[Critique Group 1] Cleora's submission for 4/24/19

[sitting.duck at springmail.com]

1738 words
Part Ten
At last, some answers

Sitting woke with a headache. Her feet were under her and her neck was stretched out in front of her like the last time. The pain in her wing was gone. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Straight ahead was a table with a crystal ball and some scrolls lying beside a satchel like the one the archer had. There was a high back chair pulled out from the table. She slid her head to the left. The bag she had been shoved into lay beside her. In front of the bag lay the carrier, and a box like the one Grasshopper had been put into. She panned her head to the right. The door was closed. On the left side of the door, a stern faced warrior with dark, spiked hair stared out from a poster, his broad sword raised and poised for battle. A suit of armor stood to the right of the door. In the corner, sat a pile of boxes like the ones in the room back at the castle where she had been captured. The window in the center of the wall behind her was shuttered. “Window, open,” she commanded. Nothing happened. She breathed out a disappointed sigh.

On the same table and behind her, stood a globe like the one in her command center at The crystal Pond. 

Seeing the globe, she realized this was the command center for a monarch. But, whose. It wasn't her command center. The furnishings were different. She didn't have a poster on her wall. Hades Legions might have elected a new monarch. She had been gone a couple of days, after all. But, she didn't think so. The archer that had shot her was no one she had ever seen before. The conversation between him and Grasshopper didn't sound like they came from Hades Legions. But, it was somewhere Grasshopper was familiar with. It sure looked like Grasshopper was part of The enemy, Silent Enigma. But, why had he helped her? He had gone along when she wanted to put it all behind her and hid south. So, why had the archer captured her. Why hadn't he just finished her off. 

She was still pondering these questions when she heard voices. She quickly moved her head back to its original position, and closed her eyes as the door opened.

“I'm not sure,” Grasshopper was saying. “She was headed south out of the land. I think she would have kept going if Stalker hadn't intercepted us.”

“I messaged the other rulers. We were able to retrieve most of the gold, food, and runes. My thieves report that The Crystal Pond is in bad shape. The bees and locust are doing the best they can without a resident ruler. I have sent messages to the monarch of Silent Enigma. I haven't gotten a reply. There's not really much we can do before we see what she's going to do.”

“I know,” said Grasshopper. 

After a pause, he added, “It looks like she's still out of it.” 

Sitting had heard enough. “You traitor,” she squawked. “I'll show you what she's going to do.” Sitting rose up, flapped her wings, and flew straight toward Grasshopper who was sitting on the shoulder of a tall elf. 

Grasshopper jumped away as Sittings bill closed on empty space. He spread his wings and landed on the floor behind his companion. Sitting slid down the front of the elf catching her claws in his coat as she went.

Reacting quickly, he tried to catch her, but she flapped her wings in his face and pulled away. 

Landing on her feet, she ran toward Grasshopper, bill open and ready for action. 

Grasshopper jumped away again just barely avoiding becoming a snack. A second jump landed him on the table with the crystal ball.

Sitting, in hot pursuit turned to follow him, just as an open bag slipped over her head and soon its owner had synched it up with her inside.

“Whew,” said Grasshopper. “That was close.”

“That's strange,” said the elf, “I didn't expect that reaction.”

Sitting heard some banging and scraping like things were being moved around, then, the bag was turned upside down. She was dumped out into a cage large enough for her to turn around. She flapped her wings and rose just in time to bang her head on the lid as it slammed down blocking her escape. She hissed., Thrusting her head between the bars, she attempted to bite her captor’s finger as he pushed the latch closed. She hissed at them, and threw herself again and again at the walls of the cage. They stood back from the table, watching as she tried to escape. Finally, seeing that she was trapped, she calmed down and stood glaring out at them.

“Alright, you have me. Now, what? And, if I ever get out of here, you are lunch you miserable traitor,” she shouted at Grasshopper.

Grasshopper jumped over and landed in front of the cage maintaining a safe distance. “I'm not a traitor,” he said. “This is our friend Dread Demon.”

“I know all about that,” she said. “I wasn't out the whole time. I heard you plotting against Hades Legions. You are working for Silent Enigma. And, I heard you when you came in. He is waiting for a reply from Silent Enigma.”

“I can explain,” said Grasshopper.

“No, Grasshopper,” said Dread Demon. “Let me explain.”

“I don't want to hear either of your lies,” shouted Sitting, turning her back on them.

She heard something like a part of the cage sliding up, then something sliding in, then the piece of cage sliding down. Then the same sounds repeated on the other side. “Are you hungry?” asked Dread Demon.

Sitting rested her bill on the bottom of the cage. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She heard steppes walking away, and then the door opened and closed.

She waited for a long time, but heard nothing else. Slowly, she raised her head and looked around. She was alone in the room. Her cage was bright and shiny. Well, she thought, at least she rated a new one. She looked behind her. in each corner of the front of the cage was a small dish. The one on the left contained green, white, and peach pellets the size of Grasshopper's head. The other dish contained water. Now that she thought about it, she was hungry. She reasoned with herself. If they were going to kill her, they would have done it already. Eating didn't obligate her to cooperate. She turned around and dipped her bill in the water. It felt cool and tasted sweet on her tongue. In a short period of time, she had drank it all.

She looked at the pellets. She had never seen anything like that before. She sniffed of it. It smelled like cattails. She picked up one. It tasted like fish She tipped her head back and swallowed it. “Not bad,” she said. She tried another one. It tasted like some kind of green leafy vegetable. The peach ones tasted like worms. It didn't take long to finish off the lot. Her hunger and thirst satisfied, she laid her head back and thought about all that had happened. What a fine mess she had gotten herself into.

The door opened and Dread Demon came in with Grasshopper on his shoulder.

He pulled the high back chair over in front of the table where Sitting was caged and sat down. Resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands in front of his face, he sat looking at her for a moment before saying, “Did you enjoy your lunch?”

Sitting hissed at him.

“I'm sorry it wasn't fresh food,” he continued. “We don't get many ducks here, but we try to keep something around for guests.”

Sitting stood and turned around in the cage, pointing her tail at him.

“I can understand why you would be upset. I'm afraid stalker is more of a warrior than a diplomat. He gets the job done, though.

Grasshopper hopped down to the table. “Oh, come on Sitting, how can you think I'm a traitor. Don't you know me better than that?”

Sitting stared at the bottom of the cage. “I thought I did, but I know what I heard. I heard the two of you bragging about taking the supplies from the other castle, and how you have almost finished off The Crystal Pond.”

“You have it all wrong,” said Dread Demon. 

“No I don't!” shouted Sitting, rising up and whipping around causing the cage to tilt a little.

“How is your wing?” asked Dread Demon.

Sitting remember being shot, and that when she woke this time, there was no pain in her wing. She checked the spot where the arrow had penetrated. There was a small round scar, but it was completely healed. She looked back at Dread demon.

In his hand was the carrier. The visor had been repaired. It looked good as new.

“I'd like to show you some things if you will let me put this on you, and promise not to eat Grasshopper”

Sitting stared at him, but said nothing.

He got up, and went to the door. Opening it, he motioned to someone to come in. It was the archer that had shot her.

“This is stalker.”

Stalker bowed low, “your majesty,” he said.

“He is my personal assistant. Something like your Queen Bee.” He stepped over to the door and motioned again. The griffin stepped in. This is my captain of the guard.” The griffin bowed his head. Dread Demon turned to them, “Thank you.” Stalker and the griffin backed out of the room and Stalker closed the door.

“I am the monarch of the kingdom Dread Lands. I have been monitoring the war between Hades Legions, and Silent Enigma. I have some information I think you will find interesting if you are willing to stay as monarch of Hades Legions and help them fight that war. “

Grasshopper crawled a little closer. “After all we've been through, don't I at least deserve a chance to tell my side?”

Sitting sat staring at them in silence for several minutes.

Finally, “Okay,” she said, pushing her head between the bars so Dread Demon could put the carrier on her head. 
To be continued