Neko thought that sounded reasonable. Luna must have as well. She drove on, and magically (thanks to Colin) found a good parking spot. Neko put the halter and leash on with Colin in 'control' of him.
Some people didn't approve. Neko wanted to lecture them, but he didn't. He could feel magic just like his companions.
And what he felt was not good.
Neko stopped. Colin picked him up and put the cat on his shoulder.
"Unhappy, tired child," Neko said when Luna came closer. "Powerful. Petrified parents who realize something is going on."
"Darion," Colin whispered.
And there he was walking toward them. Colin whispered everything we knew and Darion heard it and nodded as he came to a stop.
"You found the trouble faster than I had expected," Darion said.
The ground lurched. Some people gave cries of surprise and many rushed past and headed for their cars.
Neko thought that sounded like a good idea.
"I got it," Colin said, but breathlessly. "I think I see our quarry."
Neko looked beyond Darion to the path where a family headed their way. The father, a tall, dark-skinned man, carried a girl of no more than four or five. She was several shades lighter, matching the woman who must be her mother. The adults looked terrified.
The ground trembled. Trees swayed.
"Kitty!" the child shouted as they neared. "I want the kitty!"
"Marla, dear," the mother said with an apologetic look at Colin and the cat. "You know you can't --"
"I want the kitty!"
And Neko found himself in the child's strong grasp.
"Colin!" Neko gasped.
The child's hands tightened, one around Neko's neck.
"My kitty."
"Not yours," Colin said and deftly retrieved Neko, handing the cat to Luna.
"How did you do that?" the mother asked in an awed whisper.
"The same way Marla got hold of him. Your daughter is gifted with certain powers --"
"THE KITTY IS MINE!"
The entire world seemed to move. Geysers exploded into action everywhere. Colin lifted both hands and slowly turned, settling everything around them.
"NO!"
The ground moved again. Colin took a deeper breath, but didn't lose his control. Neko felt himself pulled toward the girl , but Darion stepped between them.
"I think it is past your nap time, child," he said. He reached out and touched her forehead, and then grabbed her under the arms as she started to tumble back. He swept her around and into her mother's arms.
"She's ... she's asleep," the woman whispered. "Marla never sleeps! How did you -- what is going on? What happened to our sweet little girl? About two months ago, everything went crazy!"
"Marla is gifted," Darion said. He looked around. People still rushed to get out of the area, but Colin swayed. Dorian barely caught him before his legs gave way.
"We need to talk," Colin said and pulled free. He gave a nod to where a picnic table and benches stood. Neko was certain they had not been there until now.
If the parents thought there was anything odd, they didn't say it. Neko supposed they had enough oddness with their daughter, and he suspected finding people who might help overrode everything else.
Marla looked sweet now that she slept. Her parents were trembling and any odd sound set them both off. The cat tried to imagine life with a child like Marla.
He did his best not to shiver.
Colin and Dorian explained the situation to the Nelsons, complete with small shows of magic. No one else paid them any attention. Neko took the time for a quick catnap, so to speak.
"It won't hurt her?" the father asked softly.
"I suspect she won't even notice," Colin said. "Continue with your vacation. We'll keep an eye on you to make sure the seal works. We are not trying to cut out the magic -- that would be harmful. Instead, we'll lock it away and in a decade or two, when she's older and wiser, we'll assess and see if she and magic are compatible. If not, the seal stays."
The two parents nodded.
"We didn't know what to do," Father said with a tired sigh. "The neighbors were starting to notice odd things happening around Marla. Getting her away seemed the best idea."
"It was wise," Dorian agreed.
"And one more suggestion," Colin added. "The crisis occurred when she wanted Neko and was denied. May I suggest --"
"ACK!" Neko shouted and tried to climb into Luna's jacket.
"May I suggest you find a Siamese kitten for her? Calm down Neko. I wasn't going to give you away. Do you really think I would?"
"To save the world? Yes. I would give myself away for that reason," Neko said, his head peeking out of the jacket. "But I wouldn't like it."
"We don't give friends away," Colin said and smiled first at Neko and then at Luna.
The Nelsons took their sleeping daughter away, unaware, Neko realized, that the fae had also tagged all three of them to keep watch over the family.
"The kitten was a brilliant idea," Dorian said. "It will certainly help when Marla's little sister is born in a few months."
"Oh my," Luna said with a laugh. Then she frowned. "What are you going to do now?"
"The three of us are going on to the Pacific ocean," Colin said. "I don't expect to find more trouble now that Marla is heading back east, but we have been finding odd things. This might become a long term project."
Dorian nodded. "Say a few weeks each year? Finish this run and when you get back to the bookstore, we can look at other possibilities."
No one argued. Neko was glad they had found Marla, but he suspected they had a lot more work ahead of them.
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