The Ark of Dun Ruah, Book 1 Page 6

  Kerry tried to climb onto the table. She whimpered in pain.

  ‘I think I’ve twisted my ankle.’

  ‘Take my hand.’

  She took Simon’s hand and tried to climb up to the window ledge beside him.

  ‘It’s no use Simon. My ankle is killing me. I can’t climb up. The place is probably crawling with guards and it won’t be long before they’d catch up with me out there. You’ll have a better chance of making it to the trees on your own.’

  ‘I can’t leave you here alone,’ said Simon.

  ‘But I should be safe in here. I don’t think the eagles can come into this room. The doorway looks too narrow. Remember Grinwick saying the eagles hate enclosed spaces? And I now know that Pod is somewhere down that dark passage where we saw the eagle. It must lead to the dungeons. I want to stay near him. When things quieten down, I’ll go and look for him again. You go and get help.’

  ‘I’ll have a look outside,’ said Simon, ‘to see if the coast is clear. Then I’ll be straight back to get you out. I’ll carry you if I have to.’

  ‘No, Simon, I’d only slow you down,’ said Kerry. ‘You’ve got to get help. Find some of the islanders and raise the alarm. It’s our only chance.’

  ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ said Simon. ‘I promise you Red Beak won’t get away with what he is doing on this island. Kerry, you’ve got to be brave. Stay in this room and I’ll be back for you as soon as it’s safe. And here, take these. You will need them if you go looking for Pod.’

  Simon produced a large box of matches from the depths of one of his pockets. He placed them in Kerry’s hands.

  ‘Remember, the green ones are for fire and the white ones for light. Eagles hate fire. So if you meet one, be sure to use the matches. Hide them in your jacket.’

  ‘Don’t be long,’ said Kerry.

  She watched Simon’s legs disappear through the window. The cries of eagles rose in the distance. The light coming from the window faded as the skies darkened.

  A sharp hissing startled Kerry. She had a horrible feeling that she wasn’t alone in the room. She looked around at the bare walls. The room seemed empty. But she could feel something breathing close to her skin. She edged towards the tapestry. The hissing started again. It was louder now and seemed to be coming from the ceiling. Kerry trembled. She felt she was trapped in a room with some horrible creature. She pulled back the tapestry and limped out into the corridor. A hideous cackle broke out above her. She looked upwards and found herself staring straight into two piercing red eyes. They bored right through her insides, chilling her to the bone. Then she saw the long, protruding red beak, which curved into a mean-looking hook. She screamed in horror but then the eagle leaned his long neck forward and gave a deep and menacing sneer.

  ‘So you thought you could hide from me, did you? Nothing escapes Great Red Beak, King of the Eagles.’

  The creature was at least four feet tall with grey and gold feathers. His breast was a paler shade of grey tinged with red flecks. Huge yellow claws curled around the ledge above the doorway. On one of his claws he wore a ring with a large dazzling sapphire. ‘You and your brother have been prowling around my palace,’ snarled Red Beak. ‘Did you think you’d get away with that? Nothing, absolutely nothing, goes on in my palace without my knowing it, do you hear?’

  The eagle’s red eyes bored through her. Kerry retreated towards the tapestry. She looked back at the tiny room searching for a way out, but a strong eagle guard stood behind her and barred her way.

  ‘Don’t even think about escaping. My guards have you surrounded. There’s no way out for you. And that brother of yours won’t get far either. My guards are after him. You are all alone on my island without a hope of escape. And tears will do you no good. I have absolutely no sympathy for emotional outbursts!’

  ‘You won’t get away with this,’ said Kerry, finding her voice in her rage against the monster that ranted before her. She could feel his cold breath on her face.

  He fluffed up his feathers.

  ‘You try to sound brave but I can see through you. And I know you have come all this way to look for your friend, the Blue Owl. Well, he’s safely locked up in an iron cage, which has been welded shut and cannot be opened. I think he’s feeling a bit lonely. I want him to be happy so he’ll produce a beautiful crop of feathers for me. So I’m going to put you into another iron cage beside him in the dungeons, to keep him company. As you can see, this has worked out perfectly for me as, of course, everything does.’

  ‘Don’t be so sure,’ interrupted Kerry, her angry eyes flashing at the eagle. A new fire in her heart gave her the courage to tackle him. ‘My friends know I am here on Eyrie Island. They’ll come looking for me.’

  Red Beak gave her an icy glare.

  ‘You don’t know what you are dealing with, you stupid child. Guards, seize her. Take her and lock her up in the dungeons.’

  By now a flock of twenty eagles had surrounded Kerry and one of them grabbed her shoulders in his long claws. Swiftly he lifted her up into the air. They flew down a long corridor and through a maze of passages. Finally, they arrived in the dungeons.

  Pod let out a loud hoot when he saw Kerry. He flew at the bars of his cage trying to break free. To Kerry’s relief, the Blue Owl was still in one piece. His full coat of feathers seemed to be intact.

  They flung Kerry into a cage beside him. Then one of the guards produced a blow torch. He sealed the cage door shut and checked that it was secure. The flock departed the dungeon, slamming its great wooden door behind them. Kerry heard the key turn in the lock.

  CHAPTER 9

  Simon goes Underground

  Simon climbed through the Abbey window into the bright sunshine. He stood transfixed as he gazed at the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. A wide pathway of shimmering white pebbles led to silver gates in the distance. Flowers of red and yellow lined the pathway. On either side, cascading fountains plunged into large blue ponds. The perimeter of the garden was planted with trees and shrubs, which ran up to the great walls of the Abbey.

  A loud cackling sound rose from inside the Abbey behind him. He turned to see the door of the Abbey burst open. Dozens of eagles soared up into the sky. Simon knew they were looking for him. He searched for somewhere to hide. Running towards the trees, he spotted a gate in the Abbey wall and got through it. Before him, there stretched dense woodlands.

  The screaming cries of flocks of eagles were getting louder. Simon looked back to see a dark cloud of eagles flying over the Abbey wall. They were making straight for him through the trees.

  ‘I’ve got to find cover,’ he muttered as he searched for someplace to hide.

  Simon ran for the undergrowth. He knew that the eagles had seen him and were closing in. If he was caught there would be no hope for Kerry and Pod. They would all be trapped in the Abbey and be at the mercy of Red Beak and his minions. Simon sensed that the woods behind him were thick with eagle flocks hunting him down. They were closing in fast.

  ‘There he is,’ he heard an eagle cry. There was no escape. Desperately, he plunged deeper into the undergrowth. Then the ground gave way. He fell.

  ‘Wooooaaaaa …’

  Down, down, down. Simon fell through a deep, dark hole in the ground. On and on he went until he realised that his body was touching the sides of a steep shaft. Careering downwards at top speed, his heart raced. The sides of the shaft were smooth and he sped onwards deep into the earth. Then he landed with a heavy thump on what felt like a soft bed of leaves. He sat for a moment in total darkness wondering if he was dead or alive. A gentle breeze cooled his face and the faint sound of trickling water stirred him to life. Simon reached inside his jacket and rooted around for one of his many boxes of matches. He fished out a long, narrow match and struck it. To his relief it flared into a bright beam of light. He looked around and gasped.

  ‘It’s a labyrinth of caves!’

  Simon stared in amazement at the glistening walls that surrounded him
. He could see little waterfalls cascading down one end of the cave while the gnarled roots of old trees twisted around the other walls in interwoven patterns. The waterfalls flowed into a pond, which joined a stream and disappeared into an enormous white marbled archway leading on to other caverns beyond. Simon got to his feet and started following the stream. He went through the arch and on into a lofty chamber of sheer white marble, keeping to a narrow ledge just above the water level. Many other caves and passages branched off this one.

  ‘If I stay beside the stream,’ Simon reasoned, ‘it will lead me towards the sea, where I can try to find help.’

  The stream gradually grew wider and the ledge he trod on became narrower. He was afraid that the ledge would become too narrow to balance on and that he would have to turn away from the watercourse.

  Suddenly, he came upon a boat. It was sitting on a tiny ledge that appeared just below the ledge he walked on. The boat was old, with the paint falling off but it looked intact. Simon jumped down to the lower ledge and hauled the little boat into the water, testing it for any sign of leaks. It had no oars and there were none to be found anywhere around it. But it looked dry and solid. He stepped into the boat and let it drift down the stream.

  As the boat moved forward the stream broadened into a river. Other streams fed it from adjoining channels and it began to pick up speed. In the distance he became aware of a gurgling sound and a loud swishing of water. The boat moved swiftly as a current began to gather. Before he could think of a way to steer it to safety the boat was in the centre of the rushing current.

  ‘It’s out of control,’ Simon gasped. ‘I’ve got to hang on to this boat or I’m done for. And I’ll do it if it takes every ounce of strength I’ve got left!’

  The boat rushed on down a long, narrow tunnel and through more caves. The roar of water was almost deafening as it plunged through a huge circular cave. To his horror, Simon saw that the boat was skirting around the edge of a whirlpool.

  ‘Help, someone help me!’ Simon shouted over the noise of the rushing water.

  He was swirling around the whirlpool faster now and getting dangerously close to the centre. He knew that when he hit the eye of the whirlpool the boat would be pulled under with the strength of the current. Simon realised he was now in serious trouble. The boat was falling apart. Bits of painted wood flew everywhere.

  Simon felt his legs being pulled down as the water sucked him under. He was dragged underwater with the torrential current until he felt himself being flung to the bottom of the pool. He had a terrible urge to breathe but he held on, dying for air and hoping that he would be released from the great surge of water. Just when he thought he couldn’t bear it any longer, his body rose to the surface and he gasped for air.

  ‘Oh my God,’ he roared.

  He was quickly pulled down again with another rushing current. The second time he came up he sensed that the water was flowing less urgently. He kept his head above water for several breaths.

  He was approaching a low archway in the tunnel. Quickly he dived underwater and when he came up he saw another arch straight ahead. He took one deep breath before ducking again. When he surfaced, he saw a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The roar of tumbling water was deafening. He knew that there must be a huge waterfall ahead.

  Again Simon felt the tug of the current as it picked up speed. Dazzling shafts of light blinded his eyes. The end of the tunnel was in sight.

  The roaring waterfall grew even louder. It was unbearable. Over the edge he sailed into dazzling light going into free fall with thousands of tons of water plummeting down behind him.

  CHAPTER 10

  Pod’s Story

  Red Beak’s guards flew off leaving Kerry alone with Pod in the dungeon. A single candle lit the grey stone walls that glistened with dampness. The cell was a small, musty room with a sturdy wooden door. Clumps of straw were scattered around the floor. Sitting in her large, iron cage, Kerry waited for the sounds of the eagles to fade away. Pod stared at her with his huge, unblinking amber eyes. His breathing was laboured. And his thick crop of royal-blue feathers were standing on end.

  ‘Oh, Pod. Thank God you’re alive,’ she whispered. ‘Did they hurt you?’

  ‘Hurt me?’ said Pod. ‘Those eagles have been torturing me all day with their mind games and their evil injections. I’ve got a terrible headache and my body is aching all over. But how on earth did you find me here?’

  Kerry told Pod about how she, Simon and the swiftails had searched the ship for him. She told him about finding the rubbish chute and the chapel in the depths of the ship, about meeting Grinwick and him carrying them across the sea to the Abbey. Then she asked Pod to tell his story.

  ‘When I left you in the dining cabin this morning,’ he said, ‘I went off to find something to eat for my breakfast. I hunted over the entire Ark of Dun Ruah for a rat or a mouse but I couldn’t find a bite to eat. It’s a very strange ship. All the lower decks were closed off. Even the portholes were locked. Then I got so hungry that I flew out over the seawaters and scooped a few sardines out of the waves. Of course, I was exhausted after being up all night listening to those eerie voices calling from the sea and trying not to fall under their spell. I guessed that the sea was enchanted and I wanted to come back to warn you about it. But I could see that you were still having your breakfast in the dining cabin. I saw Timmy and Dot flying high over the waves. Just looking at them made me feel exhausted and I got a terrible urge to fall asleep.’

  ‘Yes, I heard those voices too,’ said Kerry. ‘I was dreaming all night about voices coming from the sea, about Simon getting lost and meeting the evil Eagle King. The awful thing is that most of it has come true. Did they abduct you when you fell asleep then?’

  ‘Well, I looked around for a safe place to have a little nap and I found a porthole low down on the ship’s side. It had a very deep ledge, which kept me shaded from the sun and was very private. So I decided to have a quick snooze with one eye open, like this.’

  Pod paused to tilt his head to one side. He closed one of his large amber eyes. Then he let out a long snore.

  ‘Pod, are you awake?’ Kerry asked. ‘Pod, wake up!’

  ‘What? Oh where was I?’ he said, opening his second eye with some effort.

  ‘You said that you fell asleep in the porthole.’

  ‘I know. Well, when I woke up there was a large swell in the sea and the ship was tossing. The waters became choppy and the waves were beating dang erously close to my ledge. I tried to fly out of my porthole without being lashed by the breakers but I lost my balance and went tumbling down into the water. It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to spread my wings. Then a huge wave hit me hard and dragged me underwater. The blow stunned me so much that I couldn’t see straight. Then another wave pulled me way out to sea and far away from the ship. I tried to get out of the water but showers of sea spray and foam swirled over me and then a heavy mist came down. I lost sight of the Ark of Dun Ruah. It was then that I really started to panic.’

  ‘It’s not like you to fall asleep like that, Pod. You must have been exhausted.’

  ‘I was. And it took a huge effort to gather my wits about me. Eventually, I managed to take flight. I tried to find a way to fly out of the mist but it was dark and thick. The more I tried to get out of the mist the more disorientated I became. I was terrified out there all alone above the whispering waters.’

  ‘Poor Pod,’ said Kerry. ‘You must have lost your sense of direction.’

  ‘We owls are experts at finding our way in the dark, but all my navigational instincts deserted me out there on the enchanted seas. There must be a terrible curse on those waters. It confused me so much that I guess I was flying around in circles. But after what seemed like ages the mist cleared a little and I saw a group of Giant Eagles above me. They looked very like the same Giant Eagles that were stalking me in Kilbeggin. Before I could get away they descended into my flight path and surrounded me. They didn’t att
ack but they kept staring at me and asking me questions, moving closer and closer.’

  ‘You must have been terrified.’

  ‘I was so desperate that I answered all their questions. I told them I was lost and was looking for my way back to the Ark of Dun Ruah. The eagles whispered among themselves and then one of them said, “It just so happens that we are looking for the Ark of Dun Ruah ourselves. You can follow us.” So I followed those eagles for a very long time. And I was sure that they were the same eagles who had been pestering me in Kilbeggin. I knew that they were leading me in the wrong direction but what choice had I but to follow them? They had me surrounded.’

  ‘So they led you here.’

  ‘Well, I tried to make a getaway first. I noticed that every now and then the eagles left me unguarded and grouped together to have a chat among themselves. During one of their conflabs I took the opportunity to escape by shooting upwards into the heavens as fast as I could soar. But they were on my tail straight away. Eagles are good at high altitudes. The leader of the flock seized me by the neck, with his long claws and the rest of the eagles closed in tight around me. They dragged me across the sea to the coast of this island. We flew over high cliffs and forests until we reached the foothills of the two peaks. Then I saw the Abbey below us. We entered it and flew through a maze of corridors and passages until they dumped me here in this awful dungeon.’

  ‘Did you meet Red Beak himself?’ Kerry asked.

  ‘Yes. After a few hours the guards came to tell me that their King wished to meet me. I was escorted to the Great Eagle’s private chambers. When he arrived he was surrounded by a bunch of tough-looking bodyguards. By that time I was so shattered that I couldn’t speak.’

  ‘Oh, Pod,’ said Kerry. ‘What did you think of him?’

  ‘I think he looks more like a vulture than a Giant Eagle,’ said Pod. ‘He got his bodyguards to drag me onto a high perch in the centre of the room and then he circled around me examining my feathers. All the time he made horrible hissing sounds and his hooded red beady eyes almost burned through my body. Then he spoke to me. “You have very unusual feathers,” said he, “My wife, Kiki, will carry out another examination on you in the morning. I’m sure she will be quite satisfied with them.” He put me under the charge of his chief bodyguard, Roddick, and left. After that, Roddick and the guards started pushing me around. They forced me back up on the high perch and started poking me with their sharp claws. I was shaking so badly that I got a dose of the hiccups and toppled off. They all laughed and teased me as I fluttered around trying to regain my balance. Then I lost my temper.