Part 2 (1/2)

”Your Majesty!” Kawaka said, agitated. ”I must mention the most important of my gifts to you! Look at this.”

He opened the wooden chest that he had been holding. His hopes for making the last piece of tribute the best that the emperor owned had been dashed by the news from his brother, and it was all he could do to stop his teeth from gnas.h.i.+ng.

”Oh!” all the scholars cried. The chief strode forward. ”Is this what I think it is?”

Heads tipped forward at the glowing yellow stone nestled in the box. 013-Unidentified craned his neck to see as well.

”Your Majesty, the former knight Maldeor went miles out of the Plains territory to find a Leasorn gem that is orange, and now my dear brother Sir Rattle-bones has crossed an entire ocean to find the Leasorn gemstone that is red. But I”-Kawaka allowed himself a humble bow-”a mere regional knight, have searched in Your Majesty's own blessed territory and have found this beautiful yellow Leasorn.”

As proof, Kawaka flipped the gemstone over gingerly, and a facet with carvings was revealed. The chief scholar placed a small piece of fine birch bark over the stone, took out a tiny stick of charcoal, and traced the strange script on it. 013-Unidentified could see the lines clearly as the scholar held the bark up to the light, but the odd marks meant nothing to him.

”Indeed, indeed, Your Majesty,” said the chief scholar. ”I do not recognize this script at all. Very strange, very strange indeed. I must study this further.”

”Two Leasorn gems!” Hungrias fanned his wings happily. ”What a year for tribute this has been! We must celebrate. Tell the cooks to prepare a special meal. Oh, yes”-he pointed a wing at 013-Unidentified-”we shall see what this one tastes like tonight! Be sure he is still alive when he is placed on the spit. It improves the flavor so much.” Leasorn gems!” Hungrias fanned his wings happily. ”What a year for tribute this has been! We must celebrate. Tell the cooks to prepare a special meal. Oh, yes”-he pointed a wing at 013-Unidentified-”we shall see what this one tastes like tonight! Be sure he is still alive when he is placed on the spit. It improves the flavor so much.”

Dozens of pairs of hungry eyes fastened upon him as 013-Unidentified was dragged off to the kitchen, where he was lashed to a metal pole over a fire. Slaves, turning their faces aside, slowly rotated the spit as flames crackled eagerly.

013-Unidentified fainted from the heat.

A righteous heart can beam a light in the darkest place.-FROM THE O OLD S SCRIPTURE

3.

CHOICE.

Gradually 013-Unidentified became aware that a raven was clacking his beak loudly. ”Come,” the raven rasped, beckoning. ”Come, you don't want to be late.”

”No!” 013-Unidentified whispered. For some reason, he didn't want to go anywhere with this stranger.

”Come,” the bird insisted. ”I've been ordered to bring you, and bring you I must. But if you ask, I must bring you back again. Those are the laws I obey.”

Out sprang a claw that clasped around the white bird's neck. He gasped. His conscious soul was being lifted out of his body! The raven flew out of the kitchen. n.o.bird seemed to notice. 013-Unidentified turned back to look, and saw his body still on the fire.

”Where are we going?” he asked the raven, choking.

”To Yin Soul.”

They flew over an endless stretch of gray, an angry ocean beneath them. It seemed only minutes before the raven dropped 013-Unidentified. He landed before he could open his wings.

He was in a small red room, the walls lined with looming bookshelves. On the far side was the red frame of a fireplace, surrounded with red incense and sputtering red candles. The sharp cinnamon perfume they gave off stung his eyes.

”h.e.l.lo, dear 013-Unidentified.” The youngster jumped at the sudden words; they were whispery and thin. A scaly creature in a broad red manteau nodded slightly as he scuttled from behind a pile of books. He looked a lot like an archaeopteryx, except he was larger and had four wings. ”I am Yin Soul. Come here, young one, and perch beside me.”

013-Unidentified obeyed in a dreamlike trance. The carpet underfoot, woven with a design like red and yellow flames, felt so plush.

”I do feel very sorry for you.” The creature's eyes softened with what looked like a fatherly fondness. ”You were going to die. They wanted to cook and eat you; how cruel! But now you're here. You want to live, surely? Everybird Everybird wants to live!” Yin studied 013-Unidentified. He began again, quietly. ”I like your spirit. Facing the reality bravely. But don't you want to fight your enemies? Don't you want to steer the flight of your life? I can save you from that fire. You'd be free.” wants to live!” Yin studied 013-Unidentified. He began again, quietly. ”I like your spirit. Facing the reality bravely. But don't you want to fight your enemies? Don't you want to steer the flight of your life? I can save you from that fire. You'd be free.”

013-Unidentified gaped. ”Free! I-”

Yin Soul's eyes bore into 013-Unidentified's. ”But being free is not enough. You know that your enemies deserve to be punished. They deserve to be punished for causing you pain, for every injustice, for every feather they tore loose. Some even deserve death! I know a way for that. Hero's Day is the day of the fifth full moon in a year and a half. You know the legends about a magical sword that can be found at Kauria, the Island of Paradise. If you find the sword on that particular day, you will have power over all your enemies. Then you can do what your heart tells you to do! All you must do is agree to swallow my essence.”

After a silence, Yin glanced into the distance and sighed. ”I am like you. I know how it feels. Truly.” He smiled sadly at 013-Unidentified.

”Why do you want me to swallow your essence?” the white bird asked at last.

Yin Soul closed his eyes. ”Then I would be able to guide you from inside your body.”

013-Unidentified peered at Yin Soul, confused. Suppose, just suppose it was real. Then his troubles would probably end here and now, but...was his conscience telling him no? Was it the same thing that had made him say his long-ago name, Wind-voice, instead of 013-Unidentified when he spoke to the woodp.e.c.k.e.r captive, Ewingerale?

You are Wind-voice, not 013-Unidentified, a voice deep inside him said. a voice deep inside him said. Think like Wind-voice. Think like Wind-voice.

For a split second, everything in the room changed. Red blurred to gray. The flames went out; the candles were pools of wax. The cinnamon scents of incense soured into those of spoiled fish.

The old, kind bird was transformed. The eyelids were gone, and Wind-voice could see his eyeb.a.l.l.s, dark yellow as rotten plums. The gentle chuckles of Yin Soul changed to a dreadful sound, as if somebird was vomiting. This was what Yin Soul was truly like. The feathers on Wind-voice's nape rose and he gulped. He was chilled with fear. It was suddenly very cold.

The next second everything returned to the way it had been.

”013-Unidentified, will you agree?”

Wind-voice didn't dare to look into Yin Soul's face, but he knew what he wanted to say. ”No. Take me back! I want to go back.” He rose and looked around. He saw the raven who had brought him here lurking behind a bookcase and stepped toward him. ”Take me back to the archaeopteryxes.”

”You cannot,” Yin Soul taunted. With a whirl of his wings, the shadows of ghostly birds, screeching unearthly sounds, appeared out of nowhere and moved swiftly toward Wind-voice. ”You cannot. It is against your instincts to go willingly to your death. Come to me!”

But Wind-voice knew-he had seen, in that brief moment of true sight-that Yin Soul's apparent kindness could not be trusted. Whatever he offered, whatever he planned, Wind-voice knew he wanted no part of it-even if the other choice was death.

Wind-voice faced the raven. ”No! I want to go back! You said you must take me back!

”I don't think so. Stay.” Yin Soul rose as well and reached out a rootlike, quivering claw.

Wind-voice flung a red blanket at Yin Soul. Then he grabbed hold of the raven's feet and shouted, ”Fly!” The raven cawed in surprise. The mangy bird dragged Wind-voice into the air as Yin Soul yelled below them, ”Soon you'll wish you had listened to me!” The ghost birds wailed along with their master. Wind-voice didn't see Yin Soul shaking his balled claws, didn't hear him whisper, ”At least there is the other one.”

Wind-voice closed his eyes tightly and could hear only the beat of the raven's wings, which soon turned into the crackling of wood.

To his horror, he could smell salt and pepper on his body. Had it all been a dream? Coughing, he opened his eyes. His smothered skin was flushed to a reddish pink, and his lungs felt as if they had collapsed. He was still over the fire. Tears burst into his eyes as sparks leaped up and scorched him. But the tears quickly evaporated in the heat.

Wind-voice realized that there wasn't much smoke around him. But the smoke had to go out somewhere. Craning his neck, he squinted at the ceiling above. Cold air blew through a jagged hole. He looked around. No archaeopteryxes cared to be near the heat of the fire. The fire tenders were all away on errands for the cook at the moment. He peered down into the flames. There was only one way, and that was the fool's way. He opened his beak, sucked in a deep breath, and blew with all his might at the fire. Shutting his eyes tightly, he waited for the flames to flare back at him. He felt his ropes starting to char. But his feathers were burning as well.