Hawthorn Read Free Page A

carvings on it. I moved the tangled roots away, cringing as a centipede slithered over my hand, and stared at the carvings of tiny winged creatures, their wings encrusted with jewels.
Lampsprites
. Moving more roots away, I saw other figures—tall graceful men and women in long medieval robes, falcons perched on their arms and graceful deer walking beside them like tame greyhounds. Some of them carried jeweled coffers.
    â€œIt looks like some kind of ceremonial procession,” I said to Helen.
    â€œI’m sure it’s very interesting, but I think you should start climbing. I’ve got the birds under control.”
    I looked up and saw that the crows were following the movement of Helen’s arm. She was sweeping the dagger in the air, murmuring Latin words. The runes carved on herdagger floated free and hovered in the air like dragonflies. Then they darted across the cavern and landed on the wall, burning straight through the roots. I could see the pattern now. The lords and ladies in the procession were carrying their coffers toward three enormous urns, big as houses. The chests held by the figures closest to the urns were opened. Dark shapes flew out of them—some abstract, others shaped like crows, snakes, bats, and wolves. The tiny lampsprites herded the shadowy shapes into the urns. They were lowering the lids onto the last of the urns.
    â€œHelen!” I cried. “The pictures tell the story of the three vessels. Raven told me about it.” As I said his name I felt a pang at the memory of our quarrel but I pushed it away. “Ages ago the fairies drew out all the bad qualities of mankind and stored them in three urns. But then humans missed some of those qualities and found one of the urns and broke it. The shadows flew out and possessed the first shadow master. He found another of the vessels and broke into it.” I glanced at the middle vessel and saw that the runes around it were glowing. I put my hand on the wall and felt that it was trembling.
    â€œThat’s a fascinating story, Ava, but I’m not sure how much longer I can hold the crows at bay.”
    The entire wall was shaking now. The outline of the middle urn was glowing like a rim of fire. The runes from Helen’s dagger had unlocked something. From deep in the earth came a rumbling. The middle urn was moving, swinging inward like a giant door. Above me I heard the crows let out a raucous caw as they took flight, diving down into the pit. Helen screamed as one landed on her. I reached behind me and grabbed her handand pulled her through the open doorway. I turned back to see if the crows were following us, but they had all flown back to the opposite rim of the pit, squawking and beating their wings.
    â€œCome on,” I said, “they’re afraid to follow us.”
    â€œDo you think it’s really a good idea to go someplace that scares shadow crows?” Helen asked.
    â€œThe crows must want something here if they’ve surrounded the place even though they’re afraid of it. I think we’d better find out what it is. Look, we’re in a tunnel—and there are lanterns hanging on the wall.” I removed an oddly shaped glass lantern from a hook on the wall. It was shaped like a jam jar with a wire around the rim affixed to a handle with some kind of wick inside. I shook the jar and the “wick” unfurled its wings, stretched its arms, and yawned.
    â€œIt’s a lampsprite!” Helen cried. “In a lamp! How droll!”
    The lampsprite came flying out of the open jar, brushing its wings against Helen’s and my faces.
Not so droll waiting years and years in a jar!
I heard its voice transmitted into my head through the powder in its wings. She flew toward the pit and then backpedaled on the threshold when she saw the crows.
    Shadow-things!
She hissed.
Come, come quick, we must go tell the guardian.
She flitted past us and flew deeper into the tunnel.
    â€œIs