Fleck, once again, went straight to Ember’s kingdom the moment she woke up. She decided on trying not to dawdle there, seeing as it was a long run there and back and she couldn’t afford being seen two days in a row.
Fleck also knew that she would have to play this out very carefully, now that she found out that Slate was keeping an eye out for spies. For what seemed like numberless times, Fleck had wished that her transmitter was still in working order. Once again, she found herself wistfully thinking of the days when she didn’t have to take a mile long run to Ember’s kingdom and back just to report to him.
Although, she was quite exited to see his reaction to her successful mission. It had been one of the harder ones, but she had been able to figure something out. Although, there did seem to be a hole in Ember’s battle plan that she would have to discuss with him... Hopefully he would take it as the helpful advise that it was intended to be and not as insulting criticism.
Still, Fleck wasn’t really sure that she wanted to interfere any more then she already had. Her friends were quite possibly going to lose the war, and even if they didn’t die in the last battle, what would happen to them? She didn’t know how Ember intended to treat his prisoners.
Fleck quickened her pace. She could see the kingdom’s silhouette, outlines by the pinkish violet light of the coming dawn. Only the very tip of sun could be seen; a radiant buttery sliver. Fleck suppressed a shiver from the early morning cold. She ignored it and continued, her head full of questions to ask Ember.
Soon, she reached her destination. Fleck immediately went to Ember’s chambers, for she knew the path well and that he would be there. What she hoped was that he would be awake at this early hour... Or that at least that his maid would be. Then, as she had the last time Fleck had visited, she could awaken Ember for their discussion. Still, she hoped that Ember himself would be presented at the door to welcome her, otherwise there might be a lengthy delay.
Well, there was only one way to find out. Fleck pushed Ember’s door open and enter the place, not bothering to be polite and knock. The moment she set her paw across the threshold, Katrina the maid rushed forth to greet the guest.
“Hello, there, Fleck,” Katrina murmured, bowing deeply. “How may I assist you? Tea? A slice a freshly-made lemon meringue pie? Both?”
“No, but thank you,” Fleck declined, although in her most appreciative tone. She wondered why Katrina was acting so... Respectful. Had she always acted like this and Fleck had just never known?
“Ah, I see,” Katrina decided, nodding knowingly. “I know what you want. You wish to speak with King Ember, no?”
“Uh, yes,” Fleck answered shifting from paw to paw. “Is he still sleeping? Could you wake him for me? I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind, seeing as this is a very important matter.”
“Yes, in fact, he is still asleep,” Katrina said, looking extremely uncomfortable. When Fleck opened her mouth to speak, the maid held up a paw that pleaded for silence. She had a defeated look in her eyes and something else... Was it fear? “He gave me pacific orders not to wake him up until the sun completely left the horizon. I don’t want to disobey him and...” Katrina trailed off and looked at Fleck pleadingly. “Please. Is it really that important?”
“Yes, it is,” Fleck snapped impatiently, ears beginning to flatten. “I need to speak with him now. It is the means of winning or losing the war, which, in my opinion, is far more important the a few extra minutes of sleep.”
“But he will be so mad at me...” Katrina looked as if she was about to cry.
“What’s the worst he could do?” Fleck asked softly, feeling empathy towards the fretful she-cat.
“He’s the king,” Katrina replied bluntly. “If he wanted to, he could even execute me. Although I doubt that he’ll be that mad.”
“Well, look,” Fleck reasoned, gesturing a paw in the direction of a nearby window, “the sun has risen about halfway above the horizon, give or take a little. I’ve already wasted enough time arguing with you and Ember will only be missing.. what ten minutes of sleep? And every extra second I spend here makes it more likely for me to be caught, killed and our whole operation and chances of winning crushed.”
“Well, I guess that I should.” Katrina’s voice sounded a little hoarse. She Then tilted her head upwards and called loudly, “King Ember! Ember, you have a visitor!”
“Wouldn’t it help if you went up there to wake him up?” Fleck inquired, ears swiveled back in attempt to block out the noise.
“King Ember is always in a horrible mood when he fist wakes up, and any cat with half a brain would stay away from him at that time,” Katrina said sheepishly, looking down at her paws.
Then an angry and thoroughly frustrated roar came from above, “Kartina! You woke me up early!”
“Your spy has come to visit you,” Katrina said weakly.
“Don’t terrorize her, Ember,” Fleck growled as he descended the stairs. “I asked her to wake you up, seeing as you didn’t even have ten more minutes to sleep. Anyway, you’d better lighten up, because I have news for you.”
“Would you like to join him for breakfast?” Katrina asked lightly, gesturing to the large lemon meringue pie and steaming kettle of fragrant peppermint tea that were sitting on the table.
“I’d best spend as little time as possible here,” Fleck said. Then she turned to Ember, “The mission was successful. I convinced Slate to go to the east of his kingdom, to a large river, where you will be waiting for him. This will happen the day after tomorrow, and it’s likely to occur early in the morning, when he usually makes the rondevu time, although he hasn’t told us when because he suspects that there’s a traitor among the guards.”
“Does he now?” Ember grunted nonchalantly, acting as if this was nothing more then just a very small problem that would go away if it was just ignored. Then, Ember was suddenly alert, as if he was finally paying attention to the conversation. “And I want him to wait another day for the rondevu. Otherwise I won’t be able to assemble my tropes in time for the battle.”
“Finally your talking about the battle and you still aren’t being sensible,” Fleck growled, rolling her eyes and heaving an exasperated sigh. “What do you think I am, a magician? I had to trick a waitress into telling him that. If I told him myself, he’d know that I am the traitor that he suspects, and it would be off with my head!” Fleck sliced a line in the air an inch away from her neck, glowering.
“Well, at least change it to later in the day,” Ember snarled argumentatively. “My cats will be half asleep!”
“I can understand why you feel that it is inconvenient,” Fleck hissed, ears pressed back. “But acting like it’s all my fault for this is just going to far! If I can’t make it a different day, then how could I make it later in the day? Why don’t you try doing one of these assignments sometime, huh? You act like I don’t care how hard you make this for me. Well, I do!”
“And you act like there isn’t a war going on!” Ember snarled. “You are my spy! This is what you were trained to do!”
“Huh,” Fleck grunted sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t know that spies were supposed to do everything that you ever ask me to do. I have done quite a few things, but not the impossible. I know that I could change the battle timing, but I could easily lose my neck doing that! Plus, if I wanted to do it without arising suspicion, I’d have to do it after the current rondevu time. So, no, I can’t.”
“Well, then you’re completely useless,” Ember spat.
“Oh, yeah, like I’m a sofa,” Fleck growled, rolling her eyes at him again. “I don’t get any gratitude for my efforts, so why would I even want to do anything for you? I’m better off with Slate and his guards then I am here.”
“Oh, so you’re going to turn traitor, are you?” Ember challenged, barring his teeth with a vicious snarl.
“So what if I am?” Fleck retorted hotly.
“So then I’d have you killed,” Ember threatened.
“What do I care?” Fleck said with a teasing laugh. “You’re cats couldn’t hit a tree that was touching their nose, their aim’s so bad. There’s only a one in a million chance that they’ll ever hit me.”
At that, Fleck took her leave, slamming the door shut behind her. Katrina was trembling and both Ember and Fleck were steaming with rage.
After a moment’s silence Ember suddenly called out at the top of his lungs, “Shoot her! Don’t let her get away!”
Fleck, momentarily stunned, saw cats pouring out of their homes, speedily heading towards the weapons shed at the top of the hill. Fleck was unarmed and knew that her only hope was to run away as fast as she could and make herself a hard target to hit. Quite the contrary, some of Ember’s cats were excellent shots, such as Smokey. And if Fleck got shot, it was likely that she wouldn’t live.
Ember continued to call to his cats, who were almost at the shed by now. “Get her! Get her! Hurry Up! She’s getting away!”
Fleck rushed onwards darting behind any cover that she could find. But cover here was few and far between. Dashing behind any of the hills would be no use, seeing as the cats were on the tallest hill in the whole meadow; a perfect vantage point. And that was another thing: the fact that this was a meadow. A few trees and the occasional rock was all that provided and cover, and then again, it wasn’t very efficient cover.
The forest, which had always seemed extremely close to Ember’s kingdom, now seemed very far away. Fleck’s paws thudded against the ground a churned up dust and shreds of dry meadow grass. Gunshots rang out from above. Fleck could hear the bullets whizzing past her ears.
She stifled a cry of pain as one of their shots hit her bad leg, which had never quite healed from the time when she had broken it. Fleck collapsed to the ground, gasping from the pain. She examined it to see how bad it was, and then found that the shot had only gotten part of her paw. Then she leapt up, despite the pain. She had to get a move on, otherwise the gunners would do some real damage.
So Fleck sped off, limping slightly, towards the cover of the trees. She was still within mot of the guns’ range, and was now moving more slowly then before. The trees were only a few feet away... Wincing with pain, Fleck leapt foreword, dodging into the cover of the thick forest. She continued to run until she was in the middle of the woods and the gunshots had subsided.
Panting, Fleck rested her injured paw and lay down, eyes wide with agony and fear and continuously darting towards the direction of Ember’s kingdom. She now knew what she had always been to Ember; disposable. If she got caught, then she wasn’t worth rescuing. If she was in the question of not being loyal, then he would merely kill her and be done with it. She had been his plaything, and he had shown her that he would readily kill her just now.
“Well, all I can tell you is this, Ember,” Fleck spat, glaring in the direction of his kingdom. “You are gonna be sorry that you ever messed with me.”
______________________________________________________________________
-KittyLover8
© 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment