Lily Emberwick's Arc

Chapter 1 of 5

Lily woke before dawn because she always did now, slipping past sleeping first-years and down the tower stairs. She'd been practicing stillness every morning for three weeks, sitting motionless by the lake until her legs cramped and her breath moved slower than the water. But this morning, the ground shook. A sound like thunder rolled across the grounds, and Lily ran toward it instead of away. She found the crater at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, trees knocked flat in rings around the impact point. In the center lay a Thunderbird, larger than she'd imagined from the drawings. Its feathers were blue and gold and copper, brilliant even in the grey dawn light. One wing stretched out at the wrong angle, broken. The creature's eyes found hers, sharp and golden, and Lily went completely still. She had studied every account, practiced for this without knowing when it would come. The Thunderbird didn't move. Neither did she. After a long moment, it tucked its good wing closer to its body and closed its eyes. Lily took one careful step forward, then another. She was six feet away when she knelt in the dirt. The Thunderbird's breathing was shallow and quick. She could see now where blood matted the feathers along its side. This was her chance, but only if the creature survived. She pulled off her cloak and moved closer, slow as sunrise, and draped it over the wounded wing. Something glinted near the Thunderbird's talons. Lily reached for it without thinking, her fingers closing around a small glass vial. Inside, crystalline powder glowed faint purple even in the dim light. The cork was covered in moss that didn't grow anywhere near Scotland. She turned the vial over and saw a label in handwriting she couldn't read. Whatever this was, the Thunderbird had been carrying it when it fell. She slipped the vial into her pocket and looked back at the creature. Its eyes were open again, watching her. The Thunderbird made a low sound in its throat, not quite a cry. Blood seeped through her cloak where it covered the broken wing. Lily knew she had minutes, maybe less, before professors arrived to take over. Before they moved the Thunderbird somewhere she couldn't follow. She pressed both hands against the ground and made herself as still as stone, letting the creature see she meant to stay. The Thunderbird's head lowered until its beak nearly touched the earth. Its breathing slowed to match hers. When voices shouted from the castle, Lily didn't move. She had found her Thunderbird, and she wasn't leaving it behind.