With slow steps, Oak looked around the prison. He approached the cell where Karel was being held.

He was sitting alone in a dusty cell in the middle of the prison. A black brick wall separated the cells on either side and the bars made up the front of the cell. From where he was, Karel could see the corridor and the cell opposite through the bars. A smell of dust filled the room and mixed  itself with the smell of steel, orange and medlar that came from outside. All the prisons’ walls were made of black bricks as was the roof.

Stone arches supported the roof and separated each cell. A bluish glow entered the prison through a small window at the back of the prison. The glow shone directly on the dried fruits and vegetable crates that were under the window and served as food for the prisoners. This glow was the only source of light in the room. Through it, Oak and his friend could see the prisoners’ faces

Oak walked briskly over the bluish stone slabs and stopped in the middle of the hallway in front of Karel's cell. Willow followed him and stood back a bit so that Karel couldn't see him. Oak approached the cell and with his hands clapped the bars several times to announce his presence.

*Bang, Bang, Bang*

Karel, surprised, got up and went to the source of the noise. The spy approached the cell’s bars and came face to face with Oak, who dropped these words in his face. "Karel? What are you doing here, leech? Weren't you supposed to be siphoning off the poor peasants for that scum Xidor Cèdre?"

Karel replied with bitter irony filled with malice. "Ah, the king's generosity knows no bounds. After I failed to bring him the modest mountain of coins he demanded, he demoted me to the rank of common soldier. But that's not all, the kindly merchant guild also suggested to the king that he let my head roll. But the great general saved me, interceding to give me a suicide mission."

Oak pointed his fingers at Karel's eyes and threatened him. Where is my family? Are they still alive? Tell me or I'll burn you..."

Karel took a few steps back, away from Oak's fingers. "I'm sorry... but I don't know where the king has taken your family, perhaps to prison. I only handed them over to His Majesty's bodyguard. Only he knows your family’s fate. His Majesty doesn’t inform anyone of his intentions, we’re just pawns in his eyes", Karel lied.

He pretended to cry and cried in a nasal voice. "His Majesty... threw me away like a piece of trash. The avians are torturing me and will behead me.... I don't want to die... I'm like your brother Regis..."

Willow saw Karel crying out of the corner of his eye. He laughed inwardly at him.  What a poor comedian, if Oak, thinks he is like his bro... it's the end.

Oak lowered his hand and frowned. "What's going on with Regis?"

Karel acted and gave him a compassionate look. "Regis... told me that he didn't want to die before he saw you... You have to save him... You have to save us all from Xidor..." Karel lied with conviction.

"I’ll help you but first, apologize for what you have done to my family and the Jefar family. Get on your knees and beg for mercy," said Oak.

Karel knelt down and held out his hands to Oak. "Sorry, sincerely, I never meant to hurt your family or the Jefar family, I was forced by Xidor, he threatened my family!  Forgive me!" he lied.

Oak smiled weakly at him. "I forgive you, I believe you, but some people won't choose to believe you."

Out of the corner of his eye,   Oak saw Willow ranting in the corner. He ignored him for the moment, not wanting to reveal his presence to Karel.

The young wizard put his hand on his chest and said confidently. "I’ll lock up this mass of rotten wood and convince him to repent for his wrongs. He will live through what he is doing to my family and the Jefar family. I will not kill him, but I will use his greatest fears against him."

"I'm afraid that His Majesty is not afraid of anything," warned Karel.

Oak, incredulous, grinned at him. "Pff, every Arbolarbre fears something. You fear death, I fear death, maybe the king fears death?"

"I doubt it."

To give himself confidence, Oak put his left fist in his right hand and continued to smile at him. "What is His Majesty Xidor planning that you are trembling like this? Tell me the truth and prove that your excuses are not just a cop-out. Prove to me that you are truly sorry and I will plead for you to the peacock king."

With a downcast face, Karel pointed to the opposite cell "But first think of my colleague... save him too, he didn't do anything."

"All right. Now talk."

The spy shuddered, the smell of fear emanating from his armpits, a bitter smell of sweat.

"Here’s the truth... The king is about to invade Skyhigh. He has commissioned us to spy and design a map of the island. This map would be used to guide the royal armies in the great war that is coming."

Oak sneezed from the high concentration of dust, shooting droplets of snot into the air; his throat was dry and his nose was running.

"So there will be war?"

"Perhaps... ... The people remain hostile to any declaration of war, the recent war with the Applers has decimated the countryside. But Xidor is hiding something that will incite the people to war, something he is hiding from all but his closest associates. Something to do with documents, not long ago he started forging documents."

Oak, concerned, replied in a weak voice. "Another carnage after 20 years of peace? He crazy. A tide of people will oppose it, no one in their right mind would relive that decade of fire and blood where our people almost went extinct.”

He took a deep breath and asked her. "What are these documents?"

Karel stammered, "No idea."

Karel reached for the bars of the cell and shook them, trying to break them. *Dang, Dang, Dang* "A madness that will take us all to the grave. Set me free! I will return to the new capital to rally opponents to King Xidor, You can trust me."

Willow, who had remained in the background, decided to intervene. He approached the two Arbolarbres and with his brown eyes, stared at Karel, trying to detect if the spy was lying.

He’s lying.

Willow said. "We can't trust him, Oak, he's going to tell King Cèdre about this island’s topography. My friend, we can't let him go. We must trust the good judgment of the avians. Don't let this viper's tongue fool you again. He’s the one responsible for imprisoning your family."

Oak gritted his teeth, not agreeing with him at all. "Willow, people can change. Remember Jonas? He was eating out of that king's hand a few weeks ago, and now he's my best friend."

Willow turned to him and glared. "Your best friend? I’m your best friend. You trust people too much, how do you know that Jonas will follow us to the end?

Enraged, Oak gesticulated and raised both arms.

"Jonas almost died! He could have asked the avians to take him home, but he stayed! Jonas even dared to do what you will never do; confront a king."

Willow threw these words in Oak's face. "You want me to confront a king? Then we'll do it your way! Let's release the prisoners and see where it goes!"

Karel smiled hypocritically at Oak and Willow. Smile, Karel, they're looking at you... They don't suspect a thing... Oh, how well I play my part... Karel thought before saying...

"Thank you, Willow. You won't regret trusting Oak's judgment. I am, indeed, the one responsible for his family’s imprisonment but I will help them, I’ll be generous with them.." lied Karel.

Oak smiled broadly at Karel.

He, too, has abandoned Xidor and repented of his mistakes... like Jonas... Oak thought naively before saying. "Let me go convince the Peacock King to release you, we'll be back shortly. He'll be very happy to hear about your betrayal of Xidor if we explain it to him,." concluded Oak.

"If you say so," Willow said, ironically.

"Thank you..." said Karel in a voice that was meant to be sincere.

Oak and Willow walked down the hallway, through a padlocked iron door and up the stairs to the open air. Once outside, they walked through the narrow, well-paved purple marble streets. The avian citizens went about their business peacefully, buying and selling fruits and vegetables and clothing without any knowledge of the spies' presence. The citizens smiled at each other and chatted amiably in a peaceful atmosphere where the baby avians cries could be heard. Oak smiled as he saw life in Skyhigh.

Oh, it reminds me of Oakvalley, people who talk without worrying about anything, who help each other without worrying about their neighbors, who live their quiet little family life. We have to prevent war... We have to preserve this serenity.

Oak walked through the Old Town to a stone bridge that separated a vacant lot from the Peacock King's Citadel. This lot was filled with lush green grasses that were being eaten by baby birds.

The royal citadel was made of red bricks. It was also surrounded by vast stone walls.

A multitude of archers was posted on the walls and watched the passage of people on the bridge. The bridge led to a large portcullis. Beyond this portcullis stood the royal throne room, the throne of feathers. The large room had a purple marble floor on which was placed a green grass carpet that led to stone stairs.

These stairs led in turn to the feather throne. A throne made of thousands of white feathers. 

The room was flanked on each side by Roman-style columns that separated it from the two adjacent rooms, the kitchen, and the library. The roof was made of red brick.

Beyond the stairs, the great peacock sat comfortably on his throne, reading a book, when the portcullis lifted, making a metallic sound. Oak and Willow had just crossed the bridge and entered the citadel.

The peacock king looked up from his book and spoke to one of his advisors, a brown owl wearing glasses. "Who dares disturb me during my humble time of rest?"

"Oak and Willow. They're probably reporting news about the inconvenience," the owl replied wearily.

"Ah, they have solved these inconveniences"

Oak and Willow approached the Peacock King and knelt down.

The big bird's tail was fan-shaped and had a turquoise color with orange undertones while its body and egret were indigo; it belonged to the blue peacock species. He was the second male king of the peacock dynasty, being an only child just like his father, the Miracle Worker, had been.

The peacock king beckoned them to stand up and asked them. "What did the spies tell you?"

Oak answered aggressively. "That scum Xidor plans to send thousands of men to slaughter your people and enslave the survivors, condemning them to what they call 'breeding. He plans to falsify documents."

The peacock king's eyes closed and he said with terror. "Breeding... A punishment far worse than death.... This Arbolarbre is the devil himself, I will execute him."

Oak said loudly. "Executing him won't change anything, he has to really suffer, so he'll realize his mistake. I propose to put him through the ordeal of "breeding. Imprisoning him and re-educating him will bring him back to the path of reason. We must not stoop to his level by becoming killers."

The peacock king stamped his foot. "Sometimes the peacock must defend himself against the tiger or die; kill or be killed. I will not forgive him.

Oak put his hand on his chest, so as to appear more convincing. "Don't give up on the idea of forgiveness. Some of this king's henchmen forsake their master and take the path of redemption. Jonas, for example, has been following me for a very long time and is risking his life for me."

Oak raised his voice. "He even insulted you out of respect for me. Right now, one of the spies is also betraying his master with disloyal thoughts. He revealed to me the purpose of his mission and I decided to tell you in exchange for your apology."

"And what was that purpose?"

"He was supposed to draw a map of the island and give it to the king. He was supposed to, but he didn't. That's good news."

The peacock king gave a faint smile that gave way to a grimace of disdain. "Is this a joke? I don't believe it, that spy could betray us at any minute. Guards! Bring him to me. Get me the map!"

Willow whispered in Oak's ear.

"Very happy... No. I told you so."

The guards left at once, and a cold silence fell over the room. Oak and the Peacock King stared at each other for a long time, or at least until the soldiers brought Karel back in chains.

Karel was dragged through the palace and painfully climbed the stairs to the Peacock King's throne. Oak and Willow stepped aside to let him pass.

The peacock king forced him to kneel before him.

"Kneel down, ungrateful one."

Karel dropped to his knees, shaking like a leaf as he looked at the ground.

The peacock king refused to lower his head to look at Karel and said stupidly. "Lift your head, look me in the eye and tell me the truth. Why are you here? My guards have combed the dungeons and yet, no map... However, you are not here for nothing, are you?"

Karel looked up painfully at the Avian. "With all due respect, I don't know what you're talking about, Xidor commissioned me to spy and design a map of the island. That's all I did. That's the plain truth."

The peacock king pointed his sharp beak at the tree-man's head. "Liar! Only for that? I don't believe it for a second."

Sweat trickled down Karel's forehead and he looked to the left. "Believe us. A true soldier only follows orders. All we did was comply with His Majesty's demands."

The peacock king pressed his beak against Karel's forehead, ready to hurt him at the slightest wrong answer.

"We couldn't find a boat. How did you get to this island?"

"We swam. Of course..." said Karel sincerely.

"How was the water?"

Karel smiled at the peacock king.

"The water was um... warm and beautiful"

He complimented the peacock king. "Like the magnificent plumage of His Highness. How do you manage to look so majestic? I have friends who would steal a purse to buy some of your beautiful feathers."

Like you, José, you wouldn't hesitate to steal.  Karel thought. I'll come back to see you soon. That fool will set me free.

Oak looked at the Peacock King and said. "Can you see that he's a good guy and deserves to be forgiven?"

"You're right, Oak," he replied.

The peacock king was fooled by such flattery. He put his hand on Karel's head and smiled smugly... "I believe in your story, how could such honest tree-men lie to me? I feed on the most beautiful vegetables and fruits of the kingdom. Do you see my breathtaking plumage? How beautiful I am!"

Oak whispered in Willow's ear. "Very happy as I told you."

The peacock king waved his tail in a fan-like pattern. "I am ready to let you go, spy. But first you must promise not to eat flesh and help us. Carnivorism is a great sin. Go to many lands and free all the avians. I am sure you will appreciate the splendor of our little ones, just as you admire me.

Karel pulled his head away from the peacock king's plumage and smiled at him. "I promise we will do nothing but comply with His Majesty's demands. We will roam the mountains and valleys in search of your young, in His Majesty's name."

The king signaled to the guards to release Karel and his friend.

"What a pleasure to hear it. Guards! Remove the prisoners from their chains. They work for me now. Oak, Willow with me."

Oak and Willow stayed by the Peacock King's side while Karel and the other prisoner went down the stairs and left the palace, freed by the Peacock King. An action that would almost cost him his throne and cause a definite rift in avian society, especially since Griffonnier was not far away.

 The portcullis was raised and Karel and the other prisoner set off in the direction of His Majesty.

His Majesty Xidor Cèdre