up at their source behind the stone gargoyles.
Suddenly, an enormous bird flew out from behind the carvings and swooped down, plunging its talons into the shoulders of the man. A piercing cry shattered the peaceful procession as the victim burst from the doorway struggling with the attacking bird. The creature’s mighty claws sank deeper into the man’s cloak; its eyes flashed red as it pecked savagely at the man’s hood. But to Kerry’s astonishment the man counterattacked with a stunning blow to the bird’s head. A blinding flash of light engulfed the bird as the man raised his right arm. The bird rallied and as fast as it had descended it flew back up to the gargoyles once again, vanishing behind them.
Pulling his long, grey cloak closely around him, the man retreated into the shadows. His face was entirely concealed under a deep hood. Then he vanished into the church.
A sharp voice in her right ear caused Kerry to jump.
‘Did you see that Giant Eagle?’
‘Simon. You scared the life out of me,’ said Kerry. ‘Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’
Simon, her younger brother, was still gazing up at the gargoyles, his eyes transfixed, his cheeks on fire and his mop of rusty brown hair standing on end.
‘A Giant Eagle,’ continued Simon. ‘Boy, what a beauty! Did you see his claws, Kerry? Sharp as steel! But what’s a rare bird like that doing in this boring old town? That’s what I’d like to know. Those creatures are strong enough to carry a fully grown man. I thought they were extinct. Did you see it, Kerry? Wasn’t it powerful! But hey, where did the man go? I’m going after him into the church.’
‘Simon! Don’t you remember one single thing? You promised to come with me to the town hall to meet the Lord Mayor. I’ve been trying to find you.’
‘What? Oh I know, I know. Just hang on a second, I’ve got to talk to that man and find out why the eagle attacked him. I’ll be back in a minute, really I will.’
‘But it’s none of your business and I …’
Simon was already running through the archway and before Kerry knew it he had disappeared into the cathedral after the man with the grey cloak.
CHAPTER 2
An Invitation
Kerry paced the marble tiles under the Gothic doorway of St John’s Cathedral. Simon still hadn’t returned and the Lord Mayor was waiting in the town hall for his designer coat. Kerry dreaded the thought of going there alone. She had worked long and hard on this coat, specially designed for the Grand Opening of the World Fire Fair. It was an opportunity to showcase her work to the town and the world beyond. While Kerry shied away from the spotlight, Simon loved it. Only a month ago he had brazenly walked up to the Lord Mayor at the town’s Young Designer Exhibition. He showed him Kerry’s work and talked him into giving her a commission to design him a new coat.
It was at times like this that Kerry missed her mother. She knew that if she had been alive she would have been proud of her daughter tonight. It was only a year since she died and Kerry had been forced to drop out of school and start her own business to make a living. She loved designing clothes but it was always a struggle to make ends meet.
A fluttering in the great arches above startled her. She looked up at the vaults, hoping that the Giant Eagle hadn’t returned. Then she saw two sets of wings fluttering to and fro. A couple of little, dark green birds descended onto the steps beside her, their bright eyes flashing. The larger one fluffed out his creamy breast and the little one perched softly on Kerry’s shoulder. She was relieved to see that it was her swiftail friends Timmy and Dot who lived with Pod in the loft of
Macken Cottage.
‘We’ve been looking for you everywhere,’ said Dot. ‘Are you OK? Why aren’t you at the town hall? It’s almost time for the Grand Opening.’
‘I’m waiting for Simon to come back. He was here a moment ago and then he went running off into the cathedral after a man who was attacked by a Giant Eagle. He promised to go with me to the town hall. But now I think it’s gone clean out of his head.’
‘Let me come with you,’ said Dot. ‘I’d love to meet the Mayor.’
‘And I’ll go look for Simon,’ said Timmy. ‘If he’s in the cathedral I’ll find him and make sure that he follows you down to the town hall.’
‘Oh Timmy, that would be great! And I’d love if you came with me, Dot. I’d better not keep the Lord Mayor of Kilbeggin waiting any longer.’
‘Well, off with you,’ said Timmy. ‘The Mayor needs that beautiful coat of yours to perform the Grand Opening. He’ll be delighted when he sees it. But you’d better hurry up. If you don’t get there soon he might wear something else.’
Timmy flew into the church. And with a fresh burst of courage Kerry followed Dot through the narrow streets and down to the town hall.
The arrival of the World Fire Fair to Kilbeggin had created quite a stir. It was the first time an event of this size had ever come to town and a packed fest ival of dazzling spectacles was promised. Outside the town hall a great bonfire blazed. Barbecues burned and all the mouth-watering aromas of outdoor cooking filled the air. Trees glittered with flickering lanterns and the cent ral fountain blazed with light. Showers of red, orange and yellow cascaded as people gathered for the Grand Opening. Everyone was waiting for the Lord Mayor to open the festival with the launch of a glittering fireworks display.
Kerry and Dot found the Mayor’s private entrance at the side of the town hall. Dot pulled the bell chord and a butler dressed in gold livery opened the door. He informed Kerry that the Mayor was expecting her. She followed him to the Mayor’s private chambers with Dot firmly perched on her shoulder. The butler ushered them into a huge, ornate sitting room.
