[Critique Group 1] Cleora's submission for 3/28/19

[sitting.duck at springmail.com]

1166 words
part nine
May 9

Sitting backed into the aisle between the boxes, turned around and ran toward the back wall. At the end, there was another aisle to the right. Turning, She followed it to the other wall. Here, the boxes formed another passage to the right. At the end she stopped. She could see the open door ahead. Grasshopper, she thought, can you hear me?

Yes, thought Grasshopper.

Can you see around the edge of the box? thought Sitting.

Move forward just a little, thought Grasshopper.

Sitting inched forward until the top of her head was just at the edge of the box.

Grasshopper lowered the windshield and moved out enough to see what the archer was doing, then crawled back into the carrier and raised the windshield.

He's laid the bow down. He's looking into the hole we ran into, thought Grasshopper.

Sitting moved quietly out of the hole, spread her wings. Flapping hard, she lifted them into the air and flew toward the door.

Hearing the commotion, the archer looked around. “Door close,” he shouted.

The door began to close.

“Door open,” shouted Sitting.

The door stopped closing. She darted through the narrow opening, and turned left thinking she would go out where the river flowed under the wall.

“No!” shouted Grasshopper. There's a griffin behind the throne.

Quickly, she turned and flew back The way she had come. The archer was standing in the doorway knocking an arrow. She flew toward his head making him duck. Then, turning She flew with all her might toward the hall to the command center. She was almost there when an arrow pierced her right wing.

Her momentum carried her forward as she fell. She landed at the open door of the command center. Behind her, she heard the rush of wings then the click of talons as the griffin landed in front of her. She twitched, trying to rise. Pain shot through her wounded wing. Her blurred vision saw what she thought was Grasshopper laying at the guard wall. He wasn't moving. The hawk head of the griffin lowered to her eye level, and moved toward her. She kicked and struggled to get up, but it was impossible. She heard footsteps running up behind her. She saw the man reach down, pick up Grasshopper, place him in a box, and put the box in his satchel. Then, he pulled out a bag. Placing the bag beside her, he said, “You've been hard to catch, but I have you now.”

Despair washed over Sitting as she thought about Grasshopper, and all they had been through together. She wondered how her family was doing. She thought about the brave school of fish, the swarm of bees, the army of locust, and the colony of ants that had helped her at “The Cristal Pond.” She remembered the sheep, goats, and the man at the farm that had expressed confidence and hope that she would be able to end the war. She remembered the words of the army commander about how easy it would be to scare her into surrender. The wonderful gift from Dark Merlin was broken, and she had let people who were counting on her down. Now, she and Grasshopper had come to the end of their ways. She closed her eyes, and slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

“I am pleased to report that I have had good success at diverting the enemy.”

Silence.

“Yes, I have her, and Watcher as well.”

Silence.

“I'll take care of it.”

Sitting's groggy mind struggled to sort out what she was hearing.

“Call me Grasshopper,” said a familiar voice.

“Of course,” answered someone. “The scrolls seem to be complete. It's unclear why he would collect this information, and then leave.”

“Yes, but there doesn't seem to be any question that he isn't coming back,” said Grasshopper.

She heard items near her being shuffled around.

“I've filed a report of our findings,” said the stranger. We can take these scrolls with us in case Dread Demon wants to see them.” 

“Can we transport any of the supplies?” asked Grasshopper.

“I've disabled the fortifications, and notified the other rulers to get as much of it as they can before it disappears,” said the stranger.

“Good,” said Grasshopper. “Let's go down to the dining hall, and see if there is anything to eat.”

Sitting heard footsteps moving away from her. Then, the click of a door closing followed by silence.

She waited a few minutes before opening her eyes. She was lying on a table. There was a bandage wrapped around her aching body pinning her wings. Her feet were under her, and her neck was stretched out straight in front of her. 

In the dim light, she could see The carrier and the broken visor laying on the left between her head, and a crystal ball. She appeared to be in a castle command center. Was it the same castle? She tried to piece together what she had heard. Had Grasshopper been a spy all this time? Had he gone over to the enemy to save his own skin? Why had the stranger said he had her at last? I should have eaten that miserable insect, she thought Sorrowfully. Then, no surely he isn't a traitor. He's my friend. Or, is he? Why do I feel so tired? She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

Sometime later…

She was awakened by shouting in the hall. “We've got to get out of here. It's starting to collapse,”

She opened her eyes in time to see the archer that had shot her run into the room. He scooped her up and roughly shoved her into the bag tail first leaving her head sticking out. He took Grasshopper off his shoulder, and put him and the pieces of the carrier in a box. Stuffing it into the bag beside her. He synched the bag closed loosely around her neck, and swung it over his shoulder.

He looked around the room briefly; satisfied he had everything, he ran out the door and jumped on the griffin's back. The griffin spread its powerful wings and lifted them into the air. They passed through the transparent walls as the castle shimmered and disappeared.

Behind them, all she could make out was a river curving lazily back and forth through a green meadow. There might have been a patch of trees to the right, but there was no sign there had ever been a castle or anything else at that location. She shook her head. I really don't understand any of this, she thought. Her tail was pressed uncomfortably against the bottom of the bag. The box containing Grasshopper pressed against her wounded wing. She wriggled around trying to find a more comfortable position. Finally, lulled by the rhythmic pumping of the griffin’s flight, she laid her head against the back of the bag, and went back to sleep.

To be continued.