Crown of Daelin

Chapter 11: We Ruffle Up Some Feathers

I was relieved when the entire rest of the day went without complications such as crazed weasels or vampires with anger issues. The next morning followed the previous day's example until we arrived at Crow's Peak. The dense trees before us loomed high into the sky. There were hundreds of shady pines that stretched on and on and I could see why crows liked this place. Secluded, high up, branches upon branches to make nests on, it was the perfect place to make a home. That is, if you were a bird. Not so much for anyone else though. The forest was dark and menacing, and I could already hear their cries, daring us to come closer. With quick observation you could see that there was only one way through. Zigzaging between the trees was a deserted path that had almost become nonexistent because of the bushes that had invaded upon it over the years. A chill went down my spine as I saw that just to the right of the path there was a rundown cottage. The small windows were broken, the inside of the house was dark, and frayed canary-colored curtains swayed gently in the breeze. I felt as if we were being watched, as if we were not alone. As I turned my head away from the cottage, I could have sworn I saw a dark shape move from behind one of the curtains. I looked back again and saw nothing, so I cautiously turned my attention back to the path ahead of us.

After we made a large berth through the brush in order to avoid the cottage, I hoped that the uneasiness would subside. Unfortunately, we had no such luck. The further we ventured, the louder and more frequent the cawing became. Every now and then we would see a rustling in the trees, or the flash of black wings as one of them took flight. There seemed to be nothing else that took breath in this place other than the many owners of the beady ebony eyes that stared down at us from high anove. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but many of these birds seemed quite larger than the average crow. But maybe my gauge of 'average' had been thrown off quite a bit, considering how many strange creatures I had witnessed in the past several days.

The trees seemed to go on forever, blocking out the rays of sun that failed to illuminate the thick underbrush. None of us talked; there was nothing to say. The impenetrable stares and increasing cries of the birds made our silence almost necessary, for they reminded us that the crows would be listening too. I brought my jacket closer around me, wanting to block out the thousands of eyes that stared accusingly at me. They seemed to be wondering why our company had dared to enter their territory. Suddenly, a twig snapped behind us. I whirled around, only to find nothing but the shadows and dense vegetation. Perhaps I had imagined it, but I wasn't so sure. Everyone else seemed to have heard it as well. Zoe shrugged, and Leofrick nodded his head in an irritable fashion, telling us to continue. And so we did. I kept one hand close to Meuyola as we rode forward, ready for whatever might happen, anxious as I waited for something to go wrong. Our pace was slow but sure, the cries becoming ever more constant. Suddenly it was as if a barrier had broken loose, and a wave of sound came bursting in around us. Louder and louder, no rhythm, no pattern, yet all at once. Our horses began to go wild, rearing up in protest and fright. It took all of my strength to keep Eurydice from bolting, but even so it was difficult to keep restraining her while the screaming caws continued. Hundreds and hundreds of caws, vibrating inside of my skull. Again and again, all around me, every direction. I could see that Adam was yelling something, but I couldn't make it out. It was only the caws. I tried to yell back, but I couldn't even hear my own voice; it was drowned in the chorus of horrid screams. I could feel my ear drums ringing in protest as they almost reached the breaking point. Louder and louder, I put may hands up to my ears in an attempt to block out the sound. Louder and louder, to a decibel I had thought nearly impossible. Then...silence.

Silence, not a breath, nor caw, nor whisper of the wind. It was all that I had wished for just a few moments ago, when all I could do was to attempt to get the cries out of my head. I looked around to see that all of the crows had disappeared. That was... odd. I looked to my friends, and they were just as bewildered as I. I knew that I would be a fool to believe that it was over, though. Leofrick rode out ahead of the company and looked up at what lay in front of us. I looked to where his eyes were, and for the first time I saw the immense oak that towered in front of us, and I knew it had to have been there the whole time. But I guess that a person isn't necessarily going to study their surroundings when they're using up all of their concentration to prevent their eardrums from exploding. We rode up closer to the gigantic tree that seemed to dwarf the others in its shear enormity. I looked up into the the canopy above us that was woven of giant branches and dark green leaves. One look and I knew that this had to be the tree in my dream.