Guardians of Ga'Hoole 05 - The Shattering

here.”
    “What is it?” she asked. Soren could see that Otulissa was trembling.
    “Be gentle,” Boron replied. Now all of the young owls blinked in confusion. Perhaps the most confused was Twilight. Be gentle? That’s a mission? You gotta be kidding!
    “We, the parliament of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree, are charging you six owls”—and this time Boron was sure to also look at Eglantine—“with the mission of delivering Dewlap to the Retreat of the Glauxian Sisters, in the Northern Kingdoms, on the Island of Elsemere, in the Everwinter Sea.”
    Otulissa was stunned beyond belief. How could this be? She had dreamed forever of going to the Northern Kingdoms to find fighting owls, to see the magnificent snowy landscapes and cliffs of ice. But to be sent there as an attendant to a feeble old owl, whom she hated and blamed for the death of her beloved Strix Struma—it was too much! Simply too much. She staggered slightly on the perch, but Twilight extended a steadying wing. For the first time in her life, Otulissa was speechless. Indeed, this was a situation beyond words.
    Just then, there was a rap on the parliament door. The Boreal Owl stuck his head in. “Permission to enter, your honors? The new slipgizzle from the eastern Barrens has arrived with an urgent message.”
    “Permission granted.”
    A rather disreputable-looking Great Horned, missing one ear tuft, flew into the chamber.
    “Your honors, I bring you ill tidings.”
    “Go on.” Boron nodded.
    “The Pure Ones took the canyons last eve. St. Aggie’s has fallen.”
    It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the chamber. The words blurred in Soren’s ears. There was something said about Kludd and the 32 nd regiment. Skench was wounded or killed? It was a hodgepodge of disjointed noises.
    The young owls had been quickly dismissed. They thought they had been dismissed for good in view of the crisis, but just as they were filing out of the chamber, Ezylryb had called out to the Boreal Owl to have the young ones wait in the antechamber.
    So they waited, but few words were exchanged for the first several minutes.
    “St. Aggie’s fallen? What does it mean?” Soren spoke in almost a daze. In fact, they all seemed dazed, except for Digger.
    “It means,” the Burrowing Owl said in a hushed voice tight with fear, “the Pure Ones have control of the largest supply of flecks on earth.”
    “I still don’t understand why I have to fly escort to that pathetic old owl,” Otulissa whimpered.
    Digger whirled around. “Get a grip, Otulissa! You’re worrying about flying Dewlap to the Northern Kingdoms.Meanwhile, the Pure Ones have control of all the flecks, and we now know what flecks can do! What does it mean, Soren asked. I’ll tell you what it means. It means more shatterings. It means that the Pure Ones can gain control of our brains, our minds. It means we might never be able to think again. It means it would be better to die than become a mindless tool for the most destructive owls on earth. That’s what it means, Otulissa.”
    The other four owls were astounded. Digger, usually subdued, philosophical, and armed with endless patience, had suddenly become enraged. While the other owls had wilfed at the news that the Pure Ones had triumphed over St. Aggie’s, and appeared exceedingly slender with their feathers lying close to their bodies, Digger had puffed up and seemed almost twice his normal size as he spat out his rage at Otulissa.
    The Boreal Owl now came into the antechamber. “Young’uns, the parliament would like to see you again. Follow me, please.”
    Once more, the six owls filed into the parliament chamber and took their places facing the curved birch branch where the members perched. They all noticed that Dewlap had been removed from the chamber. This time Barran began to speak.
    “As you know, young’uns, our situation is grave. We havewon two battles, one last winter during the siege and now in the rescue of Eglantine and Primrose. But we have not won the war, which has turned more deadly than ever. We do not know how many of the St. Aggie’s troops have been conscripted into Kludd’s army of the Pure Ones. But we must assume the worst; that the Pure Ones’ ranks have grown. Therefore, Ezylryb would now like to talk to you about a second mission.”
    Ezylryb flew to the center of the birch branch. “You are young, bold owls. You shall be journeying to the land of my hatching in the Northern Kingdoms. The land of the