I don't like to be laughed at, and this creature didn't have a whisper of joy in that sound. I couldn't see what I faced except for occasional flashes of black teeth. My eyes watered so much I feared I would never be able to see again, and then I wondered why I was trying to locate my enemy by sight. I closed my eyes and listened instead.
Much better.
I could hear the whistle of a breath, so soft it was barely a whistle. The creature stood to my right. I heard a shift of fur, a catch of breath -- something hurt -- and then the soft brush of fur against the floor.
Did I hear chains?
"Where are we?" I dared to ask.
"It is Where she put me. But you know that part. You still have her scent upon you. I know she sent you --"
"No one sent me," I protested. "As far as I can tell, you grabbed me away from my friends and brought me here."
I could almost see a face as the creature leaned down closer to look at me. "I only moved before she could since she sent you. I did not want another of her surprises, although I do admit I don't sense her any nearer now."
"You can't mean Luna," I protested.
"Is that what she calls herself now?"
"Not Luna," I said and suddenly understood. "You mean Maude."
The creature hissed, cat-like, at the name. "You dare to call her --"
"I can't call her," I replied. "She's dead."
No sound at all.
I saw a glimpse of black teeth far too close to my face.
"Careful!" I jumped backward, hissing with surprise.
"She can't be dead! If that were true than I --"
"Kept yourself trapped here."
That was not the best way I could have stated it.
In fact, if I had been wise, I would have let her find that answer all on her own. As it was, she moved -- yes, she -- and I jumped a heartbeat too late.
SLAP
I went flying. I had thought there were no walls until I hit one. Then she hit it and landed on me. She still growled as I gasped, fighting my way out from under pounds of fur.
I came out gasping, but so was she. Also, the white was fractured by lines of wavering gray. Against that confusing background, I could see the shape of the one who captured me. She looked like a very big white cat.
Huge.
"You can't know she is dead if I don't!" she shouted.
I waited while the echoes died down.
"I know because I killed her."
"You don't have the magic to have killed her. I set dozens of traps for her, each one more magically elaborate. You don't have that kind of power."
"I didn't use magic. I tripped her as she went down the stairs. She broke her neck."
"Dead."
"I have a Fae friend who can confirm it."
"Dead."
She had a growing look of confusion mixed with anger as she turned to me again. Her ice blue eyes narrowed as she pulled herself up and stood over me. I knew that look.
"I am not a mouse," I warned and hoped my voice didn't squeak too much.
"I think you should run, little prey."
"I am not prey!" I replied with outright indignation. "I am a cat!"
"Nice kitty."
I watched her tail steady as her back leg muscles tightened. When she pounced, I charged straight underneath her. As I had expected, she was out of practice. That didn't make her less dangerous in the long run. I could only dodge her attacks for so long. It seemed as though the longer we dueled, the more awake she became. I hoped to see some sanity in her face before I ran out of energy. I also had another hope, of course. My friends were bound to miss me soon. However, I couldn't know how time worked here or if Colin could even find the path to this strange, white realm.
Maybe I needed to help him.
I didn't have the magic to stop my companion from trying to eat me, but I thought if I threw everything into a call for help, I might get Collins attention. The problem was that I couldn't get enough time to pull the spell together, and every bit of magic I used to stay ahead of this white demon would make my call all the weaker.
I was also aware that I was running in circles. The only way I was going to get out of this would be to do something unexpected. I could charge straight at her again, but I thought she might be a little too alert for that kind of trick twice. I decided on something a little less blatant, at least at the start. Using a little magic, I fixed the spot along the path I was taking. The tiny little tick of magic didn't draw her attention at all but allowed me to coordinate everything from there.
I didn't go near it every time she chased me. When I did, I left another seed of magic. it took her longer to sense than I had expected, but I still wasn't ready.
When she changed direction and headed for it I knew I had no more time. I threw every bit of magic I had left and added the spell I'd been working out while trying to run for my life. But the loss of the magic sent me to falling on the floor. Then the spell caught the magic and blossomed into a blinding flash of light and a rumble of words that might have been thunder.
"Colin, I need your help!"
That had been loud enough that they probably heard it in other realms without the magic that sent the message out in eddies.
I stayed fallen on the floor, weak, blind, and deaf.
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