[She took What?] - Chapter 90: Davy’s Story – Into Penumbra: Where is my grey !!!

“A scared mob’ll follow anyone with teeth.”

Davy talking about Big Red.

| Location: Th Ringtail Planet |

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As they flew back, Big Red looked over at the other Bird. Smoke billowed from an engine and it floundered due to a hole in a wing. His flyers related that it was also overloaded with red’s they’d saved, the damaged craft a testament to their bravery.

The wounded Bird lurched through the air, trailing black smoke. The flyers exchanged silent glances, Big Red's words, “Protecting your leader should be your priority,” rang hollow now. They’d obeyed, but their anger simmered beneath the surface.

The flight back to the red’s camp took nearly an hour, their Bird lagged, its engine sputtering.

Big Red insisted they “hurry up”, he wanted to make Rebecca pay. ‘I’m glad I didn’t kill her earlier, because now… now it will feel so much better.’

But the flyers ignored him, highlighting a problem with the engine. It was an excuse to support the other, more damaged Bird. They were feathering the engine, making it sound off.

They both knew where the problem really lay. Neither dared say it aloud, but both thought the same thing.

 

As they approached the camp Big Red breathed a sigh of relief. The two stars had separated; the black moon was low in the sky and the alignment was past its height. Today hadn’t gone well, he couldn’t think of a worse outcome. 

He told the flyers to let the other Bird land and unload first. Given its problems, he didn’t want it crashing into them. They waited as the other Bird unloaded its mob. Families rushed over to help bloodied and bandaged reds to their dreys. Some were carried; others managed to walk. It wasn’t a good look, but there was nothing Big Red could do.

He changed his mind, “Go to the back of my drey. Land there.”

“Sir?” questioned one of the flyers.

“You heard me. The back. Now!”

 

It was a much tighter landing and would have been impossible had their Bird been damaged. Once down, he dismissed the flyers and walked over to his drey. No one was on guard. ‘Must be round the front helping the mob,’ he thought.

He pushed the drey’s doors open, their creak loud and familiar. His footsteps rang out as he walked down the corridor and across wooden flooring to the room that held the grey. He could feel his heart racing as the expectation of spending time bullying her, beating her built. She’d be bound, gagged and helpless.

As he waited outside, gathering himself he could hear muffled mumblings, and smiled. He was quivering with excitement.

But as he stepped through the door, he wasn’t greeted by a cowed grey but half a dozen reds. Gagged and tied to his chair with strips of bloodied pelts. Grey pelts. He lost control and screamed, “WHERE IS SHE!?”

The reds shrank back, trying to become invisible. When it became clear that was impossible, they tried to answer; all at the same time. But they made no sense through the gags. All he heard was a mumbled jumble of sound.

He went through his drey to the front, slammed the door open and pushed out onto the porch. The guards were lounging on the daybeds. Seeing Big Red they leapt to attention.

“Sir. Welcome back,” one of them said and saluted.

“Welcome back? WELCOME BACK!” he shrieked, grabbing the guard by its groomed topknot and dragging it through the house.

“Follow me!” he shouted back to the others. They slowly trudged after him, through the drey; none wanting to be first, all fighting to be last.

When he got to the room with the guards, Big Red tightened his grip on the topknot and threw the unfortunate guard into the room. He slid satisfyingly across the floor and into the reds tied together.

“That was my welcome. You idiot. In fact, you’re all idiots! WHERE’S MY GREY!” screamed Big Red as he crossed to a seating area with chairs and a table.

He picked up a chair and smashed it repeatedly into the table. With each crash of the chair, splinters of wood flew across the room and Big Red shouted, “WHERE…IS…MY…GREY”

 

One of the guards had untied some of the others and removed their gags. “They came in one of our Birds, it had our marker,” he hastily added. “Before we knew it, they were upon us. We were lucky they tied us up and didn’t kill us, then burn everything.”

“Lucky? You think you’re LUCKY.”

He threw the remains of the chair away and crossed to the red who’d spoken. And kicked him. Ribs cracked like brittle wood, the red passed out and slumped to the floor.

“Anyone else think we were lucky? ANYONE?”

They shook their heads.

He reached down to the nearest guard, who visibly shook and looked terrified.

Big Red sniggered and slapped the guard across the face. Then asked in a quiet, menacing voice, “So tell me. Where is the grey you were guarding?”

“Gone sir. Taken by the greys that came. Some browns went too.”

 

Big Red staggered momentarily, “Browns have gone? Did I hear that right.” he thought. Then he looked around and for the first time noticed that they were all reds.

“Browns you say?” the red nodded. He turned back to his guards, “Get me a brown, any brown. Even a female.”

Big Red fumed, had the browns really betrayed him? “They’ll pay for this.”

His answer came quickly, the red guard returned alone. “Sir,” he said, kneeling low in front of Big Red, “they’ve gone. The browns have gone. All of them!”

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