The Raven's Call E-Book

Kris Humphrey

• Herausgeber: Little Tiger Press
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 181

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

The final book in the exciting Guardians of the Wild series When a raven drops a white feather at the doorstep on the day of your birth, it is a symbol of your destiny. You are a Whisperer – a guardian of the wild. As Dawn races to find the earthstone – the final link in the battle against the Narlaw – Ona struggles to keep control as the situation in the capital reaches crisis point. Can the young Whisperers of Meridina banish the shape-shifting demons once and for all? The dramatic conclusion to a fast-paced series, perfect for fans Michelle Paver, Gill Lewis and the Warriors.

Leseprobe

For my grandparents, Val and Frank – KH

For my goddaughter, Isobel – CC

CONTENTS

Title PageDedicationMap of MeridinaChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15A Whisper of Wolves – PreviewOther titles in this seriesAbout the Author Copyright

Dawn made her way slowly through the long, swaying grass. The wind seemed to fly from every direction at once, lifting her coat then pressing it against her, and tugging loose strands of hair from the braid that fell across her shoulder. Her legs felt heavy, almost as if they belonged to someone else, and the grass swished against her boots as she climbed towards the summit.

Somewhere above her, Ebony was circling. Dawn could feel her raven companion’s presence between the milky layers of early morning cloud. It was as if the two of them were joined by a long, unbreakable thread, the constant closeness that only a Whisperer and her companion could experience. Even at this distance Dawn sensed what Ebony was feeling: weariness, concentration, an exhilarated kind of fear. Ebony’s sharp raven senses were already scanning the hills and valleys for demons and as soon as Dawn reached the hilltop she would do the same.

Dawn felt the familiar weight of responsibility as she climbed. As a Whisperer, it was her duty to protect the world from the Narlaw – the shape-shifting demons that had invaded and brought destruction to the kingdom of Meridina. But Dawn’s duties went further than that – she was the Palace Whisperer, the leader. If she couldn’t end the war against the Narlaw, then nobody could.

Sometimes the pressure made her wish she was a little girl again, back in the Southlands. She often tried to remember her childhood home – the dry warmth of the air, the herb garden and the smell of a charcoal fire at dusk. But her memories slipped away almost as soon as they arrived, extinguished by the cold grey skies. She had faced so much trouble and disaster since those days. Narlaw spies had infiltrated the palace in the capital city of Meridar, they had kidnapped Princess Ona and stolen the earthstone – an object powerful enough to rid the whole kingdom of demons. With the help of a small group of palace guards, Dawn and Ebony had pursued the demons and rescued the princess. But the earthstone was still missing. Right now, a group of Narlaw and one human traitor were carrying it south towards the waiting Narlaw army.

Dawn paused to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and let the wind roll over her. With her Whisperer senses she felt every blade of grass, every swirling current of wind. Back down the hill she felt Loren – the guard who had ridden south with her – and the presences of their two exhausted horses. She reached uphill and felt swaying trees, then dense strips of cloud that slid gracefully above it all.

Ebony, she whispered, sending her companion’s name up into the sky.

I’m here, Ebony replied.

Dawn opened her eyes and saw a raven-black speck against the cloud. A smile formed on her lips as the warmth of the companion bond grew stronger. Only Ebony could force the worries from Dawn’s mind. The war, the earthstone, her troubles with the king … all became manageable when Ebony was with her. Dawn watched as her companion’s huge wings sailed on the twisting currents of air, descending expertly towards the hillside.

It’s hard flying today, said Ebony as her talons gripped the shoulder of Dawn’s coat. She folded her wings away briskly and shook her head.

Did you see them? asked Dawn.

I saw them. When you get to the summit, you’ll see them, too.

Dawn felt a new surge of fear.

It’s all right, said Ebony, sensing Dawn’s feelings. It’s still just the three of them – and the man.

Ebony’s disgust at the human traitor was obvious and Dawn felt the same way. How could anyone take sides with the Narlaw? The whole kingdom was under threat and yet there were people willing to betray Meridina for a bit of gold.

Three demons, said Dawn. That won’t be easy. You saw what they did to Valderin’s guards.

The battle to rescue Princess Ona had been short and brutal. Several of the palace guards had lost their lives and only one of them, Loren, had got through it uninjured. Captain Valderin himself had only survived thanks to Dawn’s Whisperer healing and the unexpected arrival of a second Whisperer, Mika, who had headed back to Meridar with Valderin, Princess Ona and the injured survivors.

The Narlaw were so much faster and stronger than any soldier. Although they took the forms of humans, they moved like fierce hunting creatures, darting and leaping. They were almost impossible to kill. Only a Whisperer stood any real chance of defeating a demon, by banishing it back to the Darklands.

You’re strong enough, said Ebony. You can banish these three just like the others.

Dawn nodded half-heartedly. I’ll do my best, she said. If she failed to retrieve the earthstone, the kingdom would be doomed. She was too young for this, she thought. Too unprepared. The Narlaw hadn’t been in Meridina for a hundred years, since they were banished by Queen Amina, the first and only Whisperer queen. No one had expected the demons to return.

As they reached the summit, a ragged line of elm trees came into view. Their branches clawed at one another and the grass beneath them was littered with leaves, autumn brown and tear-shaped. Ebony flew to perch on a low-hanging branch and pulled her wings in tight against her body, her feathers ruffling.

Dawn shivered as she peered down into the valley below. She saw the thatched peaks of several village buildings and a few patches of open ground. The rest of the valley was heavily wooded. Before the war, the morning air would have been alive with the sounds of people and animals, but now the valley was still and desolate.

Where did you see the demons? Dawn asked.

On the village green, said Ebony. They’ve been there for a while – longer than they’d need just to rest the horses.

You think they’re waiting for something? asked Dawn as she peered down at the village green. She could just about make out the tiny dark specks of the demons and their horses.

Perhaps, said Ebony. There could be more demons on their way from Altenheim.

Dawn stared hard at the group. Only the horses moved. The demons and their human accomplice were utterly still.

I think you’re right, Dawn said. They’re waiting. We have to go now. She squinted into the distance. Out there, only a few miles away, lay the rest of the Narlaw army. During the night, Ebony had flown ahead of Dawn and Loren and seen the fires raging near the city of Altenheim. She had reported back that the city itself had already been destroyed, and now the demons were marching towards Meridar. The war was escalating quickly. There were no soldiers between Altenheim and the capital, and no Whisperers either, which meant the Narlaw would march unchallenged.

Dawn looked up at Ebony and felt impatience surge through their bond.

Yes, Dawn repeated. Time to go.

When they returned to Loren, the horses were bowed over a stream, drinking, and Loren stood beside them, oiling her sword with careful strokes of a dark square of fabric. She looked up as Dawn and Ebony emerged from the trees.

“It’s time,” said Dawn, striding towards the copper-coloured mare that had carried her from Meridar.

Loren nodded. She was a woman of few words.

Dawn swung into the saddle and smoothed the mare’s silvery mane as Ebony settled back on to her shoulder. She rode beside Loren, telling the guard what she and Ebony had seen in the valley.

“The woods go right up to the edge of the village,” Dawn said, “so we should be able to approach under cover.” She glanced sideways at Loren. It felt wrong to be taking charge when Loren was older, wiser and definitely more battle-hardened.

But Loren nodded in agreement. “The woods will be loud in this wind,” she said. “It’ll help us take them by surprise.”

“We have to avoid a fight,” said Dawn, trying not to let her concern show. “I’ll banish the three Narlaw as quickly as I can, but I need you to tackle the man they’ve brought with them. He’ll be holding the earthstone.”

“You don’t have to worry about him,” said Loren. She patted the pommel of her sword then spat into the grass, showing what she thought of the traitor. “These demons,” she said, glancing at Dawn. “You can banish them all?”

Dawn felt her cheeks flush. “I think so,” she said. If all three demons attacked her at once, she didn’t know if she’d be able to cope. “It’s definitely possible,” she continued. “Other Whisperers have done it.”

Loren nodded respectfully. “I’ll help you however I can,” she said.

Dawn thanked her and they fell into silence as the horses carried them through the long grass of the hillside, down towards the valley road. She watched Loren from the corner of her eye. All she’d learned during their journey was that the guard was the daughter of a seamstress, raised in the narrow, pungent streets of west Meridar, and that she had fought in the battle of Altenheim, then stepped forwards to face the Narlaw again and again. Dawn wished she could be that brave. But, deep down, she knew that fearlessness wasn’t enough to save the kingdom now. Only the earthstone could do that and everyone was counting on Dawn to make that happen. She was the Palace Whisperer, a guardian of the wild. She had to do what she had been born to do.

Dawn peered ahead through the tangle of trees, twisting in her saddle to avoid the low, crooked branches as they went. The wind made a gushing noise in the treetops that reminded her of distant seashores.

Ebony had taken up position as scout, circling above the woodland as Dawn and Loren rode parallel to the dirt road that led to the village.

Tell me what you see, whispered Dawn.

Four horses on the village green, Ebony replied, packed and ready to go. There’s one demon and one man with them. I can see the other two demons at the far edge of the village.

Dawn felt a surge of adrenaline. A demon on its own would be much easier to banish. And Loren would have no trouble with the human traitor. They might even get away with the earthstone before the other demons realized what had happened.

Let me know if the other two start moving, said Dawn.

Don’t worry, said Ebony. I’ve got my eye on them.

Dawn kept her senses alert, scanning the woods and the road for any sign of Narlaw. Loren rode behind her, silently surveying the woods. Through the trees and across the road, Dawn spotted the first of the cottages: grey stone and a thatched roof. She reached across to the cottage with her senses and felt the rustle of mice in the thatch, but nothing else.

Dawn’s stomach fluttered with nerves as they drew level with the village green. She reined in her horse, still out of sight among the trees, and let Loren pull up beside her. The green was small, with an oak tree in one corner and cottages arranged in a short line on the far side. Halfway between Dawn and the cottages stood four horses, a man and a man-shaped demon.

“The one on the right is yours,” Dawn told Loren. The man was long-haired and unshaven. He wore a knee-length leather coat and stood uneasily with one hand on his horse’s saddle. Dawn studied the Narlaw that stood beside him. It had taken an old man’s form, with neat white hair and the smart clothing of a country landowner. It faced away from Dawn and the woods, completely motionless – she could feel the demon taint emanating from it.

Why had they stopped for so long? If Ebony’s suspicions were right, these demons were waiting for others, who were coming to secure the earthstone.

She turned to Loren. “We have to do this fast,” she said. “As soon as I’ve banished the first demon we ride for the traitor together.”

Loren nodded, drawing her sword.

Dawn closed her eyes and reached for the earth trance. Her senses immediately heightened and the woods around her seemed to burst with life. She felt the sharp taint of the demon on the green, too.

Now, thought Dawn. She pushed her senses out, rushing to embrace the demon. She felt it spin in panic as it realized the danger it was in.

“Go!” it ordered the man.

Dawn sensed the man leap on to his horse and felt Loren dart into motion beside her. But she had the demon. The earth flowed through her and she felt its power like a hot torrent in her veins. The demon didn’t stand a chance.

She opened her eyes and saw Loren galloping across the green in pursuit of the fleeing man. The demon was gone. Three horses stamped and spun in confusion. Dawn gripped the reins of her mare and charged out of the trees, but the traitor vanished on to the wood-lined road ahead. Loren swept out of view half a heartbeat behind him. Dawn stood in the stirrups, holding on tight. There were two more demons just around that bend.

Ebony swooped low over Dawn’s head. Dawn! she said. More demons on the Altenheim road. Thirty at least, and they’re heading this way!

Dawn suppressed a shudder of panic and dug her heels in, willing her mare to go faster. They left the green in a final swish of grass and thumped on to the packed dirt road. Ebony raced ahead of them in a blur of deepest black and Dawn struggled to regain the calm of the earth trance as she gripped the reins and peered ahead to the next bend in the road.

How long do we have? she asked Ebony. How close are the thirty?

But a horrific wail cut through Ebony’s reply. Dawn recognized the sound as a horse in distress – and it was followed by a human cry, too. Then the road curved and she thundered into a scene of total chaos.

Loren stood with her sword bared in the centre of the road. Blood trickled down her face and her horse thrashed on the ground where it had fallen beside her. Two demons stood – one in front and one behind her, their horses a short way down the road. Loren spun between the two demons with a snarl on her lips. Beyond them, the human traitor rode hard down a long, straight stretch of road.

Dawn closed her eyes and reached immediately for the demon beyond Loren. It had the form of a teenage boy, wiry and strong, and it lunged at Loren as she tried to dodge past. Dawn grasped the demon and felt sickness punch into her. She swayed in her saddle, pulling back on the reins and ignoring the second demon for the time being. The earth flooded through her and she channelled everything she could at the boy-demon.

Loren yelled as the demon reached her.

It landed one powerful strike and then was torn from the world.

Dawn opened her eyes and saw Loren scramble up and run for one of the demons’ horses. In an instant she was in the saddle and charging after the human traitor. Dawn nudged her mare into a canter, but before they could move something crashed into the side of them.

The mare spun, whinnying in terror.

Dawn looked down to see the second demon leaping up – a young woman’s face contorted in fury. The mare fled instinctively and the demon missed them by a finger’s breadth. Dawn glanced up the road and saw no sign of Loren or the traitor. She spun her horse and they kicked off into a flat run.

Ebony! she called. Stay close to Loren! Help her if you can!

I’m there! replied Ebony.

Dawn rode hard. She heard the mare’s breath rasp and knew this pace couldn’t last for long. Behind them, the final demon sprinted in pursuit. Dawn let the mare guide them along the road and she closed her eyes, re-entering the earth trance. This time banishment felt natural, like the swinging of a blade. The demon faltered and fell – Dawn didn’t need to look back to know that it was gone.

Dawn! came Ebony’s urgent cry. The other demons! They’re here!

I’m coming! cried Dawn.

She could sense from Ebony’s presence that there was only a hundred paces between them. As she reached further ahead she felt a wave of darkness – the pack of demons bearing down on them. Fear trembled inside her.

“Come on!” she shouted at her mare. They had to reach the traitor before the demons did.

The hills to either side fell away sharply as the dirt road carried Dawn out into a broad swathe of country where several valleys met. She saw Loren’s blue cloak flapping in the wind. She saw the traitor as a dark blur just ahead. And she saw the demons, on foot, spread across an approaching crossroads.

Dawn raced, but she knew she wouldn’t make it.

Seconds later the traitor reached the crossroads and merged with the Narlaw ranks.

Loren’s blue cloak vanished behind him.

“No!” Dawn shouted into the wind. She felt the earth flow through her as she entered a trance. She was open-eyed and furious but the wall of evil that met her made her recoil violently.

Where is she? she called to Ebony. Where’s Loren?

She’s got him! Ebony cried. She’s found the traitor! They’re right in the middle!

Dawn saw a blur of black dart across the sky. Don’t! she called to Ebony. Stay back! But Ebony ignored her, swooping towards the demons.

Dawn was close enough to see the demons’ grey eyes glowing. Fifty paces … forty … thirty…

A flash of blue appeared.

“Loren!” Dawn screamed. She saw the guard’s sword glint as it swung. She saw her stand, wrestling with the traitor as the demons clawed at her. She saw Ebony drop like a shadow between them.

Then Loren fell from her horse and was gone.

“No!” cried Dawn as she rode. She reached for the nearest demon, grasped it, fighting off the flood of sickness from the others. The earth surged and the demon flashed away to nothing. Dawn focused on the next.

Twenty paces … ten…

Dawn! cried Ebony. I have it!

Dawn broke from the trance. She looked up and saw Ebony twist into the air.

Stop! called Ebony. I’m coming to you.

Dawn reined in her mare, but the demons were already lurching towards her.

Ebony swooped down, landing awkwardly on the saddle front and Dawn grasped her companion close. Ebony shifted in Dawn’s arms, cawing in pain. A heavy strip of gold fell loose from her claws – the necklace. The earthstone. Dawn glanced down. Precious stones were set along the length of the necklace, each one the size of her thumbnail, green, blue and amber. She knew which was the earthstone instinctively. It lay in the centre – grey and cloudy like a stormy sky. She finally had it!

As soon as Dawn touched the stone her mind raced with its power. She didn’t pause to think. The demons were almost on them. She closed her eyes and let the earthstone guide her, reaching out and embracing the demons as they charged. Power flowed through her and she felt the stone in her hand like a burning-hot coal. Everything turned to brilliant white, the demons as specks of darkness. Their banishment barely registered. The earthstone drove them from the world as if they were nothing. Dawn clung to the earthstone until Ebony’s voice broke through.

They’re gone, whispered Ebony. They’re gone. You can stop.

Dawn let go of Ona’s necklace and it dropped, cold and heavy, into her lap. She swayed in the saddle, opening her eyes to a world that seemed to spin and tilt around her. Her body tingled as the last of the earthstone’s power ebbed away.

Ebony peered up at her from the front of the saddle. She sat crookedly, her left wing half-outstretched by her side. We did it, she said.

Dawn laid a hand gently on her companion’s back. Yes, she said, we did it. She ran her fingers over the smooth sheen of Ebony’s feathers and looked out over the crossroads. A pair of horses ran wild in the long grass, swerving at random, their reins hanging loose, but there were no demons left. The traitor was nowhere to be seen – gone into the woods, no doubt. Then, by the side of the road, she saw a blue cloak. It was Loren, lying flat on the ground, unmoving.