The Sekoi’s fingers grabbed him. ‘He’s right, Raffi!’

‘We can’t just leave him!’

‘You have to.’ Galen’s grip caught his. ‘You’re the keeper now, Raffi. Find the Crow. That’s all that matters. Find the Crow!’

The darkness behind him was moving; men, hounds, a crack of blue light.

‘The Watch!’ Carys hissed.

‘Don’t worry,’ Galen said. He pulled upright, his hawk-face hard in the glimmer. ‘The Makers are with me, Raffi. We’ll meet again. Now, get him away!’

Carys and the Sekoi had to drag him, sobbing and yelling. Behind them, blows and howls rang in the black tunnel.

The House of Trees

The House of Trees

Chapter 21

21

The Makers turned to Kest in despair. ‘What have you done?’ they cried. ‘How have you betrayed us? Your distorted birds, your hideous beasts have marred our world.’ So they took him and locked him underground for a hundred years, without food or light. And each time they looked in on him he was silent and unsmiling.

Book of the Seven Moons

‘HOW DO YOU feel, small one?’

Raffi shook his head, hopelessly. He was shaking and felt sick, though they had run through the streets till they thought they were safe. The Sekoi sat down by him. ‘Galen is a brave man,’ it said, kindly.

‘Yes.’ Raffi’s voice was fierce. ‘I’ve seen him yell at a skeer-snake in the forest till it couldn’t face him. That was before … But he can do anything. He’s not afraid of danger.’ Choked, he closed his fists.

Its back against the ruined wall, the creature nodded. ‘It seemed to me that he sought death. He had a great loss to bear. Now he will be a martyr for the Order. That is a good thing, is it not?’

Raffi nodded. ‘So the Litany says.’ But his voice was small and reluctant, and the silence after it bleak.

Carys flung down the pebble she’d been fingering. ‘That’s it. That’s enough!’

‘What?’

‘I said, that’s enough.’ She stood up and marched over to them, kicking the rubbish in the cloister aside. ‘How can you sit there and talk like this! Galen is no use to anyone dead!’

‘They believe …’ the Sekoi began patiently, but she waved at it angrily. ‘I know what they believe! “The blood of the Order benefits the earth” – all that nonsense! But I don’t! I say we should do something, not just sit here!’

‘We will,’ Raffi said. He looked up, his face determined. ‘We’ll find the Crow. Just like he said.’

‘But what about Galen!’ She dropped to crouch by him.

‘We can’t help him. The Watch will torture him.’

‘They will if we don’t get him out!’

The Sekoi stared. ‘From a Watchtower? Don’t torment the boy. It can’t be done.’