Guardians of Ga'Hoole 06 - The Burning

however, were refined beyond even those of her species. She was like some sort of reptilian tuning fork and could pick up on every single vibration of feeling or emotion another creature had, especially Soren, since she had known him since his hatching. So now Mrs. P. let the silence settle around them, saying nothing to the somewhat rude remarks of Soren. One, two, three, four, she counted silently to herself. She knew it would take Soren four beats before he burst out, and so it did.
    “You can never understand!” Soren was seething mad, and he did want to talk about it.
    “I can never understand in the way that you can understand,” she said. “But here is what I do know. You cameinto the dining hollow this evening and saw the very owls who were responsible for your snatching, for your imprisonment, for all the abuse and horror that followed until your escape. I understand that you are shocked beyond reason. That this is an affront beyond compare.”
    “And, Mrs. P., to see Ezylryb there with them!”
    “You did notice that he was absolutely glaring and stone silent throughout the meal—oh, I forgot. You left early. But he was.”
    “So what? He was still there, wasn’t he? I just don’t understand it.”
    “Well, tough times make for strange hollowmates.”
    “That’s the understatement of the year, maybe of the century,” Soren muttered. “Look, Mrs. Plithiver,” Soren said, bending his head down toward the blind snake, “this is an unholy alliance if there ever was one.”
    “I know, dear, but what choice do we have?”
    Soren knew that Mrs. P. was right. He had heard just a few hours before that the Pure Ones had gathered new forces. They had gone into the territory called Beyond the Beyond where there were hireclaws who would join for a shiny set of battle claws, a bag of flints, or knap for their very crude spears. They would even join up for a steady meal, for game could be scarce in Beyond the Beyond.
    “I tell you again, Mrs. P., it’s an unholy alliance.”
    “Right you are.” Otulissa had suddenly flown into the hollow followed by Digger and Twilight. “And guess what?”
    “I don’t think I want to know,” Soren said in a low voice.
    “Well, you’re going to find out sooner or later,” Otulissa said in an almost perky tone that really irritated Soren.
    “Maybe, maybe…” Mrs. P. hissed almost desperately, “Digger should tell us.”
    “Digger?” Otulissa said, not disguising the surprise in her voice. “Digger isn’t part of the Strix Struma Strikers.”
    “Well, he certainly flies with the Flame Squadron, when they are short, that is,” Mrs. P. said in a voice edging toward testy.
    “The Bonk Brigade is part of this?” Twilight asked.
    “Part of what?” Soren was beginning to have a dreadful feeling in his gizzard.
    The Flame Squadron, often called the Bonk Brigade, was essentially made up of the Chaw of Chaw members who had distinguished themselves in the fiery rescue of Ezylryb when he had been placed in a Devil’s Triangle of flecks set up by the Pure Ones.
    Digger lofted himself onto the perch next to Soren, then, realizing it was Gylfie’s, quickly apologized. “Oh,dear, how thoughtless of me, Soren.” He raised his wings as if to settle elsewhere.
    “It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. What were you going to tell me, Digger?”
    “It seems, Soren, that we have been called upon to teach Skench and Spoorn and the other St. Aggie’s owls with them how to fight with fire.”
    Soren’s beak dropped open in amazement, and he nearly fell from his perch. “You have got to be kidding. Has the whole parliament gone yoicks? It was bad enough that those St. Aggie’s owls had the largest supply of flecks—even if they were so stupid they didn’t realize their full power. But fire is another thing. There is nothing subtle about fire. We are putting fire in the hands of owls who are not only idiots but evil ones at that. They’re maniacs!”
    Soren’s reaction was so strong that the owls merely looked at one another. No one knew how to respond. “I refuse to do it. I absolutely refuse to do it. Before I’d teach those monsters, I’ll fly back to the Northern Kingdoms and join the Glauxian Brothers, and hunt for Gylfie. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll become a brother and meditate and create beautiful manuscripts and…and…stuff. Maybe I’ll even study medicine like that Spotted Owl you had a crush on, Otulissa.”
    “I did not have a