Page 48 of Feathered Thief

“Very well, then.” They sat down together with Lenka in front. Papa gripped her shoulders, and before she could think or blink, scenery flashed past in a blur. When the fox abruptly stopped, saying, “We have arrived,” she had to wait a moment for her thoughts to catch up with the rest of her.

Then she and Papa together stood upright in the center of a copse of trees and shrubs. A forest clung to the steep downwardslope on their left, and a fortress-like castle rose from an outcropping of stone to their right. Guards lined the walls and parapets.

If not for Papa’s stalwart presence, Lenka would have believed this was a bad dream. “Where are we?” she asked, her voice sounding warbly.

“This is Chelm Castle,” the fox replied, “in the barony of Lómza. Now, listen carefully! Search every room of the castle until you find the golden bird in its cage, then bring it to me here.”

Lenka held out her hand to stop the flow of nonsense, then pointed at the gatehouse. “Right. Why not just walk in there and say, ‘Pay no attention to me. I’m here to pilfer your priceless bird and deliver it to my king in a nearby country, thanks!’”

The fox continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Donotspeak to anyone in the house. When you locate the bird, do not believe anything it might say. You will see two cages. Youmust notshift the bird from its wooden cage into the beautiful golden one.”

“What will happen if I?—”

The fox talked over her. “Carry the bird back here or anywhere outside the castle walls. Follow these instructionsto the letter, and you will escape unscathed.”

She looked to Papa, who raised one bushy brow and summarized, “Don’t listen, don’t speak, bring it outside, and no golden cage.”

Lenka turned back to meet the fox’s stare, but those yellow eyes intimidated her. She said, “I understand,” but she really wanted to know what would happen if?—

“Remember: do not speak,” the fox snapped.

“I remember.”

“I shall meet you once you’ve completed your task.”

“What? No, wait!”

But the bossy beast was gone.

She turned to Papa Hrabik. When he didn’t speak, she asked, “What are you thinking?”

“Foxes are sly. No reason to trust this one just because it talks.”

The castle’s gates stood open. Wind whistled around stone turrets and towers, whipping colorful banners. Sentries lined the walls.

She had no choice but to cross that drawbridge. “If I back out of this task, the fox will give up on me and find someone else to help him break the curse.”

“Then maybe we’d find another way to rescue the bird.”

She heard his words, but . . . “Papa, I must steal the golden bird.”

His brows bunched, but he briefly bowed his head. “This is your quest. I’ll wait here. Do you remember the bird’s advice?”

“I do.” How could she forget when he reminded her so often?

She squared her shoulders, gripped her bow, then marched boldly up to the bridge and across it. She expected to be stopped and questioned at any moment, but the guards looked right through her.

Puzzled, she studied her hands and arms. She wasn’t invisible, yet no one seemed to notice her presence. She walked around to a side door, which stood open on that windy yet sunny day, and entered a hallway. To her right, people were chatting and calling out orders. She peered into a large kitchen, but that room was too busy for safety with so many moving bodies, so she backtracked and followed the hall to a stairway. Seeing only a few housemaids around, she wandered along another wide corridor, checking rooms as she passed them. Where would people place a birdcage? In a sunny window? In a tower?

She couldn’t help the chills running up and down her spine. Someone would notice her any minute now. She caught herself breathing hard for no logical reason. From one hall she heardraised voices—both female—but otherwise the place felt almost lethargic.

While climbing and listening, she found herself praying for some kind of guidance. Finally, at the end of a long passage lined with closed doors, she glimpsed spiral stairs through a doorway.

At the same moment, a trill of birdsong tickled her ears. Guided by sweet chirps and warbles, she quickly climbed the winding stairs, listening with delight. Only a few cruciform windows allowed light into the tower, but it was enough. She paused at the top on a narrow landing and braced herself for whatever might happen next.

The door was ajar and opened inward at her touch. She stepped into a room fairly glowing with sunlight and magic. The golden bird in a cage immediately caught her eye. The bird looked Lenka up and down, then puffed out her plumes and shook herself with a resonant jingle.

Lenka opened her mouth to greet the bird but remembered just in time and snapped it shut. But if she couldn’t talk, how could she inform the bird about her mission? Maybe the bird already knew?

---