Read Online The Bird of the River by Kage Baker - Free Book Online
Authors: Kage Baker
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Epic, Orphans, Fantasy Fiction; American, Teenagers, Assassins, Pirates, Barges
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."
Nothing more was said for a while. Eliss assumed Alder had gone to sleep.
" 'Summer' just means something nice, right?" said Alder suddenly. "Because it's already summer, and it's just hot."
"That's right. 'Summer' means ... it means better times are coming."
"I hope so," said Alder.
When she thought he was asleep at last, Eliss put her arm around him.
SHE WAS AWAKENED TWICE during the night by shouting as boats came down the river. One boat belonged to a Mr. Ingot, an itinerant barber. Eliss knew this because Mr. Turnbolt demanded he identify himself. She was about to go back to sleep when Mr. Ingot shouted that he was fleeing from Synpelene because it was under attack from bandits. Then there was a lot of muttered conversation, and Eliss's heart raced. She relaxed a little when she heard Captain Glass give the order to bring up weapons and arm all the men on the night watch, -- he sounded so calm she thought there must be no immediate danger. All the same, she could not fall asleep until she had worked out an escape plan. If bandits attack, I'll wake up Alder and we'll grab a life preserver, and we'll slip overboard without making a sound, and float downriver until we come to a town... .
The second time she woke it was just starting to get light. The wind had shifted and the smell of smoke was everywhere. Someone was yelling across the water. Eliss heard Mr. Turnbolt yelling back, "Did they beat them off?"
"Yes!" shouted the stranger from the passing boat. "Caught eight of them in the sewer tunnels under the forest gate! They'd just put the heads up on the gate when I left there. It's all mopped up now."
"Is the fire out?"
"No. Getting there, though. The greenies seem to be doing it." "Good."
ELISS NEVER REALLY WENT BACK to sleep after that. She dozed fitfully and dreamed that bandits were running along the riverbank, and she was trying to explain to Alder about the life preserver, but he was afraid to go into the water because the headless bandits were in there... .
SYNPELENE WAS A WALLED CITY, closed up even on the side that fronted on the river, though there were docks outside the wall. This morning, under sunlight stained red by smoke, its river gate was wide open, but there were no boats moored on the copper-colored water. The Bird of the River came slowly up and anchored at the first dock.
Eliss, watching from the masthead, was very nearly on eye level with the armed women on the city wall. None of them went so far as to fit arrows to their bows, but they were red-eyed and grim as they contemplated her. From her high perch she could look into the city. There she saw stone towers smoking like chimneys, their roofs burned away, and far beyond the black expanse that had been forest scarring the green. It still smoldered along its distant margin, dark plumes rising up here and there. Like the smoke, the screaming of mourners rose from within Synpelene.
Eliss was climbing down when she heard other shrill voices raised. She looked down and saw Wolkin and Alder, confronted by a crowd of the other children. Just as Wolkin took a swing at someone, Mr. Riveter noticed and started across the deck for them. Eliss reached out, grabbed a rope, and slid the rest of the way down to reach them first. She hit the deck with a crash but managed to keep her feet. The children, startled, backed away in silence.
"That was neat ," said Wolkin, round-eyed.
"Are they calling you names again?" Eliss spoke to Alder, rubbing her palms against her tunic.
"No."
"What's going on here?" demanded Mr. Riveter. The other children backed away.
"We were just going to go ashore and look at the bandit heads," said Wolkin.
"And that meant you had to fight someone?"
"No, but--" Wolkin avoided looking at Alder. "Alder didn't want to go, and Talmey asked him if he was scared, and Boley said he better not go because he might see his daddy's head up there. So I told Boley I'd punch his face."
"Stop doing that!" said Alder furiously.
Nothing more was said for a while. Eliss assumed Alder had gone to sleep.
" 'Summer' just means something nice, right?" said Alder suddenly. "Because it's already summer, and it's just hot."
"That's right. 'Summer' means ... it means better times are coming."
"I hope so," said Alder.
When she thought he was asleep at last, Eliss put her arm around him.
SHE WAS AWAKENED TWICE during the night by shouting as boats came down the river. One boat belonged to a Mr. Ingot, an itinerant barber. Eliss knew this because Mr. Turnbolt demanded he identify himself. She was about to go back to sleep when Mr. Ingot shouted that he was fleeing from Synpelene because it was under attack from bandits. Then there was a lot of muttered conversation, and Eliss's heart raced. She relaxed a little when she heard Captain Glass give the order to bring up weapons and arm all the men on the night watch, -- he sounded so calm she thought there must be no immediate danger. All the same, she could not fall asleep until she had worked out an escape plan. If bandits attack, I'll wake up Alder and we'll grab a life preserver, and we'll slip overboard without making a sound, and float downriver until we come to a town... .
The second time she woke it was just starting to get light. The wind had shifted and the smell of smoke was everywhere. Someone was yelling across the water. Eliss heard Mr. Turnbolt yelling back, "Did they beat them off?"
"Yes!" shouted the stranger from the passing boat. "Caught eight of them in the sewer tunnels under the forest gate! They'd just put the heads up on the gate when I left there. It's all mopped up now."
"Is the fire out?"
"No. Getting there, though. The greenies seem to be doing it." "Good."
ELISS NEVER REALLY WENT BACK to sleep after that. She dozed fitfully and dreamed that bandits were running along the riverbank, and she was trying to explain to Alder about the life preserver, but he was afraid to go into the water because the headless bandits were in there... .
SYNPELENE WAS A WALLED CITY, closed up even on the side that fronted on the river, though there were docks outside the wall. This morning, under sunlight stained red by smoke, its river gate was wide open, but there were no boats moored on the copper-colored water. The Bird of the River came slowly up and anchored at the first dock.
Eliss, watching from the masthead, was very nearly on eye level with the armed women on the city wall. None of them went so far as to fit arrows to their bows, but they were red-eyed and grim as they contemplated her. From her high perch she could look into the city. There she saw stone towers smoking like chimneys, their roofs burned away, and far beyond the black expanse that had been forest scarring the green. It still smoldered along its distant margin, dark plumes rising up here and there. Like the smoke, the screaming of mourners rose from within Synpelene.
Eliss was climbing down when she heard other shrill voices raised. She looked down and saw Wolkin and Alder, confronted by a crowd of the other children. Just as Wolkin took a swing at someone, Mr. Riveter noticed and started across the deck for them. Eliss reached out, grabbed a rope, and slid the rest of the way down to reach them first. She hit the deck with a crash but managed to keep her feet. The children, startled, backed away in silence.
"That was neat ," said Wolkin, round-eyed.
"Are they calling you names again?" Eliss spoke to Alder, rubbing her palms against her tunic.
"No."
"What's going on here?" demanded Mr. Riveter. The other children backed away.
"We were just going to go ashore and look at the bandit heads," said Wolkin.
"And that meant you had to fight someone?"
"No, but--" Wolkin avoided looking at Alder. "Alder didn't want to go, and Talmey asked him if he was scared, and Boley said he better not go because he might see his daddy's head up there. So I told Boley I'd punch his face."
"Stop doing that!" said Alder furiously.
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