The Ark of Dun Ruah, Book 1 (15 page)

CHAPTER 23

The White Army

Red Beak's guerrilla forces gathered in large flocks around the town of Coracle. They started another series of quick raids on the town. Flocks landed on the rooftops and perched there waiting to attack the townsfolk. Then they descended on people in the streets using their old tactics of pecking necks and shoulders from the air. They forced their victims back into their houses.

Browdan and the leaders reacted quickly. They sent out the freebirds to rally the White Army to assemble at the town hall. In full force they came armed with torches of fire to defend themselves against the marauding eagles. People were angry at the eagles' tactics and arrived wearing makeshift helmets and carrying swords, axes and spears. They sang battle songs and chanted war cries in anticipation of the battle.

‘The White Army is ready,' declared their chief, Browdan. ‘We will march on Red Beak's camp in Cooley House and we will drive them out before us.'

The army cheered and raised their weapons shouting, ‘We will drive them out before us.'

‘Arm yourselves with every weapon you can find and carry a lighted torch. Shield your heads because we'll face more eagle air raids on the way. Simon will distribute fresh missiles to all of you. We will launch another attack on Red Beak's sky patrols shortly. Wait for the signal. Prepare to march and do so with courage, confidence and strong hearts. We will prevail against our enemy.'

‘We will prevail!' roared the White Army.

Browdan gave the signal to his army to detonate fresh batches of grenades and missiles at the eagle patrols from strategic points around the town. Searing hot flames shot across the sky followed by deafening claps of thunder. The terrified eagles scattered. Many of them were forced to retreat to Cooley House and regroup behind its gates and walls.

Browdan's White Army was now ready to march. The freebirds remained on the outskirts of the town armed with grenades and ready to defend the town in his absence. At his signal, the army set out from the village of Coracle to the great home of the old chief of the island. Waving Kerry's fiery banners and armed with explosives, grenades, swords and daggers, the islanders sang and cheered as they marched. They wore colourful helmets and shields to protect their heads and shoulders from the eagles. Before long they arrived at Cooley House. Red Beak's eagle sentries were perched high on the walls and stood ready to attack. The old wooden gates had been restored and were now barred shut before them.

‘Set fire to the gates,' ordered Browdan.

Simon hurled a grenade at the gates and soon they were blazing high.

A shrill chorus of war cries could be heard rising from inside the grounds of the house. As the gates caved in they could see flocks of eagle warriors congregating on the rooftop of the old house. Then, with piercing battle cries, the eagles flew up into the air and formed a huge swarm, which, like a huge dark rain cloud, blackened the sky as it flew towards Browdan's army that stood waiting at the burning gates. Simon went into action feeding the fire and raising it higher. The swarm of eagles flew over the gate, ready to pounce on their prey. They were hit by a mass of fire missiles. The White Army's front line sprayed the skies with balls of fire as line after line of eagles approached.

With screams of anguish, scores of eagles were brought down. The rest scattered in shock, their feathers singed by the terrible heat. Most of them flew straight back to Cooley House. The others flew towards the forest.

‘Force the gates!' cried Browdan.

The White Army ran at the gates and battered them with their weapons. Burning shards of wood fell to the ground and the gates quickly crumbled. They marched up the driveway to the door of the old chieftain's home and surrounded the house. Chanting and shouting fierce war cries, they brandished their torches at the eagle guards. Browdan's men stormed the front door and he entered the house with Simon and Cian at his side. There, at the end of the entrance hall, were Red Beak and Queen Kiki sitting on two makeshift thrones. Roddick and their cronies surrounded them.

‘This is as far as I will allow you to go, Browdan!' cried Red Beak. ‘Stop this foolishness and go back to your cave. You know you are not fit to rule this island. You wouldn't stand a chance without that trickster Simon and his fireworks. What do you know about armies and warfare? All you are is a filthy troglodyte. You are weak, like your father before you. And this island is mine!' His red eyes gleamed as he spat out the words.

‘And you, Red Beak,' replied Browdan, ‘what power do you have except the power you stole from my father when you murdered him? You tortured him and robbed him of his position as chief of the island. And now you have the nerve to sit in his house, on his chair, wearing his sapphire ring.'

‘That's a lie!' hissed Red Beak. ‘Your father ran away from the battle and caused his own downfall. He couldn't defend himself. He was always a coward. And you are nothing but a fool. Look at your military chief. He's only a little boy playing with fireworks.'

‘My father was a great chieftain. And you are a murderer and a liar.'

‘What?' interrupted Queen Kiki. She flew off her perch and stood before her husband glaring at him. ‘Did you actually murder the chief of the island?'

‘I told you he was a coward. He brought it upon himself.'

‘You never told me anything about this,' said Kiki. ‘I would never have married you if I thought you were a usurper. You always told me that you had rightfully ascended to the throne. You said you were a man of peace.'

‘Shut up, you foolish hen,' Red Beak ordered. ‘What do you know about my affairs? All you're interested in is feather parades and jewels. If it wasn't for your insatiable desire for cloaks made from royal-blue feathers we wouldn't have this uprising on our hands. Remember I brought the Blue Owl here for you.'

‘How dare you speak to me like that! I've had nothing but trouble since I came to this island to marry you.'

‘I give you everything you ask for,' said Red Beak, ‘and still you're not happy. Nothing is good enough for you. Get yourself and your hens out of here and stop interfering in my business.'

‘You've gone too far this time, Red Beak,' cried Kiki. She rose from the ground in a flurry of feathers and called for her hens to follow her. And before Red Beak could stop her, she had flown through a gap in the roof. Hundreds of her loyal servants and friends went with her. They flew through the roof of Cooley House and high up into the air, escaping the White Army that surrounded the house. Led by Queen Kiki, they fled to the mountains.

Red Beak looked crestfallen.

‘You're finished, Red Beak,' said Browdan. ‘Your army is divided so you might as well flee yourself. Why don't we end this peacefully? Go after your Queen.'

‘But first tell us what you've done with the owl,' cried Simon. ‘Never,' screamed Red Beak. ‘Kiki will be back for the owl's feathers. She knows she can't survive without me. She always comes back.'

‘Stop counting your chickens,' said Browdan, ‘because this time they will not hatch. Let's face it, Red Beak, your power is broken. We don't believe your foolish lies and we don't fear you. Soon the monks from the Abbey will return and take possession of their rightful home. Your days here are numbered.'

‘You're just like your father,' said Red Beak. ‘You're full of empty talk but underneath it all you're weak. No Cooley will ever get the better of me.' Red Beak suddenly rose from his throne.

‘Roddick, Guards, block the door,' he screeched.

‘This won't work,' said Browdan. ‘We've got you surrounded. A bonfire is blazing outside. If you don't let us go my army will set fire to the house.'

‘What? And kill us all inside, including you and your top generals? Are your men really that stupid? Face the facts, Browdan. You're trapped. Roddick! Seize these imbeciles and tie them up. That army outside won't last long with the ringleaders all locked up in here.'

Simon acted swiftly. Before the guards could seize him, he flung a fire grenade high up into the air. It hit the ceiling, exploded with a series of cracks and burst into a shower of spluttering fireballs. The hissing fireworks zigzagged in bursts across the room, scorching the eagles like red dragons of fire. Red Beak's guards flew up in a swarming frenzy of blood-curdling screams. The illusion looked so real that they believed they were being attacked by real dragons. In a rush of confusion they fled to the door of Cooley House and burst through to the outside. They flew to the east.

Red Beak and Roddick were left alone. Slumped over his perch, Red Beak glared at Browdan and his friends with his red eyes blazing.

‘If you think your clever tricks can frighten me then you're making a very big mistake. You may think you've won this small battle but you'll never have a moment's peace while I still live on this island. I'll be back tomorrow with an even greater army. Don't forget I still have the owl, hidden far away from here. You'll never find him. Come on, Roddick.' He flew up into the rafters followed by his loyal servant.

‘I'll have my day,' shouted Red Beak, disappearing through the roof.

CHAPTER 24

Queen Kiki's Crystal Chamber

The next day Red Beak's loyal eagles returned to scan the skies over the village of Coracle. The freebirds under the leadership of the Tawny Owl kept a keen watch on them throughout the morning. The White Army worked hard to repair the damage to the town and build up its defences. Simon was busy with his team of technicians creating fresh stores of explosives.

At noon Grinwick, Farradore and the swiftails arrived at the town hall. They met with Browdan, Cian, Kerry and Niamh.

‘Red Beak is already planning a fresh attack,' Grinwick said. ‘The Eagle King has moved back to the Abbey with flocks of loyal supporters. He has sent Roddick and his generals out to bully the scattered flocks. Most of them are still so afraid of him that they are now returning meekly to the fold.'

‘And where did Queen Kiki go?' Kerry asked.

‘Queen Kiki has set up a camp of her own. It's composed mainly of her servants and friends but she has quite a large following. They have made their base high up in the Lone Peak Mountains north of the village of Coracle. Other flocks have deserted both the King and Queen. They are hiding in the mountains and forests. Many of these are liaising with the freebirds of the island. Significant numbers of them are joining the side of the freebirds and the White Army. Our spies tell us that Red Beak is expecting that Queen Kiki will come back to him. Unfortunately, his power is not broken.'

‘I don't think Queen Kiki is all bad,' said Kerry. ‘Red Beak was right when he said she was spoilt and foolish but I don't think she's evil. Maybe somebody should try and talk to her. She might know where Pod is.'

‘I was just about to get to that,' said Grinwick. ‘My sources think that Queen Kiki has the Blue Owl with her in the Lone Peak Mountains.'

‘Then I'll have to go to see her,' said Kerry. ‘I feel so guilty about bringing Pod along on this trip when he never wanted to come in the first place. And I can't bear hanging around waiting for news. I want to do something to get him back.'

‘It's dangerous, Kerry,' said Browdan. ‘Those mountains are treacherous to climb.'

‘I'll come with you,' said Niamh. ‘I know the Lone Peak Mountains. There are many tunnels and caves in the mountain that might be useful if we need to get under cover. We could also bring some of the freebirds with us to scout before us.'

‘Count me in,' said Grinwick. ‘I know the Lone Peak well. And I know the swiftails won't let Kerry out of their sight so we'd better include them too.'

‘Of course, we'll come with you,' agreed Timmy and Dot.

‘I suppose it's worth a try,' said Browdan, ‘but Simon may not be too happy when he hears about this.'

‘We'll go before he tries to stop us,' said Kerry.

‘Go ahead and make your preparations then,' said Browdan, ‘and I'll try to keep Simon busy.' Then Browdan turned to Grinwick.

‘Before you leave me, have you got any further news about Red Beak?' he asked. ‘Do you have any idea what he is planning next?'

‘We don't have any information on what plans Red Beak and his generals are hatching at the moment,' said Grinwick. ‘This time Red Beak is keeping his cards very close to his chest. He is communicating exclusively with Roddick and his closest commanders. But we have many spies on our side now.'

‘We expect to have some news soon,' added Farradore.

‘What do your freebirds advise me to do now?' Browdan asked.

‘Keep working on building your artillery and devise a better way of defending the town,' said Farradore. ‘The weather is changing so Simon's skills in pyro technics may not be effective. You'll have to develop a contingency plan.'

‘Why do you say the weather is changing?' Simon asked as he walked into the room. ‘There's not a cloud in the sky.'

Farradore sighed.

‘Simon, you have a lot to learn about the weather on this island,' said the eagle. ‘Things can change in the blink of an eye. I hear that fireworks don't work too well in the rain. I was just saying that you will need to work on developing more heavy artillery.'

‘Fireworks and explosives can work in any kind of weather', said Simon, ‘but it's a bit more complicated. And it depends on what chemicals you put into them. I'll see what I can do.'

‘That will keep you busy, Simon,' said Browdan. ‘We need to make plans for defending the town but we must also get ready to attack. Farradore, when are you returning to the Abbey foothills?'

‘I will go now.'

‘Then send word to us as soon as you get any news about Red Beak's plans.'

Kerry, Niamh, Grinwick and the swiftails set out for the Lone Peak Mountains early in the afternoon. Simon got wind of Kerry's journey and tried to dissuade her from undertaking it. But she stood her ground. She was determined to see Queen Kiki and to persuade her to release Pod. And she also wanted to invite the Queen to join the White Army and plead with her husband to return the island to its people.

They left the village of Coracle wearing camouflage and carrying enough food and provisions for the next day. Their first task was to cross the barren lands that lay between Coracle and the Lone Peak Mountains.

Through the afternoon Kerry heard the cries of the wild dogs and eagles in the distance. By evening they had reached the foothills of the Lone Peak Mountains. Niamh led the climb to the central Lone Peak, where Grinwick said the Eagle Queen had made her camp.

In the light of the fading sun Grinwick spotted a flock of eagles high on the Lone Peak. He took the swiftails with him to scout. Kerry and Niamh were left alone. The path had grown narrow and the climb was rocky and steep. The cries of the wild dogs were getting closer. A chill wind blew up around them. Kerry saw that they had reached what looked like a sheer cliff. It loomed high over their heads.

‘We've got to scale this rock face, Kerry,' said Niamh. ‘Stay close to me and do exactly what I say. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. Oh, and try not to look down.'

Kerry looked up at what appeared to be a vertical overhang.

‘There are footholds all the way up to the top,' said Niamh. ‘I climbed this with Coleman when we were children. It is much easier than it looks. When we get to the top there is a tunnel that will take us higher. We will have shelter there and find warmth in the caves.'

Kerry followed Niamh closely and was glad that darkness had set in. She was grateful that she couldn't see how high they had climbed and how far the drop was below her. The howls of the wild dogs had faded away and she knew the clifftop was close.

‘Here, take my hand,' said Niamh. ‘We're almost there.'

Niamh and Kerry scrambled to the top and rested there looking out over the starlit sky with the glimmering sea in the distance.

‘It's beautiful,' said Kerry. ‘I love how the stars light up the sky and the ocean at night. But look, Niamh, what are those lights moving towards us?'

‘The eyes of the jackals!' exclaimed Niamh. ‘And they are close. Hurry Kerry! We must run for the tunnel.'

The jackals started howling again as they drew closer to the girls. Kerry heard them panting behind her. She turned to see a large pack of hungry-looking dogs close at her heels.

‘Run, Niamh,' she cried.

The jackals chased the girls up the mountain path. Kerry felt a sharp pain in her ankle. It felt like it was going to give way under her weight and she was forced to limp. She saw that she was losing ground behind Niamh.

‘I can't make it much further,' she called. ‘I hurt my ankle back in the Abbey and it's started acting up again.'

To her relief, Grinwick and the swiftails appeared on the path before them. The eagle swooped at the wild dogs with a shrill, piercing cry and they retreated into the shadows. Then he returned to Kerry and Niamh.

‘We've spoken with Queen Kiki's guards,' said Grinwick. ‘She has agreed to talk to you. There is not much further to go to the eagles' base. I'll go ahead of you. Just keep moving.'

Grinwick flew off and Kerry tried to run on her ankle again. It had been weak ever since she fell against the tapestry wall in the Abbey, the day she arrived on the island.

To her horror the ankle gave way again on the difficult mountain terrain. She lost her footing and tumbled down the rough incline, straight into the path of the jackals. Scrambling back up the path, she came face to face with a hungry wild dog.

The dog bared his long fangs and growled.

‘Get away from me, you beast!' she yelled.

The animal crept closer, his eyes glittering and his tongue dripping with drool. Kerry stepped backwards but stumbled over a loose stone and tripped. She fell back onto the rocks. Aware that the jackal was ready to pounce, she picked up a fist full of gravel and flung it at him. He howled and then lunged at her.

Kerry screamed.

Suddenly, with a mighty cry Grinwick appeared from over the incline with his huge claws outstretched. He descended and caught the wild dog up in a vice-like grip. Then he lifted him up high in the air. The dangling creature howled for mercy. Grinwick flew out over a precipice and dropped the jackal. With a shrill cry it landed on a ledge below and scurried away to safety. Quickly, Grinwick returned to where Kerry stood ready to swoop on another pack member. But they had already fled down the mountain after their leader.

That night Farradore returned to Coracle to tell Browdan the latest news gathered by his scouts. He informed him that the Abbey had once again been deserted by Red Beak.

‘The birds on watch there noticed that it was suspiciously quiet throughout the afternoon', said Farradore, ‘so I led a flock of volunteers into the Abbey with me to check it out. We forced back the eagles that guarded the Abbey door and when we entered it we found that almost all eagles had vacated the building. Only a few remained to hold the fort.'

‘Did they tell you where Red Beak had gone?'

‘No. We got no information out of them. So we made a thorough search of the Abbey and found no clues as to where they had flown. Then I sent some scouts to check Cooley House, thinking that Red Beak had moved his camp back there. But the Eagle King and his army weren't there either. And the scouts couldn't find any trace of them.'

Browdan looked worried.

‘I'm sure the eagles are devising some clever scheme of destruction for us. Have you any clue where they have vanished to?'

‘They have abandoned all their usual haunts. It's a mystery.'

‘Then they must have gone underground somewhere beneath the Abbey. I don't think they'll make it far through the subterranean network. Eagles only go into the caves when they're desperate. I expect they'll emerge with a surprise attack sooner or later. We must keep working on building up the town's defences and be ready to attack them when they surface.'

Grinwick and the swiftails led Kerry and Niamh to the mouth of a great cave that opened as an archway into the mountain. The entrance was guarded by a flock of eagle hens in red plumes who had already been informed that they were arriving. They stood back to allow the visitors to pass through. Grinwick led them into a vaulted arcade, lit at intervals by lanterns on the floor. A series of high arched caves ran deep into the mountain and the visitors continued until they reached the entrance to an inner cavern. It had a deep red curtain draped across it.