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IN A GILDED CAGE: Door thinks Willowsnap is an amusing little creature as he claims
for the benefit of Windkin who talks with him. Door tells him he gives the humans'
lives meaning, not having them fight among themselves, only to have them look upon
their serving him as he does. Door wants the little palace fragment to strengthen
their bond. Door has almost swayed Windkin to his way of thinking. He tells his three
slave boys to capture the insect Willowsnap and kill it now! One bald green eye smiles,
the other bald slave boy, brown eyed doesn't seem to like this. They both wear ear
rings of gold. The other has red dreadlocks and brown eyes. Confused (possibly by
Door), Willowsnap has a little bowl on his head. The dreadlocked boy with a red belly
button jewel tries to put a larger bowl over Willowsnap. Willowsnap webs up the redhead
slave boy's face, arms, and chest. He slightly webs the face of one of the brown
eyed bald one and makes the holes in the walls close up, the other bald one (with
green eyes) grabs Willowsnap's foot but the wall closes up on his upper body. He
kicks, "Get me ouuuttt!" The brown eyed bald one says, pulling web off
his face, "The master isn't going to like this." Willowsnap flies past
two guards, one in head cloth asks a blond one, "I dunno. What do you want to
do..." A straw haired brown eyed, red headband wearing human boy in brown boots
and red loin cloth with large knife puts a cloth bag over Willowsnap. With him is
a blueñish haired boy with purple head rag tied in back, a blue loin cloth and no
shoes. The blond touches his arm, telling him he is just jealous of his catching
the flything. They will bring it to PeiñLar. Shenshen tells Chot that gathering the
herbs she has she learned from her sister: they have many uses: one stops heads from
hurting, another will help one see better at night, others clear your nose, and if
your bones hurt after "one of your foolish dances" you rub another on.
Chot thinks, "Foolish dances...?" Others just smell nice. Chot shocks her
by saying, "None of it smells as nice as you...Shenshen...uhh..." She moves
off, "We should get back to camp." He follows: aaarrrrgggghhh! Deeplytanned
Suntop tells Jethy what he wants is just a little further. Jethy has a green donut
shaped thing around his neck on a necklace. He sucks it as the two lie down on their
stomachs after finding a fisherman's hut. Suntop saw it a little moon ago. Suntop
tells him that his father nor Dart would ever go in. The two boy elves run after
hearing a wwooaaahhh sound. Jethy asks what it was. Suntop says, "I don't know...I
don't want to know! Just keep running!" Puffing, Kimo and Dart ask Yun for some
help unwrapping Ahn Lai who is still yelling when he unfreezes from the wrapstuff,
"...can't go back to Door! He'll kill you!! No wait!!" The boys arrive
back and overhear this. They have a council, one that Dart says he hasn't really
called but they will have anyway. Dart tells Dodia and Chot they will go with him.
Kimo asks what about him. Dart tells him, "I need you here. I...want you here."
Jethel tells Shenshen they were out just looking around. Wearing knee high boots
and a blue hanging thong only, Kimo follows Dart into his tent area, "But Dart!
I...I meanññwe two..." Dart packs gear, "I know..." Kimo says, "Dart,
listen to me!" Dart puts his arms around Kimo, "Trolls take it, brother...my
words don't come out as good as yours. I want you here, safe and out of danger. I
know how I feel. Just stay here and look after the others. I will be back."
Windkin is on top the statue head and tells Door it is wrong that the humans and
the elves have been isolated too long. He thinks if Door will help him, they can
do much. He will go Savah. Door thinks it is to get the fragment, calling Windkin
a windrider. Windkin must retrace his flight here, along the Great Mountains, up
the spine of the world. Door tells him to go and be safe, calling him "my friend.
The fate of all our kind is in your hands. My friend...oh, dark mother, you taught
very well...now the unwilling student shall surpass the teacher..." Door finds
his servant boys, "What is this?? Sigh. Things are changing and yet some things
stay the same..." The boy webbed up is mmmmmmrmering. The one bald boy free
sniffs his sorrow. Door knows Dart and his pack of sand rats will attack him. Door
touches the free boy and from the feet up, the boy slowly becomes a rock statue.
In the background, the boy stuck in the wallññhas his legs hanging limply. |