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.
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