"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.
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