Flash Fiction #685 -- Neko heads home again/1

 

 

"It was the damned sword's fault," Merlin said with a snarl.

"Merlin," Dorian warned, and winced when the mage looked his way. 

Merlin buried his own glare and shrugged.  "I still have issues.  I spent too many lifetimes building up to Arthur's reign to have a pretentious slab of metal and jewels get jealous because Arthur spent time with his wife rather than in battle."

Neko glanced at Colin, who sat on the sofa beside him.  Neko liked the hotel and thought they were going to have a nice rest for a few days.  Then Merlin and Dorian showed up at their door.

Neko and his companions thought they had left the worst of their problems -- including Maude -- behind in Merlin's magical realm.  But here was Merlin, and he plainly wanted something. Neko wanted to remind everyone that he and his companions were heading back to the bookshop.  They'd had enough adventures of their own lately, and they did not need to take on legends and myths.

"This realm, the largest and most powerful of the human lands, is not doing well," Merlin said. He stood and crossed to the window, pulling open the curtains to the dark night. Neko's ears went back -- they had been on the run and hiding for too long.

"Is it magic causing the trouble here?" Colin asked.

"More from the loss of what little magic it had. There are spots like Maude, but nothing unified.  Fae  rarely come this way, and now darker powers and chaos are slipping in."

Neko wanted to protest.  He stood and then sat back down.

"You have something to say, cat?"

"Neko," he corrected with a hardly concealed snarl.  "And this is Sosha."

Neko had expected dismissal, not surprise and embarrassment. Merlin went back to his chair and nodded.  "I apologize.  I know none of you are simple familiars. I fear I have trapped myself in some old prejudices, simply because they were easier. That also applies to you, Dorian."

Did he imply Dorian was also a Familiar? Neko looked his way to find Dorian red-faced and choking ... on laughter. Merlin looked confused, and that would surely give way to anger --

Luna explained it to him. Merlin started with denial, but soon gave way to laughter.

"A night's rest," Merlin suggested.

No one argued. Even though Neko still had an unresolved question, he decided that curling up with Luna and Sosha was far better than chancing another bout of giggles.  Others in the hotel were bound to hear them. It was not the kind of attention they wanted.

He would have slept for a few more hours, but an insect kept buzzing in his ear and then bit him.  Neko cursed and sat up from the moss--

Moss?

Trees covered in vines dripped water onto the spongy ground.

A pair of large, multicolored birds flew past, making some sound of protest.

This was not where he had gone to sleep.

"Colin! Luna! Shosha! Dorian!" 

No answers. No touch of magic in the air.

"Merlin!" he shouted in desperation.

The sounds went wild throughout the jungle. Birds screamed while other animals howled.  Neko started to run and then tumbled to a stop. Which way?  He found nothing but madness on all sides.  That sound drove him toward a madness of his own, and he howled as well.

Neko ran both faster and farther than he ever had in his life. Part of him decided that if he ran fast enough, nothing could catch him. But traps were lying in wait. He leaped over snapping snakes only to become entangled by weeds and vines.

Something grabbed him, rough hands tight around his body.  Neko yowled with fear and indignation, all his claws flailing --

"Neko!" The hands shook him.  "You called for me!"

"Merlin?" Neko gasped and tried to grasp what he had fought away a moment before.

Trusting in his calmness, Merlin pulled him closer.  "We have to go. Hold on -- to the tunic and not the skin.

Neko started to apologize, but they were already moving by magic, the scary jungle blurring around them.  That did not make the place any less terrifying.  Neko dug his claws into Merlin's jacket, possibly reaching the skin again, but Merlin did not comment. They just moved, and Neko almost dared to close his eyes.  All he wanted was to get back to Colin and the others.

There.

"Good work!" Merlin praised aloud.  They slightly shifted direction, as though they were in a boat, and the sails found the breeze.

Neko could finally feel them getting closer and could help direct them, which Merlin apparently approved. They arrived with a puff of steam that kicked them out onto a huge, empty butte without a sign of a jungle anywhere near them.


However, the others were there.

Merlin carefully put Neko into Colin's hands, and the cat practically rooted himself on the fae's shoulder.  Colin winced once before Neko pulled his claws in.

"Everyone here?" Merlin asked as he looked around.  "Good. We need a destination, and one with a solid magic base.  I do not suggest the fae lands. It is likely our enemies would be more powerful there --"

"The bookstore," Neko said.  "It is time to get home and prepare for trouble rather than chase after it."

There was a pause of silence, but no one disagreed.  Colin, Neko, and Dorian made the link so quickly that Neko barely had time to take a tighter hold again.

For one moment, Neko saw the jungle -- but they passed that before he could blink, let alone complain. Afterward, there were only colors, and no sense of time.

Neko could feel he was getting closer to home, and he knew it wasn't safe. 

Flash Fiction #684 -- Drabble

 

The last speaker at the conference was not human.  This took me by surprise since aliens rarely show any interest in the languages of Antiqua Terra.

When John Smith took the podium, the auditorium fell silent. I wasn't the only one who hadn't expected a pseudonym. The tall alien towered over the podium.

"To the point," the Ractor said.  Chairs trembled at the sound of the bass-filled voice. "That is the core, the very gem of Earth's forgotten art form, the drabble. The subject is mobile, as is the language. Only one rule applies: 100 words exactly and no more."

Flash Fiction #683 -- Bully

 

 

The dog always waited for me on the path home.  Bully wasn't a brave dog, but he hated squirrels, and I'd lost part of my tail to him.  No one liked him. Even the stray cats sometimes chased him off.

On this rainy day, everything changed. I had the path mapped in my brain: down the alley, through the broken fence, and the longest leap of my life.

Bully followed. He didn't see the hole.  

He landed three feet down and with mud up to his chin. A pathetic howl drew humans to save him. He never chased me again. 

Flash Fiction #682 -- Fair Trade

 

I stared through the tinted window that separated the two halves of the conference room -- humans on the right, Dyli on the left.  It was my turn to sit in the front row today.  I would have gladly forgone the honor.

I had taught myself not to flinch when faced with the glowing-eyed alien head.  A mass of hair stalks waved frantically, betraying emotions the face did not show.

A mouth appeared below the eyes. There may have been teeth in that black abyss, but I had never seen them. I counted that as lucky.

"Speaker," I said with a bow of my head.  I began planning out all the possible lines of greetings and my replies.  I didn't want to prolong today's vocabulary lesson.

"We have learned a new word," the Dyli said.

Unprecedented. I sensed urgency in the skipping of well-laid protocols.  "A word?" I said, my tone still caught in greeting mode.

"We have traced it through many ages and several Terran cultures." The alien leaned closer to the glass.  Yes, there were teeth.  "The word is mercenary."

My heart missed a couple of beats. I lost all ability to stick to a script. "This is a military matter," I offered. "I will send for the Commander to speak with you."

"And you remain," my companion said. He nodded his head several times, stalks apparently staring in surprise. "We have waited for your return. We find that you're less given to exaggeration or straight-out lying than some of your other people."

There is always a downside to being professional.

Commander Knox arrived before I could get a message out to him. I wondered if he monitored all the Dyli interactions or just mine.  I was a latecomer to the band, but my language and cultural skills were better than most.  I didn't mind Knox keeping tabs on what I did.  The Dyli were our last hope for Earth.  It was a wonder they came along just in time -- which none of us trusted.

Mercenaries?

According to the Dyli tale of events, they happened to be scouting this area for the first time when they discovered Earth, a world in dire condition. Both natural disasters and human-made catastrophes have brought the world to the edge of being uninhabitable. 

The Dyli coveted information, the one item Earthers still had in abundance. Now it seemed there might be more. Working out the details proved easier than expected.

They never lied about having enemies, and we'd never tried to soften our warlike past. The Dyli had made enemies in their travels among the stars, and the idea of having trained soldiers who were not their own people appealed to them. It turned out that they were not very good at fighting. At some point in their development, and before they got to the stars, the Dyli had given up aggression and turned that passion into the sort of creation that could help all worlds. They retained defensive capabilities, but they never considered stopping trouble before it began. Soon, though, they had the mercenaries to handle all those problems.

It was a small step from there to empire.  The dual draw of knowledge and protection brought many worlds asking to join. 

And what did we get?

Earth flourishes.  So do our dozen colony worlds.  We had one problem at the start, though. The Dyli didn't like that the humans they worked closely with were so short-lived, so they gave the top staff members immortality. 

People grew tired of the same job after too long.  Dyli learned that humans are more creative when they take on new challenges. So, immortals move from staff to world management positions, and new immortals take their place. In a few more generations, most of humanity will be immortal.  I am uncertain we are ready for it, even now.

I have spoken to the Dyli on this subject, but they are not concerned.  I find this fascinating since we are the ones with the weapons.

"Your sense of honor would keep most of you from turning on us, and while we might face a few, those others would face the rest of you.  I see it's no different from the other enemies you fight.  Do you think it might happen?"

"We are human.  We fight.  That's why you have us."

The Dyli smiled and walked away, leaving me with questions.  I went in search of answers.  

It took me a while to find what I wanted. I had to restudy those parts of Dyli culture that I took for granted.  They liked to share knowledge, but not with everyone. The humans were the chosen ones.

They were training us to take over the Empire.

There was always something new to learn. That's what the aliens taught us.

Flash Fiction #681 -- Waiting by the Door

 If I sit by the door like a good dog, maybe someone will take me out for a walk on this misty evening. It is still light outside, and it would be nice to race through the fallen leaves one more time before winter.

But what if winter arrives while we are out? The mist could turn to ice crystals and make my old bones ache. We might not find our way home in time for the evening cookies and tea.  I would regret not getting my cookie.

Maybe I will go sit by the fireplace and stay warm instead.