Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den (7 page)

When they reached the top, Simon stopped and stared. It wasn't a tree house at all, but a circular walkway that extended all the way around the penthouse. Armchairs were scattered around the roomy level, all facing the windows that provided a view of the entire city. There was even a large desk looking over Central Park, and low bookshelves created an inner wall. But the most amazing part was the huge old oak tree that grew from below, its branches so high that the glass ceiling had been specially built to form a dome around them.

“Like it?” said Winter with a smirk.

“Of course he does, my dear,” said a voice Simon immediately recognized. Halfway up the massive tree, the trunk twisted into a seat, and perched in the center was the one-eyed eagle.

“What are you doing here?” said Simon.

“This is my home,” said the eagle. “I am so very glad to see you safe at last.”

“
Winter said Orion knew where the rats took my mother,” said Simon. “I want to talk to him.”

“Of course, of course,” said the eagle. “If you'll indulge me for a moment.”

“What—” started Simon, but the eagle took flight, landing gracefully at Simon's feet. The air shimmered, and the eagle began to change shape just as Darryl had. His body elongated; his massive wings turned into arms, and his brown feathers melded together to form clothes. The eagle's one beady eye stayed the same, but the beak retracted, morphing into a human nose and mouth. White feathers formed a trim silver beard and a head full of hair, revealing tanned skin where they disappeared.

Within seconds, the transformation was complete. Instead of an eagle, a man stood in front of Simon, tall and regal, with a thin nose half a size too big for his long face. He wore a plain white shirt and brown pants, and what had once been talons were now bare feet, gnarled with age. One eye was scarred over, and he fixed the good one on Simon and smiled.

“My boy,” he said warmly. “I have waited for this day for a very long time.”

“You're Orion,” said Simon. His mouth went dry. This was who his mother and Darryl had been so afraid of—the same eagle that had been stalking him all day. “Where's my mother?”

Orion's bushy eyebrows knit together. “I followed them for as long as I could, but despite my efforts, the mammals
took
her hostage. I am certain they will not kill her, not when she is so valuable to both of us, but how long that mercy will last, I cannot say.”

Cold fear washed over Simon, and he gulped. “So get her back.”

“I'm afraid it isn't that simple,” said Orion. “My kingdom has been at war with the mammals for years. I have no more control over the rats than you do.”

“Then who—”

“The Alpha, of course.”

The Alpha
. The same name the rats had murmured. “How do we find them?” said Simon, clutching the hilt of Darryl's knife where it hung from his belt.

“Not
them
.
Her
. The Alpha is well protected by her subjects, and even without their support, she is a formidable foe,” said Orion. “By now, I do not doubt your mother has been taken deep into mammal territory. To try to save her would be suicide.”

“But the pigeons—they can help us.” There had to be a million in the city.

Orion regarded him with his one good eye. “How much did your mother tell you about me?”

Simon fidgeted. Talking to Orion felt like he was betraying her, but he
had
tried to save them from the rats. “She told me you're my grandfather, and that you've been hunting us since I was a baby,” said Simon. “That she had to abandon me just so you wouldn't find us.”

Orion sank wearily into the nearest chair. Despite his
apparent
frailty, he gripped the arms of the chair hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “Your mother abandoned you to stop the Alpha from finding you.
I
have only ever wanted to keep you and your mother safe, but I am growing older and weaker. After the Alpha's soldiers killed your father while he was supposed to be under my protection, your mother feared I would fail to protect you, too.”

Suddenly the room tilted and Simon's knees buckled. “The Alpha murdered my father? But—my mother never said—”

“No, I suspect she did not.” Orion leaned toward the window, his brow furrowing. “Perrin!”

Half a dozen birds flew up into the tree house, and a hawk rose above the rest, perching on the back of the chair beside Orion's. “Sir,” he said in a man's voice.

“I see movement,” said Orion, nodding toward Central Park. “Double the park guard, and keep me apprised of the pack's whereabouts. The Alpha no doubt knows of our involvement by now, and we must remain one step ahead of her if we are to succeed.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” said the hawk, and he spread his wings, taking off toward the highest branches of the tall oak. One of the glass panels must have been open, because he turned sharply and glided out into the open air above the city.

Simon's head was spinning. The Alpha had murdered his father, and now she was after his mother, too. “I have to
find
her,” he said, his voice breaking. “Please—you have to help me.”

Orion refocused on Simon and patted the seat beside him. Simon didn't budge. “I will do everything I can, my boy, I promise. But the might of the mammal kingdom surpasses even my own, at least within the city.”

“You mean rats and dogs and . . .”
And wolves
, but Simon couldn't say it.

“He doesn't know anything about us,” said Winter from her armchair. She had pulled her book out and was steadily turning pages. “He doesn't even know about the five kingdoms.”

“I don't care about any of that,” said Simon, his voice shaking. “I just want to find my mother.”

“Then despite what you may think, you do care, for it is an integral part of why this happened to her. To both of you.” Orion stood and limped to the edge of the glass, flinching with each step. Winter dropped her book and hurried over with a cane, and he took it with a grateful smile. “I hear you have been able to talk to animals for quite some time.”

“They come to me for things. For food, and when they're sick and stuff.”

“Birds in particular?” said Orion. Simon nodded. “That is because you are my grandson.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Orion set his hand against the glass and gazed out toward Central Park. “I am the King of the Skies, and I rule over
every
animal with the ability to fly. Except for insects, of course, but I consider that quite a bit of luck.”

Several of the birds in the oak's branches tweeted with laughter. Simon didn't see what was so funny. “You're a—king,” he said.

“Indeed,” he said. “Animalgams—people born with the ability to turn into animals, like us—are split into five kingdoms: birds, land mammals, insects, reptiles, and the underwater kingdom. We all have the ability to shift into animals. For instance, as you have seen, I am a golden eagle, and the leader of the bird kingdom. Your mother, as my heir, is also an eagle, and your guardian is a wolf and a member of the mammal kingdom.”

“But I can't shift into an eagle,” said Simon. “I can't shift into anything.”

“Not yet, but you will. Rather soon, I'd say. The first transformation usually comes around twelve or thirteen. Winter has not yet shifted, either, but when she does, she will be a hawk like her father,” he added. “I guarantee you are one of us, Simon. Your ability to talk to animals has already proven that. Most don't develop that gift until they have shifted, but you—you are special.”

Simon wasn't sure he believed it. He'd never been extraordinary or talented at anything, except for accidentally egging on bullies. “Is that how the Alpha found us? Because of me?”

Orion grimaced. “No, no, my boy. You did nothing
wrong.
I have been searching for you for a very long time, but it wasn't until I heard rumors of a boy who could speak to pigeons—who helped and befriended them even when so many believe them to be nothing but nuisances—that I learned where you were. And I fear in the process of finding you, I am regrettably the one who led the Alpha directly to your doorstep.”

A lump formed in Simon's throat. So the fault lay with both of them. “I don't understand why she wants to kill us.”

“The Alpha wants to enslave all five kingdoms and seize ultimate power for herself,” said Orion. “She has already threatened and blackmailed the other three kingdoms into bowing down to her and giving her the means to control them. I am all that stands in her way now, and because I refuse to yield, the Alpha has made it her mission to destroy my line, allowing her to take control. That is why she sent the rats to attack you and your mother. Without an heir, my kingdom will fall, and with it the final resistance to the Alpha's tyranny. Should I surrender, she will strip the kingdoms of their rights and slaughter anyone who opposes her. Mammals will run wild and unchecked, and there will be chaos. But you and I will not be around to see it,” he added. “Nor will your mother, because we will all be dead. That is what I am fighting for, Simon—our family, our kingdom, and the freedom of every Animalgam. If we do not fight, no one else will.”

Simon swallowed hard. He didn't know whether Orion
was
telling the truth, but he had witnessed the fights between rats and pigeons in the streets with his own eyes. He had seen the rats band together by the thousands. If that was what the Alpha was willing to do in order to get to him and his mother . . .

“I need to tell my uncle where I am,” he said.

“Darryl Thorn is a wolf,” said Orion, his lips twisting with disdain. “While I . . .
admire
the lengths he has gone to in order to secure your safety, against the very foundation of his breed, it is far too dangerous for you to see him.”

“But he protected me from the rats,” said Simon, his hands balling into fists. “He would never hurt me. He
raised
me. He's my family.”

Orion hesitated. “Perhaps one day, once the Alpha is defeated, it will be possible. But for now, you must stay here, where it is safe.” He turned to the window, wincing and touching his back. “There are millions of mammals in the city, and every single one of them will be searching for you. The moment you step out of Sky Tower, I can no longer protect you.”

Simon sputtered. “But—”

“I am sorry, my boy. Truly. I know what it is to be caged, and I would not wish that on anyone. But your life, and the fate of the five kingdoms, is in jeopardy. I do not know if I will be able to save Isabel, but I
can
protect you.”

So that was it. He might never see his uncle again—not if Orion had anything to say about it—and if they didn't find
his
mother before the rats handed her over to the Alpha . . . “You can't make me stay here.”

“I do not wish to do so, but I must keep you safe. It is my highest priority.”

“Your highest priority should be finding my mother.”

“I am doing everything I can—”

“That isn't good enough.” The urge to lash out at Orion overwhelmed him, and he backed away toward the spiral staircase, the glass windows spinning around him. “If you don't find her, I'll—I'll—”

“You will what?” said Orion gently. “Put your life at risk by leaving? Destroy everything your mother has worked for by letting the Alpha kill you?”

Simon said nothing. Instead he stormed to the staircase and down the winding steps, nearly tripping over his own feet. He didn't care about what the Alpha would do to him. He didn't care about the five kingdoms or their wars or whether Orion kept control over the bird kingdom. Somehow, some way, he would escape. He would track down the rats. And as soon as he got them to tell him where his mother was, he would save her. It didn't matter if it put his life in danger. If he didn't do something, she would die, and he would never see Darryl again. No matter what it took, no matter what it cost him, Simon refused to let that happen.

6

BIRDS OF PREY

The spiral staircase let out into a corridor that, like the floor above, nature seemed to have overrun. Even though Simon was short for his age, he had to duck to avoid several low-hanging branches that grew out of the leafy walls, and the ceiling swirled with animated clouds just as the lobby of Sky Tower had. Compared to the openness of the level above, however, Simon found himself feeling claustrophobic in the maze of hallways.

It didn't matter. He wasn't staying. Reaching into his pocket, he scooped Felix out. “We have to get out of here.”

“And do what?” said Felix, cleaning his whiskers. “You have no idea where your mother is.”

“
But the rats do,” he said, and Felix let out an annoyed squeak.

“I thought the idea was to survive this,” he said. “They'll kill you.”

Simon ducked around the corner, narrowly missing another branch. “You heard Orion—he's practically given up on finding her. I have to do
something
. So if you have any brilliant ideas, now's the time to speak up.” They turned another corner, and at last he spotted the elevator.

“Simon?”

Orion's voice echoed down the hallway, and Simon froze. He sounded close, and as Simon listened, he could hear the flap of wings. He hastily tucked Felix back into his pocket, muffling his squeaky objections, and pressed the down button.

Nothing happened.

He pressed it again. Still nothing. Was the elevator out of service? He examined the wall beside the door. There was a slot next to the buttons for a keycard like the one the elevator attendant had used.

Terrific. He was trapped. The rustle of leaves grew closer, and Simon swore he could feel a breeze on his face.