Free The Siege by Kathryn Lasky Page A

broody has been assigned to a nest, and not only that, she eats hatchlings—the ones that aren’t quite perfect.”
    Soren and Martin were dizzy with nausea. Their gizzards twisted painfully, and they both thought they might yarp.

CHAPTER TWELVE
The World According to Otulissa
    O tulissa was counting the bits of bone, teeth, feather, fur, and flecks picked from the owl pellets in the pelletorium and placing them onto trays in the inventorium. She had been working there for several days with Digger and two other owls. When the trays were filled, they were taken for storage in the library. But she, Digger, and the other two owls—a Barn Owl and a Whiskered Screech—were not permitted any farther than the entrance to the library. Once there, they would hand over the trays to Skench or Spoorn, the only owls allowed in the library.
    Otulissa and Digger wanted to know more about this library, which was so heavily guarded. Was it just because the flecks were there and Skench and Spoorn didn’t want them stolen? But that didn’t exactly make sense. Flecks slipped away all the time from the inventorium. Otulissahad figured this out just the night before. She had not yet been able to tell Soren. But this Barn Owl, 92-01, while on duty, had slipped some to another Barn Owl. Otulissa was sure 92-01 was an infiltrator, and she planned to watch her closely. But watching wasn’t enough. Otulissa had become a master of disguising questions as statements in order to extract information. She and Digger had planned a small dialogue between the two of them that they hoped would encourage the two other owls to contribute some information.
    Digger yawned elaborately. “I could use a good leg stretch. You know, a Burrowing Owl like myself never minds a long walk. I wish that they’d allow us to go into the library, if only to exercise. What a shame it is forbidden.”
    “It has always been strictly forbidden except for Skench and Spoorn,” Otulissa added, knowing perfectly well from Soren and Gylfie that this wasn’t completely true.
    “Not always,” said 92-01. Ah, it worked! Otulissa thought at once. The statement was drawing out an answer to a question unasked. “Once there was a fracas, I am told. An owl who had betrayed Skench and Spoorn was killed, and Skench, through some strange event, was made powerless.”
    “Powerless!” exclaimed Digger. “It is almost impossible to think of the Ablah General as becoming powerless.”
    “Yes, almost yeep,” said 92-01. When an owl went yeep, its wings seemed to lock. It lost its instinct to fly and would suddenly plummet to the ground.
    “Unthinkable,” Otulissa gasped in awe.
    92-01 seemed pleased that she had so impressed this snooty owl. What does she have to be snooty about after all? the Barn Owl wondered.
    But she was soon to find out. For it was as if Digger and Otulissa silently read each other’s minds.
    All right, Digger thought, time for you to show off what you know, Otulissa. Gently, gently.
    “Yes, almost yeep,” 92-01 continued. “It’s hard to think of, I know. But it really wasn’t yeep, mind you. It was magic.”
    “Magic!” Otulissa exclaimed. “No, I don’t think it was magical at all. It was higher magnetics, probably a typical higher magnetic reaction.”
    The Barn Owl blinked. It was clear to both Digger and Otulissa that she was dying to ask a question. Otulissa took pity on her and fed her just a bit more. “Yes, if Skench had been wearing diamagnetic materials, it wouldn’t have happened.”
    “Wh”—92-01 clapped her beak shut on the nearly escaping question. “How interesting,” she said instead. Shelooked almost in pain as she tried to contain the unasked question.
    Later, after Digger and Otulissa had finished their work, they were able to talk in private on their way back to their stone pit.
    “I was pretty excited for a while there with 92-01,” Otulissa was saying. “But where did it all lead? We’re no closer than before to