Crow Boy Read Free Page B

“It’s just a crow.”
    This drove the crows into a frenzy. They circled Aleena, cawing and diving at her. As they attacked, more crows arrived. They flew in from all directions, scolding and dive-bombing Aleena, cawing what I was sure were curses.
    Aleena covered her ears, her skin becoming pale and her eyes dark. She turned towards the lake and held out her hands, ignoring the crows as she focused on magic. A spout of water rose from the lake. Aleena drew it higher and higher. When it towered above us, she threw it at the crows.
    Water slammed against the flock and flung the crows sideways. Some flew off, squawking and shaking their feathers, while others plunged to the ground. They shook themselves and stood, strutting and muttering. I wondered if there was a way to catch the indignant crows in a painting. But the moment was gone as the crows rose in a cloud, cawing, and launched another attack.
    Aleena drew up another spout of water and flung it at the flock. Birds scattered, some squawking in anger, some too stunned to speak.
    Corvus cawed out instructions that even I could hear over the noise of squawking. The birds shifted – instead of circling around Aleena, they attacked from the lake side, and slowly drove her back from the water.
    Cursing in frustration, Aleena ducked into the forest.
    I turned to Keeper, watching us from high on Castle Mountain, and bellowed, “ Keeper! ”
    He raised one hand to the sky, and began striding down the mountainside.
    Maddy, the crows and I followed Aleena into the forest. We found her holding the ring in her hand, ignoring the circling crows as she concentrated on opening a doorway in the veil of magic.
    “Why go through a doorway?” Maddy asked me quietly. “The crows will just follow, and so will we.”
    I thought about it, and answered slowly. “Maybe she knows there’ll be hikers around, so we’ll need to look normal for the human world. Magic folk are careful not to be seen by humans. Keeper won’t be able to follow, and the crows might settle down. Then she could head to the lake on the human side.”
    “But if she crosses with the ring, she’ll make another tear.”
    “I know that,” I said.
    “So what do we do?”
    “I don’t know,” I said, frustration making my voice tight.
    “We’re responsible,” said Maddy. “We brought out the ring.”
    “I did,” I said. “And I dropped it. It’s my fault.”
    “It was an accident, Josh,” she said, her voice soft.
    “I know, but the damage will be the same. We have to do something.” Except I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t about to confront Aleena, to try to wrestle the ring out of her hand. She had magic, and she was nasty. “I just don’t know what to do.”
    “Well, I do,” said Maddy. She marched straight past the crows to Aleena. “You mustn’t use the ring to open a doorway in the veil,” she said, her voice loud enough to carry over the cawing. “You’ll make another tear, and the tears aren’t healing as fast as they used to. You mustn’t cause any more damage.”
    Aleena yawned. “Why should I care? It’ll heal. It always has, always will. You’re fussing over nothing.”
    Maddy was furious. “Nothing?” she shouted. “The more you weaken the veil, the more human changes will affect your world. And everyone in it, including you. Already the otter-babies are suffering.”
    “Why should I care about pathetic little otter-babies?”
    Maddy looked shocked. I don’t think she could imagine anyone not caring about otter-babies.
    While Maddy stood speechless, the crows attacked again. Aleena pulled her cloak over her head as protection from the crows, turned back to the doorway and focused on using the nexus ring to open it, so she wouldn’t tire herself by using her own magic.
    I watched, thinking frantically. What should I do? Aleena wouldn’t give up the ring, and I couldn’t take it from her. No matter how angry they were, the crows couldn’t either. Keeper might be