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.
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