Chapter 6
My Companion and Plan
"Zalon? Is it midnight yet?" I heard the covers move and Zalon's feet hit the floor. "I suppose it is. What do you want to talk about?" I watched as Zalon lit her lantern. She set it on the table beside her bed. Her night stand or table, was between my perch and her bed. She lay back in her bed and turned her head to me. "I was in with Clyte all day. He said many interesting things." Zalon nodded. I closed my eyes and tried to remember everything Clyte had said. "He talked to himself and me at the same time. He doesn't suspect anything. At least, I don't think he suspects anything. He said that his dragons have trouble standing on two legs for more than three hours. They eventually have to go back on all fours. He says it is because they are weak. I believe him. The advantage for us, is that they cannot look over their shoulders for danger. They must look over their shoulders and backs. If they were standing, they'd have a better view of the situation. If we attack before the dragons are trained to stand for longer periods, the odds may be on our side." Zalon sat up in her bed and whispered an answer. "Yes, that is a good idea. I will send you out tomorrow. You must tell Brayan of your plan. He will give you an answer as to whether the war will start soon or not. What else?" I took a deep breath and continued. "Clyte wants me as his own. I am a mere bird, but he wants me. He said I would be very helpful to him. He's going to ask you to hand me over tomorrow. You can say ‘yes' or you can say ‘no'. It is up to you." Zalon shook her head and said,"Never. You are mine. I won't put you in the hands of that evil creature." I shook my head also, only I shook my head in disagreement with what she'd just said. "I will learn more if I am with Clyte all of the time! I will be so much more useful! Don't you see? I can help! I can help the unicorns drastically!" Zalon stood up and whispered,"No! It is much too dangerous! You aren't going with him! You're mine!" "I'm a human being!" I spat back. "I can take care of myself! I'm not some stupid Clyuire that is attached to only one dragon! Can't you understand? Don't you see?! If I am Clyte's, I will learn so much more! I can help more! This is for the greater good! Not just for me. Not just for the Insiders. For all of the unicorns and the creatures. I can do this! Please, let me go!" Zalon started to cry and buried her face in her hands. "I'm going to miss you so much! I am so lonely. There aren't many females in this cave. They are all farther underground so they'll be safe during the war. I want to help, but not like this. I want to be of service to the unicorn race, but not by myself!" I looked at her with pity but stayed firm. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Listen, you have Trewan. He will take care of you. Don't worry. I'll come visit you. Ask Clyte to bring me over when he's not with me. Then I can keep you company. Please Zalon. Please understand. It's for the creatures, humans, and the unicorns. Please?" Zalon walked over to me and gently lifted me off my perch. She nestled me into the crook of her arm and began rocking me. "Alright my feathered friend. Alright. You will go with Clyte tomorrow. I will see you often, I hope. I'll miss you!" She bent her head down and kissed the top of my head. I closed my eyes and whispered,"I'll miss you too." I fell asleep and awoke in the crook of her arm.
Tap, tap, tap. "Come in. Who is it?" I sat on Zalon's shoulder as she opened Clyte's door. "Be careful!" She quickly whispered to me. Then she said,"It is Zalon." "Zalon! Come in! Come in!" She walked through the doorway and into Clyte's room. He had his back to us and seemed to be playing with something on his dresser. "Look, Zalon! Look at this!" He held up a silver chain necklace. He walked to Zalon and put it around her neck. From the chain, hung a ruby. Zalon gasped and clutched the ruby in a scaly fist. "It's beautiful!" "Yes, you may keep it if you like it." Zalon beamed with fake gratitude and exclaimed,"Thank you Master Clyte! It is truly wonderful! I shall wear it always!" Clyte laughed and reached out to stroke my feathers. "I have something to ask of you." Zalon looked up from the ruby and tilted her head to the left showing that she was listening. Clyte cleared his throat and said,"I am thrilled with this little Clyuire of yours. Truly a remarkable creature, this one is. I was wondering if you'd be willing to let me keep it as my pet. I know you two are very attached, but I am often lonely and need a companion. Would you be ok with that? Giving up Zxerette, I mean." Zalon faked surprise. "Why sir! I would love to have you care for her! She is so wonderful, but I have not the time to care for this little creature. I'm sure she would be of so much more use to you, than me. Besides, it is only fair since you gave me this most treasured necklace!" Clyte clapped his hands and said,"Good! You can keep her around until breakfast. Breakfast is in thirty minutes. Be there on time with Zxerette." Zalon nodded excitedly and thanked Clyte once again for the necklace. She walked quickly back to her room and shut the door behind us with a slam. "It's almost breakfast time! This is my only chance to get you out! I'm going to let you fly back and tell the unicorns of your plan. You must make it back for breakfast!" I panicked and flew to my perch. I started to move back and forth on my perch. That was the only way I could pace. "I won't have enough time! It will take me at least ten minutes to fly to the cave! Then, I'll have to get in, explain why I'm there, explain the plan to Brayan, and fly another ten minutes back! I can't do that in thirty minutes!" Zalon paced in front of her door. "We're wasting time. I'll tell the dragons that you were called to relay a message to a nearby cave. They have one other cave, the dragons do. Do you know where it is?" "Yes! I know the place. I've been there a few times. It's in a swamp." "Ok, here's the plan. Fly to the dragons first. Tell them a message I will give to you in just a moment. Then, fly to the unicorns' cave. Tell them of your plan. Fly back. I'll make up an excuse for your being late. Fly your fastest little friend!" I jumped off my perch and flew around the room. Zalon opened the door and I flew out. She called me back in. "We need a witness! Someone who told you to relay the message!" She pointed to my perch. I settled on it and waited for Zalon to return. She returned with a guard. "We got a message this morning. Yes, we need a courier. This Clyuire, can it carry messages?" Zalon nodded and exclaimed,"It can mimic the message if you like! Use her as you wish!" The guard walked cautiously up to me and said,"Train dragons to stand for more than nine hours. That is the weakness over here. If you discover another weakness, send a message to us telling us what it is. Guard Seruine." He looked at me carefully as he said,"Repeat." I ruffled my feather, tilted my head to the right, and began the message. "Train dragons to stand for more than nine hours. That is the weakness over here. If you discover another weakness, send a message to us telling us what it is. Guard Seruine. Eeeeeeeerrrraaaaa!!!" The guard stood up and smiled. He looked pleased. "Zalon, send the Clyuire out now. We have no time to waste!" Zalon scooped me up and led the guard to the door. He stepped out and closed the door behind Zalon. Zalon ran with me on her shoulder to the Main Room doors. She yanked one open and ran to the mouth of the cave. "Tell the unicorns of your plan. Fly quickly!" Zalon stretched out her long scaly arm. I walked to her wrist and spread my wings. I flapped hard and flew up to the leaves of the trees. Zalon waved and hurried back inside. I flew above the treetops and tried to remember the way to the swamp. I flew for five minutes before finding it. I dove down to the log and held my breath as I went underwater. The log went down and down until it landed in a room. The room was damp and smelled awful. A guard was standing there. He glared at me and drew his dagger. I ruffled my feathers and tilted my head to look at him. He walked closer. I repeated the message to him. He jumped back, then approached again. He picked me up and set me on his left arm. I walked up to his shoulder. The guard stroked my feathers, then walked quickly down the hall. He walked up to a door and yelled,"Message for you sir!" The door opened and I saw an older dragon. He smiled weakly and motioned for us to come in. The guard walked into the room and sat in a chair. The old dragon also sat. "Sir Redsay, this is a Clyuire. It has a message for you." The old dragon nodded and looked at me. "Repeat," he commanded. I opened my beak and repeated the message. "Train dragons to stand for more than nine hours. That is the weakness over here. If you discover another weakness, send a message to us telling us what it is. Guard Seruine." Redsay scratched the back of his head and closed his eyes. "Clyuire, copy this message." He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling in deep thought. "I do not know any other weaknesses. We are short in food. Send fifty pounds of meat as soon as possible. More if you can. Sir Redsay." He looked at me and said,"Repeat." "I do not know any other weaknesses. We are short in food. Send fifty pounds of meat as soon as possible. More if you can. Sir Redsay. Eeeeerrraaa!!!" Redsay sat back in his chair with a look of wonder on his face. "Wonderful creature. Alright, send it out now. Assist it to the top. We cannot have it drowning before it relays the message. Yes, truly remarkable creature." The guard stood and walked me to the mucky room. He stood and pulled on the log. It slowly came down. He got on the log and assisted me to the top of the swamp. He held out his arm above the swamp water and let me fly off to my next destination. I flew for the unicorns' cave. It was easy enough to find. I swooped down to the entrance and landed on the ground in front of the door. I tapped on the door. A guard opened it and looked out. He turned to centaur and looked down at me with a puzzled expression. "It is I! Saria!" I turned to unicorn to prove myself. The guard rushed me inside and closed the doors. He led me to where Brayan was sitting. He had his head in his hands and was in tears. Great sobs shook his shoulders, and I wondered if I should leave him alone. The guard nudged me inside the room then shut the door. I changed to Clyuire and walked to Brayan. He looked so weak. He looked like a regular kid again. We were both getting older. I was fifteen and Brayan was seventeen. He still looked so young to me. "Brian?" I squeaked. Brayan turned around. "Sarah!" I looked up at him and made the funny smile that Clyuire's do with their beaks. He laughed and picked me up. "Is it you Sarah?!" "Yes, it is." He set me on his arm and laughed. I grinned but had a troubled look on my face. He stopped laughing and started talking about things that didn't matter. "I'm not back to stay." I interrupted. At that, Brian dropped me. He quickly bent down and scooped me off the floor. "What?!" "I'm sorry Brian. I do more good with the dragons than here." Brian shook his head and raised a hand to his forehead. "This can't be! I'm the only human here! The only true human! Don't leave me!" Tears started to drip drop down his cheeks and onto his shirt. "I'm so sorry! But I have to. I have a plan to defeat the dragons. You must listen to it." "Only if you stay," he said. "Brian!" "Sarah! You know as well as I that we're both so tired of this! I can't be a part of this any longer! I sit here worrying about you! I can do nothing! Nothing, I tell you!" "Then come back with me!" His eyes widened and he said,"Could I?" I started to stammer as I answered. "I d-dunno. Ma-aybe. I'm not sure. I'm in with the leader. I stay as Clyuire at all times and pose as his pet. At least, I'll be his pet as of today. I think you could come and stay with me. It would certainly help me out." He smiled and nodded excitedly. "The plan! Tell me the plan!" I nodded and told him we needed everyone else to listen too. Brian gathered all of the important unicorns and centaurs into the room as I told my plan. Everyone agreed to invade early. They would invade in a week if possible. I left the cave with Brian. We flew back to the cave of the dragons. "I sure hope this works," I said to him. He glanced at me and said,"I do too." He was a Clyuire. After seeing me, he had pictured one almost exactly like me. We were circling above the dragons' cave now.
"Zxerette! Where have you been? The master's been looking for you! He's extremely worried! And who's this? A friend?" The dragon smiled nicely and let us in. We flew through the tunnel and to the doors of the Main Room. The guards opened the doors for me and let Brian in because he was following me. I flew up to the ceiling and circled the room until I caught sight of Clyte. I swooped down. Brian swooped down beside me and let me lead. "Zxerette!" I screeched. Clyte spun around and held his arm out. I dove for his arm and gently landed on it. Brian swooped down and copied my movements. "Who is this?! Zxerette, have you made a friend?!" I looked around the room as I mimicked Clyte. "Who is this?! Zxerette, have you made a friend?! Eeeeeerrraaaaaaa!!!!!" Clyte laughed and pushed me off his arm. I screeched in protest as I fell to the ground. He chuckled and stroked Brian's feathers. "Well, two won't be a bad idea." He reached down with his free arm and let me climb on it. I perched on his right shoulder while Brian perched on his left. Clyte walked off toward the dining room. He opened the door and set us on a long sturdy wooden perch. He walked off to the kitchen. "My name is Zxerette. Act dumb. He thinks we can't think for ourselves. He believes we can only mimic. Got that?" I whispered hurriedly. Brian said,"Yeah! Got it. This will be more exciting than sitting around and worrying about everyone." He shut his beak as the door to the kitchen opened. Clyte walked toward us with a tray of food. He set the tray on the table and handed us each a piece of meat. I gripped it in one foot and tore it to shreds with the other. "A name. We need a name for you. Hmmmm..." He turned around and grabbed a piece of meat while he thought. He handed us piece after piece. He turned around as he yelled,"Ah ha!" I was startled and let my instincts carry me to the ceiling. I flew around screeching and scolding. "Zxerette, come down from there!" I flew down to my perch and glared at Clyte. "You creatures sure do have attitudes. Ah, oh well. Now, for your name." He turned to Brian and held a piece of meat just out of reach. Brian looked up at him with begging eyes. Clyte chuckled quietly and handed Brian the piece of meat. "What do you think about Quortay?" Brian titled his head to the left and repeated,"Cartoi?" Clyte laughed and shook his head. "That was imperfect. No, it is said like this. Quortay. Quortay." Brian lifted his head and triumphantly said,"Quortay! Eeeeerrraaaaaaa!!!" Clyte laughed and clapped his hands. "Good Quortay! Good boy!" Brian smiled and bobbed his head up and down. "Good Quortay! Good boy! Eeeerrraa!" He squawked back. Clyte handed him a piece of meat which he gratefully gulped down. I chose my words carefully before speaking them. "Me! Me! Me!" "So, someone said ‘me' to you, huh? Stupid creatures learn too fast!" He tossed me a piece of meat which I caught with my beak. "Stupid creatures learn too fast! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrraaa!" He laughed and handed each of us a piece of meat. The cook called out from the kitchen,"Need more?" Clyte called back,"No. Thanks anyway." I screeched and spread my wings. I began hissing as I said,"Need more! Need more!" Clyte laughed and said,"I know you don't like the cook. Leave her alone though. She means well. Settle down. Quortay, you better get on the cook's good side. Maybe she'll learn to like Clyuires." Brian ruffled his feathers and said,"Get on the cook's good side. Maybe she'll learn to like Clyuires. Eeeraa!" Clyte walked up to the perch and let us jump to his shoulders. He opened the dining room door and stepped out into the Main Room. He walked to the back of the room and called,"Everyone listen up! I have an announcement to make!" The dragons rushed to the front of the room to hear what Clyte was about to say. Once everyone was gathered, Clyte began. "Zxerette, my Clyuire, has returned with a friend. His name is Quortay. You will treat him as you've treated Zxerette. With respect. They are now both my pets. If you are caught harming them, you will be punished! Remember this. Get back to work now." Everyone nodded and mumbled to each other. They ran off to their jobs and the things they had to do. I looked around. I would call Brian Quortay from now on. Clyte walked toward Zalon's door. Quortay cocked his head to the left and peered at the door. He seemed curious. I was curious too. Were we paying a visit to Zalon? Or was Zalon suspected of something? I worried for her safety and thought about leading Clyte away from her room. I shook my head and watched as Clyte knocked. Zalon appeared at the door. She seemed startled at the sight of another Clyuire. "Get back to work now! Eeeerrraaa!" Quortay and I said at the same time. Zalon tilted her head to the side and looked at Clyte with a confused expression. Clyte shrugged and said,"I thought you might like some visitors. I have business to attend to. Watch after them." Zalon held out her arm and let us walk onto her shoulders. I crawled around her neck to sit on her right shoulder. She thanked Clyte and shut the door. She ran to the bed and took us off her shoulders. Placing us under the bed, she crawled under with us. "What's going on? Who is this?" I nodded to Quortay and said,"This is Brian. Better known as Brayan. He's a unicorn. I was so lonely and so was he. I brought him back with me. His name is now Quortay." Zalon nodded and said,"We must keep these conversations a secret. I am one of two Insiders. Well, except for you two. Trewan is another dragon. We have never been unicorns, but we have always loved them. I assume Zxerette's explained the mission clearly?" "Yes, she has." I picked up in the conversation,"And he does a wonderful job at his part! We've already had breakfast. Late, but we had it." Zalon nodded and crawled out from under the bed. "That is one tight fit for a dragon!" I laughed and nodded. Quortay and I crawled out from under the bed and climbed on Zalon's arms. She stretched her arms toward the perch. I hopped on first, then Quortay second. I cleaned my feathers and took a nap. I didn't keep an eye on Quortay. He didn't care what I was doing either. We spent a nice day together in the room with Zalon. Then we were returned to Clyte for the night. We would have a lot to tell Zalon when we got a chance to share our secrets with her. We'd be able to tell her a lot.
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