Green Jeweled Eyes

 

The trackers listened carefully to the queen's emissary, Blue Eye. The rapid cadence and accent of her Bird Speech were hard to follow, and the news was too important to get wrong.

"The insurrection leaders are in the forest about a crow-hop away," she chirped.

"What is a crow-hop?" Mishka asked as the bird paced along his finger. "Is it longer than the queen's castle wall?"

"Yes, maybe two walls long," Blue Eye said.

Mishka looked at his cousin. Vinka's striped hood was pulled up, and he swore it helped trap sounds coming from ahead. He was kneeling and looking at the clearing they would need to cross.

Vinka cast off his hood and shook his head. "We cannot cross without being seen. You should claim your favor."

"Favor?" Blue Eye asked as she looked from one face to the other.

Mishka seemed to think it over, and he signed heavily. "It is a shame to waste it."

Vinka shrugged. "I can't think of a better use than protecting our delicate skin from sharp, pointy things."

"What favor?" the queen's emissary asked again.

"Hold your feathers," Vinka said, holding out his hand and motioning Blue Eye to him. She hop-fluttered over to his hand.

Mishka rummaged through his haversack and pulled out a small object that looked like a tiny, curved sausage made from glazed pottery. It had a hole in the tip, and other holes along the side. The pottery was painted with many colors and swirls and abstract shapes.

"Now watch," Vinka said.

Mishka held the pottery to his mouth and blew through end hole. A lovely, clear tone came out that sounded like a flute. He blew again, the tune warbling as his fingers moving over the other holes.

"Nice," the bird said. "Reminds me of the queen's shiny music tube."

"They call it an Ochareena in the south," Mishka said. "But this one is special. Very special. Now let's see if it works."

In a few seconds, the breeze kicked up and dark clouds began to accumulate. Blue Eye squawked and hid in a fold of Vinka's tunic.

Distant thunder rumbled. But no. It wasn't thunder.

A black dragon flew over, circled twice, and landed in the clearing.

It looked at them with green jeweled eyes and said, "Greetings. Who needs to be...consumed?"

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