Free Max Stone and the Lost Star of Zirdon by Declan Clarke Page B

‘Mobilise all of our troops. They will make to the sacred spot, the home of the blue stone.’
    His evil mind began to work out a plan.
    â€˜Let them come across the river, let them think they have evaded us, that they are one step ahead. Let these dogs think they have out-smarted us. Across the river at the Blue Stone we will lie in ambush for them. We will wipe out every last one of them.’
    â€˜Yes, Master’ said STRÄÄLUS and DRÄÄGNOS at the same time, each assuming they had command of the army. They eyed each other suspiciously, each vying for the top spot in the Kaemon army.
    KRÄÄXOR waved them out and the lizard soldiers left the room to make ready for battle.
    Once alone, the leader of the Kaemon Klann, the tallest and meanest of them all by far, rubbed his scaly hands together dreaming of a delicious breakfast of interfering earth boy. It would be a sweet treat and oh how he hated earthlings. It had been an earthling, an old one, that had robbed him of the Star so many months ago and it would be sweet revenge to eat this earthling who brought it back to him.
    KRÄÄXOR rubbed his hands together. Yes he would eat this earthling, savour each and every bite as he tore him apart, limb from limb.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    THE GATHERING
    A Takuon Bird circled high in the sky over the Zagger Zee River and Mar-Hoc-Seia held out his arm and called to it.
    The bird squawked and circled the boat that Mar-Hoc-Seia sailed on. It really didn’t like landing on a moving boat. The wise old Swaveb leader took a sweet nut from the Maldoolan Tree out of his pocket and held it onto his arm. He knew that the bird wouldn’t be able to resist the treat and would spot its bright orange shell instantly.
    Realising that it had been tricked, but unable to resist the nut, the bird flew in low and landed loudly in a flap of feathers and squawks. It ruffled noisily as it landed and pecked at the nut with its strong beak.
    Mar-Hoc-Seia and the others had sent dozens and dozens of birds to Swaveb Tribe members all over Zirdon once they had cleared the Southern Caves. They had to get word out about the return of the Lost Star. Mar-Hoc-Seia, Yan-Ho and Sey-Mar knew that this might be their last chance.
    They would have to act fast and together.
    Mar-Hoc-Seia instantly knew the bird on his arm was the one he had sent to Altusa up in the hills. This was good news. He called to Yan-Ho and Sey-Mar who were helping with the ropes on the little sail boat.
    â€˜This is my bird, Jay’ he explained, stroking the feathers of the winged messenger who had now reached the sweet nut inside the bright orange shell. Yan-Ho smiled but Sey-Mar looked confused; so much had happened this day that he was finding it hard to keep up.
    â€˜The one I sent to Altusa, ….in the hills,’ Mar-Hoc-Seia prompted him.
    â€˜Ah’ said Sey-Mar, ‘so they got the message, the Tigral Tribe.’ Sey-Mar wasn’t used to all this fuss. He was a quiet sort, preferring to tend his vegetable garden, and his clutch of Takuon Birds. He was perhaps the most successful of all Takuon breeders in Zirdon and he took great pride that they now played such a vital role in the battle for Zirdon. His birds were normally used for much more normal purposes, sending messages between families, looking for help with a harvest or just general gossip. But all this fuss! It made his head spin. Like most of the Swaveb Tribe, Sey-Mar had been shocked when the Kaemon Klann first came to Zirdon.
    Of course they had all heard the stories of the nomads that roamed the planets, destroying each one in turn. It was a story they read to their children, it was a sort of a scary story. No-one really believed it to be true though, and no-one ever imagined that they would one day come to Zirdon.
    And here they were so many of the Swaveb Tribe floating down the Zagger Zee River in small sail-boats gathering to fight against these dangerous lizard creatures