Silverwing (novel) - Plot

Plot

Part One

Shade, a young Silverwing bat, is constantly teased for being the runt of his colony. Shade had lost his father, Cassiel, before he was even born, and his mother, Ariel, is constantly worrying for his safety. One day Shade is being teased and bullied by Chinook, the most popular newborn. In response, Shade challenges Chinook to look at the sun. This is forbidden by law, and any bat caught out when the sun rises can be killed by owls. Chinook returns before the sun comes up, but Shade keeps waiting until he sees a bit of the sun. An owl sees this and attempts to catch and kill Shade, but Ariel rescues him in time.

Back at the Silverwings' roost, called Tree Haven, Shade is apprehended by the four elders: Bathsheba, Aurora, Lucretia and Frieda. Despite Bathsheba's intentions of punishing Shade, Frieda defends him sufficiently enough to escape punishment. Frieda later corners Shade and asks him eagerly about the sun. She takes him to the Echo Chamber, where she sings the history of batkind into his head. Shade sees that once, millions of years ago, bats were allowed to see the sun. Then the birds and beasts had a war, and both sides tried to recruit the bats. The bats refused to fight, and at the peace treaty, the birds and beasts banished the bats from ever seeing the sun again. But Nocturna, the bat goddess, promised to the bats that one day they will return to the sun. Frieda shows Shade a metallic band given to her by humans, and says that it is part of the Promise.

Soon the local owls, led by General Brutus, come to Tree Haven demanding for Shade. Shade is about to sacrifice himself before Ariel stops him. Frieda refuses to hand over Shade, and in response, the owls burn down Tree Haven. Despite Bathsheba's complaints, Frieda orders the Silverwing colony to join the males at Stone Hold and, from there, migrate to their winter retreat of Hibernaculum. Before the journey, Ariel teaches Shade a sound map, which uses landmarks such as a cathedral, a valley shaped like a wolf's head and a waterfall. While Shade's colony is migrating, a strong storm breaks out and separates Shade from his colony.

Luckily, Shade lands on a human fishing boat. He eventually finds his way to an island and meets Marina, a Brightwing bat who, like Frieda, is banded. Marina agrees to help Shade locate the Silverwing colony. While journeying to the city, Shade and Marina encounter a Graywing colony, who distrust Marina because she is banded. The Graywings offer to take Shade to the Silverwings, but Shade refuses when they say Marina cannot come. Soon the two reach the city.

Part Two

In the city, Shade and Marina are captured by pigeons, who accuse them of killing two of their soldiers. Shade and Marina are hauled to the pigeons' camp, where the owl ambassador questions them extensively. When Shade and Marina refuse to answer, the owl orders that the pigeons amputate their wings. Before the pigeons could do this, Shade and Marina escape to the cathedral, where the pigeons are afraid of the stone gargoyles. In the cathedral, Shade and Marina meet Zephyr, an albino bat. Zephyr heals Shade's wounds by the pigeons and puts him to sleep with a mysterious leaf.

When Shade wakes, he sees humans for the first time: praying in the cathedral. When his wound has healed, Zephyr tells them that he has encountered Frieda and the Silverwing colony, and instructs them to follow the cathedral star. Zephyr escorts them to the outskirts of the city, where he reveals that he is a seer and predicts of a great journey by Shade to bring back the sun to bats and that Shade's father, Cassiel, is alive. Shade and Marina leave the cathedral and Zephyr behind and fly out of the city.

A short way south, Shade and Marina encounter an owl, who attempts to kill them. Before the owl can, he is eaten by two carnivorous bats: Goth and Throbb. Goth and Throbb are responsible for the death of the two pigeon soldiers and, like Marina, both are banded. Shade offers to escort Goth and Throbb south in return for Goth and Throbb's protection from owls. Goth and Throbb agree, but Goth secretly formulates a plan to bring the Silverwings' to the south, where they would provide an endless array of slaves. Goth is worried about Marina, who might affect Shade, and instructs Throbb to kill her. However Throbb mistakes another Brightwing bat for Marina and Shade sees Throbb eating it. Throbb then chases after Shade, who returns to their makeshift roost to warn Marina. Goth suspects that Shade know what they are doing and follows them. Shade and Marina are rescued by a human airplane which shoots darts into Goth and Throbb. Shade and Marina escape, and Goth is supposedly dead.

Part Three

Soon both Shade and Marina feel the full impact of winter as they head towards the mountains. They find the Graywing colony that they had encountered outside the city eaten by owls. Knowing that it was dangerous in the skies, Shade and Marina seek refuge in an abandoned Human cabin. There, they meet thousands of banded bats, led by the bat Scirocco. Scirocco explains to Marina that the banded bats are meant to be turned into humans to win back the sun. Shade and Marina disbelieve him, until Scirocco actually turns into a human before their eyes, using echos to conjure the illusion. Scirocco invites Marina to stay with the banded bats, and she initially accepts. But when Shade leaves to set off on his own, Marina joins him. This was just as well, because, unbeknownst to them, Goth and Throbb are still alive and have eaten Scirocco and some of his bats, while using their bands as hunting trophies.Other bats of Scirocco have escaped.

Soon Shade recognizes another of Ariel's landmarks: a valley in the shape of a wolf's head. In the valley, Shade and Marina see Goth and Throbb overhead. Knowing that they are still alive, Shade and Marina take refuge on the sewers of a human town. Unfortunately they are captured by the resident rats, who take them to their leader Prince Remus. Remus believes that they are the ones who had eaten countless rats and other animals (in fact it was Goth and Throbb), and sentence them to drowning. Before the rats drown them, Remus's brother Romulus calls for them, and Remus relents. Romulus explains that Remus's kingdom is on the edge of collapse and desertion and mutiny are commonplace. Romulus shows Shade and Marina that he has proto-wings on his arms, the reason that Remus imprisoned, claimed by his brother that he is a freak. Romulus helps Shade and Marina escape by uncovering a secret tunnel he uses to get to the human town, and hopes they can meet again someday.

Outside the tunnel Shade and Marina are sighted and caught by Goth and Throbb, who threaten to eat them unless Shade guides them to Hibernaculum. Shade reluctantly agrees, and Goth tries to tempt him with meat and the promise that Zotz, the Vampyrum Spectrum god, will allow him to grow bigger. Shade is tempted because he is tired of being small, but refuses to eat meat. However, the next day Shade relents and asks for Goth to take him to the jungle in exchange for guiding them to Hibernaculum. Goth accepts, and believes Shade is honest. While out hunting, Shade discovers the leaves Zephyr used to put him to sleep. Secretively, Shade is creating a plan to let him and Marina escape from Goth and Throbb. He chews the leaf he found and pretends to be eating meat that he asked for to drizzle the leaf juice onto the meat so that Goth and Throbb will both fall asleep after eating the drugged meat. While Goth and Throbb are sleeping, Shade then leads Marina outside and they fly in the light of day.

Very soon Shade and Marina encounter yet another owl, which Shade scares away by singing a picture of Goth into its head. Ironically Goth and Throbb recover sooner than Shade expected and are following them yet again. Shade and Marina spot a thunderhead and dive straight into it. Goth and Throbb follow, and in the ensuing melee Goth steals Marina's band. This is disastrous for Goth, as the thunder is attracted to his and Throbb's metal bands they stole and subsequently electrocute him and Throbb. Throbb is turned to ashes before Shade and Marina's eyes, but Goth survives for another day.

Shade and Marina continue down a river to a waterfall: Ariel's last landmark. There, they discover Hibernaculum, a cave hidden where the waterfall meets the ocean. Shade reunites with the Silverwings, and they also adopt Marina. Shade tells the news that the owls have closed the skies because of Goth and Throbb's murders, and Frieda is relieved that the Silverwings arrived at Hibernaculum just ahead of the news. Frieda then prepares a journey to find out about the truth of the bands and to find Cassiel for Shade's sake. A debate ensues, as Bathsheba refuses to go, considering it too dangerous, but most of the Silverwings, including Chinook, are ready to help Shade. Shade finally sets down to sleep, knowing that the journey is only beginning.