Guardians of Ga'Hoole 06 - The Burning

than Twilight’s gizzard would be able to handle. Soren imagined that he could feel the twitches of Twilight’s gizzard right now. It’s doing a little jig in there, I swear .
    It seemed impossible that on this sharp frozen blade that shot up from the sea, they could find a place to land, but there was a protuberance about a quarter of the way up that was almost like the hilt of a sword. It was there that they alighted.
    The wind whipped around the icy blade that glimmered in the moonlight like a bewitched sea dagger thrust from the turbulent sea by some unseen water creature. Soren could almost imagine a claw beneath the surface gripping that blade. For the life of him, Soren could not figure out how other blades were made from the Ice Dagger, which seemed to him to be unbreakable. How could the owls of the Northern Kingdoms manage to pry off a piece to serve as a sword? It was also said that nothingwas sharper than an ice sword, and that, properly taken care of, it would not melt even in the presence of fire.
    Twilight could not stand still any longer and had begun to fly in circles around the Ice Dagger for a close examination. “I can see cracks where they might have pried off pieces. By Glaux, those edges look sharp. Gotta watch where you set down around here.” His eyes were gleaming.
    “Enough of that, Twilight. I have a few words to say before we split up.” Soren coughed lightly and then faced the group. “We all know what we must do. And I know you shall all perform your tasks to the best of your abilities. Gylfie and Otulissa, you go directly from here to the Glauxian Sisters’ retreat to deliver Dewlap, and then straight on to the Glauxian Brothers in the Bitter Sea. Ruby and Martin, you proceed to Stormfast Island, Ezylryb’s birthplace, in the Bay of Kiel and find the Kielian snake called Hoke of Hock. Digger, Twilight, Eglantine, and I shall go to the Firth of Fangs to seek out Moss. After each group finishes its assigned task—whether it is research or petitioning for allies—we will then proceed to Dark Fowl Island. We will all meet there on the last night of the dwenking. Remember, you can’t be late. Winter sets in early here. The katabatic winds drive the ice, and if the ice floes jam the channels and passages, we won’t be able to tell the difference between an island and the mainland.We’ll be ice-locked. That’s what they call it.” The owls had all fallen silent, as if each one was imagining the terrible fate of being ice-locked, a prisoner of this frozen place.
    Soren looked up at the sky. Clouds rolled over the moon, causing shadows to dance across the Ice Dagger. It sent a quiver through his gizzard. “This is full shine,” he continued. “The last night of the dwenking, when we are to meet again, is fourteen nights from now.” Soren looked at each of the owls standing before him on the hilt of the Ice Dagger. “So, good luck and Glauxspeed.” He raised his wings, flapped once, twice, and lifted off into the night. Eglantine, Digger, and Twilight followed.
    The battle claws of Ezylryb encasing Soren’s talons sparkled fiercely in the moonlight. Once again, Ezylryb’s words came back to Soren: The claws are the keys to the Northern Kingdoms.
    So be it , Soren thought. So be it .

CHAPTER FOUR
A Circle of White Trees
    P hew! I hope that is the last I ever see of that batty old owl,” Otulissa said as they lifted into flight from the Glauxian Sisters’ retreat. Dewlap had been left in the care of the Mother Superior. Gylfie had tried to say good-bye but Dewlap blinked at her with vacant, uncomprehending eyes. “We’ll take good care of her, dear,” the Mother Superior had said. “Don’t worry.”
    Gylfie and Otulissa had tried to appear worried, but they weren’t. They were simply relieved that this part of their mission was over. They carved two graceful arcs in the darkening sky under a spray of stars.
    “I just can’t wait to get to the Glauxian Brothers,” Otulissa said. “Do you realize, Gylfie, that we are going to the very finest library in the entire owl universe?”
    “Well, seeing as there are only three—ours at Ga’Hoole, St. Aggie’s, and theirs—I don’t think that’s such a big deal.”
    “Oh, don’t be that way.”
    “What way?” Gylfie shot back.
    “You know. Just so…so negative,” Otulissa muttered.
    “I’m not negative, but it’s just that I don’t care how wonderful their library is. The way these owls live up here