Guardians of Ga'Hoole 09 - The First Collier

did. If the ember had come into her possession it would have meant…” Coryn looked deeply into his uncle’s dark eyes. He could see his own reflection in them.
    “Nachtmagen,” Soren whispered.
    Coryn swallowed and felt his gizzard crackle. “Yes, Soren. You know, I think, with that ember…” He paused and looked down at his talons. “This is very hard to say.”
    “Go on, my boy,” Soren said gently.
    “I think that ember would have released…” He hesitated again. “Released something in her. Transformed her into what she truly is.”
    “And what would that be?” Soren asked.
    “You mean, you don’t know?” Coryn blinked in surprise.
    “No, I don’t. Tell me.”
    There was a deadly silence. Soren felt a twinge deep in his gizzard and leaned forward. “Tell me,” he said again.
    “As I said when I first came to the great tree, Soren, where there are legends, there is truth. And I have learned an unexpected truth from Grank’s tale.”
    Coryn paused and blinked.
    “My mother is a hagsfiend.”

The GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE
    Book One: The Capture
    Book Two: The Journey
    Book Three: The Rescue
    Book Four: The Siege
    Book Five: The Shattering
    Book Six: The Burning
    Book Seven: The Hatchling
    Book Eight: The Outcast
    Book Nine: The First Collier
    Book Ten: The Coming of Hoole
    Book Eleven: To Be a King
    Book Twelve: The Golden Tree
    Book Thirteen: The River of Wind
    Book Fourteen: Exile
    Book Fifteen: The War of the Ember
    A Guide Book to the Great Tree
    Lost Tales of Ga’Hoole

OWLS
and others
from the GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE SERIES
    The Band
    SOREN: Barn Owl, Tyto alba, from the Forest Kingdom of Tyto; escaped from St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls; a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    GYLFIE: Elf Owl, Micranthene whitneyi, from the Desert Kingdom of Kuneer; escaped from St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls; Soren’s best friend; a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    TWILIGHT: Great Gray Owl, Strix nebulosa, free flier; orphaned within hours of hatching; a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    DIGGER: Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularius, from the Desert Kingdom of Kuneer; lost in the desert after an attack in which his brother was killed by owls from St. Aegolius; a Guardian at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    The Leaders of the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    CORYN: Barn Owl, Tyto alba, the new young king of the great tree; son of Nyra, leader of the Pure Ones
    EZYLRYB: Whiskered Screech Owl, Otus trichopsis, the wise old weather-interpretation and colliering ryb (teacher) at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree; Soren’s mentor (also known as LYZE OF KIEL)
    Others at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    OTULISSA: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, a student of prestigious lineage at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree
    OCTAVIA: Kielian snake, nest-maid for Madame Plonk and Ezylryb (also known as BRIGID)
    Characters from the Time of the Legends
    GRANK: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, the first collier; friend to young King H’rath and Queen Siv during their youth; first owl to find the ember
    H’RATH: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, king of the N’yrthghar, a frigid region known in later times as the Northern Kingdoms; father of Hoole
    SIV: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, mate of H’rath and queen of the N’yrthghar; mother of Hoole
    MYRRTHE: Snowy Owl, Nyctea scandiaca, faithful servant of Queen Siv, formerly her nursemaid and governess; flees with Queen Siv after the death of H’rath
    RORKNA: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, Glauxess of the Glauxian Sisters’ Retreat on the Island of Elsemere, cousin of Queen Siv
    LORD ARRIN: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, powerful chieftain of a kingdom bordering King H’rath’s realm
    PLEEK: Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, enemy of King H’rath; known to consort with hagsfiends; rumored to have taken one for a mate
    THEO: Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, a gizzard resister and apprentice to Grank; possesses great blacksmithing skills
    SVENKA: Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, in the Bitter Sea, comes to the aid of Queen Siv
    PENRYCK: Male hagsfiend, ally of Lord Arrin
    Y’GYRK: Female hagsfiend, Pleek’s mate

A peek at
THE G UARDIANS of G A ’H OOLE
Book Ten: The Coming of Hoole

    T heo’s favorite hunting ground for finding voles was a patch in the very middle of the island where a large circle of birch trees grew. But as Theo approached, he sensed something different. And then he heard it—a strange chanting. He perched for several minutes behind the thick