Flash Fiction # 564 -- Neko/9

 

Maude was trying to say something, but Neko had done severe damage to her vocal cords. He only realized it when he looked up and saw her trying to force out words -- a curse, no doubt, from the red glow of her eyes.

"Ha!" Neko exclaimed and backed away. He thought he shouldn't be so gleeful, but maybe that was his cat nature coming back, like rolling in the dirt.

"She cannot say magic now," their ogre companion said. "Best if we deal with her before she heals."

"That would be unkind," Darion replied. His right hand moved toward her neck, and the scratches and teeth marks healed, much to Neko's dismay.  

Then he realized Maude was still trying to talk and with no better luck.

"There," Darion said with a pleasant nod. "You don't have to worry about her healing too soon. My spell will last forever. Take your time."

Maude had gone white and almost faint, although the reaction didn't last long. In the next breath, she turned red and tried to shout or howl, but she only made small rasping noises as the ogres took her away again.

Neko went with the others to retrieve the stone of power. He didn't even look back.

Getting the stone had some problems. They had to break into a business complex full of things like law firms and accountant offices. The high-tech security was no match for a couple creative fae, and the night guard never saw them, even when he walked straight past.

They entered the basement, and the little stone led them to a magic path. The well was only a few feet away, but they wouldn't have survived if Neko hadn't been there.

"Maude created this path so she could always get to the well," Neko reminded them. "She wouldn't have made it easy for anyone with magic."

Colin stepped back from the opening. "That's a good point, my friend."

"My guess is that she would have sent me to the well with that bit of stone still in me. Stick the thing on my fur, and let me see how it goes."

"Neko --" Colin began to protest.

"If I was her key to the stone, then I'll be safe," Neko reminded him. "Just keep watch."

They reluctantly agreed. The ogre stayed out of the conversation and looked content to have them work out the problems.

Neko took the path as if nothing could bother him. He wasn't certain when he'd gotten so brave.   Perhaps it was only an over-the-top reaction to having been bored for far too long.

When he stepped in, the tunnel had been a dim bluish color, but it brightened enough that he could see the slight ridge of stone ahead and the huge cast iron lid atop it. Neko did find two traps, and the fae had no trouble destroying them, although they were still careful.

"Let's get the lid off," Dorian said. "Be careful of magic --"

The ogre grabbed it and tossed it aside, breaking it into a hundred pieces.

"That works," Dorian said with a nod. He cautiously looked over the edge.  

So did Neko. Only when the cat leaned over did something far down the stone-lined opening glitter.

"I think that means I have to go get it doesn't it?" Neko said with a sigh.

"I can take your piece of the stone and go down," Colin offered.

"And what if she has it set up for only me or her?" Neko asked. "She might worry that I wouldn't survive, but she'd be more worried about others finding this spot -- especially others with magic of their own. She's tricky, Colin. And paranoid. It makes for all sorts of problems."

They argued about it while Dorian made a rope of magic. They lowered Neko down.

The water was far down -- they had to add sections to the rope. Neko hung in a comfortable enough harness, although he didn't like the encircling walls. It did grow brighter as he neared the water, though.

The water looked very deep, so much so that he couldn't actually see the stone. That posed a new problem since Neko wasn't a fish.

Then he saw a chain secured to the wall and dangling into the water.

Too easy.

"Hold up!" he shouted to those above him. "The water is too deep, but I see a chain. I don't trust it."

"Neither do I," Colin said, and from so close, it startled Neko into a yelp. Colin was clinging to the wall no more than twenty feet away. "Sorry. I didn't want you to come down without some backup."

"You hardly know me," Neko pointed out. "And I'm not one of you. Not even human."

"Is that what you want to be?" he asked as he climbed down beside me and peered closer into the water.

"Human? Gods, no. They're way too much trouble."

"How about fae?"

"You are too much like humans," Neko replied and won a slight laugh in return. "No, I'm happy to be a magical cat."

Colin nodded, but his attention was on the chain now. He looked down into the water, but Neko couldn't tell where the chain went, and he didn't think Colin could either.

Colin reached out and gently touched the chain.

The water roiled, and a vast lizard-like head sprang out of the water and snapped at them both. Neko howled and tried to fly upward, but Colin slapped the creature back down with a bolt of power that left the animal, a charred skeleton floating in the water.

"There," Colin said breathlessly. "That's done."

But he was still cautious when he touched the chain again. Neko held his breath, but even the skeleton had simply begun to sink downward. Neko could still see the glitter below them, and he hoped it was the stone and not another trap. Colin had hold of the chain and pulled it upward.



 

Flash Fiction #563: Neko/8

 

Then Neko fell over.

"Neko!" Colin cried in surprise.

And the cat rolled around in the dirt.

Colin had rushed forward and stopped short of grabbing him up.  

"Dirt!" Neko shouted. "Mud! Stars! Oh, and ogres coming back. They don't look happy."

Colin looked over to where a surge of figures rushed their way. An ogre, still standing by the door, went to meet them. Darion went with them and then darted back.  

Neko had guessed the news before his friend spoke.

"Maude managed to escape. We better act quickly and get Neko out of here. "

Neko was surprised they worried about him. They had the link to the Stone of Power. He was a cat --

But one with a link to Maude still, and he supposed that made him essential in some ways.  

"We better get her book," Neko said and started back to the bookshop. They hadn't gone more than a yard, but Neko could already see a bright light between him and the door, and he recognized the magic.

Neko yowled, leaped, and went straight through her ephemeral form. The ground trembled, and every book in the building fell to the floor.

That was going to be a mess to clean up.

Neko spun and saw that Maude was not quite solid. In fact, she phased in and out a few times and looked increasingly annoyed as she entered the building and tried to grab the book.

Neko took a deep breath, clawed his way to the counter, and head-butted the book over the edge on the side opposite her.

She howled like a banshee. Neko had never seen her eyes glow red before, and it so startled him that he took an injudicious step backward and fell off the counter. He landed on his back -- and on the open book.

The pages began to flutter and close, trapping Neko in their folds. He made one frantic sound that seemed more the mew of a kitten than a cry for help. The book slammed shut over him -- all except his front right paw --

"Perfect," Maude cawed from somewhere else. " I couldn't have done that better if I tried."

She had picked up the book. Neko had a sense of fae being close but wary to step in now. He also realized that she didn't know he no longer carried her link to the larger stone.

Once she figured that out, his life would be over.

The dirt had been excellent. Neko could almost feel the breeze still.

Then Neko realized that he could feel it. She had carried the book outside -- and his paw was still outside the pages. He had to move carefully. The book was so tight around him that he could hardly shift position, but he kept at it, inching a little bit more of his leg out, no matter how painful.

Because Neko knew that the moment she realized the link had been removed, he would be dead.

He moved a little more.

Then came the moment he had hoped for since he couldn't believe the fae had abandoned him or been overcome. The attack came like a hurricane wind, knocking her down atop the book.

As good as it was going to get. Neko forced the book to twist, sinking his claws as deep as he could into the front of her neck.

She made a strange gurgling sound and tried to shove the book away. Neko didn't dare let go, but it seemed like forever before the fae arrived and subdued Maude's now feeble attempts to get him to let go. A moment later, she went limp.

Neko didn't trust it and didn't let go, despite Colin saying it was safe.

"It might not be," Dorian replied. Their voices were muffled but understandable. "If he lets go, what is the book going to do? It clearly has a life of its own."

"Can we get him out first?" Colin asked and sounded worried.

"We should try. We need to get a wedge of magic in there..."

Neko soon felt their work and did his best to help, pressing three legs against the page atop him and pushing as hard as he could. The book pressed back. That, in turn, annoyed him. Claws came out. He began to kick, claw, and bite -- but was careful not to let go of Maude.

He was not winning the battle.

The fae had not given up. A sudden bolt of power so strong that it shredded part of the pages and felt like a moment of fire finally loosened the book's hold. It flapped open. Neko, panicked that it might trap him again, leaped away.

When Neko looked back, the book's pages moved fitfully. He snarled and jumped back at it -- though not on it -- and clawed several more times until he saw an ogre and two fae watching him.

"I don't like that book," Neko declared as he backed away. His tail twitched, and if the book had so much as shivered, he would have been on it again. The same for Maude.

"I think you have it sufficiently battered that it won't come for you again. Darion would like to take it up with your permission."

"My permission?" Neko said, startled by the idea.

"You do own the book," Darion pointed out. "Along with the store it was sent to. I would like to take the book back to the fae lands and see if there are any other secrets we can find in it. Unless you would like to study it --"

"Take the evil thing," Neko replied and growled when it started to move. He hadn't realized he could sound so vicious. Even Darion pulled his hand back. "Take it. There might be others trapped inside. The pixies --"

"We'll take care of them," Colin promised. "After we settle with the ogres."

Neko had forgotten that problem. He'd even forgotten Maude until she tried to kick him. He bit her ankle.

Flash Fiction #562 -- Neko/7

 

Colin came in the door, and Neko looked up. He had been sitting morosely on the counter for some time, and now he sat up straighter and winced even at that movement.

"I'm tired," Neko said, and he didn't dare try to stretch. "I'm going to my room and sleep."

"Haven't you wondered why Maude was so interested in finding you?" Colin asked.

Neko took a little more interest. "I thought it strange."

"When I healed you, I found something at the back of your neck. It might be an amulet of some kind. I couldn't tell in the heat of the battle, but I thought it held some of Maude's magic."

Neko's back paw came up to scratch the point he couldn't quite reach. He snarled in frustration.

"I'll get it out," Colin said, but he came no closer. "However, I can't say the result, Neko. First, tell me what you remember about being trapped here."

"Maude had told me she needed to get to the well, so we traveled to this town. I didn't know why, although I felt it had something to do with her past. Locals were waiting for her ... at least, I thought that was what they were, but it was very much a night like this one. Except for those waiting  by the well -- were they fae?"

"They might have been, but if so, they were most likely Darion's clan. We can ask him. What happened to get you trapped here?"

"We ran. That surprised me, given Maude's usual attitude. Around the corner and I saw the open door, a place to take cover. I darted that way and started to turn when I heard her yell. "Go in. You'll never leave again. You won't abandon me!"  Something hit me hard in the back of the head as I started to turn back. I stumbled across the door's threshold and never left again."

Colin nodded as though it all made sense. "I think she wanted you here near the well."

"And left me with some sort of key," Neko said with a nod, too aware of how much he had come to ape human -- and fae -- movements.

"I think so. I think I can remove it with little trouble, but I can't guarantee it, Neko.  Darion has volunteered to help if you don't mind."

"Help might be wise," the cat agreed and tried to reach the spot again. "As soon as possible because knowing it is there makes my skin crawl."

Colin went to the door and signaled Darion inside. The second fae looked far too serious, which did nothing for Neko's state of mind. They must have discussed what to do because they crossed to him without any discussion.

"It is right here," Colin said with a slight tape between the cat's shoulder blades. "Buried in the muscle on the right side. It wouldn't be obvious to anyone but those who have magic."

"A few people have tried to take me away from here through the years. I always disappear and pop back up here in the building. I did wonder why no one made noise about it, but if they knew enough to sense magic, that makes sense."

"Stretch out on the counter," Colin said. "Head on your paws --"

Neko didn't remember much after that, although he remained at least awake enough to know they were doing things. He appreciated that they didn't force him into an unnatural sleep.

Then he felt a sharp pain and hissed, but it passed quickly, thanks to Darion. Colin did some more work, but in no more than another five minutes, the cat was fully awake again. His right leg felt stiff, and his shoulder a little sore, but otherwise, he felt fine.

"You two did good work," Neko said. "What did you find?"

They both grinned.

"You are still you," Darion said. "I didn't think removing the piece would affect you that way.   Everything about you feels about the same to me."

"Good," Neko said. "Thank you. What did you find?"

Colin laughed and placed a tiny, dark stone ball before him. Neko had the urge to bat it away.

Then he sensed the magic.

"Is that part of the ogres' stone of power?"

"Yes," Colin replied. "Good guess. It was small enough that it wouldn't be sensed by anyone with little or no power."

"I should have felt it," Neko said with some disgust.

"You had other magics to worry about, and by the time you were used to the idea of being trapped, the ball felt a part of you," Darion explained.

It made sense, but he still didn't like it.

"Now, the big question," Colin added. "Has it been fueling the spell keeping you here?"

Neko's head came up with a snap. He felt dizzy at the thought and unable to even speak. Colin put out a hand to settle him, and Neko took several quick breaths.

"Do you think it possible?" he finally dared ask and looked at the door the ogres had knocked down.

"Maude has intelligence, too much ego -- and not as much power as she would like," Darion replied. "Setting a spell that lasted for centuries? Not without something to fuel it."

Neko still stared at the door. "People have taken me out, got a few blocks, and lost me. I tried to cross the threshold a few times but never got across on my own." He jumped down and felt a slight shock in his leg but hardly even winced. He took a few tentative steps forward and stopped. "I might as well find out now."

Neko gathered himself up and made a long leap over the broken door and through the open frame. The last time he'd tried leaping out, the spell had knocked him back several feet.

It didn't this time. Neko stood out in the open night air staring around with wonder.

Flash Fiction #561/6

 

Neko slipped past the books; a little Yeats for magic and a bit of Poe for terror. He wasn't sure how he kept to his feet as he moved out into the open. She neither heard nor sensed him, and for a moment, Neko thought he might escape.

But then he saw how she reached for Colin with fire in her hand. Colin had been his best hope in centuries to escape this curse. But even if he hadn't been, Colin had still treated him like a friend. There have been very few since this witch had cursed him to stay here.

"I think it's me you're looking for," Neko said.

Maude spun toward him, and he was lucky that his appearance had taken her so much by surprise that the fire died in her hand. She had always been bad about being surprised in the middle of her work, and Neko had counted on that reaction. He also called up every bit of rage he'd felt for centuries, yowled like a banshee, and leapt straight at her.

Maude screamed.  

Clawing her face was not nearly as satisfactory as Neko had long imagined. Biting her nose was far more rewarding.

Seeing Darion, Clara, and Eric appear -- literally appear -- as she grabbed Neko gave the cat the pleasure of seeing her shocked and dismayed. He wouldn't survive to see how the battle ended, though. She had both hands wrapped around his neck – –

"Put down That Cat, or you won't survive any longer than him," Dorian warned. "And you know I'm good for my word."

Her fingers eased slightly, though she wasn't ready to be rid of Neko yet.

"Darion," she said, her voice softer than Neko had expected. "How are you here? It is not possible --"

"I followed the trail, witch," he said. The words seemed to mean something to her. Maude shivered.   "Give the cat to Colin. Don't do something to make me angry."

Maude turned to hand Neko to Colin, but the fae met the cat's look, and they both knew not to trust it. Neko let himself go limp, which made him harder to hold. Colin took a step forward and took him --

Maude had a knife in her hand. She must have had it up her sleeve because there was nothing magical about it, although such a blade could quickly kill a fae. Neko twisted her hand, dug teeth and claws into the hand with the knife, and probably saved them both.

It was no easy battle. Neko helped as best he could and did well, being the one who knew her best. She still didn't want to let go of him or the knife, and he took one cut across the back of his neck,  but that just infuriated him.

Lucky for  Neko that the fae stepped in about then. He had lost his hold and went flying, but Darion grabbed him out of the air and spread magic to heal wounds before he gently put the cat down.

Neko threw himself back into the battle. Maude wore sandals; it was amazing how much a bite to the toe upset her.

Maude also had magic and a powerful book sitting on the counter behind them. When she started backing up to the counter, Neko quickly ran to get behind her and managed to trip the woman just as she began to turn.

And then the fae took care of the rest of the battle. Neko had begun to feel his wounds despite the magic used, and it was all he could do to jump up on the chair by the counter and carefully watch what was going on. He was the first to notice that the shield around the door was starting to fail.

"Ogres!" he shouted, although his voice was hardly a croak of sound.

Colin still heard. He shot magic at the opening, but three ogres crashed on through and added their own screams to the battle. They wanted Maude, and the others mostly just got out of the way while they dragged her out. With only a sigh, the fae banded together again and went out to deal with the trouble. However, most of the ogres were already disappearing in puffs of light. Four remained, two holding onto Maude and the other two with weapons still in hand. Neko watched from the ruined door, wondering what would happen next, especially for him.

"We make no protest," Dorian said with a nod. "So long as she is tried fairly and nothing that would be counted evil happens against her."

The ogre looked startled. "You are Darion Sapphire Wildling," it said with a growl of words.

"I am. I worked with the ogres in that former time, and we chose exile for this human with the understanding that if she came back, then she must fall as she may. I do not choose to dispute your claims against her."

"As it should be," the ogre answered and seemed as pleased as such a creature could be. "We should like to have our stone back if we can win it from her."

"There might be an easier way for you to get it. We may have happened upon what she did with it and why she is back in this area."

Neko saw that Maude was upset for the first time, and she tried to pull free of those who held her. The apparent leader of the ogres gave a wave of his hand, and the two holding Maude disappeared with her.

Neko wanted to protest because the spell was still well in place, and he could not take a step beyond that door. However, it was done. He turned around and walked back to the counter, jumping up on the chair and then to the countertop with a slight wince of pain. The book was still there, and maybe he could still learn something from it.