Dusty Red ~Part 16

Hola there everyone! I hope you had a great week. I had fun writing this instalment (I wrote it on Wednesday as we had plans for Thursday which were, incidentally, cancelled anyway) and I hope you have plenty of fun reading the story in which Fred is named and a castle is observed. Just in case you didn't know, option one was voted in last week, it must have been a good option because everyone was agreed of its genius. I'm interested to see which option gets the most votes this time.

Enjoy!

“Well, you are a figure of very dejectedness if you’ll pardon my saying so.”

The voice that spoke was one Flicks had never heard the like of before, and yet it seemed somehow familiar, like a voice of a friend she’d long forgotten. She looked up, puzzled, wondering who had spoken. It certainly hadn’t been Larzik or Skilf.  

Skilf looked at Flicks her eyes showing the same bewilderment at Flicks felt. “Did you hear that?” Flicks asked her.

Skilf shrugged her shoulders, “I really don’t know. I rather thought I was thinking excessively loud and in a kind of odd voice.” She knotted her brow and looked around, “But if you heard it I don’t know who it came from.”

“Oh, you two are extremely funny. Definitely worth the wait.”

Flicks scrambled up and glared at Larzik, “Ok, why didn’t you tell us you were a mimic and a ventriloquist?”

Larzik looked at her nervously, “I...I’m not! I don’t know what you’re talking on about.” He sniffed apprehensively, “I never heard nothing.”

“So you heard something then?” Skilf questioned.

Larzik shook his head violently, “No, as I said, I never heard nothin’!”

“But if you never heard nothing then you must have heard something,” Skilf insisted, but Flicks interrupted her.

“So only me and Skilf can hear this talking, right?”

“I guess so. Unless, of course, you’re going ma—” Larzik broke off hurriedly as he realised what he’d been about to say.

“But who is it?” Skilf asked, clearly frustrated.

“Why don’t you have the politeness to ask them yourself?”

Flicks closed her eyes as the strange voice came again, trying to place where it was coming from. To her surprise it seemed to be coming from directly behind her. Flicks turned around slowly, but there was nothing there, she cleared her throat. “Umm...so...er...who are you then?” she asked, looking blankly at a tree.

“You’ll have to look much closer than that to see me,” the voice berated her.

Flicks noticed something moving right in front of her nose. She tried to look at it, pulling her head back to she could see it properly. It was a green...thing, with a strange cream coloured kite looking bit on the end. Flicks blinked her eyes in confusion but then it came to her: the dragon, the Fræd Dragon that had been sitting on her shoulder all this time.

“Ahhh, you’ve worked it out have you? I give you my congratulations.”

Flicks stared at the Dragon as it jumped onto her hand. “You...can talk?” she asked.

“Either that, or you are going mad as the kindly Larzik was going to say.” The dragon’s mouth did not move, but the sound was definitely coming from it.

“Ermm...I see,” Flicks and Skilf said in unison, both with the same level of confusion in their voices.

Larzik gazed at the dragon. “It’s talking?” he asked in wonder.

“Aye, it’s talking,” Skilf replied. “Didn’t you know they talked?”

Larzik’s round eyes were answer enough.

There was silence for a few seconds then Flicks looked around again, “So do you know where we are...Umm...Dragon?”

“Yes, I do in a manner of speaking, but I won’t tell you until you stop calling me ‘Dragon’ and give me a name.”

Skilf frowned, “But don’t you already have a name? Fred or something?”

“Not Fred,” Flicks corrected her, “Fræd.”

“Well...” Skilf said consideringly, “Fred is as good a name as any. Why don’t we call him Fred?”

“P-perhaps she wouldn’t l-like being called F-F-Fred,” Larzik stammered, “She is a sh-she after all.”

Skilf sniffed disdainfully, “So? I’m calling her Fred.”

Fred flicked her tail, “Very well then. Fred is better than nothing.”

“So now will you tell us where we are?” Flicks asked.

“We are within whatever location happened to occur to your mind when you stepped, or rather, fell, through the doorway, Flicks,” Fred said, stretching her wings.

Flicks nodded slowly, “So, for example if I thought about...Umm...Dusty Town, we’d have ended up there?”

Fred nodded, “Yes, and if you’d though of nothing, you’d have ended up nowhere, just in a land of nothing.”

“Ok, so I’ve just got to remember what I thought of when I went through the door?”

“Indeed,” Fred replied, she paused, “Well? What did you think of?”

“I don’t really know,” Flicks muttered, “I don’t remember thinking of anything particularly. Except for thinking I felt really crazy and a passing wondering of what Nainsi was doing, I didn’t think anything.”

“Hmmm,” Fred said, her jewel eyes on Flicks. “I think that leaves us at least two options. Either we’re in the land were everyone is crazy, or we are somewhere Nainsi has been recently.”

“But Nainsi was up in the castle!” Skilf protested.

“True, but before that?” Fred prompted.

“Well, before that she was with us in the forest,” Flick put in, “And before that she was in her house.”

“Yes, so we could be somewhere on the way to the passage through which you entered Esueño, somewhere near Nainsi’s house, somewhere Nainsi was before you saw her for the first time last night, or somewhere near where she is right now,” Fred concluded, “That leaves us plenty of choices.”

“’Scuse me, but what’s it saying?” Larzik asked.

Flicks looked at Fred, “Is there any way you can make him hear you too?”

 “Sadly no,” Fred made a noise like a sigh. “He’ll just have to wait until you tell him, or until he actually finds a way to hear me by himself. I can’t help him.”

Flicks sighed. “I was afraid of that,” she muttered. Turning to Larzik she said, “Apparently we could be...basically anywhere Nainsi was recently.”

“Do you recognise anything around here?” Larzik questioned.

Flicks looked around, “No, not really. Do you Skilf?”

Skilf shrugged, “I’m not sure, but something about this place seems familiar...” she trailed off uncertainly.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to see what I can see,” Fred said, launching herself from Flicks’ hand and into the air.

The three on the ground watched as she flew gracefully up through the branches. They lost sight of her for a second as she was obscured by leaves, but could still catch glimpses of the Fræd dragon as she flapped up above the forest.

Flicks only just managed to stop herself from ducking when Fred reappeared, swooping down towards them in a steep dive. She landed on Flicks’ shoulder and swished her tail. “Anything interesting?” Flicks inquired.

“A tree or two, and a castle,” Fred replied.

“A castle?” Skilf asked quickly, “What kind of castle?”

“It’s certainly not the Esueño palace, nor is it quite like any other castle I’ve seen before. It’s quite big, and nicely built, but I don’t like the feel of the place,” Fred tilted her head to one side. “Ever seen a place like that?”

Flicks frowned, “Well, I’m not really one to ask with matters of castles, I’ve only ever seen one in my entire life, and that was the palace in Esueño.” Flicks turned to Skilf, “D’you have any idea?”

Skilf’s face had taken on a rather greenish tinge and she seemed to be struggling to speak....

~

1. “Look out!” was all she managed, before hightailing up the nearest tree.

2. “Oh yes,” Skilf said eventually, “I know that place. It’s my Uncle’s manor.”

3. She groaned and muttered something unintelligible. “What was that?” Flicks asked. 

~

I'm glad I'm not choosing what option should happen next...I really couldn't decide. But that's what I've got all of you for! I'll await your comments interestedly...is interestedly a word? Or did I just make it up? I probably made it up, but if Shakespeare can do it I don't see why I can't! 

Fare Thee Well!