confused. “I thought you’d left Blackstone for good?”
“So did I,” said Johnny.
Caw muttered to Pip, “So do you know him?”
Pip shook his head. “I’ve heard of him though. The great Johnny Fivetails! Fought for us in the Dark Summer. No one’s seen him for ages.”
Johnny must have overheard. “Never liked staying in one place,” he said. “Always been like that.”
“So why are you back?” asked Crumb.
Johnny grinned, revealing dazzling white teeth, and pointed at Caw. “Because of this guy.”
“Me?” said Caw.
“Your fame travels, kid,” said Johnny. “I can’t believe I finally get to meet the crow talker who went to the Land of the Dead and returned! The hero who defeated the Mother of Flies! Hope you don’t mind me saying, but you don’t really look like a tough guy. Mind you, neither did your mum.”
The sudden mention of his mother caught Caw off guard. “You … you knew her?”
“Sure!” said Johnny. “Bravest woman I ever met. Beautiful too, but I was only twenty at the time.” He blushed. “Sorry – you probably don’t need to hear that about your mum.”
“It’s OK,” said Caw awkwardly. “Thank you, by the way – you saved us back at the bank.”
“Lucky I showed up,” said Johnny. “Never met a bison feral before, but we showed her who’s boss, right?”
“Right!” said Pip.
Crumb looked less impressed. “So you were just passing by?”
“Not quite,” said Johnny. “I’ve been in touch with Maddie. You know Maddie – the squirrel talker?”
“Madeleine,” said Crumb, with a brisk nod. “Yes, I know her.”
Caw sensed the temperature dip, and he felt sorry for Crumb. When Caw had been helping the pigeon feral shift his meagre belongings from his old hideout back to Caw’s place, an old photo had fallen out. It showed teenage Madeleine and Crumb on a fairground ride, arms round each other.
“Well,” Johnny carried on, clearly unaware, “she told me that there were some new ferals who don’t play by the rules. I heard something about a casino last night, and a bank raid today. I guessed it might be Pickwick’s place. Pretty fortunate, really.”
Crumb nodded. He looked a little shaken.
“Maddie – sorry, Madeleine –” continued Johnny, “is looking great. Finally out of that wheelchair – I’m so happy for her.”
Caw saw Crumb wince again. Time to change the subject.
“So are you staying in Blackstone?” he asked.
“I haven’t decided yet,” said Johnny. “I’m not great with decisions, to be honest. Hey, is it true you can actually, y’know, turn into a crow?”
Caw blushed.
“It’s true!” said Pip.
“That’s so awesome,” said Johnny. “You have to show me that trick.”
Caw hadn’t even tried it since his battle with the Mother of Flies, but he sensed the power lurking within him. “Er … sure,” he said.
“Where are you staying?” asked Crumb.
“Some dump by the river,” Johnny replied. “The lift doesn’t work and it smells bad, but at least it’s out of this rain!” He smoothed strands of damp hair back from his face.
They’d reached a crossroads. One route headed west towards Caw’s house, while another climbed towards the park in the north and the Strickhams’ place. Caw wondered how Lydia was. She was the first human friend he’d ever had – and the best – but he hadn’t seen her for over a fortnight. He missed having her around, smiling and cracking jokes. Lately it felt as though there wasn’t much to laugh about.
“Actually, I’ll say goodbye here,” said Johnny. “Need to find some food for the pack.” He held out his hand to Caw. “An honour to meet you, crow talker. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
Caw felt a little weird, but took it anyway.
Johnny shook firmly, staring at Caw. “You look so much like her, you know?”
Caw felt his cheeks reddening once more.
“Come to Caw’s!” said Pip. “There’s loads of room with us.”
Johnny put up his hands. “Oh, no. I couldn’t.”
“I’m sure Johnny wouldn’t want—” began Crumb.
“You must!” said Pip. “You just saved our lives.”
“I guess that’s up to Caw,” said the coyote feral. “It’s his place, after all.”
Crumb had fallen silent, but Caw thought Pip had a good point. And perhaps Johnny could tell him a bit more about his mother too.
“You’d be welcome,” he said.
Johnny shrugged. “That’s very kind of you, Caw. Is it the place your folks used to have? I think I even remember the way.” He pressed on ahead of them, whistling a happy tune.
As they walked to the house, Caw thought about the bank heist. A bison … He hadn’t noticed one of those on the roof when the Mother of Flies was creating her new army. He wondered what else had been up there – what other horrors awaited them.
And then he remembered something that Mr Silk had said.
“Those weren’t our orders …” Caw muttered.
“I’ve been wondering about that too,” said Crumb quietly. “It sounds like they have a new boss.”
“One of the other convicts?” asked Caw.
“Perhaps,” said Crumb, but he didn’t look convinced.
Caw shuddered as another possibility came to him. “You don’t think the Mother of Flies—”
“No way,” said Crumb quickly. “She’s in Blackstone Asylum. Her connection with the flies is broken. She’s no longer a threat.”
Caw nodded. But somehow he couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it.
The rain had let up by the time they reached the abandoned street where Caw lived. Johnny Fivetails walked by Caw’s side, marvelling at the dark empty houses.
“This place has really gone downhill,” he said. He turned to Caw. “Sorry, man. It’s just a shock.”
“It’s OK,” said
