[Critique Group 1] cleora's submission for 2/27/19 session - sly duck part 8

[sitting.duck at springmail.com]

2229 words
part eight
May 8th

Two brownish-red foxes stood on the walkway running beside the river flowing under the castle wall.

“There is nothing there,” insisted the female. “This castle is abandoned. There hasn't been anything or anyone here for two days.”

“Yes there is,” argued the male. “I can smell it.”

“Do you see anything?”

“No, but it's there. I can smell it.”

Sitting awoke instinctively alert to danger. Jerking her head forward, she found herself staring into piercing, beady black, eyes as her bill collided with the male fox's nose. The force propelled her backward in the water as the fox's teeth closed on empty air. 
“Quack!” Turning, she began paddling away from the fox as fast as she could.

Grasshopper, stunned by hitting and knocking down the windshield of the carrier, shook his head trying to orient himself. “What's going on?”

“Fox,” said Sitting.

Grasshopper looked out the front of the carrier. “What fox?”

Sitting craned her head around to look behind her.

“Oh, that fox,” said Grasshopper.

“You were right,” said the female fox.

“I told you,” said the male.

Sitting and Grasshopper heard two splashes behind them.

“We're visible,” said Sitting, seeing her reflection in the water.

Slowly Grasshopper's head began to clear. He saw the windshield was down. Tilting his head bac, he saw that the visor was turned outward, and one side was hanging down. He thought it might come off completely if he tried to move it.

The foxes were almost upon them when Sitting reached the castle wall and ducked under it. She looked around frantically. The river ran beside a large throne room. They were just behind an ivory colored throne. Beyond that, about 200 yards away was a stair case running up to a second floor similar to the one in the castle at “The Crystal Pond.”
Splashing behind them let them know the foxes had also come under the wall.

“Quack," squawked Sitting as she spread her wings to fly. “My wings are sore from all the flying, yesterday.”
She felt a backward tug as she heard sharp teeth clamp shut behind her.
Ignoring the soreness in her wings, she flapped hard to lift her and Grasshopper into the air leaving a disappointed fox with a mouth full of feathers. 
Her heart was pounding. Her tail stung where the feathers had been pulled out, and She was flying a little to the left. She veered right just in time to land at the top of the stairs.
The foxes had reached the stairs and were bounding up them two at a time.
Suddenly she thought of grasshopper. “Grasshopper! Grasshopper! Are you there? Answer me.”

“I'm here,” he said weekly. “Whew. Am I ever glad I stayed in the carrier.”

Hoping this castle was laid out the same way hers was, she ran down the hall and squeezed through a partially open door.
The foxes were right behind them.

Grasshopper poked his head out and started looking around the big room they were in. “There's a table over there.” 

Sitting made the short flight and landed neatly behind a pile of scrolls and a crystal ball sitting on the table.

The male fox barked and snarled as he struggled to open the door enough to come through.

Seeing the crystal ball, she remembered that Dark Merlin said something about the equipment being smart. “Door, close,” she commanded.
Hearing panicked yelping, they peered around the pile of scrolls in time to see the heavy door close just as the fox managed to pull himself out of the doorway.
“Well, that was convenient,” said Sitting.

“Yep,” said Grasshopper.

“Why are we visible?” asked Sitting.

Grasshopper explained about the visor. “I'm afraid it will break off completely if I try to lower it.”

“We're safe for now, but how are we going to get out of here.” said Sitting. “I don't think we should try to go out the way we came.”

“Agreed. Maybe We can go out that window,” said Grasshopper.

Sitting looked across the room. Sure enough, there was a shuttered window on the other side just like the one in her own castle command center. “I guess all the castles are about the same.”

“Looks that way.”

Sitting's heart rate was returning to normal. “Do you think the visor still works? Assuming you can get it to snap in place?"

“I don't know,” said Grasshopper, looking intently at the visor. “If I try to move it back, I'm afraid it will break off.”

“What about the windshield?”

He reached out with a front leg and pulled it upright. “It seems ok.” Then, he extended his antennae and pulled gently on the side of the visor that was still attached. At first it seemed to be moving ok. He continued to pull. The bottom edge of the undamaged side snapped into place on the windshield, but the other side was hanging below the top edge of the windshield.
“Are we invisible?” he asked.

Sitting looked around for anything that would show a reflection. She walked over to the crystal ball and looked into it. Half of her was invisible, but the other half from where her neck attached to her body shimmered and blinked on and off.

Using his mandibles, Grasshopper tugged on the visor until he was able to raise the low side up to its proper place on the windshield. At last it snapped into place and Sitting disappeared completely.
“There,” he said with satisfaction. 

Sitting began to look around at the stuff on the table. “The fox said this castle had been abandoned. I wonder what happened to the ruler.”
“Crystal Ball, What province is this?” she asked.

“This is the province of Aeosil of the Kingdom of Hades Legions formerly of Realms United (5:35),” said the crystal ball.

“What do you mean, former?”

“Provinces that are not happy in the kingdom they are in may defect to another kingdom. Aeosil defected from Realms United (5:35).” 

“I see a number after the kingdom name sometimes. What does it mean?”

“In this case, the 5 means he was in the kingdom Realms United. The 35 means he was on island 35.”

“What island are we on?”

“We are on island 48. Kingdom Hades Legions is number one on the island.”

“What about Silent Enigma?”

“Silent Enigma is kingdom 8 on island 49.”

Sitting stared at the Crystal Ball uncertain what to think. She didn't understand any of this. With each new bit of information she felt more confused. “How many islands are there?”

“One-hundred.”

“What are all these scrolls?”

“The ruler collected kingdom news.”

“The foxes said this kingdom doesn't have a ruler.”

“It is true the ruler has not been seen for two days.”

“I wonder if there is anything to eat around here,” said Grasshopper.

“What?” asked Sitting.

“Eat. Food. Something to fill the ...”

“I know what food is,” snapped Sitting. Then immediately, “I'm sorry. It's just that all of this is so confusing. We watched a battle between a province from Heavenly Legends and Silent Enigma followed immediately by a battle with an army from some other kingdom. Now I find out we are on an island, and a province from another island and kingdom joined this kingdom. How is that possible? How can a ruler just pick up his province and move it to another place?”

Grasshopper said nothing.

Sitting stood staring at the pile of scrolls. “Crystal Ball, can you tell me what is in these scrolls?”

“I can answer specific questions.”

After several minutes Sitting breathed in and let out a long, slow sigh unable to think of anything specific to ask. “Do you suppose the foxes have left?” she asked.

“I hope so,” said Grasshopper. “I'm hungry.”

Sitting hopped down from the table and waddled over to the door. She placed the side of her head against it and listened intently.
“I don't hear anything,” she said.
She knocked on the door with her bill, and listened again.
“I think they may have left.”
“Door, is there anyone on the other side?” said Sitting.
Nothing happened.

“We could try going out the window,” said Grasshopper.

“Yes.” She looked in the direction of the window. “But I’d like to look at those scrolls after we find something to eat.”

“We could try opening the door a little,” said Grasshopper.

“Door, open enough for me to see out,” said Sitting.
The handle turned and the door opened a small amount. Sitting and Grasshopper peered through the crack. No one was there.
“What if they are just down the hall, or at the bottom of the stairs waiting for us?” asked Sitting.

“I could hop off and go check,” offered Grasshopper. “I don't think foxes would try to eat me.”

“Okay,” said Sitting.

“Uh-Oh. I wish I had thought of that before I pulled the visor down.” Grasshopper used his mandibles to gently unsnap the visor while he tried to hold it steady with his antennae. There was a crackle followed by the sound of the visor tearing the rest of the way off the top of the carrier. The visor fell, landing on the floor outside the door.

“Somehow I think that was a bad thing,” said Sitting.

“Yep,” said Grasshopper.

“Doesn't anything ever go right in this infernal place? Honestly, I can't wait to get out of here. Wherever here is, that is.”

Grasshopper hopped down and looked closely at the broken visor. “I might could tuck it in the carrier. Maybe we can find a way to reattach it.”

“Forget it. I just want to get out of here.”

“It won't hurt to take it with us.”

“Oh, alright.” Sitting lowered her head and Grasshopper pushed the visor up her bill, onto her head, and into the carrier. He pushed it as far back as he could, then crawled back into the carrier.

“I thought you were going to see if the coast is clear,” said Sitting.

“Oh, right,” said Grasshopper.
Grasshopper hopped up on the guard rail that ran along the hallway. Then, he ran along the rail toward the stairs where another hall ran perpendicular to the hall that led to the command center. He looked down the hallway and the stairs. “Looks clear,” he said. “I think they left.”
Sitting joined him at the top of the stairs. Grasshopper got back in the carrier, and they started down to the courtyard.
As they neared the bottom, a snarling fox came out from behind the throne, his yellow teeth bared, and a hungry glint in his eye.

“Come to dinner,” said the fox.

“No, thank you,” said Sitting. she whirled around, and started running back up the stairs. Then, she saw the other fox standing in front of the door to the command center.
Sitting lifted off just as the foxes were closing in. She flew to the left and landed on a dragon head mounted on the wall of the courtyard.
The fox ran over and stood below the dragon head. 
“You can't stay there forever,” said the mail fox.
There was a loud crack followed by the dragon head breaking loose from the wall and falling straight down.
Sitting spread her wings, and with a flap soared up over the fox. She could see that the second story hall met another hall running to the right. There was another open door. She headed for it. Inside the room, she landed and commanded the door to close.
In a few minutes, they heard an unhappy pair of frustrated foxes scratching at the door, and making a long wavering screech like someone being brutally murdered.
Sitting stood trembling at the far wall of the dark room. 

“There doesn't seem to be a window in this room,” said Grasshopper.

“Maybe it is just shuttered,” said Sitting.

“I don't think so. Even a shutter would let in a little light.”

Sitting breathed in sharply and sneezed.

Fortunately, Grasshopper was only thrust halfway out of the carrier. He crawled back inside, and pulled up the windshield. “When we find someone to fix the visor, I'm going to ask them to install a shoulder strap.” he said irritably. "What caused that?”

“I don't know. I'm smelling something. It tickles my nose,” she said, sneezing again.

The room was filled with boxes. The boxes were as long and wide as half of Sittings width if she stretched her wings out completely. They were as high as they were wide. Best they could determine, all the boxes were the same size. Some were stacked on top of others.
Exploring, they found there was enough room to walk between some of them.

“I wonder if I can get on top of one of these stacks?” said Sitting.

The screeching and scratching outside the door was deafening.
Suddenly, they heard a yelp of pain from the other side of the door. There was a soft thud, then the sound of clawed feet slipping and sliding in a frantic effort to run away. Then all was silent.
They waited.

“Door, open,” came a command from outside.

The heavy door swung open. There in the doorway, stood a tall stranger carrying a bow with an arrow knocked and ready to fire. Its point was aimed straight at Sitting. At his feet lay a dead fox.
to be continued