Swordbird
Chapter One
The Red and the Blue
Just north of Stone—Run Forest, a war party of cardinals glided in and out of the shadows as the light of dawn slowly slipped into the sky. They traveled swiftly and low, each grimly wielding a sword in one claw. The leader, Flame—back, a sturdy cardinal distinguished by his larger and more powerful wings, reviewed their plan of attack.
"Circle the camp, wait for my signal, attack. Simple. Everybird understand?" Crested heads bobbed in answer.
The idea of violence frightened a young cardinal, who wrapped his claw tightly around his sword hilt. "Flame—back, are the blue jays awake? If they are, we'll die! I don't want to die!"
Flame—back looked at the blurred land in the distance and, flapping his strong wings a couple of times, tr ... read full excerpt from Swordbird (AER) ebook