“This cannot be good,” she said. Holding up the birdcage, she lifted its cover warily.
“Shit,” Devon said, magic turning to ash in his throat.
Pip,the caladrius responded. It hunched lopsidedly on its perch, feathers dull and gray, tail bobbing, as it squinted wearily at its glimmering enchantment.
“It needs to fly,” Beth said, lowering the cover again, “but we can’t just release it here, in a London alley.” Her tone was brisk, her manner entirely professional despite the anguish on her face. “We need water. And fruit. Mashed banana, applesauce.”
“We need torun,” Devon corrected her.
She nodded, and without further discussion they ran alongthe alley, trailing golden magic. Turning down one street, then another, they headed south—
“Hey!”
In the center of road ahead stood a man, waving his arms furiously. In one hand he held a pistol, and before Devon even processed the sight, a shot rang out.
Devon immediately leaped in front of Beth, causing her to collide with him. The caladrius cheeped in fright, wings fluttering against its cage bars. Pedestrians screamed and ran. But the man was focused entirely on Beth and Devon. With the gun pointed skyward, and a thin cigarette hanging limp from between his lips, he shouted rather dubiously, “I’m not going to hurt you!”
“Schreib!” Devon said like a curse.
“Quick!” Beth tugged on his arm. “This way!”
They veered onto a leafy avenue and raced past the Imperial Institute construction site, breath burning in their lungs. Schreib followed, demanding that they stop. Coming to Exhibition Road, they turned south again toward the train station.
“Hey!” came another roar.
“Damn!” Devon swore as Cholmbaumgh rushed for them, waving a cricket bat. Forced to retreat, they ran north, weaving through a crowd of pedestrians and inciting outraged comments and much clicking of tongues as they went. Schreib and Cholmbaumgh trailed them relentlessly.
“What are we going to do?” Beth asked with increasing panic. “The caladrius won’t survive this for long.”
“We’ll have to take it to the Albert Aviary,” Devon said.
“The place that agent of PRESS suggested?”
Devon pointed to the lush trees of Kensington Gardens, visible at the end of the road. “It’s just up ahead.”
He took her hand and they increased their pace even more, the birdcage swinging wildly in Beth’s grip. Glancing back at Schreib and Cholmbaumgh, she felt a sudden, uncomfortable sympathy for all the birds she had chased. The men were jogging steadily, appearing almost unhurried, as if they were not trying to catch their prey but herd them. It was a common birding tactic, and she looked away rather queasily—just in time to see Hippolyta and Oberhufter appear as if from nowhere, a few yards ahead.
“Halt!”Oberhufter roared.
“Halt!” Hippolyta added in English.
Devon swerved to the far side of the road, Beth struggling to remain steady on her feet. Oberhufter and Hippolyta began to follow, but suddenly Cholmbaumgh flung himself at the field ornithologists, causing all three to collide with furious screams.
“Go!” Cholmbaumgh shouted to Beth and Devon, waving one arm desperately from within the tangle of limbs and lacy flounces. “Run!”
Beth and Devon shared a confused glance but did not hesitate. They raced on to the end of Exhibition Road, where several people were milling around the Coalbrookdale Gates, excitedly watching their approach. From somewhere farther inside the park arose the hearty sounds of what sounded like a full brass band.
“Perhaps this is not a good idea after all,” Beth said.
PEEP!the caladrius argued.
“We don’t have a choice,” Devon said, pointing behind them, where not only Schreib but also a crowd of ornithologists were in pursuit, wielding nets, binoculars, and birdcages…and was that a helicopter parasol rising above the Royal Albert Hall?…
No, it wasfourhelicopter parasols, one with Monsieur Tarrou from the Parisian Ornithological Union, the remaining three bearing servants laden with his baggage.
They crossed the road, and the bystanders, cheering and whistling, shifted aside to allow them easy passage through the great iron gates. But as they entered the carriageway, Beth and Devon staggered to a halt, staring openmouthed at what lay before them.
“Oh gosh,” Beth gasped.
