Chapter Eight: Bonfire
Six Pucatrows led the way through the maze of Undertunnels,
and six followed behind, each carrying their long spears diagonally across
their shaggy chests. The damp air smelled of pine and dirt, and reminded Reilly
of the Grand Forest near his own home. It seemed to him that the longer he
remained in this time warp, the more he felt he’d been there before, which
puzzled him.
A crackling sound grew louder as they walked quickly through
low-ceilinged tunnels. The Pucatrows sniffed frequently, but no one spoke until
the Undertunnel opened to a cave-like room made of quartzite.
Noticing Reilly’s interest in their surroundings, Lottie explained.
“Late at night, the Pucatrows carry sandstone rocks to the Deceptors’ bonfire
at the Cliffs of Black Castle of Wicklow, and toss them into the fire. The fire
is so intense, the rocks change to quartzite. The Pucatrows use the fired rocks
to fortify the Main Stations.” Reilly raised his brow. Lottie continued, “There
is a Main Station in each corner of the East Forest and the West Woods. During a
Deceptor attack, families enter the Undertunnels from their own lift and meet
at a Main Station, where the best plan of evacuation or counterattack is
determined. Nevertheless, we have yet to execute a truly successful
retaliation.”
Reilly looked around the room as Lottie explained the
details. He sized up each Pucatrow and then looked directly at Cormack. “But
how do the Pucatrows retrieve the rocks from the fires without being seen? Or
injured?”
“We can morph into fire-resilient black rats,” Cormack said.
“We creep into the fire and swallow the rocks whole, then carry them to the
Main Stations, or wherever we need them, and regurgitate them.”
Reilly’s eyes widened and he tried to picture rats that
could sneak into fire and swallow whole rocks. He thought that if the Pucatrows
knew the Deceptor’s routine, they might also know more about what happened at
the Cliffs of Black Castle, and even The Library, than they may have told Quin.
Intent on his responsibilities at hand, Quin changed the
subject. “Let’s survey the damage and see if there are more survivors,” he
ordered.
No comments:
Post a Comment