Silverwing

Shade and Marina are in the city, but they’re abducted by a group of pigeons who hold them down and hurt Shade’s wing. The pigeons are in an uproar because two winged creatures who look like the “gargoyles on the cathedral come to life” (88) killed some pigeons. The pigeons quickly realize that Shade and Marina are too small to have killed the pigeons, but an owl with allegiance to the pigeons declares that all bats are banned from the sky and will be killed, no matter if it’s night or day. Shade cries out that it’s not fair, and then he and Marina escape from the pigeons.

Shade and Marina fly quickly away from the pigeons. They come across gargoyle statues that they think are alive. They soon realize they’re inanimate and hear the voice of another bat inside one of the statutes. They fly inside and meet Zephyr, an albino bat who considers himself keeper of the statues, which have always had “a bat sentry posted […] to help travelers in need” (96). Zephyr reveals that the Silverwing colony roosted in the statue not long ago, but they think that Shade is dead. Zephyr also dresses Shade’s wounded wing and gives him a plant concoction that makes him sleep.

Zephyr shows Shade and Marina the human cathedral that’s beneath the statues, and Shade is excited to finally see humans up close. Zephyr reveals that he can see the past, present, and future. He tells Shade and Marina that they will find an unlikely friend, that they should be weary of wings lined with metal, and that they will eventually find Hibernaculum. He also says that Cassiel is still alive.

Meanwhile, Goth has a dream that he’s back in the jungle when suddenly “all around him were hundreds of bats, not his own kind, but small bats” (111-12). He thinks Zotz, the creator of the universe that his colony believes in, gave him the dream for a reason.

An Owl is chasing Shade and Marina. Just when it almost reaches them, Goth swoops down and kills the owl. Shade is stunned to see a bat “at least four times his size” (114). Goth eats the owl, and Shade and Marina quickly learn that Goth and Throbb are meat eaters, a concept that’s completely foreign to them as bats. At this point, they don’t know that Goth and Throbb also eat bats.

Goth explains how they’re from the jungle but were taken by humans. He has a negative view of humans, which upsets Marina because she wants to believe they’re good since they gave her the band. She wants to believe it has some higher, benevolent purpose. Marina doesn’t trust Goth and Throbb, but Shade thinks that maybe they could help the smaller bats build an army to fight the owls.

Goth is using Shade and Marina to learn how to navigate the night skies that look so different from the jungle. He concocts a plan: He’ll pretend to help Shade and his Silverwing colony and gain their trust, then he’ll bring them back to the jungle where his colony will enslave them and breed them, “creating an endless supply of living bat flesh for them to devour” (126). He tells Throbb to eat Marina, since she isn’t part of the plan.

Shade, not knowing Goth’s plan, looks at the larger bat in awe. He wonders “what it would be like not to be afraid” (124). He looks around for Marina, when suddenly he finds Throbb eating a Brightwing bat. He’s repulsed to realize that Throbb and Goth are cannibals and terrified to think the dead bat is Marina. 

Shade gets a better look at the dead bat’s face and thankfully realizes it’s not Marina. He finds her in their roost, but unfortunately Goth is in there, too. Shade tells Marina he wants to show her an icicle, but Goth insists on coming along. Humans show up, and one of their darts hits Goth. This gives Shade and Marina the chance to get away. Once alone, Shade tells her that he witnessed Throbb eating a bat. They both think that the cannibalistic bats are “monsters. No animal he’d heard of, not even owls, did such a thing” (131). Shade feels ashamed for once looking up to Goth.

Goth pulls the human’s dart out of his body and manages to attack him. He realizes his plan for Shade is ruined now that he knows he’s a bat eater. He decides that he’s going to find him anyway.