“Ah, yes,” the man said, pulling a bundle of dark brown fabric wrapped in twine out of his robes.“This will help you blend in.”
I undid the twine and unfurled a robe very similar to the one he was wearing.The only difference was the silver ribbon sewn along the edges—his was lined in blue.
“These are the robes of an initiate, our lowest rank,” the man said.“In these, you’re less likely to raise suspicion when people see a new face.But I’d advise you to avoid people, lest they ask you questions you can’t answer.”
I nodded.“Thank you.”
“I’ll leave the room first.Count to one hundred before you exit.”
“Okay.”
As the man approached the door, he looked back.“I wish you luck, whatever your task.If you somehow live, tell Garrick I’ve paid my debt in full.”He left the room without waiting for a response.
After slipping on my robe, I surveyed my surroundings.Metal pipes crisscrossed the walls and ceiling.A glowing glass ball illuminated the room.I had heard about the legendary flameless candles but had dismissed them as yet another exaggeration.But inside the ball, no flame flickered.Instead there was a solitary line of glowing light.I had no idea how it worked.
After sufficient time had passed, I left the room and entered a long stone chamber lined with the same glowing orbs.I passed countless rooms filled with wooden crates and barrels but encountered no one as I made my way along the curving passage.The lower chambers of the Citadel Library appeared to be largely untraveled, used mainly for storage and maintenance.
Soon I came to a narrow stairway twisting upward.I passed the entrances to four different floors, pausing each time to be sure no one was approaching.At the fifth floor, I ducked into the hallway, covering my head with the brown hood of my robes and keeping my face down.
My first stop was the aviary to complete Garrick’s job.Based on the maps he had provided, it should be just ahead.I passed through the door and entered a massive circular room as tall as it was wide.A choir of chirps, squawks, and caws erupted the moment I entered.Countless cages lined the walls.In the center was a cage large enough for a sizable bird to spread its wings and fly.It rose many stories and had a wire mesh door in the roof that opened to the blue sky.
An elderly man looked up from a table where he was crafting a leather harness.Garrick had warned me that I might run into someone here.Luckily, this man was small and looked quite feeble, and I was prepared.
“May I help you, Initiate?”the man asked.
“Master Corvane sent you this note,” I said, taking from my inner pocket a parchment that glistened with a powerful sedative.
“Why would Master Corvane send me a note?”he said, face scrunched in confusion.As he reached for it, I raced behind him, holding the parchment up to his mouth and nose.But he shoved it away with far more strength than I’d given him credit for.
“Help!”he cried out.Several birds squawked in reaction.
I drew my dagger quickly and knocked him over the head with the butt.That startled him enough for me to reposition the parchment.Before he could fight back again, his frail body collapsed into my arms.
I paused, holding my breath, listening for the inevitable sound of rushing footsteps after the ruckus.But the hallway remained quiet.I was lucky.
I hid the man’s unconscious body under a table.He’d be out for at least half a bell.From that moment, the clock was working against me, so I had to act swiftly.
Each of the cages housed a different bird, ranging from the common swallow to more exotic species like a golden eagle and a multicolored bird with a large black beak that I didn’t recognize.Below each cage was a note with the bird’s name and species.Before long, I came to a cage with a note readingZEPHYRA – WHISPERHAWK.Inside was a large bird whose feathers alternated between golden and brown.She had a hooked beak and powerful talons.Her keen black eyes peered back at me.
“Hello, Zephyra,” I said.“So you’re the girl Garrick is keen to set free.”
Zephyra cocked her head.Garrick sent?
I nearly jumped at the voice inside my head.It wasn’t so much that I heard those exact words, but the thoughtbehindthe words was suddenly present in my consciousness.It had been years since my father had taken me to the forest to listen to whisperhawks, and I had nearly forgotten what the feeling was like, or that it was even possible.My memory of it was like a dream, faded and distant.This would take some getting used to.
“Yes, Garrick sent me.I’m here to free you.My name is Cas,” I said as I opened her cage.
Can Cas hear Zephyra?
Zephyra danced back and forth from foot to foot, ruffling her feathers.
“I can.”
It’s been years since anyone could hear Zephyra, little Cas.
“Little?”
Cas is much littler than Garrick.
