by Maria Burke
‘There must be a library above us,’ said Pod. ‘See over there, that looks like a door up high in the wall.’
Pod flew up to inspect the door. Kerry found some roughly hewn steps and followed him to the door. She pushed it open. They could see a flight of stairs beyond. They climbed it. A small door stood at the top with a tiny sliver of light glowing under it.
‘Follow the light,’ said Pod.
Kerry pushed the door and it opened easily into a circular room. Silently, they entered and looked around. The walls were lined with rows and rows of books in heavy mahogany cases. In the centre of the room, an enormous spiral staircase led up to the next floor. A circle of desks were placed around the foot of the staircase. Each one had a reading lamp attached. There were no windows but a huge shaft of light flooded the staircase.
‘We are still underground,’ said Kerry. ‘All that sunlight means that the next floor has to be at ground level.’
‘This may well have been the room where the monks worked on their manuscripts,’ said Pod. ‘See, the desks all have inkwells and bookstands. These reading lamps are perfect for such detailed work.’
‘Look over here,’ said Kerry. ‘Somebody has been working here quite recently. This manuscript is open and the inkwell is full of ink.’
They studied the manuscript. The page lying open contained a passage from the ancient Book of Isaiah. It was unfinished. Pod started to read the last lines that had been written.
Forget the former things;
do not dwell in the past.
See I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
And streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honour me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert.
The remaining pages were blank.
‘I think there are monks still working here,’ said Pod. ‘This is definitely a work still in progress. Eagles can’t write like this. Maybe if we found the monks, they would help us to escape.’
‘No, Pod,’ said Kerry. ‘We must get out of here.’
‘And keep going around in circles down in the dungeons,’ Pod’s voice echoed from the spiral staircase above her.
‘Come back, Pod,’ called Kerry. But he was gone. Reluctantly, she followed him.
Kerry mounted the spiral staircase to a high-ceilinged room on the next floor. It was filled with light and Pod was flitting from window to window. This room was also circular in shape and contained no books at all. Seven pointed windows stood in a semicircle overlooking a series of beautiful gardens. In the sunlight they saw two cascading fountains flanking a long white-pebbled driveway. Flower gardens adjoined the main lawn and beyond these Kerry saw a shrubbery and small grove leading up to the high walls of the Abbey. All this she could see from the seven windows. At each end of the semicircle stood an archway leading to further rooms. Three larger windows dominated the other half of the circular room. They overlooked the Abbey’s cloisters which formed a corridor of slender arches around a square garden. A tall stone tower stood at the opposite end of the square.
The spiral staircase continued up to further floors. Entranced by the beauty of the light-filled rooms, Pod flew on upwards and Kerry followed. She realised the vastness of the library when she reached the next floor. The central room at the top of the stairs was again circular in shape but much smaller than the room underneath. This room, which was also lined with manuscripts, had two arched openings at either end. Each archway led to another room, which in turn led to further rooms.
‘This floor holds books that are all about birds and animals of the woodlands,’ said Pod. ‘Each level must have a different theme.’
He had flown up to the next storey before Kerry could stop him. She followed him again and found him looking at a table full of open books on cookery and medicinal remedies. They were filled with beautiful drawings and dia grams. In an adjoining room was a mahogany desk with several chairs placed around it. A book was left open on a table. Kerry ran over and picked it up. The open page contained a recipe for growing owl’s feathers.
‘This is where they got your feather-growing formula,’ Kerry said. She looked at the title of the book.
‘Ancient Remedies and Potions,’ she read and began to flick through it.
‘Look, Pod, there’s a recipe here for laughing gas; wouldn’t it be fun to try it on Red Beak? It says here that it makes people laugh so hard that they have to bend over to hold their tummies. Then they fall down laughing and roll around the floor in helpless fits of hysteria. They end up with a terrible fit of sneezing. There’s a warning here that says if you take too much of the potion you could die of laughter. The effects are also very contagious and can last for hours.’
She started to read out the ingredients:
Half a cup of fine ash from a fireplace
2 teaspoons of strong white pepper
A large bottle of the fizziest orange
Two cups of finely chopped red onions
7 teaspoons of pollen taken from large red tulips
4 whisked egg whites
And 10 liquorice sweets mashed into a pulp
Method: Place all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and set on a fire. Boil until the mixture turns red with blue bubbles.
Then wait for white smoke to appear …
Pod had happened upon another book and was studying it intently.
‘Kerry this one is called The History of the Abbey of Dun Ruah and it’s got a map of all the secret underground passages on the island. Look, this is the layout of the Abbey and there’s an underground passage here that leads all the way to the main village. This is our chance to escape. Let me work it out. Where exactly are we now?’
Pod was interrupted from his reading by the sounds of eagles’ wings flapping in the distance.
‘We’d better get out of here,’ he whispered.
They headed down the staircase until they reached the ground floor. Pod flew to a window.
‘Let’s make for the grove outside,’ he said.
Kerry had just reached the window and had managed to push the sash up when she heard a menacing cry behind them.
‘What’s going on here?’
They spun around to see Roddick, the chief guard, perched on top of the spiral staircase.
‘Follow me, Kerry!’ cried Pod as he flew through the window.
Kerry clambered over the windowsill and jumped to the lawn below. She chased after Pod, who was already halfway to the Abbey wall. An eagle swooped towards her with its massive claws outstretched. She avoided it by inches. By now Pod had reached the Abbey wall. Kerry was close behind him, when the second eagle came at her from behind. It grabbed her by the shoulders, lifting her high into the air. Kerry struggled to free herself, but a third eagle had arrived on the scene. It pounced on her legs and between them the two giant birds carried her back through the library window. Within seconds another eagle followed with Pod in his clutches. They were dropped on the library floor before Roddick.
‘Did you think you could get away from us that easily?’ Roddick hissed. ‘This is a large palace but we also have a great number of well-trained guards on patrol. There is no escaping the great King of the Eagles.’
He turned to his henchmen.
‘King Red Beak has found a safer place to keep the poor, neurotic Blue Owl and his brave friend, Miss Macken. This time they will be placed in the prison tower with a 24-hour guard. How sad they look now that their escape attempt didn’t work. But at least they got a little tour of the Abbey and the exercise will have done them good. Guards, take them away and chain them to their cages. I’ll send the Palace Plucker down immediately to remove the owl’s feathers. And I’ll tell him to show no mercy.’
Roddick flew off.
Kerry and Pod were seized by two strong eagles and carried through the arched doorway and into a great library h
all. They were taken to a side door and pushed through. The eagles escorted them across the ancient cloisters to the tall round tower which they said was the palace prison. Here they threw Kerry and Pod behind bars and handcuffed them in chains.
‘His Majesty’s bodyguards will be standing on guard outside the tower,’ explained one of the eagles. ‘We’ve been ordered to keep watch here day and night so there’s no point in trying to escape again. Now let me do a body search on you both.’
Kerry was held by one of the eagles while another searched her clothes.
‘What do we have here?’ said the guard as he pulled the matchbox out of Kerry’s pocket.
‘This must be what you used to melt the seals on your cages and burn the dungeon door down. I’m sure the King and Queen will find this piece of evid ence very interesting!’
Taking the matches with them, the two eagles departed.
Kerry and Pod sat waiting in terror for the Palace Plucker. To their horror he arrived within minutes. Two eagle guards escorted him into the cell. He was a mean-looking creature with a long, hooked beak. A giant tweezers protruded from either side of the beak. This he removed with his right claw and held it up in the air, examining it closely. One of the guards hung a wooden perch from the ceiling in the middle of the prison cell and forced Pod to stand on it. Then the Palace Plucker tested out the tweezers on some weeds that were growing through a crack in the floor.
‘A bit rusty I think. Let me polish it up a little.’
Pod broke into a fit of hiccups as the Palace Plucker produced a huge duster from under his wing and started to polish the tweezers vigorously. Soon it was gleaming.
‘That’s better,’ he said, holding the glittering instrument up to the light and studying it from tip to tip. He hopped over to Pod on one claw, with the tweezers held in the other. Pod was struggling with the chain that held him to the bars of the cell. His wings flapped furiously in a desperate attempt to break free.
‘Control yourself,’ cried the plucker, ‘or I’ll have to call for help.’ He lunged at Pod, brandishing the tweezers.
CHAPTER 13
Browdan
Simon looked around the little whitewashed cave room in which he had spent the night. A small fire was burning in the grate and a tiny window gave enough light for him to find his clothes. They lay in a neat pile on a wooden chest beside the bed. He realised that the lake people had washed and dried his clothes from the night before. When he stood to dress he saw that his body was covered in bruises. But despite some tenderness he felt well rested. He dressed and opened a low door into a pretty kitchen with a big open fire burning in the hearth. Two old, wooden dressers leaned against the white walls. The room was lit by one tiny window low down in the uneven wall of the cave dwelling.
Niamh was preparing breakfast.
‘Sit down at the table,’ she said, ‘and help yourself. You must be starving.’
Simon sat down at a long wooden table, which was laid with fresh bread and toast. Niamh set plates of boiled eggs and pancakes before him. The sight of the food made his mouth water and he tucked into a hearty breakfast.
The sound of footsteps approaching caused Simon to look up.
‘He’s here!’ exclaimed Niamh as she hurried to open the door.
A tall man with dark hair entered the room. A Tawny Owl was perched on one of his shoulders and on the other was a sparrow. Three other birds followed: a hawk, a blackbird and a thrush. They perched on top of one of the dressers watching the man intently. Despite his ragged, threadbare clothes and his lean, rugged appearance, Simon could see he was a dignified and noble man.
‘This is my brother Browdan,’ said Niamh. ‘He is the leader of all the cave dwellers on the island.’
Simon stood up to shake his hand. Browdan had a wise face. His brown, twinkling eyes and gentle smile made Simon feel comfortable with him straight away.
‘It’s great to meet you Browdan and thanks for looking after me last night.’
‘I had no hand in that Simon. I don’t live on this part of the island. I live in the sea caves. But I got word from my sister and from Cian, the leader of the lake people, that you were here. They sent me a message through the freebirds of the island that you needed help. So I came here as fast as I could.’
‘They are beautiful birds,’ said Simon admiring the Tawny Owl who reminded him so much of Pod.
‘Without their help, Simon, the cave settlements wouldn’t have survived this long. The birds of the lakes and forests let us know whenever Red Beak sends his guards out to plunder the island. They also act as messengers between the many cave settlements on the island, keeping us in touch with one another.’
‘Do many people live in the caves?’ Simon asked.
‘There are about two hundred living around this lake altogether. But throughout the island there are thousands living in caves. At one time there were four main villages on the island,’ said Browdan. ‘Coracle was the largest one and it was there that the Chieftain lived. His name was Coleman Cooley and he was our father. All the villages are deserted now since Red Beak attacked us.’
‘So you are the children of Coleman Cooley,’ said Simon. ‘I thought his whole family were murdered by Red Beak.’
‘Our parents were killed by Red Beak himself,’ said Niamh. ‘He also killed my twin brother, Coleman, who was a monk. But we still live here in the island’s caves and we believe that someday soon the Eagle King will fall from power.’
‘I like this cave,’ said Simon. ‘It’s very comfortable and it’s peaceful. I slept like a log.’
‘Yes, some of the outer caves here are natural. More of them were dug out of the cliffs around the lake by our people,’ said Niamh, ‘but most of the island population lives in the sea caves. They are much larger.’
‘And are you safe here from the eagles?’
‘In the early days, when we first moved into the caves,’ said Browdan, ‘the eagles patrolled the island on a daily basis. That was after Red Beak threw us out of our homes. We often went back to the villages to collect furniture and possessions from our houses. Whenever we did, the eagles would attack us. They killed and mutilated many of our families and friends.’
‘So they behave like terrorists,’ said Simon.
‘Yes. Red Beak has used his philosophy of “Eagle Power” to brainwash his flocks. They are trained to destroy using military strategies and tactics. They approach silently, ambushing their victims from behind. Then they sink their sharp claws into the neck and peck at the shoulders. Hundreds of the villagers were killed and maimed by the eagles. So we had to stop going out by day. Now we only venture out at night-time under the cover of darkness. And we have developed some strategies of our own to deal with the eagles.’
‘I would never live under Red Beak’s reign of terror,’ said Simon.
‘But we love our families and this is our ancestral home. If we left the island we would lose all our history and traditions,’ said Browdan. ‘We are not ready to give up.’
‘But Red Beak is making your lives a misery.’
‘It’s not so bad,’ said Niamh. ‘Our homes are very comfortable, and a lot of these caves are linked together by tunnels. So we can meet together without having to go out of doors. There are very few entrances to the caves so it’s easy to guard them. If the eagles come spying around here we can protect ourselves very easily. They’ve no idea how many of us are living on the island. Red Beak thinks that most of the population left the island with the monks five years ago. So now they don’t come around here so often. We are left pretty much on our own.’
‘But what do you live on?’
‘It’s tough trying to eke out an existence here, Simon,’ said Browdan. ‘We live off the fish from the lake and the sea and eggs from birds that nest in the boglands. We plant some crops wherever we can, like potatoes and root vegetables. We have to be very careful because if the eagles find them, they destroy our crops. Of course, we live in hope that someday we’ll reclaim
our homes. But I didn’t come here to tell you all our problems. I came to give you news of your two friends, Kerry and Pod.’
‘You’ve got news?’
‘Yes. They are being held as prisoners by Red Beak up in the Abbey. We know exactly where they are.’
‘Oh no, they’ve caught Kerry as well!’ exclaimed Simon.
‘They are both being held in the dungeons. But Niamh thinks it will be possible to rescue them down there.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. It’s a bit risky but when you are ready Niamh will take you there through the underground passages. She knows the Abbey like the back of her hand. But maybe you need to rest a bit more. The lake people were very worried about you last night. You were exhausted after your ordeal and frozen stiff. They’re amazed you didn’t get hypothermia.’
‘I’m made of tough stuff,’ Simon laughed. ‘But tell me this; where did you get all this information about Kerry and Pod and how did you know my name?’
‘The Messenger told us. He sent word.’
‘The Messenger!’ exclaimed Simon.
‘Yes,’ said Browdan, ‘do you know him?’
‘No, I’ve never met him but Grinwick, the eagle who brought us here, told us about him. He said he comes from an ancient realm that goes back as far as the dawn of time. He also said that many people don’t believe in him.’
‘The Messenger is as real as you or me,’ Browdan said, ‘and he is well known by the islanders here. At present he is working with the Abbot of the Ark of Dun Ruah. He has always guarded and protected us during hard times. He is a powerful prophet and has promised that one day soon he will help us defeat the Eagle King. I believe that his prophecy is about to be fulfilled.’
‘Is he here on the island?’
‘We haven’t seen him here yet. But I’m convinced that he has been on the island lately. I sense his presence near us. He is a master of silence. He can come and go without being seen or heard. That way he can make his own assessment of the situation.’
‘Like a spy,’ Simon added.
Browdan laughed. ‘When the Messenger chooses to appear among us we will be ready to do his bidding.’
