Larkspur Mittel: The Lark & Owl Trilogy

4 - A Tiny Golden Dart

Hero could not sleep that night. 

She had an idea of where the Owl Council was located, but she had never actually been there and was worried they would turn her away at the door. 

What excuse would she give them? Why would a poor lark girl need to go to the Owl Council? It was a political council made up of owl and lark scholars who debated the laws, and settled droll disputes.   

Nothing there for children, she thought. Only Citadel and north city larks ever visited the Owl Council, and her visit might draw attention.

Find Gaulus, he will help you.

Hero got up from her bed and looked out the open window, at the meandering line, the Ru River, which separated Wobash Cynders and the eastern district from the rest of the city. The streets which were once bustling day and night, were now completely empty because of the curfew, and only a few lamps were lit. A rat scuttled across the road from the potato field and down the banks to the river. 

Wobash Cynders or The Home for Lost Lark Children as some larks put it, was made of a somber grey stone, and stood next to the river, as it had once been a trading post along the silver route. Boer Mam ran the home with little help, just old Pushba, and some hired lark women. 

The children loved living there for the most part, but then some ran away. Boer Mam said they were not meant to be kept, that like their ancestors, they could not be caged. She only asked that those who stayed abide by the rules, and now by the new curfew.

Stupid curfew, thought Hero.

The curfew was meant to keep everyone safe in the event of a degul attack or so the King had recently declared. Larks grew weary in the dark, and were an especially easy prey, they said. The King had imposed the curfew only a month earlier, and nobody was used to it. They didn't need a curfew, they argued. There hadn't been a degul attack in fifty years!

In the middle of the night, Hero, as a lark should have been sound asleep. But sometimes the night drew her out, and she felt more wakeful, like an owl girl. 

It was confusing. She'd never said anything to Boer Mam or Adelmus about it, about how wakeful she felt at times when she ought to be asleep and the moon was out.

She closed the window and climbed back in to bed. 

She was not hungry at breakfast and picked at her food. Adelmus, Aggie and Ivan sat around eating and talking through the din of the one hundred or so children who ate every meal together in the Long Hall. There was chatter, laughter, the clink of spoons against bowls, and some crying. Hero was about to excuse herself, to try to sneak off quietly, when there was a commotion at the other end of the hall.

They turned and saw an extraordinary sight: A real bird, not a human lark or owl, was flying about the rafters in the hall. 

There were few birds in Larkspur Mittel, or anywhere else for that matter. To see a live one was a rare thing indeed.

Boer Mam stood up, clenched her fists and rushed into the kitchen. 

"She must think it a bad omen or something!" Adelmus laughed.

The bird was a fat, black crow. It flew in circles, over one table, and then the next, as though searching for food or prey. The children screamed, laughed, and pointed. 

"What is it doing?" 

"It's probably hungry!" 

Someone threw a bread roll up but the bird darted away.  Some of the smaller children stood on their benches. They jumped up and down, waved their arms in the air, and called out to the bird to come to them.

The crow flew from table to table, circling the children. Finally, it soared up to a ceiling beam where it sat and rested for a moment. The children meanwhile clamored for its attention, and called out to the bird which seemed immune to their noise. The creature peered down, scanning the hall, until it stopped, and remained quite still. 

The bird's eyes were fixed upon one person, and did not move.

"Blazing mitteldrolls, it's looking at you Hero!" Adelmus cried.

It fell in a swooping but straight line directly towards Hero. She was so mesmerized by the opening of its wings and the grace of the creature in midair, that she only ducked at the very last minute.

"What the-" She cried, looking around wildly, clutching her satchel strap. Some of the children ran from the Long Hall crying, though many of them watched silently as the crow circled, and made another dive at Hero. 

"There is something on its chest!" Ivan pointed. 

They looked up and saw a flash of gold as it dove again.

"Look out!" Adelmus pulled Hero away. The four of them scrambled under their table, while the rest of the children started to scream, and ran for the doors at the other end of the Long Hall. 

"We've got to get out," Hero said, watching as the bird rose and circled again. 

The hall emptied quickly. The crow flew towards the doors as the last children ran out. But instead of leaving the hall, it turned, and flew back over the tables, as though surveying the space. 

"The kitchen door," Aggie whispered, watching as the bird flew up and landed on a beam again. The creature scanned the room, its head moving sharply back and forth.

 The distance between their table and the kitchen door was more than ten long strides, with no protection on either side. There were no tables to hide under, or barrier to keep them safe. But it was their only chance. It was the nearest exit. 

"On the count of three then," Hero said, clutching her satchel strap again, watching as the bird went up and prepared to dive again.

"One... two... three!"

They pushed the bench away, toppling it over with a big crash, and started to run. The crow alighted immediately, and fell straight towards them, its wings spread wide. Hero heard the woosh of an arrow fly by, and then saw Boer Mam in front of them, the kitchen door swinging behind her. She pulled a second arrow hidden in her sleeve, and reloaded her sligshot again quickly. 

The children sprinted forward and were just a few steps away.

"No!!" Adelmus yelled. He'd turned and saw that the crow was at Hero's shoulder. 

He shoved her to the ground, while Aggie put her small hands out to try to stop the bird somehow.

Boer Mam aimed carefully, and pulled back on the sling shot again. Her arrow flew straight into the crow's head.

But it was too late. A tiny, golden dart had emerged from the crow's chest, and flew straight into Aggie's neck. 

The crow landed on the ground with a loud thump behind them, while Aggie collapsed into her brother's arms.

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A clocker-crow- this actually came to me in a dream! Does that ever happen to you with your stories? I hope you found this chapter compelling enough to want to read on- would love to know what you think.

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