Page 49 (1/2)
"The pigeons puzzled over this Consulting auardians of past towers if they hadn’t co they could to protect the cathedral with ters and a doeons were so pleased hat they’d reat friends; the eon close at hand to advise hie, the birds still went to visit hiain, in the land below And to this very day, you’ll find the cathedral they built standing on the tallest hill in London, the pigeons watching over it" Millard closed the book "The end"
E over it from where?"
"That could not have been less helpful to our present situation," said Enoch, "were it a story about cats on the moon"
"I can’t make heads or tails of it," said Bronwyn "Can anyone?"
I nearly could--felt close to so in that line about "the land below"--but all I could think was, The pigeons are in Hell?
Then another boh overhead cabeats We looked up to see three frightened pigeons shoot out of sorine squaith excitement--as if to say, That’s the after the birds They flen the length of the nave, turned sharply, and disappeared through a doorway
We reached the doorway a few seconds later To my relief, it didn’t lead outside, where we’d never have a hope of catching them, but to a stairwell, down a set of spiral steps
"Hah!" Enoch said, clapping his pudgy hands "They’ve gone and done it now--trapped themselves in the basement!"
We sprinted down the stairs At the bottoe, dimly lit room walled and floored with stone It was cold and da been knocked out, so Emma sparked a flame in her hand and shone it around, until the nature of the space beca fro The one below me read:
BISHOP ELDRIDGE THORNBRUSH, DYED ANNO 1721
"This is no basement," Emma said "It’s a crypt"
A little chill caht and warmth of Emma’s flame
"You mean, there are people buried in the floor?" said Olive, her voice quavering
"What of it?" said Enoch "Let’s catch a daeon before one of those bombs buries us in the floor"
Eht on the walls "They’ve got to be down here somewhere There’s no way out but that staircase"
Then we heard a wing flap I tensed Ehtened her flaht fell on a flat-topped tomb that rose a few feet froap we couldn’t see behind fro spot for a bird
Eer to her lips andthe to it on three sides
Ready? Eave a thumbs-up Emma tiptoed forward to peek behind the to the floor in frustration
"I don’t understand!" said Enoch "They were right here!"
We all caht on top of the tomb, please!"