Guardians of Ga'Hoole 14 - Exile

secure place in the tree. There’s no other place we could all meet except here. And no one will miss us at this hour,” Pelli said.
    “I just hope we can all cram in here.” Bubo looked around.
    Otulissa glanced about, then blinked. There was a slightly mournful tinge in her amber eyes.
    The word had been passed to the other members of the parliament. They would be led to the roots by Martin, Eglantine, and Ruby—other members of the Chaw of Chaws. Immediately upon Pelli’s return, she told Otulissa and Bubo about the notice accusing the Band of treason, and they decided that something must be done. But they did not want to act rashly. Their first step was taking a wing count of the additional owls who were roosting in the outer branches of the tree and the guest hollows, which had been filled since Punkie Night. Guests often came to the tree but never had so many lingered for so long. And now with the latest news of the letter that Coryn had just received—which she felt was as counterfeit as the ember Bubo had juiced—they were convinced that they were in the most dire circumstances. They all dreaded the approaching Balefire Night. They must be prepared. But to fight a battle on their own island in their own tree was simply too risky. The hardest thing Pelli had ever had to do was to feign stupidity when Coryn had summoned her and read the second letter. First of all, she had to pretend that she believed every word of the forged document. She had to appear simple and trusting. But all the while, her mind was ticking and her gizzard sizzling. Simulating ignorance was her best defense. She had begunto plan before Coryn had even finished reading the letter and she would not let her first instincts or impulses get the better of her.
    Two by two, the owls of the parliament crept down into the hidden chamber deep within the roots of the great tree.
    “Even though this particular place in the tree is virtually soundproof, I suggest that we keep our voices low.” Pelli looked around at the members of the parliament. Some of them, like Elvanryb, were very old and had been members of the parliament for years. Some, like Sylvana, a beautiful Burrowing Owl and masterful ryb of the tracking chaw, were relatively new to the parliament. But they were all now in this small space, their eyes glistening with a mixture of apprehension and perhaps a glint of hope. They had felt depressed by the state of their king, concerned by the new owls hanging around the tree, and utterly contemptuous of the one called the Striga.
    “We are safe here,” Pelli said. She felt it was important for them to be at ease. “What I am about to show you is shocking. But not for a moment do I believe it. And neither should you.” Pelli unfurled the notice she had found on the tree. The owls gathered close and read it, their beaks dropping open one by one as they took in the heinous accusations.
    “Outrageous!” Elvanryb said in a hot whisper. “I don’t believe it for one second.”
    “Nor do I.” Several of the other owls of the parliament shook their heads vigorously.
    “How did you get this?” Sylvana asked.
    “I flew to the mainland with the real Ember of Hoole.”
    There was utter silence.
    “You mean that’s not the real ember in Coryn’s hollow?” said Poot, a Boreal Owl who had flown with the weather chaw for years.
    “No, it’s a fake. I juiced it,” Bubo said.
    “Then what’s his excuse? Why is Coryn acting yoicks?”
    Pelli shook her head. “I’m not sure. I know that Coryn suffered things when he was young with Nyra, horrible things that none of us could ever imagine. But now is not the time to think about that. We have to act. When I read this malicious notice, my first thought was: If the Band has seen this, they will fly directly back to the great tree, but then I realized…”
    “It’s a trap,” Elvanryb said quietly.
    “Exactly, Elvanryb, a trap. Look at all the new owls in the tree who have come since Punkie Night. Something’s up.”
    The owls nodded. “So what can we do?” Poot asked.
    Pelli continued, “We must keep up a show of ignorance. It is my good luck to be considered almost witless by the Striga. And Coryn seems to agree with everything the Striga says. But we must be prepared when the time comes.”
    “What should we do?” Martin asked.
    “I think Otulissa can speak to this.”
    Otulissa stepped forward. She cocked her head and looked directly at Sylvana. “Sylvana, you were