Down through the years, I've noticed that humans will do just about anything to be entertained. Dancing poodles is not the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Cats are lucky since we can find just about anything to keep ourselves entertained, and we will not dance for our dinner.
Mostly.
There was so much going on that people rarely noticed that I was a talking cat.
Or so we thought.
Colin rented us a couple of tents near the central fountain. It was well after midnight, and only a few people were still up. The elephants and chipmunks had gone off with a promoter who wanted to take them on tour. The little army had joined the local guard for the festival's duration, but I had the feeling they wouldn't go on with us, either.
Eliminating one mousie-like temptation.
Not that I would have eaten them. I don't even like the taste of mice.
"I am going to be in and out tonight, Neko," Collin said. "I want to go check the gates and see if I can narrow down which one we'll use."
"They are near?" I asked.
"A couple of miles out of town. Why don't you spend the night with Luna? Both of you get some rest. I can't guarantee that this will be an easy trip back to where we belong."
"Good idea," I agreed. I thought nicely about going home -- or at least to the reality I best understood. The bookstore called me tonight. I looked forward to sleeping in my bed and staying up too late reading odd books.
That's what vacations were about, right? Seeing other things and appreciating what you have.
There were still noises outside, and some people had gotten rowdy now that they had been told to quiet down for the night.
Sometimes, humans are a lot like cats.
Luna was sitting just inside her tent with some Tarot cards spread out before her. She looked up and smiled as I neared.
"You know, it is remarkably hard to get a reading for the future when you aren't even sure where you are. Come in."
I stepped around the cards, Careful not to disturb them. I had enough trouble with the future without messing with tarot readings.
"Colin is gone to check out the gates," I told Luna as I sat beside her. "He wants to find the one that will lead us back home if you can. Otherwise, I think we're going to be bouncing around a bit. Are you still happy to be with us?"
Luna turned to me and smiled. "I was in a bad situation before the two of you came along. And you can't say that we haven't had some adventures together. I hope that everything works out soon, but even if it does, I still want to stay with the two of you. Has Colin asked if you want to leave us? I'm beginning to think that you worry so much about the rest of us that you don't consider what you might want."
Her words surprised me because I had not really considered my future. I was happy enough to be free of the building in which I'd been trapped for so long, and I was having a great time on our road trip, even if it had taken a slight detour. But my future? I had never considered such a thing in all my life.
"As long as I'm not trapped in some building for a couple hundred years, I think I'll be happy. I will even be happy back at the bookstore because I have so much stuff squirreled away that it will take a while for me to sort it out. Besides, I am not there alone anymore. That doesn't mean you have to stay when we get back there. You may not like the bookstore."
"You're joking, right?" Luna gave an unexpected laugh. "I've never met a bookstore I didn't like. You think I'm going to run away from one with pixies, fae, and a talking cat?"
"Not to mention the books," I added. "There are a few so old they were written in Latin."
I feared she would swoon.
Then I thought I was fainting. Everything went completely still and a dusty gray. I turned slowly, afraid that everything would turn to dust and blow away if I touched anything or created the slightest breeze by moving.
"Nice kitty," something growled.
Then something grabbed me, and I feared I felt the world dissolved as I went ... Somewhere else.
Everything had gone black. everywhere and so bright that I couldn't see a shadow, even my own.
"What the hell --" I began.
I sensed movement nearby, though I could see nothing. It proved hard to concentrate, and even though I knew some minor magic, I could not recall any of the spells.
"Nice kitty," the voice growled again.
"I'll show you nice kitty," I finally snarled --
Something bit me on my back left leg. It wasn't a tiny insect, either. I spun and found nothing except a spot of bright pink where my leg bled.
Something laughed.
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