Shadowcry - By Jenna Burtenshaw Page 0,86
to stepped galleries of wooden seats surrounding a sunken circle of stone. A huge bonfire was burning at one side of the circle, most of the seats were full, and the whole plaza rippled with noise as people began cheering and clapping at a line of polished black carriages that rolled into the circle through a pair of high arched doors. Kate remembered the vision of Da’ru she had seen in the council tower and knew that this was the night she had seen. The Night of Souls. It was actually happening.
“Time to go,” said Silas, clipping the silver chain back on to Kate’s wrist.
“This wasn’t what we agreed!” she said.
“You are my prisoner, exactly as we agreed,” said Silas. “Now walk.”
Kate heard four thuds as wardens closed heavy wooden doors across the mouths of the entrance tunnels. The stairways between the galleries were packed with people trying to find a seat before whatever was about to happen began. Silas forced a path through them, pulling Kate along so fast that Edgar was soon left behind, his face lost among a sea of strangers.
Down in the circle, the carriages’ passengers stepped out into the open air and twelve of the councilmen took their seats near the center, surrounded by twice as many of their own personal guards. The thirteenth council member, Da’ru, walked over to a large stone table, ready to address the crowd, and anyone who was still on the stairs stopped where they were to listen to what she had to say.
“Once again, we are together,” she said, her voice carrying powerfully around the square as firelight reflected from a glass locket at her throat. “The war goes on, both outside our borders and now within, as those upon the Continent continue to challenge us for what is rightly ours. Our people fight to protect us, to defend our lives and preserve our history, but as we, the inhabitants of this ancient city, know only too well, no victory can be achieved without sacrifice.”
Silas and Kate came up against a tight group of people blocking their way. Da’ru signaled to her carriage and Tom climbed out, carrying a cage with a large bird flapping angrily inside.
“Those upon the Continent think they can defeat us,” said Da’ru. “But they have not yet seen our true strength. Our ancestors are always by our side. They guide us and watch us from a place beyond the veil. Once a year we ask them to reveal themselves, to lead us forward and show us our path. Tonight, I call upon them to honor us. To show us that they are here. To prove to us that Albion does not fight alone!”
Cheers exploded around the square. Many people stood up, and the few who had brought drums beat them to a rousing rhythm that grew faster as Da’ru thrust her hand inside the cage and pulled the bird out by its neck. It pecked and scratched, cutting her arm, but Da’ru took no notice. The councilmen watched as she pinned the flapping bird against the tabletop and held a shining glass dagger high above her head.
“Move!” demanded Silas, forcing his way through the crowd.
That was his bird! His crow!
“By the rite of black feather and red blood, I call to the ancestors. We are here. We are waiting. Show yourselves to us!” Da’ru brought the blade down and plunged it into the struggling bird’s chest; with one last weak flap of its wings, it was dead.
The crowd fell silent. The drums slowed to a deep low beat, and Da’ru held the crow’s limp body up for all to see. A drop of blood fell onto her necklace, and the bonfire flared suddenly in a gust of strong wind. The flames rose, died a little, and then rose again. It must have happened a hundred times since the fire had been lit, but the crowd cheered again even louder than before, taking it as a sign that their ancestors had answered Da’ru’s call.
“The proof is given!” she shouted. “We are protected!”
“Councilwoman Da’ru!” Silas’s voice thundered over the sounds of celebration as he reached the edge of the circle. Wardens closed in around him, but Da’ru, noticing that he had a prisoner, signaled for them to move away.
“Let him through,” she said.
People in the lowest seats fell quiet immediately and frightened whispers spread swiftly around the square. Every one of them knew the face and deeds of Silas Dane.
Kate followed Silas into the circle, and