Amanderella and the Mystery of the Crystal Aviary. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

 

Fair Exchange Is No Robbery.

 

Amanderella watched, thoughtful.

Not shine. Not sound. Movement.

A feather trembled on a perch.

The bird’s gaze flicked to it instantly.

Amanderella frowned in concentration. “I need something that moves… and maybe even shines as it does,” she thought.

She looked around the Corvid Domain.

Mr Crowther moved at once, swift and protective, spreading his coat tails like a shield. “Absolutely not,” he said crisply. “None of these are suitable for bargaining. They are catalogued. They are arranged. They are mine.”

A rook hopped behind him, as if helping guard the shelves.

Amanderella raised both hands. “I wasn’t going to touch anything.”

Crowther sniffed, unconvinced. “One can never be too careful. Especially with, ” he flicked a disdainful glance at the Squelch Beak, “that creature present.”

The Squelch Beak puffed up, offended, then immediately deflated as a feather on a perch fluttered. Its eyes locked onto the movement, hungry and helpless.

Amanderella followed its gaze.

Movement. Always movement. Not the feather itself, the flutter.

She thought of the one fluttery thing she carried. The antimacassar her mother had given her, soft and light, ready to dance at the slightest breath.

Her hand drifted to her coat pocket. She hesitated. Would it work? Would it be enough? Would Crowther let her try?

There was only one way to know.

She reached into her coat and drew out the lace antimacassar.

The tassels shimmered faintly in the bluish light.

Every corvid leaned forward.
The Squelch Beak’s eyes widened.
Mr Crowther’s eyes widened more.

“Oh my,” he breathed. “Is that hand‑tatted?”

Amanderella held it firmly, keeping it angled toward the Squelch Beak. “It is… a family item.”

“Exquisite,” Crowther murmured, drifting closer. “The thread work alone, ”

A rook hopped sideways for a better view.
A magpie peered over a shelf.

The entire Domain seemed to hold its breath.

The Squelch Beak made a desperate, longing squelch.

Amanderella kept her voice steady. “This is for you,” she told the bird.

Crowther blinked. “For it? But it will ruin it. It ruins everything.”

The Squelch Beak puffed indignantly, offended on principle.

Amanderella lowered the antimacassar just enough for the tassels to sway.

The bird’s resolve melted like butter in sunlight.

It edged closer. Closer. Its eyes fixed on the fluttering lace as though nothing else in the world existed.

Crowther made a faint, distressed noise. “Please be careful. The lace, ”

But it was too late.

The Squelch Beak froze, staring at the antimacassar as though it were the moon.

Then, very slowly, it reached out with one claw. Not to snatch. Not to shred.

To fold.

It pinched one corner delicately between beak and talon, brought it to the opposite edge, and pressed the crease flat with surprising care.

Half.
Then half again.

The tassels trembled with concentration.

When it was satisfied, the Squelch Beak gathered the neat little square in its claws, holding it close to its chest like a treasure it had been waiting for all its life.

The snuffbox lay forgotten on the floor.

Amanderella scooped it up before Crowther could.

Crowther sighed, long and put‑upon. “Very well. I suppose that is… acceptable.”

The corvids relaxed, feathers settling in a soft rustle. A rook let out a relieved croak. A jackdaw fainted politely.

The Squelch Beak, now draped in lace like a small, triumphant ghost, strutted in a circle, tassels bobbing with every step.

Amanderella slipped the snuffbox safely into her pocket.

The exchange was complete.

But the room was not done watching her.

Dozens of bright eyes followed her every movement, waiting to see what she would do next.

Amanderella straightened, feeling the weight of all that quiet attention. “Thank you,” she said softly, to the room as much as to the bird.

The corvids blinked in polite unison.

Mr Crowther cleared his throat. “If the… transaction is concluded, I should like to restore order.” He gestured at the scattered tablets, the fainted jackdaw, and the triumphant ghost‑bird still parading in lace.

A rook hopped forward to assist, nudging a tablet toward him with delicate precision.

The Squelch Beak gave a proud squelch, entirely unaware of the chaos it had caused.

Amanderella dipped her head. “I believe we are finished here.”

Crowther inclined his own head, formal and relieved. “Then allow me to escort you out. My corvids will rest easier once the… visitor has departed.”

Amanderella cast one last glance at the bird, now twirling in slow circles, tassels bobbing like tiny lanterns.

The snuffbox felt solid and safe in her pocket.

She had what she came for.

Amanderella straightened. “I think,” she said gently, “it’s time for the Squelch Beak to leave.”

Mr Crowther exhaled in visible relief. “Yes. Immediately. Preferably before it reorganises anything else.”

The Squelch Beak froze mid‑strut, tassels bobbing. It looked from Amanderella to the door, then back to the corvids, who all leaned away as one.

A rook pointed helpfully toward the exit with its beak.

Amanderella stepped forward, calm and steady. “Come along,” she said. “Fair exchange is no robbery. I have what I came for, and you have something that you want.”

The Squelch Beak gave a small, uncertain squelch, then shuffled toward her, lace trailing behind it like a bridal train.

Crowther opened the door at once, holding it as far from himself as possible. “Do take it,” he said, “and do not bring it back.”

A jackdaw fainted again for emphasis.

Amanderella guided the Squelch Beak through the doorway. It paused only once to give the corvids a proud, tasselled wiggle, then vanished into the corridor with a flutter of lace.

The corvids let out a collective sigh of relief.

Amanderella dipped her head to Crowther. “Thank you. For your help.”

Crowther bowed, already straightening a row of quills. “Order restored,” he said. “At last.”

A rook peered out behind him and nodded solemnly.

Amanderella inclined her head. “Thank you, Mr Crowther.”

He bowed. “Do keep that creature away from my Domain in future.”

The Squelch Beak attempted a proud twirl. A tassel caught on a perch.

Amanderella freed it gently. “Come along. We’re going home.”

She led it out into the main corridor.

The Corvid Domain was peaceful once more.

She stepped out into the corridor, closing the door softly behind her. She heard the key turn in the lock as Mr Crowther made his part of the Aviary safe again.