“Wait,” he whispered. “We need some way to remember this place. Otherwise how will we find our way back here?”
He had a point. I turned my face up toward the leafy ceiling of the city to see if there was anything striking that could serve as a landmark.
“Look!” Derek said. “That carving there, do you see it?”
One of the trees had been cut shorter than the others. Carved into the bark was a striking depiction of a Hawk. I hoped that there was only one such carving.
“All right, now let’s go,” I said.
We both pulled ourselves up onto the narrow bridge, trying to keep our heads down and not be noticed. The walkway swayed unnervingly as we walked along it. I dared not try to estimate how many feet we might be above the jungle floor. I kept my eyes straight ahead.
At the end of the bridge was a wide platform. Its floorboards spanned the width of a dozen trunks. We had reached a cluster of some of the smaller tree houses. Derek nudged me and pointed to a human girl who’d just entered a construction ten feet away from us.
She’d left the door ajar. We walked over and Derek dared to peek his head inside. He pushed it open further and beckoned me inside. The stuffy room we entered was bare save for primitive cooking facilities and a stained mattress. The girl sat in the corner mending some clothes. She almost jumped out of her skin when we loomed overhead.
“Shhh. It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you.” I held up my hands as a sign of peace. “I’d just like to ask you, is there a particular place that human recruits are brought to?” She looked at me with fear and confusion. I coughed, realizing I needed to play my role better. “You know, when us Hawks take you away from your homes in the mortal realm, is there any particular place you are gathered?”
“Mama!” she called, getting up and rushing into a room at the back of the building.
A blonde woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties came rushing out. “What do you want?” she asked.
I repeated my question. She cocked her head warily. “Why are you asking me that? You should know better than I.”
“Just answer her question, will you?” Derek took a step forward.
“There is no particular place.” She scowled. “We’re shoved into little boxes like these wherever there’s space.” With that, she grabbed her child and retreated into the back room.
“Where do we start?” I turned to look at Derek. “There are thousands of these tree houses.”
“I don’t know. Let me think.” Derek scratched the back of his head. We stepped out of the tiny tree house back onto the bridge.
“What are you two still doing here?” a voice boomed from behind us.
I whirled around and there stood the same Hawk we had met back down in the “Lower Layers”.
“Follow me,” he ordered. Derek and I could think of nothing else to do but obey his command. I thanked the heavens that the Hawk didn’t immediately take flight and expect us to follow him by air. Instead, he walked. We followed in silence, not daring to say a word. We passed along one shaky walkway after another, past hundreds more tree houses identical to the one we had just visited.
After what felt like half an hour of walking, the little tree houses were becoming fewer and fewer and being replaced by the larger constructions. We stopped outside a massive oval construction, a trunk of a tree running right through the middle of it. We stepped through the entrance and found ourselves in some kind of auditorium. Rows upon rows of Hawks were seated on platforms that covered the rounded walls from top to bottom.
So this must be the Battalion.
Without a word, our escort closed the door on us.
It was dark inside save for bright lights that shone down on a raised platform in the center, where two Hawks addressed the packed audience.
“… And we should expect that their first point of refuge will be the volcanoes.”
“Indeed. But this time, we shall not let them within even fifteen miles of them…”
The voice of the second Hawk sent goose bumps running along my arms.
Arron.
I tried to open the main door but it wouldn’t budge. Any attempt to force it open would attract the unwanted attention of at least fifty Hawks perched on benches near the entrance.
I looked back at Derek in panic.
We’d better hope to God our disguises hold up. What this Battalion full of Hawks would do to a vampire in their midst…
Chapter 35: Derek
Sofia and I were beginning to attract attention with our insistence on standing by the entrance, so we relented and sat down in spare seats as close to the entrance as possible. Sofia trembled beside me and I reached out to grasp her hand, hoping to instill some form of comfort in her.
As Arron continued to address the audience, we ducked down as much as we could without looking strange.
“… And from today, the humans must all be kept strictly contained to their designated area. We can’t afford to allow the leeches access to any fuel. As you all know, being near their blood alone, without even tasting it, can serve to strengthen their influence…”
Each Hawk’s eyes were glued on the two men on stage. Sofia’s eyes widened. She clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Dad!” she breathed.
Sure enough, Aiden was sitting a few rows along from us. Although he had been transformed into a Hawk, his vibrant eyes and hair that matched Sofia’s were unmistakable.
Before I knew what was happening, Sofia slunk out of her seat and, crouching down low, made her way to where Aiden was seated. Her head disappeared from sight as she arrived next to Aiden’s seat. Aiden’s head swiveled around and his body jolted as though he’d just been electrocuted. His head bent and his mouth moved furiously. Then he composed himself and looked straight ahead as if nothing had happened.
Sofia crept back to me.
“When I tell you to follow me, you follow. Understood?”
“What is happen—”
“Shh.”
After ten minutes, Aiden got up from his seat and made his way toward one of the Hawks standing near the entrance. He whispered something into his ear, and the Hawk nodded and opened the door.
“Now!” Sofia hissed. We left the bench and moved discreetly toward the entrance. The Hawk looked confused as to why we were all leaving at the same time, but Aiden seemed to have enough of a position of authority for him to not question it.
As soon as we had stepped outside and the Hawk shut the door behind us, Aiden marched forward without a word. As he walked, he looked around to be sure no Hawks were following us. I was about to open my mouth when Sofia tugged on my hand and gave me a glare.
Aiden led us back along the wooden walkways to the cluster of tree houses we’d stopped by earlier. This time, we travelled much deeper into the cluster. Outside one of the cabins he rapped on the door and a pale human girl with green eyes and black hair opened it. It took me a second to recognize her as Anna. Despite our disguises, she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.
“What… Oh my…”
“Just let us in,” Aiden growled. Anna stepped aside and allowed us into the tiny living quarters. Sitting on an uncomfortable-looking couch was Kyle.
As soon as we were all safely inside, Sofia rushed to Anna and swept her up into a tight embrace. Kyle stood up and gave me a hug.
“Wow. Good of you to visit us, Derek!” he said with a broad smile.
I turned to Aiden, but he said, “I can’t stay here any longer. I can’t have Arron noticing my absence. Stay here until I return. I know that we don’t have more than a few hours left…”
Sofia rushed to hug him before he could leave. “Don’t you dare be late. I can’t lose you again,” she said.
Aiden nodded curtly and exited the cabin. Then Sofia gazed around the room. “Where’s Ian?”
“They housed him in a different place, a few trees away from here,” Anna explained. “So, they turned you into Hawks?”
“No.
” I shook my head. “This is a witch’s spell, just a disguise. We don’t even know how long it’ll last before it wears off and reveals our true forms.”
“Aiden filled us in on what’s been happening back home over the past few months. And Sofia”—her eyes lit up with an odd excitement—“I have something to show you.”
She ran into the back room and came out carrying what appeared to be a rolled-up blanket. But rolled-up blankets didn’t move. Rolled-up blankets didn’t cry.
Anna handed the bundle to Sofia. A baby boy with green eyes and black hair. Sofia broke out into hysterics and knelt, clutching the baby in her arms.
“Derek, oh, Derek. Am I dreaming? Tell me, am I dreaming?”
I knelt beside her and brushed the hair away from her face, kissing her wet cheek. “You’re not dreaming, my love,” I whispered. Her eyes were filled with tears of ecstasy as she looked up at me. “It’s our baby… our baby boy… Ben.”
I’d tried to hold in my own tears in the face of Sofia’s breakdown, but when Ben turned his small face to gaze up at me, I couldn’t any longer. I pulled Sofia onto my lap and wrapped my arms around hers, so we could both cradle our child simultaneously.
The rest of the world ceased to exist as we sat there, in a bubble of happiness. Kyle and Anna looked on silently.
Eventually I said, “But how? How is Ben here?”
“I really don’t know,” Anna replied with a shrug. “Soon after I arrived here, they started carrying out blood tests on Kyle and me. But the rest of the time I was given the job of helping out in the humans’ medical aid building. I’ve been working there ever since. Well, one day Aiden of all people came rushing in here. He told us what had been happening back in our realm and also that Arron had revealed to him that his grandson was here in Aviary. How Ben got here I still don’t know. I don’t know if even Aiden knows that. But anyway, Aiden requested that I take this little baby into my own care before Ben got sent to live with some other human family.”
I examined Ben more carefully. He seemed to be in good health.
“You’ve done a wonderful job with him, Anna. I don’t know how I can ever repay you,” Sofia choked.
“I’ve been so worried about making sure he’s healthy,” Anna continued. “I’ve never looked after such a young infant before. Fortunately there are a few newborns in nearby trees whose mothers have had milk to spare for your little boy.”
Sofia and I fell silent again, relishing our child’s quiet breathing, gazing down into his eyes and stroking his soft skin.
It was Kyle’s turn to break the silence. “You really must stay here. Things are changing rapidly here for the Hawks. Rumors are that Cruor is planning another attack on Aviary now that all their gates have been ruined…” Kyle paused in confusion, looking at us. “But the gates to Aviary are also supposed to be dismantled. How on earth…?”
“That’s a long story, but there’s still one gate open,” I said. “A gate which will vanish in less than a few hours. If Aiden doesn’t return soon, we’re going to have to make a move. We can’t risk waiting for him.”
Sofia shuddered at the thought of leaving her father behind, but nodded, looking down at Ben who was now drifting off to sleep in her arms.
Anna’s eyes widened and she turned to Kyle. “If we’re all going to attempt an escape, I need to bring Ian here.”
“Be careful, Anna,” Kyle said. “Humans aren’t supposed to be wandering outside right now while their meeting is going on.”
Kyle wrapped his arms around Anna and kissed her before she left. Then he turned back to us and pointed to the door leading to the back of the cabin. “I suggest you stay back there for now.” He led us through into an even smaller room with a single mattress on the floor and a tall window. The window had no glass, just meshing to keep out insects. I peeked out of the window and saw a drop of possibly twenty meters down to the floor of leaves below.
Sofia sat cross-legged on the mattress and laid Ben on her lap. Kyle went back into the main room to keep an eye on the front door. Thankfully, Anna wasn’t long. We were only waiting for ten minutes before she came through the door with Ian. Like Kyle and Anna, he too was still in human form.
Once Anna had seen him into the room, she went back into the front room with Kyle. Ian bent down to give Sofia a hug, and then placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Well, Anna just filled me in. All I can say is, I’ve never been happier to see a Novak in my life.”
He took a seat next to Sofia and they began talking. I continued to pace up and down the small room, too anxious and aware of the passing time to pay attention to their words. I prayed that Ibrahim would keep his word and not destroy the gate any earlier. And I prayed the Ageless wouldn’t try to interfere.
I was beginning to drive myself mad contemplating all the things that could go wrong, so I asked a question.
“Ian, maybe you can answer this. Arron previously spoke of using humans as vessels. Just like when he was back in our realm, his form was different to his Hawk form. Was he inhabiting a human body?”
“Funny, that’s a question I asked my roommate myself soon after I arrived. See, Hawks don’t use ‘vessels’ the same way Elders do for the simple reason that Elders don’t have any physical body of their own, whereas the Hawks do. So it’s incredibly easy for an Elder to enter a vessel—they just seep in. But Hawks can’t do that. So, when they want to go to Earth and need a disguise, there are witches here who can morph them into a human’s likeness. But in order for that spell to work, they need to bring the humans to Aviary. Witches then use the human’s genetics to morph the Hawk’s appearance to be exactly like the human’s.”
“In other words, the human Arron’s looks actually belong to a real human who’s kept here in Aviary? And Hawks can be made to look like any human, male or female, so long as that human is present here in this realm for their witches to gain access to?”
“That’s basically how it works. Unlike the Elders, it’s not natural for Hawks to inhabit a human body.”
“Then what about Aiden? How is it possible for humans to turn into Hawks?” I asked.
“Again, they have witches here who can do that. But in order for a human to turn, he or she has to actually be in Aviary…”
A banging at the door suddenly interrupted Ian. Sofia looked up with eagerness in her face.
“Yes! That must be Aiden.”
She was about to get up and open the door to greet her father when a voice that was decidedly not Aiden’s began shouting in the front room. My heart leapt into my throat as I grabbed her arm and held her back.
I looked feverishly around the room. My eyes settled on the window. With one pull, I separated the mesh from the window. Then, with shaking hands, I grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around my chest to form a carrier. I took Ben from Sofia’s arms and fastened him in.
“What are you talking about?” Anna had started screaming. “Are you mad? Of course not!”
“We’ve no choice but to jump,” I whispered.
“But we’ll never survive that fall!” Ian said hoarsely.
“We have to try. I’ll go down first with Ben. I’ll better be able to help catch you two that way,” I said.
“The others!” Sofia gasped.
The door to our room began to rattle. There was time left for neither talk nor doubt. I lowered myself out of the window, and, trying to at least land on a branch, I let myself go.
Black flashed beneath me. The next thing I knew, I was hanging in the air, one arm supporting Ben, and the other clutched by a Hawk. For a second I feared that looking up would bring me face to face with Arron.
But then Aiden’s voice reassured me.
“Climb up onto my back! Hurry!”
He helped me get into a secure position on his back as I used all my strength and agility to avoid crushing Ben beneath my weight. Then he called through the window. “Sofia! Jump!”
Sofia leapt into his arms and clung to his che
st. Despite our weight, Aiden’s heavy wings remained steady.
At that moment, another Hawk appeared beside us, hovering at our level outside the window. I feared again that it was Arron. I yelled but Aiden interrupted me: “It’s all right. This is Rufus. He’s a rebel and he’s with me. Ian, jump on his back now!”
“I can’t leave Anna back there!” Ian shouted.
Just as he spoke, Anna and Kyle came bursting into the room, only just managing to slam and lock the door before Arron squeezed in after them.
All three of them leapt onto Rufus and then we were all flying up toward the green leafy roof of the city.
“The Hawk carving,” I breathed into Aiden’s ear. The sudden movement had knocked all the breath out of me and Ben was now crying. “The gate is near that carving.”
Aiden nodded but said nothing. I could see that all his concentration was in hurtling forward as fast as his wings could carry us. As we were about to hit the ceiling, Aiden shouted, “I’m not going to slow down! Cover the baby and brace yourselves!”
I curved myself around Ben as we hit the roof, taking all the cuts from sharp leaves and branches against my own body. As soon as we made contact with the canopy, Aiden’s wings closed so they wouldn’t get torn, but he had already worked up enough momentum for us to shoot through the leaves and appear above the roof. I closed my eyes and hoped Sofia had done the same. Once we were under the heat of the blazing sun, I could barely open them due to the bright light.
Sofia moaned in pain as the rays hit her. The disguise doesn’t protect her from the wrath of the sun. I hoped Aiden wouldn’t keep us flying up there too long.
By the time my eyes had adjusted, Aiden had stretched out his huge wings again and was carrying us forward. I looked behind me and to my relief saw that we had not lost the others.
Barely a few moments had passed when Kyle shouted out, “Arron!”
I turned to look back again and saw Arron had now emerged from beneath the treetops. His eyes had narrowed to slits as he came hurtling toward us with all the speed his mighty wings could muster.
“Hurry!” I shouted to Aiden over Ben’s cries.