Copyright

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2015

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk

Ferals: The Swarm Descends

Text © Working Partners Ltd 2015

Covert art © Jeff Nentrup, 2015

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007578542

Ebook Edition © 2015 ISBN: 9780007578559

Version: 2015-07-30

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Acknowledgements

Also Available

About the Publisher

here are ghosts in this place, thought Caw. Perhaps not the kind that swooped through empty rooms, banging doors and howling, but sadder spirits. Sorrow lingered here, silent, and lost from the memories of the living.

He checked the watch Crumb had given him – 2am.

This is a bad idea, said Glum. He was perched on a branch ten feet above, beak resting in the thick plumage of his chest feathers. I’m older than you. Why does no one ever listen to the voice of experience?

“I did listen,” said Caw. “I just chose to ignore you.”

He tried to sound confident, but his mouth was dry as he crouched, shivering, in the bushes. The house in front of him was abandoned, its walls flaking and covered in graffiti. He counted two intact windows, while the rest were either cracked or boarded up. The front lawn was so overgrown there wasn’t even a path to the door. One of the trees that grew beside the house had blown over in a storm and its branches, which had crushed a section of the roof, now appeared to be growing into the building.

Home sweet home, muttered Screech, hopping nervously along Caw’s shoulder. The young crow’s claws pricked Caw’s skin, even through the leather of his coat.

Home? thought Caw. It didn’t feel like it. Not at all.

He searched his memories, but couldn’t find this place among them. He’d been five years old when the crows had carried him away, and nothing about the building in front of him was familiar. Except the unsettling feeling of dread he felt as he looked at it; the same feeling he had in his dreams.

Not too late to go back to the church, Caw, said Glum. We could have those leftover sweet potato pancakes from dinner. Besides, how do we even know this is the right place?

“I just know,” said Caw, feeling cold certainty in his gut.

A snap of fluttering wings sounded at his back and a third crow alighted on the ground. Wiry and sleek, she stabbed a slender beak into the earth and prised up a wriggling worm. The slimy creature squirmed and coiled as the crow tossed back her head and gobbled it down.

Hey, Shimmer! said Screech, puffing out his chest.

Coast’s clear, the female crow said, loose crumbs of earth dropping from her beak. What are you all waiting for?

For this young man to see sense, said Glum. To let history lie.

Don’t be such a killjoy, said Shimmer, stretching her wings. They were sheened with blues and reds like spilt oil on wet tarmac. It took me four weeks to find this place. If Caw’s not going in, I am.

“Can you all stop talking about me as if I’m not here?” said Caw. For once, the crows ceased their bickering. It was a rare occurrence since Shimmer had joined the group. Crows were stubborn. They liked to argue, and they liked having the last word even more. All except Milky, the white crow that Caw had grown up with. In all the years in the nest, he’d spoken less than twenty words. Caw wished the old crow was still with them.

He stood up, stretching his lower back and casting a glance back along the street. None of the buildings in this part of town was inhabited any more. The families had all moved out when the jobs dried up after the Dark Summer – the secret war between ferals that had broken out eight years ago. A broken and rusted scooter lay in a gutter full of leaves, and below, in a tree in a front garden, hung a lopsided swing, its cords frayed.

Caw wondered for a moment what it had been like growing up here. Had he played with other children from these now-abandoned houses? It was hard to imagine sounds of laughter in a place so dismal and heavy with silence. He began to make his way up the driveway towards the house, heart thumping. The front door was boarded up, but he could climb in through a window easily enough.

You can still turn back, said Glum, remaining stubbornly perched on his branch.

It was easy for Glum to say: this house meant nothing to him. But for Caw, it was everything. For so many years his past was a blank – an open sea with no charts to guide him. But this place was a landmark, and he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Who knew what he might find inside?

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the crumpled photo – a picture of his parents, from happier times. Crumb had given it to him. The pigeon feral hadn’t wanted Caw to come tonight either – grumbling that it was “a waste of time”. Caw let his thumb brush across his parents’ faces. They looked almost exactly the same as they had when he found them in the Land of the Dead. He’d only managed to share a few precious moments with them, and it had left his heart aching for more. Where better to find out about them than this place?

He owed it to them not to turn back.

As Caw laid a hand on one of the boards over the door, he found that it was loose. He gripped the edge firmly and easily yanked it free, rusting nails and all. The others posed no more bother, and soon he’d cleared the way.

Caw sensed the crows behind him and turned. Sure enough, all three were perched on the ground.

“Let me go in alone,” he said.

Shimmer nodded and Screech hopped back a few steps. Glum looked away with a dramatic toss of his head.

There was a light switch inside, but Caw wasn’t surprised that nothing happened when he pressed it. The air was cool and musty. In the gloom, he made out overturned furniture and pictures hanging lopsidedly from the walls. A grand staircase rose from the entrance hall up to a landing, then doubled back on itself to the first floor level. Caw thought he saw something move up there – a rat, or a bird, perhaps, but when he looked again there was nothing.

Caw felt a dim sense of belonging. Small things looked familiar – a lampshade, a doorknob, a tattered curtain. Or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks, wanting to see something significant among the debris of abandoned lives.

Through an archway, Caw could see a sagging couch and wires protruding from a wall socket, and as he walked towards it the view opened on to a dining table.

A rush of fear turned his feet to lead. He knew this room from his nightmares. It was here that it had happened – beside that very table his parents had been murdered by the spiders of the Spinning Man. The table was covered in dust now, but Caw couldn’t bring himself to step any closer.

Instead, he turned back to the stairs. They creaked as he climbed. With each step, a haunting nostalgia swelled in his stomach. When he reached the first floor, his feet carried him automatically towards a door with a small placard in the shape of a train. Painted on it were words he recognised from Crumb’s lessons – “Jack’s Room”.

Jack Carmichael.

That had been his name, once.

Caw took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

On the opposite wall, his eyes fell on the window and his knees turned to water. The memories, so dream-like, crystallised into a feeling of pure fear. Caw gripped the doorframe to steady himself.

He remembered the firm hands of his parents as they dragged him from his bed and hauled him towards the window. Their fingers had been so tight it had hurt and their ears had seemed deaf to his screams of panic. Then his father had opened the window and his mother had thrust him out. Caw had watched the ground spinning towards him, felt the terror rising as he fell …

He took a deep breath as the power of the memory faded.

For years, that had been his only remembrance of them, festering in his mind. Their heartless abandonment. Now he knew it wasn’t the full story. It was just one line in a tale that had begun centuries ago – a tale of ferals at war with one another. His parents hadn’t been trying to kill him – they’d been protecting him, by getting him as far away from the Spinning Man as possible.

Caw opened his eyes, looking away from the window. He was trembling.

The rest of the room was practically empty. A couple of shelves held scraps of paper; and bundles of old clothing had been pushed into one corner. Caw hadn’t been expecting the room to be preserved like a museum, but still he felt a rush of rage. Someone had taken all of his things.

The anger seeped away as quickly as it had come, leaving only a numb sorrow. Of course the house had been ransacked and looted. Plenty of petty criminals had taken advantage of the chaos caused by the Dark Summer. Caw guessed a nice house like this would have made for easy pickings.

He let his feet carry him across the mould-covered carpet towards the window. The glass was cracked, and he rubbed a sheen of condensation away with the cuff of his leather jacket. Outside the night was still, the stars bright in a cloudless sky, the moon glowing softly.

Caw sighed. Crumb was right – there was no point in coming here. The past was dead.

Then, in the trees below, he saw something. A pale face materialising from the darkness beside a tree trunk.

Caw’s heart jolted. The face didn’t move at all, just stared up at him. It was an old man, with skin so white he might have been wearing make-up like a clown. Who was he? And what was he doing here, in Caw’s garden?

Caw gripped the window frame. He tried to yank it up to call out to the man, but it didn’t budge. He heaved again and it gave a grating screech. He was about to open his mouth when he heard a panicked intake of breath at his back.

“Who are you?” said a voice.

Caw spun round and saw the pile of clothes in the corner stirring. There was a girl lying there, wrapped in a sleeping bag. She was skinny, with dark tangled hair framing her grubby face. She looked a year or two older than him.

Caw stepped back until he collided with the window. His leg muscles wanted to run, but fear paralysed him. He found his voice.

“I …” he started. But what was he supposed to say? Where to start? Her eyes were defiant, but scared too, he noticed, his fear dipping slightly. He raised his hands to show he wasn’t a threat. “This is my house,” he said. “Who are you?”

The girl stood up, shaking the sleeping bag off. She picked up a baseball bat from beside her, knuckles white as they clenched it.

“Are you on your own?” said the girl.

Caw remembered the man outside and took a quick glance back. But the face by the tree had gone. The crows were nowhere to be seen either.

“Er … yes,” he said.

“So, if this is your house, why don’t you live here?” the girl said, jabbing the bat at him. She looked like she wouldn’t have a problem using it.

Caw kept his distance. “I haven’t lived here for a long time,” he said. He searched for a better explanation but couldn’t think what to say.

The girl hefted the bat again. She looked ready to pounce if he said the wrong thing.

“My parents … they threw me out,” he added. It was sort of true.

The girl seemed to relax at that. She lowered the bat a little. “Join the club,” she said.

“What club?” said Caw.

The girl frowned. “It’s an expression,” she said. “It means we’re in the same boat.”

Caw was getting confused. “This is a house, not a boat,” he said.

He wasn’t sure why, but the girl laughed at that. “What planet are you from?” she said, shaking her head.

“This one,” said Caw. She was making fun of him, he realised. But at least that was better than trying to bludgeon him with a bat. “Are you on your own?” he asked.

The girl nodded. “I suppose technically I ran away. I’ve been here a few weeks. My name’s Selina, by the way.”

“Caw,” said Caw.

“That short for something?”

“Not really,” he replied.

“I knew there were some empty houses round here,” said Selina. She waved the bat, pointing around the room. “This seemed the best of a bad lot.”

“Thanks,” said Caw. “This used to be my bedroom.”

The girl grinned. “It’s really nice. The rat droppings make it kind of homely.”

Caw couldn’t help laughing. It had taken him a while, but gradually, with Pip and Crumb’s help, he was getting the hang of talking to people. “It’s the charred curtains that make it for me.”

Selina leant the baseball bat against the wall. “Look, I can go if you want.”

Caw went quiet. He felt sort of strange in the pit of his stomach. No one ever asked what he wanted, so he had no idea. He looked at her ragged clothes and thin face. If he kicked her out, where would she go? He supposed there were other houses she could squat in. But he’d only just met her, and she seemed OK, apart from the baseball bat.

The girl began to gather the sleeping bag up from the floor.

“There’s no need to leave,” he said quickly. “I’m not staying. I’m finished here.”

She paused. “Oh – you live somewhere else now?” she said.

Caw caught a flash of desperation in her eyes. He thought about the Church of St Francis, where he lived with Crumb and Pip. He broke eye contact.

“Sort of,” he said.

Selina gave a wry smile. “It’s OK – I get it. I can look after myself.”

Caw searched her face and wondered if she was just pretending to be tough. He had a mattress at the church, warmth and food. A million times better than here. Could he take her there? There was plenty of room. His heart urged him to say something, but his head argued the other way. He knew Crumb wouldn’t like it if he showed up with a stranger. Plus, how could they keep their feral powers a secret from her?

No, it was too risky.

“It’s not that,” he said. “It’s not my place, that’s all.”

She nodded. “Don’t worry about it.”

He felt bad. It must get really cold here at night. And how did she eat without any crows to help her?

“Listen,” he said, “you look hungry. I could come back, bring you some food if you like.”

The girl blushed, but lifted her chin. “I don’t need your help,” she said.

“No, of course not,” said Caw. “I was just … I know places to get food, that’s all. In the city.”

“So do I,” she said defensively. “I’m not going hungry, all right?”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. He hadn’t meant to offend her.

“Tell you what,” she said at last. “How about we share our knowledge? I’ll show you where I go, and you can do the same. Two runaways helping each other out?”

Caw blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that sort of offer. “What – like, together?”

“Why not?” said Selina. “How about tomorrow night? Ten o’clock.”

Caw found himself nodding without even thinking about it.

Screech’s soft warble sounded from outside. They must be worried about me. Caw didn’t want them coming in and scaring Selina.

“I’ve got to go,” he said.

She was watching him closely, her brow wrinkled. “OK,” she said. “Bye, Caw – see you tomorrow. I’ll guard your parents’ valuables till then.”

“Valuables?” said Caw. Had she found something in the house?

She smiled again. “Joking,” she said.

“Oh, yes,” he said, going red. “I get it. Bye then.”

He left the room, skin still burning furiously. But as he began descending the stairs, his chest felt light. It had been so long since he’d spoken to a normal person, and apart from a few slips, it hadn’t gone too badly. He wondered if he should tell Crumb about the girl. The pigeon feral didn’t have a lot of time for non-ferals.

He paused in the living room. All sorts of questions occurred to him now. Where had she run from, and why? How long had she been here and how had she survived? Well, there’d be plenty of time to ask her later.

Find anything? said Shimmer, hopping aside as he closed the front door behind him.

“Not really,” Caw lied. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Nothing at all? said Shimmer, cocking her head.

“It’s a ruin,” said Caw. “I should have listened to Glum.”

Told you so, said Glum.

Caw knew he should tell them about Selina, but they’d only object, just as they had with Lydia. Besides, all his life the crows had kept secrets from him. It was oddly satisfying to have one of his own – even if it was only something small.

They had just reached the end of the front lawn, when a figure stepped out ahead of them.

Caw was gripped with an icy panic. He gasped, and the crows took to the air with wild cries. He backed up, tripped and fell on to his backside. Every fibre of his muscles wanted to run, but he felt completely unable to move.

The man thrust his head forward. “Jack Carmichael?” he said. His voice was soft but urgent. Caw noticed with a wave of revulsion that the man’s teeth were sharp shards of enamel jutting from his gums.

You know him? said Screech.

Caw managed to shake his head. It was the man with the white face that he’d seen from his bedroom window. Up close, Caw saw that his features looked pale too – bloodless lips, a squashed little nose and wide, unblinking eyes staring out from behind small tinted spectacles. His face was skeletally thin, with dark hollows beneath his cheekbones, and he had no hair and no eyebrows at all. He wore a long black coat tightly buttoned up.

Shimmer leapt into a branch above the man and let out a harsh shriek.

“I mean no harm,” said the man, casting rapid glances to either side. “That’s if you are Jack Carmichael? The crow talker.”

“Who are you?” said Caw, picking himself up. “Why are you spying on me?”

The pale figure reached into his coat and Caw bristled. He saw Glum spread his wings, ready to swoop down. But what the man drew out wasn’t a weapon. It was a stone, about half the size of Caw’s fist and polished to a jet-black shine.

“This is from Elizabeth,” said the stranger, holding it in front of him. “Elizabeth Carmichael.”

Caw felt the words tugging at his heart. “My mother? You knew her?”

“Perhaps,” said the man. He hesitated. “I suppose I must have. Once.” His mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile that vanished just as quickly. “Closer to her than ever now, of course.”

Er … what’s that supposed to mean? said Shimmer.

Caw stared at the stone sitting in the man’s hand. The harder he looked, the harder it was to focus on its edges. It wasn’t completely black at all – in its depths, swirls of colour seemed to shift and blur. Caw drew back and the man stepped after him, thrusting the stone towards him.

“It belongs to you, young man. To the crow feral. Take it. Take it.”

It might be a trap, said Screech.

Caw could hear the desperation in the stranger’s words, but somehow he felt sure it was the truth. The stone was his. He knew it, deep in his soul. He extended a hand and the man dropped the stone into his palm. It was lighter than Caw had expected and oddly warm.

“What is it?” asked Caw.

Instead of replying, the man jerked his pale face upwards and shrank back into the darkness. “I must go,” he said. “I want nothing to do with it, crow talker. It is yours to bear alone.”

Caw turned and saw a pigeon flap out of a window at the rear of his parents’ house. One of Crumb’s birds. It flew away like a grey shadow.

He closed his fist around the stone. He was dimly aware of the crows making noises, but he was too focused on the strange feeling of the stone throbbing in his palm. Maybe it was just the pulse of his blood?

When Caw looked up again, the stranger was gone. Screech landed on his shoulder and gave his ear a light nip with his beak.

“Ow!” said Caw. “Why’d you do that?” He slipped the stone into his pocket.

Because you weren’t listening, said Screech. Are you OK?

Caw nodded slowly. “Let’s get back to the church. And … we’ll keep this to ourselves, all right?”

Screech chuckled. Who are we going to tell? It’s not as if anyone else understands crow, is it?

“Good point,” said Caw.

aw woke to a grey pre-dawn light coming through a hole in the church rafters. He heard a sizzle and a smell filled him with a sudden pang of hunger.

Sausages …

He rolled over, scattering the pile of books stacked beside his mattress. At once, the memory of the night rushed back. The stone, the stranger.

Crumb was a few metres away, leaning over his brazier, with his back to Caw, turning spitting sausages in a skillet. Pip sat beside him, letting a mouse run up and down, under and over his sleeve. He was wrapped in an army jacket at least three sizes too big for him and his scruffy fair hair needed a good brush. He looked longingly at the pan.

“They must be ready by now!” said the mouse feral.

“Patience,” said Crumb.

On one of the roof beams, a pigeon cooed.

“Awake, is he?” said Crumb. “I’m surprised after all that sneaking around last night.”

Caw realised that Crumb was talking about him, and blushed, remembering the pigeon from the night before. What exactly had it seen? He sat up and his three trusted crows fluttered down from a window arch, landing at his side. He felt annoyed with himself, first for not being more careful in covering his tracks, but second for being embarrassed. He’d done nothing wrong.

“I had to look,” he said. “What’s wrong with trying to learn about my past?”

“And did you find anything?” said Crumb, finally turning to him. He was wearing a red cap marked with a tiger’s face – the mascot of Blackstone’s baseball team – and his long hair poked out on either side. His beard and moustache grew in wispy patches. Caw remembered the first time they’d met in an alleyway. He’d assumed Crumb was just another homeless vagrant living on the streets of Blackstone. But since then, Crumb had become like an older brother to him.

“No,” said Caw. His hand went automatically to his pocket, where the dark stone lay, but he disguised the movement by fiddling with his zipper.

“You’re lying,” said Crumb. “Bobbin said there was someone else in the house.”

What’s he talking about? said Glum.

“A young lady, he said. He got in through a window to see what you were up to. Isn’t that right, Bobbin?”

The fat pigeon on the rafter twitched its head, and Caw remembered thinking he’d seen something up on the landing as he entered the house. It must have been Crumb’s bird, watching him.

“It was just a girl,” said Caw, sulkily. “Sleeping rough. You don’t have to spy on me.”

“And you don’t have to lie to me,” said Crumb. His face looked suddenly older than his twenty-something years. He laid sausages, dripping with fat, into three bread rolls. “We’re supposed to be your family, Caw.”

You gonna tell him about the weirdo outside? said Shimmer.

Caw shook his head as Crumb offered him a roll on a plate. It didn’t sound like Bobbin had seen the pale man, so there was no reason to tell Crumb. It would only lead to more questions about the encounter, and Caw remembered very clearly what the “weirdo” had said – the stone was his to bear alone. Until he knew what it was, it would stay that way.

“Well?” said Pip, through a mouthful. “What girl?”

“Her name is Selina,” Caw said. “She’s a runaway.”

Crumb nodded, biting into his own sandwich and chewing thoughtfully. “You should stay clear of her. No good comes from mixing with humans.”

Caw felt an itch of irritation. Crumb couldn’t tell him what to do. Just because he was a few years older. “But—”

“Caw, you have responsibilities now,” said Crumb. “As a feral. You can’t let people know what you are. Humans can’t be trusted.”

Caw wasn’t so sure. Crumb thought everyone was out to get him. Besides, Caw’s friend Lydia was a normal girl. True, he hadn’t seen her in the two months or so he’d been living with Crumb. But that wasn’t because he didn’t want to. It was because he knew her mother didn’t want him hanging around with her. Her father Mr Strickham didn’t even know about the ferals. They had their own life. A normal one.

“You going to eat that?” said Pip hopefully, pointing at Caw’s roll. His own plate was already empty and a couple of mice were polishing off the crumbs.

“Yes,” said Caw, drawing the plate closer to his chest.

“You’d better,” said Crumb. “We’ve got training this morning, remember? Then your reading lesson.”

Caw groaned. He enjoyed the reading bit, but Crumb insisted on training with their animals three times a week, and that tended to be a lot more painful.

“Do we have to?”

Crumb rolled his eyes. “How many times, Caw? The Spinning Man might be gone, but we don’t know how many of his followers are still on the loose, waiting to strike.”

An image flashed through Caw’s mind – the white spider he had seen scuttling through the graveyard after he had destroyed the Spinning Man. But he’d only seen it for half a second – surely it was his tired mind conjuring up phantoms. He shook off the thought.

“Without a leader—” Caw began.

“There will always be a new enemy,” Crumb interrupted sternly.

Before Caw could protest more, a pigeon flashed past, snatched the sandwich from his plate and fluttered above, just out of reach.

“Very funny,” said Caw, rolling his eyes. The pigeon dropped the sandwich and Caw caught it. “I’ll train twice as hard tomorrow. How about that?”

Crumb gave him a hard stare and Caw couldn’t help but look away, embarrassed. After all Crumb had done for him, maybe he did owe the pigeon feral more respect. But a part of him bristled still. Crumb was always telling him what to do. He’d only given Caw a watch so that he could make him show up for meals on time. Surely Caw didn’t have to tell him everything. “I can’t force you,” said Crumb. “But remember, this afternoon is Emily’s funeral.”

“Of course,” said Caw. He’d only met the elderly centipede feral once. She’d been a sad old lady, haunted by the deaths of her children in the Dark Summer. “Is it true she has no heir?” he asked quietly.

Crumb nodded. “With her passing, the centipede line will end forever.”

A silence fell. Feral powers passed from parent to child. There was no other way.

So, if we’re not training, what are we doing? said Shimmer. She was eyeing up his sandwich too, Caw noticed. He tore off a piece and tossed it to her.

“We’re going out,” he said.

“Can I come too?” said Pip, jumping to his feet.

Caw managed to disguise his grimace as a smile. Sometimes it was fun having Pip around, but other times he followed like a shadow, making Caw feel desperate to be on his own.

“Why don’t you stay and train with Crumb?” Caw said. “You’d just be bored with me. Crows are really dull, you know.”

Charming, croaked Screech.

Pip looked disappointed, but nodded.

Caw unrolled the blanket he used as a pillow and took out a slim, dark blade – the Crow’s Beak. He slid it inside the scabbard he’d made from old leather and slung its straps over his shoulders. Crumb’s eyes widened with curiosity. “Expecting trouble?”

Caw shook his head. “Like you said. You never know who’s out there.” He headed for the stairs and his crows followed.

Boring, are we? said Glum.

Caw waited until they were out of earshot, then whispered, “I didn’t want any eyes on us today. Not where I’m planning to go.”

Ooh … a secret mission! said Shimmer.

“Just keep a lookout for pigeons,” said Caw. “I’ll explain on the way.”

Blackstone was a city with a lot of history. Crumb had told Caw all about it over several nights – how it had begun hundreds of years before as a settlement by a swampy river, how it had grown when the river was dammed and diverted to irrigate fields for crops. How it had become an important staging post at the crossing of two large trade routes. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, buildings of wood had been razed for those of brick. The city had prospered through the industrial revolution that swept across the country. The river had been widened and rerouted further, with bridges spanning its course.

With each generation, new waves of people came and settled, bringing their cultures and ideas. Steelworks and factories had been replaced by the world of finance and technology. The population boomed and spread. Blackstone had seemed to be on an unstoppable trajectory of progress.

Until the Dark Summer, when the feral war had ripped the city apart.

Eight years had passed since then, but Blackstone had not recovered. It was like a wounded animal – unable to climb to its feet, but clinging to life.

Caw saw the city differently from the normal people – the ones who stayed on the ground, navigating by street names and landmarks. He knew the sections that were quiet and calm, and the ones that were always crowded. Places of safety and danger. Areas where he could scavenge or where the pickings were meagre. Where he could pass unseen through darkness or where security lights might reveal him. He measured distance not in miles, but in time. Ten minutes to cross from the abandoned train station, via the disused tracks, to the cathedral. Twelve if he took the detour over the rooftops of the old rubber factory.

Everywhere he went, the layers of the past revealed themselves. A church here and there, or old pilings jutting like rotten tooth stumps from the river’s shallows where a jetty had once been. And of course the sewers, threading their way in arched tunnels across almost all the city, emptying into pumping stations and sewage works, and ultimately into the far reaches of the River Blackwater.

In his early days of exploring, Caw had never gone down there. But as time wore on, and he grew in confidence, he had begun to venture underground. In the daytime, when the rooftops weren’t safe because of construction workers, or police helicopters, the subterranean tunnels offered another way of getting around the city unseen.

But the crows were never keen.

Birds don’t like ceilings, said Glum, as they descended through a shaft into a tunnel near the church.

The sky means safety, said Shimmer.

Don’t worry, I’ll look after you, said Screech, but his voice trembled slightly.

Glum gave a throaty chuckle. Please, someone pass me the sick bag.

“We have to make sure we aren’t being followed,” said Caw. “It’s the only way.”

He jumped from the bottom of the steel ladder and landed in the tunnel. It was dry, thankfully, but the air was stale and stuffy.

As Caw began to walk along the tunnel; he took a torch from his pocket and flicked it on. The birds swooped ahead at intervals. He’d never met anything down here apart from the odd rat, but still the place made his skin tingle. He wouldn’t have wanted to come below on his own.

His back itched and he adjusted the shoulder straps looped under his clothing to make the Crow’s Beak sit more comfortably. The ancient weapon wasn’t much to look at. A narrow double-edged blade about two feet long and not terribly sharp, but at least it might scare off an attacker long enough for Caw to escape. Besides, it was the sword of the crow line, with the power to open a gateway to the Land of the Dead. It was Caw’s duty to bear it.

With his free hand, Caw felt the stone in his pocket. Did that have something to do with the crow line too? It didn’t feel particularly remarkable today, but there had to be something special about it, else why would his mother have wanted him to have it? She’d been the crow feral before him, after all.

Had the strange, hairless figure from last night even been telling the truth about knowing Caw’s mother? Caw guessed he must have been a feral himself, though he hadn’t seen any animals.

Too many questions, and Caw knew only one place he might find answers.

Hello? Earth calling Caw … said Screech.

“What?” said Caw.

You’re acting really weird, said Screech. Glum’s talking to you.

“Sorry,” said Caw. “Just thinking about something. What were you saying Glum?”

I said, we’re heading west, aren’t we? said Glum. The crow’s eyes flashed silver in the torchlight. Are we going back to see that girl?

“No,” said Caw, not breaking his stride. “We’re going to Gort House.”

Quaker’s place! said Glum. Why d’you want to mix with that old coward?

“He might know something about this black stone,” said Caw. After all, he couldn’t just carry it around without the slightest clue as to why it was so special. His mother would want him to find out what it was – she must have left it for him for a reason. He was sure of it.

They trudged on in darkness, through the endlessly winding network of tunnels. They seemed to have been built by a madman. Shafts, wide and narrow, intercepted at different levels in a convoluted maze. Caw walked for twenty minutes, navigating from memory, before climbing several ladders. His feet clanged and echoed through the tunnels as he set out at the higher level.

You sure you know where you’re going? said Shimmer, standing on a jutting pipe. I don’t want to get lost down here.

We know these tunnels like the back of our wings, said Screech, nudging close to her. I’m cold. Are you?

Shimmer edged away. I’m perfectly fine, thank you.

The tunnel began to climb slightly. Caw counted the vertical shafts as they passed them, until he was sure he’d reached the correct one.

“Our stop,” he said.

Leading the way, he prised open the manhole cover from below and peered out. Just as he suspected, he was on a deserted tree-lined road that snaked upwards – the road at the bottom of Herrick Hill that led up to Gort House.

Thank goodness for fresh air! said Shimmer, fluttering up into the branches of a tree. The others rose after her. Caw clambered out and closed the cover. Gort House was just a short walk up the hill, but he set off at a jog along the side of the road. It was a quiet area and they were unlikely to bump into anyone. Still, he was ready to hide in the bushes if need be.

Even if Quaker was a coward, Caw could trust him. After all, it was the cat feral who had first told him about the Crow’s Beak, about his parents, and many other things besides. He was an academic of sorts, specialising in the history and culture of the feral lines. Gort House was stuffed with treasures and artefacts and books – a museum to feralhood.

But as they approached the house, Caw’s heart quickened.

Something was wrong.

The gates were open and in the circular driveway was a police car, warning lights spinning silently. Caw held up a hand to stop the crows, but they didn’t need telling. They’d already arranged themselves on the railings.

What’s going on? asked Screech.

Caw’s unease was growing by the second. Had something happened to Quaker? What if a burglar had broken in? Or someone worse than a burglar … He edged inside the gates, along the sculpted shrubbery that lined the front lawn.

“Get your hands off me!” came a cry, followed by the screech of cats.

Caw ducked out of sight, just in time to see Quaker himself shoved out through the front door of his house, arms held behind his back by two policemen. He was impeccably dressed in a brownish tweed suit and red waistcoat, with mustard-coloured moccasins on his feet. A couple of tabby cats tangled around his legs as the cops slammed him against the side of their car. His monocle popped out and one of the policemen crushed it beneath his boot.

“I’ve done nothing wrong!” said Quaker. “At least tell me what you want.”

A grey cat hopped on to the bonnet of the car, hackles rising across its arched spine.

“No, Freddie!” said Quaker.

One of the policemen unbelted his nightstick and swung savagely at the cat, sending it leaping to the ground. It sprinted off into the garden.

“This isn’t right,” muttered Caw, beginning to step out.

No! said Glum, and Caw hesitated.

“I demand to know what’s going on!” said Quaker as a third policeman came out of the house.

“Find anything?” said the cop who’d tried to hit the cat.

“Just a load of old books and dodgy antiques,” said the third cop. “We need more men if we’re going to do a thorough search.”

“Not without a warrant, you won’t!” said Quaker.

Smack! The policeman backhanded Quaker across the jaw. “Shut your mouth!”

Caw flinched. He didn’t know much about the police, but he knew they weren’t supposed to behave like this.

Quaker had gone limp in their grip as he was shoved into the car.

“I can’t let them take him,” said Caw, but his feet refused to move.

What are you going to do? said Screech. There are three of them. And you can’t show them you’re a feral, remember?

The cops all climbed in after Quaker. The engine revved and the car skidded out of the driveway. Caw pressed himself against the hedge and watched them go with his heart pounding. Several more cats ran from the house, mewling plaintively. They amassed at the gates as the car drove down the hill.

They’re police, Caw, said Glum. Crumb wouldn’t want you to get involved, and yet again, I agree with him … Hey!

Caw had begun to run down the hill, holding on tight to the stone in his pocket, in case it fell out. He knew what he had to do. If he turned into a crow, he could follow from the air. Summoning all his energy, he leapt off the ground, willing the transformation to happen, letting his inner crow take over …

… and landed hard on the road, the wind knocked out of him.

Well, that was embarrassing, said Screech, landing at his side.

Maybe you should be training with Crumb after all, said Glum.

Caw sat up, rubbing his back. Why hadn’t it worked? He’d done it before.

“Take me after the police car!” he said to his crows.

He closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and felt the power surge. He might not be able to change into a crow, but he could do the next best thing.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw them coming. Black specks amassing from every direction. The crows of Blackstone were obeying their master.

One by one they descended in a dark swirl, alighting across his clothes. As each fluttering bird attached itself, Caw felt his body lightening, until his feet left the ground completely.

“Follow them!” he said.

Caw’s legs wheeled as the crows carried him up, high into the air, swooping along the road’s path below. Panic turned to exaltation as Caw gave himself to the power of their wings and the ground shrank away. In the distance, he could see the city’s sprawl. He had to stop the car before it reached the crowded metropolis, if he was to avoid being seen by non-ferals. He steered the crows with his mind. There! The car was just ahead, driving slowly along the winding road. The crows speeded up, until Caw was dangling just ten feet above the vehicle. Could he do this? He’d need to time it perfectly.

“Drop me!” he said.

Do what? squawked Screech.

“Now!” shouted Caw.

The talons released him as one and Caw fell, smashing feet first on to the bonnet of the car. He lost his footing and slammed into the windshield. The brakes screeched and the car swerved, and he bounced up over the roof. The world lost all its bearings and Caw braced himself with his arms over his head, until he thumped, side-first, into something very hard.

Caw rolled over, finding himself in the middle of the road. He sat up just in time to see the police car mount the kerb and skid into a tree with a grinding crunch.

Pain shot through Caw’s ankle as he stood, but he thought it was just twisted. As that faded, a dozen other injuries screamed for attention. His jacket was torn too. The crows were already coating the trees on either side of the road. Wincing, Caw hobbled towards the police car, dread building in his stomach. What have I done? It was spilling smoke from its crumpled bonnet as he yanked open the back door.

The police officers were moving weakly in the front seats. Alive, thank goodness, but still dangerous. Caw leant over Quaker’s body and unclipped his safety belt.

“Caw?” said Quaker. He was blinking rapidly, as though in shock.

“Come with me!” Caw said.

“How did you –”

Caw grabbed Quaker’s arm and hauled him out. “This way!” he said, leading the way up a grassy verge. Each step sent a fresh spike of pain up his leg. “Off the road.”

Quaker stumbled at his side through the undergrowth of the forest. Caw didn’t know where he was going, other than as far away from the police as possible. They slid down a leafy slope, tripping over roots and stumps, then splashed across a small stream. Scrambling up the slope on the other side, they reached a small sunken dell. Quaker fell to the ground, panting. Caw’s ankle was burning with pain as the crows settled around them.

“Keep a lookout,” Caw told them.

“Oh, Caw, what have you done?” sighed Quaker.

A thanks would be nice, said Shimmer.

“What do you mean?” Caw asked the cat feral. “I rescued you.”

Quaker’s head twitched left and right, as if he’d heard a sound. He staggered to his feet, his eyes were filled with terror. “No, you haven’t,” he said. “She’s watching us, even now.”

Caw frowned. “Who’s watching us? There’s no one here!”

Quaker shook his head, breathing heavily. “You don’t understand, Caw.”

In the distance, Caw heard shouting. The police. It wouldn’t be long before more arrived. “Listen, I need your help,” said Caw. “I have something to show you.”

He scooped the stone out of his pocket.

Quaker’s fidgeting ceased at once. His eyes fixed on the object in Caw’s palm.

“No,” he said, shaking his head rapidly. “Oh no no no.”

Quaker backed away, as though he was afraid the stone might hurt him.

“Come back,” said Caw. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s what she wants,” mumbled Quaker, never taking his eyes from the stone. “It all makes sense. How did you get it?”

“Someone gave it to me,” said Caw. “He said it came from my mother.”

Quaker reached the lip of the dell. “That may be so. But it’s not safe, Caw. You’re not safe. Put it away, for God’s sake.”

Caw tucked the stone back into his pocket. “Why? What is it?”

Quaker’s throat bobbed. “Get rid of it,” he said. “Tell no one you have it. Not Crumb, not Lydia, not Velma – no one! Your mother would have told you the same. It is the crow feral’s burden. Take it somewhere where no one can ever find it again, and please … I beg you … keep it away from me.”

He turned and ran, darting away between the trees.

“Wait!” said Caw. “I need your help!”

But Quaker was gone.

There’s no pleasing some people, said Shimmer. Her voice seemed distant and muffled. Caw shook his head. Perhaps he’d fallen harder than he thought on the road.

“I’ve found footprints!” shouted one of the police.

A bird squawked from a distance, and Caw saw it was Glum, perched on a branch twenty feet away. “What did you say?” said Caw.

This way! said Glum. I’ll get us out of here.

Caw ran after him, ankle throbbing. With every step, he could feel the stone bouncing against his side.

s Caw rushed up to the graveyard followed by his crows, he saw Crumb and Pip waiting at the gates. A stranger might have thought they were two very mismatched brothers, one over six foot tall and the other barely four and a half.

They’ve made a bit of an effort, haven’t they? said Glum.

Crumb had combed his hair and shaved. He was wearing his best pair of shoes – or perhaps he’d just put new tape around the old ones. Pip wore a crumpled black dinner suit, the jacket baggy over his shoulders, and he’d even found a bow tie from somewhere. Caw suddenly felt self-conscious about his own torn coat and scruffy boots.

The pigeon feral grunted. “So you decided to show up at last. Where’ve you been all day?”

“Sorry,” said Caw. “I lost track of time.”

“Hmm,” said Crumb. “Come on, the service is about to start.”

Caw trudged along the path after Crumb and Pip, while his crows flapped up and landed above the chapel door. His ankle still ached a little, but he was hardly limping now.

Like the ruined Church of St Francis, this place was long abandoned and the graveyard mostly untended. It felt strange being back here – the place where his own parents were buried. Crumb led them around the other side of the church where Caw saw a small gathering of people around a freshly dug grave. A mound of soil stood at the graveside waiting to be piled into the hole in the ground.

There were about a dozen people present besides Crumb, himself and Pip. Caw recognised a few of the other ferals. There was Ali, dressed in a slim-fitting black suit and still clutching his briefcase, which buzzed softly with the swarm of bees held inside. Racklen, the hulking wolf feral, stood at his side. Caw was disappointed not to see Madeleine, the raven-haired girl in the wheelchair, but he saw two of her squirrels perched in the branches at the edge of the graveyard.

He tried to scan the other faces without staring. There were people of every age. A girl of maybe four or five had a huge Dobermann sitting patiently at her side. An old man was leaning on a stick, though he didn’t seem to be accompanied by any creature. Two boys, who looked identical, stood on either side of a large, floppy-eared hare, its nose twitching. At the back stood a youngish couple with a baby in a pram. A hawk sat perched on the pram’s rim, and beside it, strangely, was a raccoon. Were both parents ferals?

At the head of the grave stood a figure Caw knew very well indeed. Mrs Strickham was dressed in a long black coat with pale gleaming buttons. She looked more severe than he remembered her from two months ago, the lines of her face taut. She acknowledged Caw with a brief nod and a smile that softened her features. She was holding a white rose. “Please, everyone, gather around,” she said.

Caw joined the group, which formed a ring around the empty grave.

No one spoke for several seconds. Caw had never been to a funeral before, let alone a feral one. He wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. Then he noticed that, one by one, the crowd were turning towards the church. He followed their gaze, up the path, and his eyes fell on the strangest thing.

Not the coffin itself – that was a simple casket, made of tightly woven wicker – but the fact that it was moving, gliding across the uneven ground as if on a cushion of air. Caw suddenly realised what he was seeing. There were centipedes under the coffin, thousands of them, their tiny legs scurrying along.

“They’re carrying her!” he murmured.

“It’s their final duty,” said Crumb.

When they reached the graveside, the centipedes descended the slope down into the earth, taking the coffin with them. As it came to rest at the bottom, Mrs Strickham cleared her throat.

“Thank you all for coming,” she said, speaking over the grave. “Emily would have been honoured to see you here.” Several heads bobbed in acknowledgement. Not for the first time, Caw felt a stranger in the company of the ferals and the history they shared.

“I first met Emily fifteen years ago,” Velma Strickham continued. “Some of you are too young to remember a time before the Dark Summer, when many of our kind were known to one another.” A smile crept over Mrs Strickham’s face as she said the words. “Emily ran a ferals group under the guise of a knitting circle, and many struggling with their powers benefited from her kindness and advice. She was a loving mother to her three girls as well. I say this from personal experience, but it is always hard to know when as a feral parent you should tell your children.” She paused. “When to burden them with their destiny.”

Caw swallowed as a fresh pang of grief rose from his heart. His mother was snatched away before she ever had the chance to speak with him.

His hand stroked the stone in his pocket again and he felt suddenly empty. There was a lot his mother hadn’t told him. He looked around the assembled faces. Surely someone here must know about the stone? But could he really trust them? The words of Quaker flashed through his mind.

Tell no one you have it. Not Crumb, not Lydia, not Velma – no one.

Crumb put his arm around Caw’s shoulder, as if he sensed his discomfort, and Caw let his fingers release the stone.

“Emily was preparing to tell her children about her powers when the Dark Summer fell upon us,” said Mrs Strickham. “You all suffered in those months. We lost many. But few suffered as Emily did.”

The air seemed to have become chillier as a light wind picked up, ruffling the treetops and blowing leaves across the graveyard. Caw saw more birds gathered in the branches – thrushes, woodpeckers, and an owl. All seemed to be watching intently. The old man with the stick shifted a little, and a ferret poked its head from the bottom of his trouser leg.

“Mamba’s snakes were trying to find Emily herself, but instead they found her daughters,” Mrs Strickham said, her voice close to cracking. “Their deaths were quick and that was a small mercy. After that Emily fought on, somehow. Without her, we could never have defeated our enemies during the Dark Summer. But it took all she had and afterwards she was never the same.

“I will not say her twilight years were happy, because we do not need to sugarcoat our existence, and Emily would be contemptuous of such a lie. But nor do I think she died a wretched death. In fact, she told me just a week ago that she was planning to set up her knitting circle once more. That can only mean she had found a sort of peace.”

Mrs Strickham paused. Caw searched the faces of the other mourners, and saw that several were in tears.

“With Emily, the centipede line ends,” said Mrs Strickham. “Hers is a double death, and our world is poorer for her passing. May she rest in peace.”

“Rest in peace,” the crowd muttered, and Caw joined in.

Mrs Strickham threw the rose on to the coffin. Racklen stepped forward and began to shovel earth into the grave. The centipedes, Caw noticed, remained in the ground with their mistress.

“You went to see Quaker, didn’t you?”

The question startled Caw. He whipped his head around to see Pip, then turned back to keep his eyes on Mrs Strickham.

“You followed me!” he whispered.

“You might have got away from the pigeons, but mice can crawl down drains,” said Pip. “We lost track of you when you went up a ladder though.”

Caw let out a silent sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was Crumb finding out about the incident with the police car. He would definitely not approve.

The mourners were beginning to drift away now and Crumb had gone over to speak with the ferret feral, greeting him with a hug. Pip’s mice were scampering around with the raccoon, climbing its fur while it tried to shake them off. Ali’s bees flew lazily around the meadow flowers that lined the graveyard, while their master spoke to the girl with the Dobermann.

“So what did you want with Quaker?” asked Pip. “Don’t worry, I haven’t told Crumb.”

“Do whatever you like,” said Caw. “I just wanted to ask him more about my parents.”

Pip frowned. But before the mouse feral could ask any more questions, Crumb beckoned them over. “You two, come and say hello to Mr Duddle.”

Pip did as he was told without question, but Caw hung back. Why did Crumb have to boss him around all the time? He pretended he hadn’t heard, he went over to the wolf feral instead, who was still shovelling, sweat glistening on his forehead.

The huge man paused as Caw came close and buried the shovel in the ground. “Crow talker,” he said flatly.

Caw wasn’t really sure how to respond. The wolf feral didn’t seem about to carry on digging, but didn’t say anything either. Caw began to wish he’d gone with Pip.

“I just wanted to ask,” Caw said slowly, “about the girl who talks to squirrels. Is she all right?” Caw remembered Racklen was the one pushing Madeleine’s wheelchair that day when he’d first met them.

“Why are you asking me?” rumbled the wolf feral.

Caw shrank back a little. “I … I thought you might be friends,” he said.

Something brushed against Caw’s leg, and when he looked down he saw that it was a fox. Velma Strickham was standing a few paces behind, staring fiercely at Caw.

“Would you come with me a moment please?” she asked. “There’s someone who’d like to say hello.” Without waiting, she turned and headed down the path through the graveyard.

“I guess I should go,” Caw mumbled at Racklen. “I’m sorry.”

The wolf feral’s glare softened, and he shook his head. “No, crow talker,” he said quietly. “I am sorry. Emily was a friend of mine, and today has been hard. Madeleine has a hospital appointment today, but she is doing well.”

Caw nodded.

“And by the way,” said Racklen, “all ferals owe you their thanks. What you did in the Land of the Dead … it was very brave.”

He thrust out a huge, soil-stained paw of a hand. Caw took it, blushing, then ran down the hill after Mrs Strickham. She had already reached her car and opened the door.

Lydia stepped out. Her mass of red hair was loose over her shoulders and her fringe came right to her eyeline, making her delicate face seem even smaller than normal. She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt with a picture of a seal reclining on an iceberg. He studied the words for a moment. It read “Just Chill”. He looked up to see that his friend was beaming at him.

Caw rushed up to her, grinning, then wasn’t sure exactly what to do. She opened her arms and Caw realised she wanted to give him a hug. He leant forward and let her do it, wrapping his arms awkwardly around her. She squeezed him tightly.

“I haven’t seen you for ages,” Lydia said.

Caw shot a glance at Mrs Strickham. Her attention was on the churchyard, but he sensed she was listening to everything he said.

“No,” Caw replied. “I’ve been … erm … busy.”

“Still living at the church?”

Caw nodded. “What’s been happening with you?”

Lydia blew out her cheeks. “A lot, I guess.” She looked across, waiting until her mother had climbed into the car and closed the door. She lowered her voice. “Caw, it’s been terrible! Mum hardly lets me out of the house. I think she’s worried I’ll get into trouble. And Dad’s lost his job.”

“Oh no! Why?” said Caw.

Lydia shrugged. “Supposedly because of the escaped convicts,” said Lydia. “But Dad says it’s political. Something to do with a new Police Commissioner wanting to replace the governor at the prison. We might have to move out of the house. But anyway …” she punched his arm. “You’ve been so busy you couldn’t come and see me?”

Caw could tell she was upset. “We need to get going,” said Lydia’s mother impatiently, hand on the car roof.

“Crumb’s been training me really hard,” said Caw, and he knew at once how lame it sounded. He rolled up his sleeve and showed her his bruises from where Crumb’s pigeons had shoved him over a park bench two days before. There were several others too from the fall off the police car – grazes and a deep purple welt across his wrist.

“Ouch!” she said. “Did you do something to upset him?”

“It’s worse than it looks,” Caw said guiltily. “He’s been teaching me to read too. There’s still lots of words I don’t know, but I’m getting there.”

“That’s great!” said Lydia, though a cloud passed across her face as she spoke. “And how are Screech and Glum?”

“The same,” said Caw. “Well, not quite. I’ve got a new one called Shimmer. She’s cool. Screech really likes her.”

Lydia giggled. “You mean he has a crush.”

I do not! croaked a voice from above. Caw saw Screech was perched on the branch of an elm tree. I just admire her flying ability.

The car’s engine started up. Mrs Strickham had climbed in and shut the door.

“We went to my old house yesterday,” said Caw. “And guess what – we found a girl living there!”

“Oh?” said Lydia, with a small grimace. “What, like squatting?”

“I guess so,” said Caw. “Her name’s Selina. She’s homeless, like I was. I’m going to teach her to scavenge.”

“That’s … that’s cool, Caw,” said Lydia. “Maybe I can come too?”

Caw hadn’t been expecting that. “Why would you want to scavenge? You’ve got proper food, y’know – on a plate.”

“Because it’s fun,” said Lydia. “When are you heading out?”

“Er … I don’t know,” said Caw. “Look, Lydia, maybe it’s best if you don’t. It might not be safe.”

She frowned. “I can look after myself.”

“Last time you got mixed up with me, I almost got you killed,” said Caw.

The stone weighed heavy in his pocket. The dangers of the past might be behind him, but new ones lingered in waiting, he was sure. Until he knew what the stone was, and why Quaker was so scared of it, he couldn’t risk letting Lydia get close again.

The car window opened, and Mrs Strickham’s face appeared. “We need to go now, Lydia. Your father will get suspicious if we’re out shopping much longer.”

“I’m sorry,” said Caw. “I just don’t want to get you into trouble.”

“Come on, sweetheart,” said her mother.

Lydia bit her bottom lip. “Caw, I thought we were friends,” she said.

He blinked at her sudden fierce tone. They’d certainly been through a lot together, but he’d never really had friends, apart from the crows. “We … we are,” he said.

She turned away and opened the car door, climbing inside. As she fastened her seatbelt she shook her head sadly. “Then why don’t you act like it?”

The door slammed before Caw could answer and the car sped off, leaving him standing alone at the edge of the graveyard.

aw was glad he’d told his crows to wait at the end of the street, because Selina was standing outside the house that night when he arrived. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off by chatting to birds.

She looked taller tonight, maybe even taller than him, but then he realised she was wearing stacked boots, made of leather and laced up to her ankles. The rest of her clothes were black too, with a knee-length skirt over dark tights and a fitted black jacket zipped up to her chin. He wondered what Lydia would have made of her. She had headphones in her ears and took them out as he approached.

“You’re late,” she said.

Caw pulled out his watch and checked. It was ten past ten. “Sorry,” he said. “There were a ton of police patrols about tonight. I had to come the long way.”

“You’re supposed to put that round your wrist, you know,” she said, pointing at the watch. “Anyway, what’s wrong with the police? You in trouble or something?”

Caw blushed. “It’s not that. I just …” he didn’t know how to finish.

“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “Actually, I wasn’t sure you’d come at all.” She blew into her hands, which were encased in fingerless gloves.

“I said I would. Ready to go?”

“Sure,” she said. “Where d’you take a girl for dinner round here?”

Caw tried not to blush even deeper, but from the heat rising behind his cheeks he knew he had failed miserably. Surely she wasn’t expecting a restaurant. “We’re just scavenging,” he said.

“And I was only joking,” she said. “Tell you what, you show me where to find a good meal, and I’ll work on your sense of humour radar.”

Caw grinned. He knew she was mocking him, but he didn’t mind. “Are you hungry?”

“Always,” said Selina.

“I know a good Chinese place,” said Caw. “They have a really nice table out back by the bins.”

Selina frowned.

“That was a joke too,” said Caw.

Selina clapped. “Oh, right! You’re learning. It sounds divine!”

They set off down the street. Out of habit, Caw stuck to the shadows where he could, but Selina didn’t look worried. She moved with a spring in her step, sometimes straying into the middle of the deserted roads or kicking cans along the street. While Caw’s head jerked at every sound the city made – a far-off dog barking, the revving of a motorbike engine – Selina didn’t even seem to notice them.

They soon reached an area littered with building machinery and cranes. It had been a forgotten construction site for as long as Caw could remember, probably abandoned in the aftermath of the Dark Summer. Caw took off his jacket and laid it over the barbed wire at the top of a fence.

“This is the quickest way into the city centre,” he said, hoisting himself to the top. Straddling the fence, he reached down to Selina.

He needn’t have bothered. “I’m fine, thanks,” she said, ignoring the hand and scampering up. She swung her body over the top, then dropped into a crouch on the other side. “So where did you say you lived again?” she asked.

Caw climbed down as well. “Er … I didn’t,” he said. “I move around.”

Caw didn’t want to keep secrets from her – but he still wasn’t ready to tell her about the church. And he was grateful that Selina didn’t push it. He remembered when he’d first met Lydia, and she’d bombarded him with questions.

“I used to live in a tree-house,” he said.

“No way!” she replied. “Where?”

“In the old park, north of here,” said Caw.

“That place is creepy!” said Selina.

“I kind of liked it.” Caw remembered the place fondly now, but in the winter it had sometimes got so cold there was frost on his blanket in the morning. “How are you with heights?” he asked. “The safest way is over the rooftops from here.”

Selina swatted an insect off her shoulder, looking up at the buildings ahead. “I’ll give it a try,” she said.

Caw went first, placing his feet and hands in the cracked mortar and climbing up to a broken first-floor window. This place had been a military barracks, Crumb had told him. Selina made it up easily. Caw was glad he hadn’t invited Lydia – she would have slowed them down. They crossed a long room littered with old papers, then climbed two sets of stairs to the roof fire escape. As they came through, the city spread out beyond.

“Oh, wow!” said Selina.

Caw saw the wonder in her face and felt a rush of pride. This was one of his favourite views as well. He set off at a light jog and Selina followed.

“There’s a jump coming up,” he said. “Not big, but follow my lead.”

He reached the edge of the building and launched himself over the two-metre gap. Then he turned to watch Selina, but she had already jumped, landing neatly beside him.

“You’re a natural,” he said, impressed.

“I take – I took – gymnastics at school,” she said, “before I ran away. It’s cool up here! It’s like being a bird, looking down on everything.”

Caw instinctively checked the sky, surprised that until then he hadn’t thought about his crows at all. He saw Shimmer and Screech sitting on an aerial about twenty metres to his left. Glum would be nearby too. They were keeping their distance.

They continued across the rooftops and Selina didn’t put a foot wrong. Gradually they penetrated closer to the heart of the city.

“So, do you miss school?” Caw asked.

“Er … sure,” said Selina. “Well, I miss my friends.”

“How long have you been away from home?”

He checked her expression to make sure he wasn’t being too nosey, but she looked fine.

“A couple of months,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d be gone this long, really. I just wanted to be on my own for a while at first, but then … well, I found I quite liked it.”

Caw paused at the edge of a building, peering into the road below. He came this way because most of the shops were boarded up and the streetlights were never switched on, but there were still cars about, and a few people.

“So how’ve you got by?” he said. “For food and stuff like that?”

“It’s been hard at times,” she replied. “I begged a bit in the city, did some things I shouldn’t.”

“What do you mean?” asked Caw, nervously.

“Oh, nothing too bad,” she said. “I learnt how to survive, that’s all.”

Caw was glad to let the subject drop. “We have to climb down here,” he said. “There’s a network of alleys that leads to the river – that’s where the restaurant is.” He pointed to a drainpipe. “You OK with that?”

Selina nodded. She touched his arm. “Wait, Caw – I want to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

She paused. “Tell me if it’s none of my business, but … you said that house was yours. Where are your parents?”

“Dead,” Caw replied. “A long time ago.”

“Oh,” said Selina. “I’m sorry.” Again, she didn’t pursue it.

“That’s all right,” said Caw, shrugging. “What about your folks? Why’d you run away?”

Selina’s mouth twisted a little. “My dad walked out before I was born,” she said. “Mum and I have never really got along. She’s got a really important job. Works ridiculous hours. Probably hasn’t even noticed I’m gone.” She smiled. Unconvincingly, Caw thought.

“Do you think you’ll ever go back?” he asked.

Selina lowered herself over the edge of the building, gripping the drainpipe in both hands.

“I don’t know,” she said.

She slid down quickly, and Caw followed.

Struggling to keep up? said Shimmer, tip-toeing along the parapet of the building.

“A bit,” Caw muttered, as he landed beside Selina.

“D’you always talk to yourself?” she asked.

Caw pasted on a grin. “Sometimes – sorry.”

Soon they reached the river, where the giant wharves stood like hulking silhouettes. Caw had never liked the Blackwater. Perhaps it was simply because he couldn’t swim, but there was something about the impenetrable darkness of the water too, like a black abyss. Crumb told him it was so dirty that if you drank a single mouthful, you’d die within a day. He said there were stories in the Blackstone Herald about people falling in and never being seen again. Caw didn’t doubt it. He remembered Miss Wallace giving him a book once about a creature with a woman’s body and a fish’s tail that lived in the river. The water had looked blue though, rather than black and full of filth. As they walked the deserted path that ran alongside the river, he wondered if there were ferals who could talk to fish.

“You OK?” asked Selina.

Caw nodded. She was at his side, looking at him curiously.

There were boats of various sizes moored up – most looked completely abandoned, like floating carcasses butting up against the dockside. Some had names like Fair Maiden, or The Floating Rose, which seemed completely at odds with their peeling paint, or the years’ worth of weed growing up their battered hulls.

One boat, in better repair than most, was unmarked. It had a slightly sunken cabin positioned in the middle of the craft and through a glass window Caw saw a cabin piled with crates and boxes.

“Maybe we’ll find something in there,” said Selina, pointing.

Caw looked up and down the bank nervously. He couldn’t see anyone – the nearest bridge was some distance away, where cars trailed across like streaks of light.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Isn’t that stealing?”

Selina shrugged. “I guess so. Seriously, have you never taken anything before?”

Caw blushed. “Yes,” he said. When he’d been younger and more desperate. Clothes off people’s washing lines, bread from an open truck. But this seemed different. He had other ways to survive.

Selina reached into her pocket and took out something glinting on a leather strap. Caw’s eyes widened and he felt automatically inside his coat. “My watch! How did you –”

Selina gave a crooked grin. “Up there on the roof, when I touched your arm.”

Caw was impressed, and a tiny bit annoyed. “I didn’t even feel it,” he said.

“Well, that’s all I meant when I said I’ve learnt to survive,” she said. “I never took anything off people who’d really suffer.” She handed Caw back the watch and he tucked it deep inside his coat pocket.

“Come on,” urged Selina. “No one will notice – we won’t take much. Plus we don’t have to go all the way into the city.”

She was right, sort of, thought Caw. But it still didn’t feel good. He looked around again and saw the three crows had alighted nearby on another boat’s roof. Caw knew they would side with Selina. Crows didn’t have a lot of time for the finer points of human morals. He wondered what Lydia would say though.

“There’s no one around,” said Selina, obviously mistaking his gaze for fear. “It’s safe.”

She jumped on the boat, and Caw followed her. It rocked slightly under his weight. Selina went to the padlocked cabin door and took something out of her pocket, her tongue held between her teeth in concentration as she worked at the padlock.

“What’s that?” he said.

“Swiss army knife,” said Selina. “Never leave home without it.” With a click, the lock cracked open. She grinned and began to unloop a chain from the door handle. The sound was deafening against the river’s silence. “How d’you think I got through your back door?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t …” said Caw.

“Chill out,” said Selina, heading inside. Caw shot a glance around, just in case, then crept after her. She was already crouched beside one of the boxes, using another of the knife’s tools to prise open the lids. She strained for a second, and it popped open. Caw saw stacks of tins inside.

“Urgh! Mushroom soup,” said Selina. She moved on to the next. “That’s more like it!” she said. “Biscuits!” She stood up and tossed two packets to Caw. He caught them clumsily and put them in his inside pocket. At least they would make the crows happy.

“Hey, look what I found!” said Selina. She was kneeling over a crate containing some sort of round fruit. She tossed one to Caw.

He caught it, and sank his teeth into the flesh. Juice exploded in his mouth.

“Wow!” he said. “What is it?”

Selina snorted through her nose. “You’ve never had a peach before?”

Caw shook his head, taking another bite. “This is the best thing I’ve ever—”

A crow’s shriek split the air above. Selina jumped, and Caw heard Shimmer from outside. Danger! she squawked.

Caw dropped the remains of the peach and grabbed Selina’s hand. “Someone’s coming,” he hissed.

“How do you know that?” whispered Selina.

He was just beginning to creep back towards the cabin door, when he felt the boat shift again beneath his feet. Someone else had climbed on board. He pointed towards the back of the cabin. “Hide!” he said. Selina looked terrified, but did as he said, sneaking out of sight behind a stack of crates.

Caw noticed there was a smaller door to the rear of the cabin. He stabbed a finger towards it and Selina nodded. As Caw peered through the crack in the main door, he saw two figures standing on the prow.

They weren’t police – he could see that at once. One was a woman – it was hard to tell how old – wearing ill-fitting patchwork clothes of several textures and styles. She had wild hair sticking up at strange angles and her top teeth peeked out over her lip. The person at her side couldn’t have been more different. He was impeccably dressed in a white suit so bright it seemed to glow. He must have been about fifty and his slightly jowly, lined face would have been friendly but for his small, chilly blue eyes. He wore a white cowboy hat.

The woman twitched. “We-we-we know you’re in there!” she stammered in a high-pitched voice. “C-c-come out, little boy.”

Caw’s breath was building in his lungs, and he tried to let it out slowly. He knew he could probably get away with the help of the crows, but what about Selina? The woman had only said “little boy” – perhaps they didn’t even know Selina was inside. He had to cause a distraction so she could escape.

He pushed the door open slowly and stepped out. “Who are you?” he said, trying to sound unafraid.

“Allow us to introduce ourselves,” drawled the man in the white suit. He took off his hat, and beneath it his hair was white too and neatly combed.

“My name is Mr Silk, and this esteemed lady goes by the name of Pinkerton.”

“What do you want?” said Caw. He looked around for his crows, ready to give the word.

“A few birds aren’t going to help you now,” said the man.

Caw flinched. If they knew he was the crow talker, that could only mean one thing.

“You’re ferals,” he said.

The woman with the wild hair began to chuckle, and the deck came alive, shifting in many parts. Hundreds of eyes glinted up at Caw, as a swarm of rats rushed towards him.

aw stumbled backwards as they came for him. He kicked out at one of the piled crates, sending it sliding and shattering in the path of the rats. But they just streamed over the top, unrelenting, their furry bodies rustling.

Caw reached out and snatched a wooden pole with a metal hook at the end. He swept it across the deck, scattering as many rats as he could. But soon they were on the pole as well, scurrying along its length. Caw hurled it away. He hopped up on a barrel and on to the top of the cabin, landing in a crouch. He saw that the woman’s eyes had rolled back in her head, revealing bloodshot whites that flickered as she controlled the rodents. They attacked the sides of the cabin in waves, piling on top of each other as they scrambled up and fell back, unable to gain purchase with their clicking claws.

“Do you have any comprehension,” said the man in the white suit, “of how quickly these creatures could devour you? A rat will eat until it is incapable even of moving. They aren’t picky either – muscle, bone, cartilage – it’s all the same to them.”

Caw looked around for an escape route, but the rats were everywhere. There was only the water, and he couldn’t swim. And what about Selina? Had she managed to get away through the other door yet? “Just tell me what you want,” he said.

Mr Silk spread his arms. There was something strange about the material of his suit, Caw thought, but he couldn’t work out what it was.

“Don’t play games with me, boy,” said the suited man. “It’s the stone we want.”

Caw swallowed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Mr Silk smiled. “Come, come,” he said. “Let’s not waste each other’s time. Pinkerton?”

The woman twitched a hand and the rats went into a frenzy, piling on top of one another, forming a ramp at the side of the cabin. One managed to scramble up and on to Caw’s foot. He kicked it away.

Then, with a thought, he summoned his crows. Their black shapes gathered in his consciousness and he sent them swooping towards Pinkerton.

Screech, Glum and Shimmer dived through the air. At the same moment, Mr Silk’s jacket seemed to burst outwards. Hundreds of fluttering creatures peeled off the material and flew up to intercept the crows. Moths …

I can’t see! Glum cried out as the winged creatures enveloped him. Screech and Shimmer veered off wildly as they too were cloaked with insects.

“Let’s try again, shall we,” said Mr Silk. “Give me the Midnight Stone.”

‘D-d-do it!” cackled Pinkerton. “She wants it. She wants it.”

She? thought Caw. Who is she?

He felt a stinging pain in his ankle, and cried out. A rat hung by its teeth. Another clambered over his foot and on to his trousers, chattering horribly. The rest followed, swarming up his legs. Caw felt them sink their jaws into his flesh as one and he screamed, thrashing. More rats scrambled over his back. An endless stream. There was only one way out now. He raised himself up – fighting the weight of the squirming bodies clinging all over him – and he leapt off the boat’s edge into the freezing water below.

It swallowed him, and for a moment all he could see were bubbles in the blackness. His clothes dragged at his limbs, but then his head broke the surface and he sucked in a breath.

Panic gripped his heart. His head went under again and water choked him. He splashed back to the surface, coughing. There were rats in the river too, their bodies bobbing all around. The bank was only a few feet away, but he couldn’t reach it. He sank once more.

This time his feet touched the gravelly bottom of the Blackwater. He pushed off with his toes, lunging, just managing to grab a rope holding the boat against the bank. Sucking in rapid breaths, he heaved his sodden body out of the water.

Mr Silk was already standing on the riverside path. His moths fluttered all around him, then settled as one, forming a seamless camouflage over his jacket. Caw shot a glance at the boat and saw that the cabin’s back door was open. At least Selina had got out.

“You cannot escape us,” said Mr Silk calmly. “She wants the stone and she will have it.”

Caw hesitated. He didn’t even know what the stone was, but it had been entrusted to him by his mother. The one thing she’d left him. No way would he hand it over without a fight.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. His crows were nowhere to be seen. He looked around for Selina, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. Then he felt something digging into his back. Of course! He had another weapon.

Caw threw off his sodden jacket and drew the Crow’s Beak from its harness.

Mr Silk looked at the sword calmly as he held out one arm, chivalrously, to help Pinkerton disembark. The tide of rats followed her.

“Please,” he said. “There’s no need to be uncivil.”

“Get away from him,” said another voice.

Caw spun around and saw a small shape coming along the path. His heart plummeted as he realised it was Pip, with a huge swarm of mice at his heels.

“Get out of here!” said Caw. Pip shook his head. With a thrust of his arm, he sent his mice charging past Caw towards the new ferals.

The rats met the mice in a seething battle, bodies tipping over each other with horrible sounds and squeals as the rodents bit one another. Seeing that Mr Silk had disappeared, Caw took his chance and jumped over the scrapping mice and rats, launching himself at Pinkerton. She backed away, flapping her arms, until she tripped and landed on the ground. Caw brought the tip of the Crow’s Beak to her neck.

“P-p-please …” she said. “Don’t kill me!”

“Call off your rats!” he said.

The nattering teeth and the screeching died down, leaving silence. “Pip?” Caw called out, looking behind him.

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