Shadow Street Chapter 10

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Shadow Street Chapter 10

“So, are you ready then?” said Arthur from the roof of our townhouse. Mrs. constellation had a foot in Mr. Curtis’s back, cinching a leather strap tight to keep him and all the holy water tied to his body. It looked like he had an extra leather jacket worth of bags strapped to him. Tying the cinch off made his tongue lash out and almost hit me in the face.

“Curtis!”

“Sorry,” his tongue was still recoiling into his mouth,

His arms bulged out over the bags and he checked the hound could get could reach into the strange pockets.

“Yes, Arthur,” I said, as Mrs. Constellation yanked a strap and pushed her foot into my back, causing me to add an auuuggghh to the end.

“Indeed,” said the owl, looking more at the moon, and raising a wing to judge the air. “Let's get this over with. You say you can get these things to vacate, then?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I said.

“Good, then let's get on with it.”

Mr. Curtis reached up and pulled a coin from Arthur’s ear, and smiled.

“See there?” said the frog. Even covered in strange bags of holy water, I can still do magic.

“Nice. You know I'm an owl, right?”

“Well, yes.”

“And I have a superior hearing?”

“Well yes, okay.”

“I could hear you flip the coin out from between your fingers.”

This stopped my friend for half a second.

After a moment he bowed, and said “magic!”

Mrs. Constellation pulled another strap holding in a half a pound of salt under my arm. It made me wheeze and my eyes bug out.

“Just about there,” she said.

She did it again before I could say anything.

“Thank you,” I said in a whisper.

“Let's get on with it, then. The bakery is only a couple of blocks away.”

“Yeah, let's get out there.”

He swooped up into the air and crossed in front of the moon in a great shadow.

“Arthur?”

Then he came down swiftly, and I felt like prey, open talons coming for us, Mr. urticaria and my vagabond to run life or lives depended on it. It wasn't rational; it was just moon, owl, talons, run! And off we went, with Mrs. Constellation watching us, disapproving with her hands on her hips.

Then he grabbed us by the big leather bags strapped to us, and talons closed silently over our shoulders, strong and snug, but not tight enough to kill us, and we were airborne.

Above us, we could see nothing. Everything was feathers, down and to the sides of stars and rooftops. He was still keeping low, mostly gliding, with a few beats of the wings to get where we were going.

Below us, the streets were empty except for the occasional staggering person possessed by one creature. What was I doing, even fighting this? I struggled, pulling at Arthur’s foot, and trying to drop my salt. I was going to climb up and I don't know escape. Land on a roof nearby and skitter away?

Arthur just gripped him harder and said none of that, squeezing an “Okay” out of my lips.

Mr. Curtis has his arms out wide, his eyes slightly loses and his tongue hanging out just a little. I think he was making airplane putter noises, but I couldn't tell you for sure because I was still so afraid for my own life at the moment.

The second time I looked, he had three playing cards in each hand, acting like they were flight feathers of his own, I expect.

“Isn't this outstanding!” He yelled.