Aska tried to smile through her tears. “Yes. It hasn’t changed for seasons; it’s just the way it was then.” She sniffed as memories flooded her head. “I remember that day as if it were yesterday…” She started to cry.
Cody put a wing around her shoulders. “Now, now, Aska. You know we shouldn’t stop when we’re halfway there. Come on!”
The two blue jays once again flew. They fluttered a short distance and landed on the hilltop. The late-afternoon wind’s breath stirred the flowers and grass by the grave, making small rustling noises. The two birds let their eyes slowly sweep over the inscription on the headstone.
MILTIN SILQUORE
The words were slightly worn from rain and wind, but they were still distinct. The marble headstone glistened in the fading light. Aska stood there motionless. Tears blurred her vision as she remembered the cheerful, smiling robin.
Aska sniffed. “Miltin,” she whispered, “I am back. I have seen Swordbird; I have seen the tyrant Turnatt die; I have seen the slavebirds happy and free. I hope, through my eyes, you saw them too.” She brushed away a tear and smoothed her feathers as the wind changed direction. “Miltin, I’ve brought you a gift, a gift that can only mean peace.” Aska took a package out of her pack. She carefully unwrapped the cloth. “A feather, Miltin. It is not any ordinary feather. It is Swordbird’s. This I give you, Miltin. Rest in peace.” She inserted the beautiful feather into the ground among the blue flowers.
Aska stepped back to look. The snow white feather seemed to make the blue of the flowers even brighter. It brought an almost lively look to the tombstone. Miltin would like that, Aska thought.
Cody stood at the gravestone. He wanted to say many things but could only utter a few. “Brother Miltin, I represent Stone-Run to thank you. We will never forget that you saved our lives. Rest in peace.”
The two blue jays remained at the grave for a long time before they took off. After flying for a few seconds, Aska looked back. Her sadness changed into joy, for she saw that the feather of Swordbird made the tombstone sparkle. She had never seen such a beautiful scene. The setting sun’s rays shimmered on the flowers and the tombstone, gilding the blue and white colors until they seemed like a pool of liquid gold.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
ALEXANDRA-hummingbird, a member of the flying Willowleaf Theater, harpist.
ASKA-blue jay, a member of the Bluewingle tribe, cousin of Brontë, and, later, the wife of Cody.
BONE-SQUAWK-crow, cook of Fortress Glooming.
BRONTË-blue jay, a member of the Bluewingle tribe.
BUG-EYE-crow, slave driver of Fortress Glooming.
CODY-blue jay, a member of the Bluewingle tribe, and, later, the husband of Aska.
CROOKED-SHOULDER-crow, a gate guard of Fortress Glooming.
DILBY-loon, a member of the flying Willowleaf Theater, plays harmonica and violin.
FLAME-BACK-cardinal, leader of the Sunrise tribe.
FLEA-SCREECH-crow, a soldier of Fortress Glooming, slave catcher.
FLEET-TAIL-cardinal, a member of the Sunrise tribe.
GLENAGH-blue jay, a member of the Bluewingle tribe, a respected elder, bookkeeper, expert in the ancient language, and, later, head librarian of the Stone-Run Library.
GLIPPER-flycatcher, a slavebird of Fortress Glooming.
KASTIN-tufted titmouse, a member of the flying Willowleaf Theater, flutist and pianist.
LARGE-CAP-crow, a gate guard of Fortress Glooming.
LORPIL-gannet, a member of the flying Willowleaf Theater, comedian, plays the maracas.
MAYFLOWER-junco, a member of the flying Willowleaf Theater, clarinetist and pianist.
MILTIN SILQUORE-robin, a slavebird of Fortress Glooming, a member of the Waterthorn tribe, son of Reymarsh.
PARRALE-wood duck, a member of the flying Willowleaf Theater, drummer.
QUAYKKEL LEKKYAUQ-duck, skipper of the Rippledew.
REYMARSH-robin, leader of the Waterthorn tribe, father of Miltin.
SHADOW-raven, scout of Fortress Glooming.
SKYLION-blue jay, leader of the Bluewingle tribe.
SLIME-BEAK-crow, captain of Fortress Glooming.
SWORDBIRD (WIND-VOICE)-white bird, guardian of peace, son of the Great Spirit.
TILOSSES-sparrow, an old slavebird of Fortress Glooming.
TURNATT-hawk, lord of Fortress Glooming.
WIND-VOICE-the same as Swordbird.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I feel very fortunate that Mother Nature bestowed me a gift, the inspiration for Swordbird, when I was a child of ten romping in the deep forests on the hills of Hamilton, New York. With that in mind, along with my deep love for birds and my heart’s wish for peace, I sat down in front of the computer and began writing my first novel.
There are many people who helped breathe Swordbird into life.
First, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Phoebe Yeh, editorial director of HarperCollins Children’s Books, for spending time on Swordbird beyond work hours, magically and painstakingly transforming Swordbird into a much better book than its first draft; Ms. Kate Jackson, senior vice president of HarperCollins Children’s Books, for taking time to read Swordbird and giving me encouragement; Ms. Jane Friedman, president of HarperCollins, for bringing me-a twelve-year-old writer-a ray of hope; Ms. Whitney Manger, editor; Ms. Amy Ryan, art supervisor; Mr. Mark Zug, illustrator; and the rest of the wonderful team at HarperCollins for making Swordbird possible.
I also owe many thanks to Mrs. Melissa Barnello, my fantastic fifth-grade teacher; Ms. Judy Wood, my teacher in the Gifted and Talented program; Mr. Barry Guinn, a very kind principal; Ms. Patricia Brigati and the rest of my caring church friends; Ms. Betty Barr, MBE; and Ms. Victoria Theisen, my terrific sidekick. All of them read my first draft of Swordbird in whole or in part, and their suggestions and support encouraged me to go further.
Special thanks must be said to Ms. Diane Goodwin, my ESL teacher when I first came to the United States, who lit the spark of literature in my heart; Mr. Timothy Simmons, my third-grade teacher, and Mr. Ben Farstad, my reading-group teacher, for encouraging me to write; Mr. and Mrs. Cleo and Char Kelly, my neighbors and friends, who lent me many classic and award-winning books.
I must thank my parents for their encouragement all the way. And my pet birds, Captain Crackleclaw, Kibbles, and Plap, who cheered me on with their delightful songs.
Without those mentioned, Swordbird could never appear on earth!
About the Author
NANCY YI FAN spent the first part of her childhood in China, where she was born in 1993. When she was seven years old, Nancy moved with her parents to the United States and attended American schools through fifth grade. Birds, a lifelong passion of the author’s, provided the inspiration for SWORDBIRD. After awaking from a vivid dream about birds at war while simultaneously wrestling with her feelings about terrorism and September 11, Nancy wrote SWORDBIRD as a way to convey her message of peace to the world. She currently lives in Florida with her parents.
