Page 115 of War Queen
Norah stopped abruptly by the wall of the tower. “You still don’t think it’s Alexander?”
He sighed.
“So all those heartfelt words of saying goodbye were a cart full of rubbish?”
“If it were Alexander, every word I said holds true. You can’t keep him, Salara.”
“I’m not trying to keep him!” she cried.
“Then what are you trying to do?”
The question left her speechless.
A noise in the distance caught her attention, and she turned toward it. She squinted and saw a large flock of birds flying toward the castle. Their multitudes created a giant swarm, twisting and floating through the painted sky.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Looks like a massive flock of starlings.”
There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. “It’s amazing,” she whispered, temporarily forgetting everything else in the moment.
The birds drew closer, and the collective sound of their wings grew louder. She stood mesmerized. The swarm moved as one, weaving in and out in a meticulously coordinated dance, like chaos through the halls of air but with beautiful purpose.
“Have you ever seen anything like it?”
Soren shook his head. “Farther south, but not this large.”
Suddenly, the flock swarmed downward, and Norah let out a sharp cry as they plummeted into the side walls of the tower above her and then fell to the ground from overhead. Carcasses poured down like rain. She dropped to her knees with her hands over her head, and Soren covered her. He held her tightly, protecting her from the falling creatures. The Crest swept around them, their shields up. The sickening blows of death rang out as the birds dropped down over top of them. Norah covered her ears to muffle the sound.
When the last bird had fallen, a haunting silence came. The Crest drew back, and Soren rose slowly, pulling Norah up with him. The guard stood in a circle around her, their swords out, but equally as confused as to what had just happened. She covered her mouth in horror as she looked at the dead birds blanketing the earth around them.
“Get inside,” Soren said to her as the Crest quickly made a path through the dead birds back to the entry hall.
Norah stumbled back to the castle in a daze. Inside, she let out a ragged breath, trying to keep herself calm. Caspian appeared beside her. Where had he come from?He was supposed to be in Mercia. But she couldn’t think straight right now.
“I saw what happened,” he said. “Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not all right!” she cried. She looked at Soren, who had followed her. “It’s him, I know it’s him.”
Soren’s brows drew together. “The Bear?”
She nodded, clutching her arms around her. “He’s angry.”
“Alexander?” Caspian asked, his face etched in confusion.
“Salara.” Soren reached out and clasped her arms, making her look at him. “Angry or no, the Bear would never do this. You know him. He had respect for life and all things. I don’t know what happened here, but whoever comes to you in these visions, if he is linked to this, it’s not the Bear. I need to tell Salar.”
She grabbed his hand. “No! Soren, no! Please!”
“You have to tell him what’s going on!”
“He’ll send me back to Mercia.”
“Queen Norah,” Caspian said, stepping forward. “Youhaveto come back to Mercia. It’s why I’m here.”
She stopped and stared at him. “What? Why?”
He hesitated a moment, then said, “It’s your grandmother. She’s sick. Very sick.”
