I pretend to focus on something outside of the window, disappointed ire gushing through me.
“You must have been well-educated.” Her tone is mild, but her eyes on me are palpable.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason. What do you care where I look?”
I stew on that for a moment. “Canyouread it?”
“No. And you don’t need to pout, Tiss.”
I’m NOT pouting.I stiffen, paralyzed, and grit out, “Do you know other languages of any sort?”
“No.” She gives a low chuckle. A quick shake of her head sends her jewelry jingling before she rises to her feet. “Put yourcloak on. I want to show you something.” She snatches up her own cloak and takes off without waiting for my answer.
Curiosity overrides my irritation, and I throw mine over my shoulders. Once outdoors, the high priestess roams away from the tower, watching the skies and whistling a long note that dips down at the end.
After several rounds of whistling, I’m still waiting for something to happen. “Any chance that—”
She holds a hand up, and I seethe in response.
She whistles again, louder and longer. This time it’s answered by a brief, throaty shriek that rings out from high above us.
A magnificent black bird wheels into view, making a lazy circle above the lawn.
Smiling, Elodie holds up her arm, whistling high and low notes in quick succession.
The bird plummets acrobatically before landing on her outstretched forearm with gentle precision.
“Hello, Bibi!” says Elodie.
“Hello, Bibi! Hello, Bibi!” echoes the bird, perfectly imitating the high priestess’s voice and folding its great wings. It bobs its sleek head and marches side to side on her arm, doing a funny little dance.
All right. That’s more than a little impressive.I giggle like a moron.
“This is Bibi.”
Bibihello Bibis several more times, and I can’t stop myself from grinning. “I see that. What a beautiful crow.”
“Raven. Crows are quite a bit smaller and don’t have this shaggy beard under their beaks.” She scratches Bibi’s fluffy neck feathers. The creature puffs them up as if enjoying showing off. “Although both crows and ravens can mimic human speech,other bird calls, and different types of animal sounds. Even mechanical noises and music.”
“I stand corrected,” I say, begrudgingly impressed with her bird facts. “Can I have a pet raven, too?”
The priestess recoils like I struck her. “No! She’s a wild animal. Not a pet.” She gazes fondly at Bibi. “I’ll admit she’s pretty tame, but I never dreamed of keeping her in captivity once she could fly.”
Elodie tells me about finding her injured and alone as a baby, up by the Observatory. She thinks it was a hawk attack that killed Bibi’s mother and left Bibi with a broken wing, but she can’t be sure. “I took care of her and nursed her injuries. We bonded as a result.” She strokes Bibi’s sleek head.
The creature cozies up comfortably to her touch.
I want to be that bird.
Wait a minute.
“She’s smarter than most humans I know. She’s quick to learn tricks, and she’ll evendothem when she’s in the mood. She can be mischievous and stubborn to a fault, and she’s real bratty sometimes.” Elodie watches me sidelong. “She likes to do things to get a reaction out of me. But you know all about that. Don’t you, Tiss?”
My hands fly to my hips. I’m about to argue that I’mnota brat, but I’m not actually worked up about it. I just want to see what she says.
Gods dammit.“If you say so,” I finally mutter.
