Free The Ark of Dun Ruah, Book 1 by Maria Burke Page A

couldn’t bear it any longer, his body rose to the surface and he gasped for air.
    â€˜Oh my God,’ he roared.
    He was quickly pulled down again with another rushing current. The second time he came up he sensed that the water was flowing less urgently. He kept his head above water for several breaths.
    He was approaching a low archway in the tunnel. Quickly he dived underwater and when he came up he saw another arch straight ahead. He took one deep breath before ducking again. When he surfaced, he saw a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The roar of tumbling water was deafening. He knew that there must be a huge waterfall ahead.
    Again Simon felt the tug of the current as it picked up speed. Dazzling shafts of light blinded his eyes. The end of the tunnel was in sight.
    The roaring waterfall grew even louder. It was unbearable. Over the edge he sailed into dazzling light going into free fall with thousands of tons of water plummeting down behind him.

CHAPTER 10
    Pod’s Story
    Red Beak’s guards flew off leaving Kerry alone with Pod in the dungeon. A single candle lit the grey stone walls that glistened with dampness. The cell was a small, musty room with a sturdy wooden door. Clumps of straw were scattered around the floor. Sitting in her large, iron cage, Kerry waited for the sounds of the eagles to fade away. Pod stared at her with his huge, unblinking amber eyes. His breathing was laboured. And his thick crop of royal-blue feathers were standing on end.
    â€˜Oh, Pod. Thank God you’re alive,’ she whispered. ‘Did they hurt you?’
    â€˜Hurt me?’ said Pod. ‘Those eagles have been torturing me all day with their mind games and their evil injections. I’ve got a terrible headache and my body is aching all over. But how on earth did you find me here?’
    Kerry told Pod about how she, Simon and the swiftails had searched the ship for him. She told him about finding the rubbish chute and the chapel in the depths of the ship, about meeting Grinwick and him carrying them across the sea to the Abbey. Then she asked Pod to tell his story.
    â€˜When I left you in the dining cabin this morning,’ he said, ‘I went off to find something to eat for my breakfast. I hunted over the entire Ark of Dun Ruah for a rat or a mouse but I couldn’t find a bite to eat. It’s a very strange ship. All the lower decks were closed off. Even the portholes were locked. Then I got so hungry that I flew out over the seawaters and scooped a few sardines out of the waves. Of course, I was exhausted after being up all night listening to those eerie voices calling from the sea and trying not to fall under their spell. I guessed that the sea was enchanted and I wanted to come back to warn you about it. But I could see that you were still having your breakfast in the dining cabin. I saw Timmy and Dot flying high over the waves. Just looking at them made me feel exhausted and I got a terrible urge to fall asleep.’
    â€˜Yes, I heard those voices too,’ said Kerry. ‘I was dreaming all night about voices coming from the sea, about Simon getting lost and meeting the evil Eagle King. The awful thing is that most of it has come true. Did they abduct you when you fell asleep then?’
    â€˜Well, I looked around for a safe place to have a little nap and I found a porthole low down on the ship’s side. It had a very deep ledge, which kept me shaded from the sun and was very private. So I decided to have a quick snooze with one eye open, like this.’
    Pod paused to tilt his head to one side. He closed one of his large amber eyes. Then he let out a long snore.
    â€˜Pod, are you awake?’ Kerry asked. ‘Pod, wake up!’
    â€˜What? Oh where was I?’ he said, opening his second eye with some effort.
    â€˜You said that you fell asleep in the porthole.’
    â€˜I know. Well, when I woke up there was a large swell in the sea and the ship was