Vlux stepped into the large dining space where the Xisgrett laid out a lavish feast for them. The two men they had previously caught were sitting at the far end of the oval table, eating a roast bird. She climbed on a stool and sniffed a fragrant half eaten dish. “Ooh what’s this?” she said while scooping up a handful.

“Flying greens, and pinwheel flowers with sponge flakes. We simmer the greens in bird broth for hours, making them nice and tender, then the…”

“What’s this,” said Vlux, cutting off Zurtegus.

“Those are salamander eggs, you have to gather them soon as they’re laid, before they develop the poison sacs. They go really well with…”

“Oh, this is delicious,” loudly proclaimed Vlux. Thramuny and Drumya showed up and Azurumene gestured for them to take a seat next to him. He had long caught on to Vlux’s skeem and watched in amusement. Thramuny soon caught on and quietly chuckled with Azurumene. Drumya joined Ang and everyone else on the other end of the table voraciously dining.

Vlux was now only a few dishes away from the two cautiously eating men, keeping a suspicious eye on the pixie. They both had olive skin, young faces with light stubble, dusty hair, and dark sleeveless garbs with beige shawls dropped below their chins. The man they encountered before had brown eyes, but his partner had bright blue eyes. They briefly turned back to their meal, then looked back to see the pixie gone. Vlux appeared between them eating a drumstick as large as she. The men panicked and fell out of their stools as they scrambled for the door. Brown eyes tripped on Boa, while blue eyes encountered a snarling beast at the entrance, who broadly gestured for him to return to his seat. Vlux sat at the end of the table, with a comically broad smile, and patted the stool on either side of her. Boa released the brown-eyed man. He watched as it slithered back to Thramuny, who smiled and pointed for him to follow his partner. They both gingerly sat down with Vlux grinning between them, she placed a tiny hand on their sides and spoke directly into their minds.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Vlux, what should I call you?” The men looked at each other, then the brown-eyed man said.

“I told you she is a Tree Speaker.”

“But the Tree Speaker died recently, could another have been born this soon?” said the blue-eyed man.

“Who knows how the gift truly works. Look at how small she is. Like a baby, but maybe the power grants her wisdom beyond her years.”

“She cannot be from our tribe, all that tattooing right along her Imdrina channels would disrupt her soul symbiosis.”

“Again, who are you guys, and what do you mean by Tree Speaker?”

“Apologies, I am Sujun, he is Gunjin,” said the blue-eyed man. “You are what we call a Tree Speaker. A child born with the power to speak to plants, and directly into the minds of others. Our practice of soul symbiosis slightly shortens one’s lifespan, but it serves to increase the potential life span of our Tree Speakers. We should take you back to our village and have those markings removed so you can engage in soul symbiosis, else you will not live long.”

“These markings are what keep me alive. How long do your Tree Speakers usually live?”

“The oldest lived to be twenty, the last just passed away a few weeks ago at seventeen,” said Gunjin.

“Well, I may look like a babe, but I am much older because I have eternal youth, for I am the, Grand Master, Tree Speaker.. Dragon Pukar!” The men’s eyes grew wide with enlightenment.

“Then this is your palace in the sky?” asked Sujun.

“Are these people your subjects? Why were you on the ground chasing us? Are we your chosen ones? Is that Great Dragon under your command?” asked Gunjin.

“Yes, that’s right, I have been searching for you my chosen ones. I have brought both of you to my palace, and have let you dine at my table, because you both have a special duty to fulfill. Alas, I have been asleep for many eons and have only recently awakened, so I need you to tell me everything you know about the current state of the eastern islands before I can assign you your special task.”

“How do we know this is not a trick? How can one so small command a Great Dragon?” questioned Sujun.

“You dare doubt my power. Did you not run into my tiger beast, I also have dragon warriors, an elite fighting force, and the power to bend the sky to my will!”

“I’ll believe it once you prove it. If you can do all those things, then I will tell you anything you wish to know,” said Sujun.

“Yes, we cannot just see it, we must experience your power to know it is real,” said Gunjin.

“Fine, if I take you on a trip around the city on my dragon will you believe me then?”

“YES, we’ll tell you everything!” Blurted Gunjin unable to contain his excitement.

“My dragon warriors shall escort us of course, follow me.” Vlux jumped off the stool, stuck out her chin, straightened her back, and walked with a stately gait. She gave off an air of pompuse regality, something she has always wanted to imitate. She appeared, revered, focused, as if all were beneath her, but the child in her jumped with delight. Once she neared Thramuny without looking up, she raised her palm, Thramuny took it and Vlux quickly transferred the information that she needs her and Drumya to play along. Thramuny turned a giggle to a grunt and stood at attention.

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“Yes, Grand… Pukar, I shall inform your other elite dragon warrior.” They glanced over at Drumya, stuffing his face with the other boys.

“Make sure his face isn’t stuffed,” she said, while regretting that Pukar was the first word she could think of. She pivoted on her heel and walked to the entrance where, Azurumene still in monstrous form, bowed extravagantly. Either he caught on to the charade, or he is just being his usual self. Regardless his grand gestures as she walked under him, and his subsequent snarl at the men passed helped to sell the image. She smiled to herself when she heard them scuttle past her tiger beast. She led them down the hall and outside, where the dragon was nowhere in sight. She turned to the men behind her and looked beyond them to Thramuny and an intimidating Drumya, Thramuny winked. Vlux turned back on her heel and waited, after a dramatic beat Tial-Meh flew up from below, flapping her lower wings as she passed giving them a nice blast of warm air. Her presence eclipsed the sun, as her tempest breath filled the sky. Her breathe changed atmospheric pressure, crackled with lightning, and projected intense heat. Many onlookers watched the spectacle from their balconies. She nose-dived at frightening speed. Vlux nearly flinched, but held firm as the dragon stopped just a few meters from the ground. She spread her enormous wings, delivering a hot, powerful downward draft. For such a massive form, she landed like a drifting flower petal. Vlux glanced at the men cowering on the ground, certain they must be wet with fear. As many times as she pictured being in this scenario, she never thought it would actually happen exactly as she imagined. She approached the great dragon as Tial-Meh lowered her head. Vlux placed a hand on her snout, and within a second sent Eio a thousand thank you's, she took her seat on the dragon’s crown.

“Well, are you two coming?” She said pompously. Drumya and Thramuny stood behind and herded them forward toward the dragon. Then Drumya picked them up with his thick arms and placed them on the dragon's back. The men watched in astonishment as he turned into Vyranya, Thramuny boarded ready to play escort.

“Grand Pukar, I believe you, I’ll tell you everything we know, I don’t want to go on a flight.” said Sujun.

“Are you crazy, when will you ever get a chance like this again? I’m ready,” said Gunjin.

“I am the Grand Master Dragon Elucidator Pukar...Tree Speaker! Now let us tour my sky city of Kebv! Great dragon Tial-Meh fly!” Off they went flying through the city, the people, by instinct bowed as Tial-Meh passed. First, they arrived at the Sponge Gardens. “Behold! My gardens that grow food and cleanse the air,” declared Vlux. The men frenetically gazed upon the vast gardens attempting to commit all to memory. Tial-Meh swooped down and corkscrewed up through an opening, into the sky, Vyranya and Thramuny coming up behind. She directed Tial-Meh toward the setting sun, where the many tails fluttered and glinted in the orange-pink twilight. They turned around to look upon dazzling Kebv, sparkling like rising bubbles of carbon in a glass. They slowly glided down the side of Goblesues, the child inside Vlux almost jumping through her skin, Thramuny and Vyranya gliding next to her. Vlux knew she had the most ridiculous smile on her face but she did not care. This was a fantasy made real. They drifted through the vortex clouds to the Cyclone Fountain. “It is from here, with my Cyclone Fountain that I craft the sky, and control the rains.”

“Grand Pukar! Please help us, please bring the rains back to Buwahutee,” begged Sujun.

“Yes, please help, with your power surely you can wash the poison from the land, and restore the archipelago,” added Gunjin.

“Poison? Explain.”

“Grand Pukar, I offer you my hand, that I might most effectively recite the events to a Tree Speaker,” said Sujun.

Vlux maintaining her air of regality, walked down the length of Tial-Meh’s neck in no particular rush, and keeping her chin held high, lightly touched Sujun’s palm. She saw the archipelago; one island in the center burst into a fountain of toxin, turning the island into a dark eerie blemish. A large caldera filled to the brim with poisonous waste was all that remained. The many tribes of the archipelago were very territorial of their respective islands. They constantly fought and refused to share space. The fighting lasted for so many generations they had forgotten the reason it started and simply killed a person wearing the wrong colors in the wrong territory. One tribe started using the poison from the caldera to ruin the harvest of their neighboring island, but in the process, poisoned the Nenio itself, killing and sinking the island below the sea. They found that the poison can be cleansed with pure water or burned away. However, it was not enough. Land became more scarce, the fighting intensified, and one by one they sunk the islands below the waves. The people of the archipelago had no choice but to move to the big land. Where large wild animals or marauding tribes picked them off. They found that the poison from the caldera could alter the minds of the tribes that practice soul leashing. Using small teams like Sujun and Gunjin’s group, they would apply small amounts of the toxin to their crops, then they whispered lies and rumors to the loudest members of the tribes. Exciting them into a frenzy to cross the Prism Peaks and conquer the land. Their team accomplished their mission, and the pair stayed to observe the Triphu. they sent the other members back to the remaining islands to report.

Vlux withdrew her hand. “Now I understand you brought this infection on by poisoning Kyxichen to make room for your people to live.”

“Yes, we beg your forgiveness. I know we are undeserving but would you help us? Maybe the blue breath of your dragon can cleanse the archipelago,” said Gunjin.

“Or you can bring the rain to wash the poison from the islands,” said Sujun.

“I will have to discuss this with my inner circle. Let us return.” They floated back up to their starting point, Tial-Meh landed and lowered her head for Vlux to step off, the two men eager to be back on solid footing. “Seize them,” said Vlux.

“Wait, Grand Pukar, please don’t kill us. We're sorry we didn’t have a choice,” begged Sujun.

“You always have a choice,” responded Vlux. Drumya and Thramuny bound their wrists with gold silk and led them down the hall, back into their sealed room. The charade over, the child inside Vlux burst forth, she leapt into the air with glee. “THAT WAS AWESOME! it was just as I always pictured it. Eio you were amazing! I loved how you went, Woosh! And Graaa! Tempest breath! And then down like whoosh and everything was awesome!” Zurtegus and Azurumene came out nearly doubling over with laughter.

“Brilliant! What a fantastic show,” Zurtegus said while holding his knee.

“Being a Grand Pukar suits you, what did you learn?” asked Azurumene.

“Everything,” said Vlux, with the biggest, brightest, most genuine smile. She caught her reflection in a puddle and quickly wiped the grin from her face. She reclaimed her persona and strode past Zurtegus and Azurumene. “Gather everyone, we have a lot to discuss.”