Flash Fiction #560 -- Neko/5

 Neko let the fae sort out who guarded where. Clara took the upstairs and called the pixies to go up with her to watch at windows. Neko wasn't sure he would have trusted such bunny-brained little creatures, but he was glad enough to have them out from underfoot.

Eric covered the back of the building. That left Colin, Darion, and Neko out front, where the attention of the ogres was mostly focused.

"Where was the well?" Darion asked after Colin explained that part to him.

"Off to the left, around the curve. I couldn't see it from here once Maude trapped me. I was aware of the flow of magic in that area, and it slowly seemed to slip away from notice. I may be wrong about it being there still."

Both fae had turned in that general direction and subtly tested the area without drawing more notice from the ogres.

"It is still there," Darion said, and Colin nodded. "Buried under layers of buildings, though. It has the feeling of something asleep."

"And peaceful," Colin said with a tilt of his head. "Trapped, maybe, but not angry or vengeful for it. Do you know anything else about the well, Neko?"

"No, but Maude did," he said, tapping the sealed book with one paw.

"I suspect we are all here for a reason," Colin replied. He crossed back to the counter and put his hand on the book. "This woman had trapped the pixies centuries ago. She'd had powers -- enough to trap Neko here on a whim. She came for the well, right? But the locals had set up a trap?"

"They wanted to catch witches, but I am not sure they managed. They didn't do much more than annoy Maude. I panicked, though, because I knew mobs of humans could be dangerous. I didn't have powers like her, of course. I wasn't even her first familiar, and there might have been several. I think I survived by luck."

"And intelligence," Colin added. "We need to be careful with the book, Darion. We have no idea what else she put in here."

"I'll be ready for it," Darion said. Neko hoped he was as competent as he looked. "We need to figure something out before first light and humans start seeing things they shouldn't."

"You think the outflow is connected to the well?" Colin asked.

"I think something pulled us all here."  He stopped and looked around as if he had missed something. "We aren't talking about Maude the Exile, are we?"

Both Neko and Colin stared at him blankly. It was less evident in the cat.

"Maybe it is a tale mostly confined to Sapphire Clan since we had the most part in taking her down. That was about two hundred and fifty years ago."

"What had she done to draw the fae down on her?" Colin asked.

"Stole a Stone of Power from the ogres and used it to cause massive destruction in an area she wanted to take over. We followed her path and almost caught her more than once. By the time she was captured, she no longer had the Stone, and we never found where she had hidden it."

"Until now?" Neko asked. He looked at the book again. "If there is information about that time, it was there before I  joined her. I think it will be within the first quarter of the book."

"I really don't like to deal with human magic," Colin admitted. "There is so little logic to it."

Darion grunted in agreement, but they both moved closer to the book. Neko stood his ground; despite that, he thought running to some cover might be wiser.

Colin removed the spell that had kept the book closed for a while.  

Whatever Darion intended, he never had a chance to try it. The front cover burst open and released enough power to send them all flying backward. Neko hit a shelf of poetry and knocked a few volumes of Yeats and a couple of Poe onto the floor. There were still enough books left for the cat to squeeze behind them and try not to breathe too loudly.

He could barely see over the top of some lesser poets, but the light from the book was still blinding. He could hear nothing except for a familiar laughter that had begun to grow louder.

Maude was here.

As the light died, Neko heard the fae make sounds like they were only now returning to their senses. He could see a shadow moving and heard that despised laugh again. Every strand of fur on his body stood on end, and he thought he might look more like a Himalayan than a Siamese.

But he kept very still.

"Don't try that, Fae," the woman said. She walked close enough for Neko to see -- the same dull gray eyes and scraggly brown hair. "Don't. I would hate to kill someone who used all his power to bring me back."

"Not my choice," Colin replied, though his voice sounded weak.

Neko didn't hear Darion. He worried until he realized Maude would have made mention of the dead fae if only to reinforce her threat.

Then she said something Neko didn't like to hear.

"Where is the cat?"

"What cat?" Colin demanded. He did manage to sit up but didn't try to stand, which was wise in Maud's presence. Having a Fae groveling at her feet – – at least as far she was concerned – – would do wonders to keep her happy.

However, the idea that she came here and immediately asked for him did nothing to improve Neko's attitude. He could not escape from the shelf without drawing attention, either. He knew she was still weak from her magical display, or else she would've found him without any trouble.

So, best that he didn't waste time and let her regain some control.

Flash Fiction #559 --Neko/4

 

Neko hissed. That was an involuntary reaction, but it did just what he expected. Colin hurried to the window and made sure that everything was still protected. The pixies woke up and took to the air again not at all happy to see the ogre the window.

The other ogres spread out around the opening to the building. Neko could sense them out there, sullen and unhappy in the weather. He didn't like to have that kind of emotional overload anywhere near him.

"I don't understand why they're hanging around here," Colin admitted. "It isn't me that they are after. It can't be your stockpile of magic, either. It would be of absolutely no use to ogres. I think the storm might have something to do with the Veil. There seems to be an awful lot of Fae magic wrapped up in it."

Neko only nodded. He had read a great deal about Fae and a few would passed through the shop during the last century. However, he really didn't know much except about them. Talking with Colin had been the only time he ever spent the presence of a Fae.  They seemed more human than he had expected. He supposed that humans wouldn't feel that way because they would sense the magic, but with those powers had always been a part of Neko's life and he didn't find anything extraordinary about it.

What he did find unsettling were the ogres and the storm – – and the fact that no one on either side seem to be worried about humans coming out and finding them.

"Did you put everyone to sleep?" Neko asked and almost dreaded the answer.

"Someone did," Colin replied. "I am just taking advantage of it. I don't think the other side actually expected me to be here."

"Then what is this all about?"

Colin stopped and looked back at Neko. For the first time the cat had the idea that this Fae was worried. "I don't know what's going on here. I would think my presence was just chance, since I came looking for your horde of magic. However, I think it might have been a little nudge that got me to come right now."

As interesting as the conversation started to be, the sudden growling of ogres at the windows and doors made it impossible to continue. Neko also sensed something else going on where a strange building a force out in the middle of the street although everything looked dark in that direction.

Colin had noticed as well. "Oh, this isn't good. I think were about to get a Fae made portal opening up out there. I don't know what would draw one straight to this area, though."

"Maybe they are looking for the well," Neko suggested.

"Well?"

"It was out there when Maude trapped me in this dismal little building. It was what had drawn us here in the first place. The locals knew that it had magic and they always had to trap in place. I don't really know what happened to it, but sometimes I think I can still feel the hint of the magic out there. I suspect locals must have covered it over a century or so ago. The location was always outside of my view."
Colin looked as though there was something he was going to ask. However, lightning struck in the street outside – – not just struck, but stayed in a flash of light that held too long and even paniced the ogres. It wasn't until the light started to fade that Neko realized there were more people outside. Not more ogres but rather humans.

No, not humans. He could tell as they came closer to the door. This was three more Fae in a place that had not had any magic creatures since well before the turn-of-the-century. Neko was only beginning to realize that there was something very strange going on and it had all his attention now.

Colin opened the door, which surprised Neko. Fae were not all good friends and there were a lot of clan wars going on out there, at least last he had heard.

The three standing out in the rain rushed forward and threw themselves into the building. Colin shut the door closed and put the shield up over it again just as the ogre rushed back once more.

"A bookstore?" One of the Fae said he sounded pleased. "I have certainly found worse ports in the storm."

"And you are?" the woman on the right asked, and with a unhappy tone Neko had expected.

"Colin Emerald McFaeland," Colin said with the proper fae bow so that they could see the rings on his hand. "And you, who are so pleased with this port, must be Darion Saphire Wilding."

The woman relaxed and even gave a smile. Everyone relaxed and appeared pleased.

"No one has explained what's going on yet," Neko pointed out.

The three newcomers all jumped and hands rose, magic at the fingertips.

"Ack!"

Neko threw himself off the back of the counter and darted to better cover.

"Sorry," Colin said.  Neko didn't come back out.  "The cat came with the bookstore."

"Bookstore and talking cat?  Does it get any better than that?  Does kitty have a name?"

"Neko," the cat replied and decided to be daring.  And inquisitive, of course.  He wanted to know what was going on.  "I was the familiar of a human witch.  Things went badly and I'm stuck.  Now you know my tale.  What is yours?"

"These two are my cousins from Sapphire Clan, Clara and Eric.  We're trying to help deal with an unexpected outflow through several nexus points of the Veil."

"Damn," Colin mumbled.

"It sounds bad, but I have no idea what it means," Neko admitted.

"It means magic -- and worse, magical creatures -- are flowing into this mostly non-magical world," Darion said.  "The world will change if we can't stop it."

Flash Fiction #558 -- Neko/3

 

The pixies screamed in terror and tried to get back into the book. Finding it sealed, they screamed louder and darted upward, hitting each other, falling, and finally finding a spot under the counter where they huddled in a ball of glittering colors and fluttering wings.

Neko would have preferred that they go up high on the shelves, but he nudged a box of order forms closer to help cover the flickering light.

Something huge blocked out the long, narrow window in the door and began to pound. The glass cracked, but Colin was there and reinforced the door with enough magic that it glowed.

Whatever was outside the door was not happy with Collin's work. It pounded harder, but the magic only glowed brighter.

"You might as well go back," Colin shouted to whatever was outside. "You are not getting get through the door."

Despite not wanting to get any closer, Neko left the counter and passed the window by leaping from the counter to a bookshelf. When he was close to Colin, he stood up and leaned to whisper in the Fae's ear.

"Back door," Neko whispered, pointing down the hall behind the counter.

Colin headed that way, leaping over the counter. Whatever was at the door pounded again but must have realized the Fae was gone. It moved to the window, a monstrous, gray, warty face with shrunken eyes and pointed incisors.

Neko thought he might crawl under the counter with the pixies.

The creature brought up a fist four times the size of Neko's head -- but just as he rammed it against the glass, the entire window began to glare with power, just like the door. Colin walked calmly over to look at the thing that wanted in with them.

"You really didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

The creature grumbled something that might have been words as it turned and ambled away, impervious to the worsening storm. Colin and Neko watched until it turned a corner and disappeared.

Colin turned his back to the door and slid down to the floor. He looked back up at Neko and offered a wane smile. "I've used far too much magic since I came to this realm," the Fae explained.

"What is going on?" Neko demanded as he jumped down on the floor as well.
"There's a tear in the veil along the border that leads to this realm." Colin looked at Neko and frowned a little. "You have any idea what I'm talking about?"

"I mostly understand," Nico replied. The storm battered at the door, but the shield remained strong even enough that it kept the rain from coming in under the edge. "For obvious reasons, I am obsessed with magic. I've only seen a couple other Fae, and they didn't realize I knew what they were. I also know about the Veil of tried to make it that far before I am pulled back to the building. I'd hoped it would be strong enough to counter the magic if I got through."

"In my work," Colin replied. He didn't look inclined to stand up yet. "I'll think about that one while we consider other problems."

With a little more food again, the pixies returned from hiding. They didn't wander far, though; Neko could hear the nervous whispers whenever he came near. They finally figured out that he was a cat, and though they had never faced a cat before, they seemed to know that it would be trouble. Neko just kept his distance and stayed with the Fae.

"Is this tear a terrible accident, or did someone do it intentionally?" Nico finally asked. The storm was not letting up, and Colin didn't look inclined to go out in the weather.

"We want to believe it's an accident, but there been an awful lot of strange accidents of late, and it could be that someone or something is behind them."

"That sounds like more trouble than I expected," Neko admitted. He had started pacing the floor, his tail twitching as he felt more trapped than he had in decades. Something was happening just beyond the door to the shop, and he could do nothing to help one way or another. "You came here because of my magic books?"

"The tear was happening near here, and I felt the stockpile of power. A little research showed me the bookstore was up for sale.   Since the trouble with the Veil will likely keep me in the area for some time, buying the place seemed a good idea."

"And my personal problem melded into the rest of the magic," Neko added. "I have read where you can make traps, covering the dangerous part with random magic and lesser spells."

Colin nodded and looked at Neko.  "I assume you planned to do something like that to trap Maude?"

"I studied and planned for about the first fifty years," Neko admitted. "Being a Familiar meant I knew enough magic of my own to handle it. She never returned, and I gave up, thinking her dead. I've heard rumors about her in the last century, though. I think she's still alive."

"What would you do if she walked in right now?" Colin asked as he finally started to stand.

"Claw her eyes out," Neko replied, then seeing the Fae's worried reaction, added, "It's a cat thing. I'd probably have to content myself with biting her ankles."

At least he found that one amusing. Neko went back to the counter and sat near the forbidden book. The Pixies had all fallen asleep, even though the storm was worsening, and Colin was obviously worried.

Lightning brightened the world, followed by a quick explosion of light, and then the power failed.

"A transformer is out," Neko said and suspected Colin didn't know what that meant.

Then Neko hissed. The ogre was back, and he had brought several large and loud friends.
 

Flash Fiction #557 -- Neko/2

 

Neko did a very cat-like maneuver. He leapt straight upward by a good two feet as though he could fly with the little creatures. Then he dropped back down, barely missing the counter's edge and landing on the floor.

He heard something small giggle. Then a few more.

By the time he'd returned to the counter, a half dozen pixies had gathered on the open book. They were cute little things, and we'd get along as long as they didn't torment me.

"How did you get trapped in the book, Little Ones," Colin asked.

"Oh, we weren't trapped ... were we?" one of the little flowers said. The others looked troubled. "She just said she couldn't play with us anymore, and we should sleep in the book. I thought she meant for the day, but we slept for a long time."

Colin nodded and looked at Neko.  "It happens with some human children. They have imagination enough to see magic, tie themselves to it for a few years, and then grow up."

"Maude wasn't a lot of fun anyway," one of the other Pixies said. "She never wanted to play our games and just sent us to spy on people."

Neko had barely heard the words after 'Maude.' It could not be --

"Her journal," Neko said, seeing Colin watching him. "I only saw it on her desk, and she didn't allow me near it. My subconscious recognized it online. Spells, Colin. My answer --"

Neko had reached for the book, but he pulled back before Colin made a warning sound. The cat carefully put some distance between him and the journal.

"There is no telling what else she might have trapped there," Colin said. "I'll get the pixies back over the veil, but I'll put a spell on the book for now and keep it closed."

Neko wanted to protest, but he gave a quick human-like nod instead. "Do it. Don't tempt me. I should have learned patience by now. I can wait a little longer. But I swear by all stars in the sky that if you don't come back, I'll find a way to curse you. And it won't be as pleasant as mine."

Colin took him seriously. He had turned toward the door and stopped.

"Storm coming in," he said. Neko noted the push of the wind against the windows and a little tapping of dust on the glass. "Let's hold up for tonight. I have some food in the car, and I'll share."

Neko wondered why he didn't use magic to create a meal. He had the power. And why use a car? The cat ran the questions through his mind, and by the time Colin returned, he was ready with a dozen questions.

One was the only important question, though.

"What is really going on?" Neko asked. "A cache of magic books isn't enough to get this kind of notice. You could have walked in, grabbed them, and left. Instead, you are doing your best not to use your powers and draw attention."

"Very observant," he replied, settling a cooler on the floor as he locked up again.

"It became a habit when there was so little else I could do."

Colin nodded and began to put food on the counter.

Tuna sandwich.

"You are my friend for life," Neko said and nibbled at the edge of the gift. "I haven't had tuna in a couple decades, and the last human only fed me dry stuff -- not horrible, but not tuna."

Colin found cookie treats for the Pixies, and while everyone ate, he reached over and sealed the book closed. Neko started to protest but stopped his hiss and nodded.

"Just don't try to take the book away," Neko warned.

"Not without your permission. I promise."

A fae's promise was not given lightly. Neko looked at him with a growing worry about what was happening.

He worried all the more when the first winds from the storm hit the building. No, this was not an ordinary storm, and he could feel the magic seeping in around the doorway. This was, after all, a very old building. It had been old the moment he walked through the door the first time, and it had never been given the proper care it needed. In fact, Neko suspected that it only still stood because of Maude's curse that kept him here.

But this storm was nothing ordinary. Even the little pixies had stopped darting around and gathered on the counter, looking with dread toward the door. They made chittering noises that were so high-pitched that Neko couldn't make them out.

Lightning struck close by, and then a bellow of thunder candidates power to the wind making the building shake even more. Dust from long ago shook down from the high cornices around the ceiling. A book fell somewhere else.

For the first time in many years, the cat worried about whether nature or Maude would win this battle.

Adding new magic to the battle only made it a little worse – – or maybe just a little more interesting. Neko had to admit that he'd been getting awfully bored for the last 30 or so years. Faces all started to look alike, and the treats he used to love seemed bland and not worth the effort of coming downstairs. Most of the days he had spent sitting in one of the high windows and watching the world slowly change around him.

The pixies were unhappy about the storm, and Nico couldn't tell if Colin worried about the weather. Neko ate more of his sandwich while the elf moved closer to the door and touched the wood. The cat sensed a little magic and realized that Colin had reinforced that weakest opening into the building.

Something moved past the window, and it was not human.

Flash Fiction #556 -- Neko/1

 

One small light
A room full of words
Where to start...

The cat owned the bookstore. Not many people knew it, though. A few did take note of the wall of pictures, some going back a century, and all with a cat much like Neko. In fact, they were all Neko, hardly changed from one year to the next, although being a Siamese, his fur sometimes turned darker for a few months.

Humans were easy to fool.

 Neko knew that there were worse curses than to be stuck here. Besides, he was a local celebrity, and people brought him treats. Few even tried to take him away these days since he always reappeared at the store within a few hours.

However, there were transitions. Mr. Bigsley had died in his sleep. Though Neko had squatter's rights to the place, someone new would run it. A few simply did not like cats, so Neko always worried about one of those arriving at the door, thinking they were the new owner. They would remain for a few years, making Neko's life miserable. It was part of the curse. He never knew what might come next.

Being humans, they never realized Neko was more than just a rather smart store cat. More intelligent than most of them, in fact. He prided himself on being able to read in five languages.

And down through two centuries, Neko kept believing he would find the way out of Maude's curse in one of the books and be free again.

Someone rattled keys at the door, and he heard voices muted from the other side. Bad timing. He had just found a book from the last shipment that reeked of magic, and Neko had no time to put it in his hiding spot for later perusal.

"I hope you aren't disappointed," Mrs. Smithson said as she opened the door. "Whatever made you decide to buy this place, sight unseen?"

"There were almost a hundred pictures on your realty agency's site," the young man behind her said. All Neko could see was long blond hair. "I was also able to study the Village of Marly and probably know it better than many locals -- oh good, the cat is still here."

They stared at each other.

He was not human. Fae, in fact -- and what a fae wanted with a bookstore on this side of the Veil worried Neko.

Neko had no doubt the fae sensed the magic in him, too. All the time he kept talking to Mrs. Smithson, his attention wandered over to Neko every couple of minutes.

They toured the building. Neko stayed where he was, curled up on the book he had found. He even pretended to sleep, all cat-like.

"No, I'll be perfectly fine," the fae said as they returned downstairs. "I have everything I need in my car. Thank you so much."

And there, finally, a touch of magic that both lightened the woman's mood and made her happy to leave. The fae stood by the door and waved as she drove away, closed and locked it, and turned around.

"What are you?" he asked.

"I'm a cat."

His eyes narrowed.

"I was the familiar to a not entirely smart witch named Maude. This was about two hundred years ago. The locals were pursuing us, and I saw an open door and darted that way. Instead of following, she set a curse on me for abandoning her so that I can't leave the building. They caught her, but I think she got away again. I'm Neko.  What is a fae doing here?"

The fae had been looking at the pictures on the wall, but he turned back.

"I am Colin Emerald McFaeland," he said with a proper bow, holding his hands so Neko could see the rings he wore.    They designated him as a mid-level member of the Emerald Clan, but Neko had the feel of someone higher up the ladder. Some fae were like that, though. Although Neko hadn't seen a fae since his life dwindled to contact with the few people who wandered into the shop, he hadn't forgotten about them.

"You know why I'm here," Neko said with a bow of his own head. "But it seems far stranger that you are here."

"Magic," he said with a wave of his hand. "We began to feel a storehouse of magic somewhere in this area. Humans stockpiling magic is rarely a good thing."

"I can't argue with that. Look where it got me."  Neko shifted and sighed. "But it is not a human. It's me. I've been collecting books with any hint of magic over the last hundred years. I hope to find an answer to my problem."

"Like in the book you are sitting on," he said, coming close enough to sit on the stool by the counter.

Neko stepped off the book and gave it a little nudge. "I wasn't sure of the magic when I saw it on the website. It's hard to judge magic via technology. I can't quite get the scent of it: vanilla, and maybe some lilac ... but others as well. There is some human magic, but I also feel others."

Colin lifted his hand and tested it out. Neko knew Colin had a far better feel for magic, having been born to it. His frown made the cat nervous, though.

"Do we have a problem?" Neko asked.

"I sense something trapped in the book," Colin admitted.

"Trapped," Neko said with a snarl. It was a word he really disliked.

"I am not certain what it might be, so we need to be --careful!"

Neko realized the book was starting to move with a curious lift and drop, like something learning to fly. The cat leaped at it --

And the cover popped open as a half dozen things flew out.