Flash Fiction #639 -- True Sight

 

If I hadn't happened to be sitting on the bench that late at night, trying to sort out my runes, I wouldn't have been able to change history.

It happened this way:

Princess Santia sent to the temple for me.  It was already past sunset, but that happened sometimes. Whenever she felt uneasy in the world, she sent for her favorite diviner.

It helped that I had a true gift.

I knew her betrothed would arrive tomorrow and they would marry on the anniversary of her father's army defeating his father's troops in battle.  

I had tried to hint that it was an inauspicious choice of date for the wedding celebration. For King Telthe, Santia's father, it was a day of jubilation.  For King Cosin -- well, he had no say, having lost the battle. He didn't have to be happy about it.

The joining of the two families and the promise of joint rule of both countries was the best future any of  us could hope to see.

A shame the reading for that night didn't promise anything good.

As a member of the Sisterhood of True Seers, I dared not even whisper how bad the event would go. No one wanted to listen to me.  However, in tonight's reading, I had seen nobles on both sides taking affront at references to the battle.

Weapons drawn. Blood spilled.

The war would restart.  I saw devastation everywhere, and Santia's prince never returning to her.

By the Rules of the Temple, any of us with true powers were forbidden from giving more than hints about what we read in the runes.  The more serious the reading, the less we could say. I understood.  We could change the world by urging people into actions to counter a bad reading. That often didn't mean a better future.

I left the palace in a hurry when Santia was called away by servants.  I shoved the rune stones into their silk bag and gathered my shawl.  I didn't stop until I sat on the bench outside the temple gate.

I needed to wrap each of the runes in their own small cloth and pack them away properly. Taking unprotected runes into the temple could be dangerous.  I paused, though. It was a warm night with a slight breeze, a haze of high clouds, and a full moon.  Such an atmosphere would help clear the runes of troubling energy that had built up tonight, both from the reading and from my hasty retreat. I laid them out on the bench beside me, troubled when a couple slid into different spots.

I kept up the battle with the runes for several heartbeats until I realized they were creating a reading, and I wondered if it was meant for me.

I drew my hands back, and the runes kept moving, and I had the impression that I must ask a favor.  I had no idea of what favor I needed or whom I needed to ask.

And then Lapril walked up to the bench.

I had neither seen nor heard him nearby. That's not unusual. His work as the King's Assassin required a level of stealth that touched on magic. I had no idea what he was doing outside the temple this late at night.

"You called me?" he asked, his voice soft.

"No, I didn't," I protested. Then I looked down at the runes that still jumped and slid across the bench.  "Or maybe I did."

"They seem more active than usual."

I suppressed a hysterical laugh. "It is not a good sign. I am sorry they called --"

Ask for a favor.

"They want me to do a favor?" he said, surprising me.

"You can read the runes?"

"I can hear them."

I found that fascinating.  I wanted to ask more, but he shifted slightly, and I realized that the two of us might draw unwanted attention.  That's when I realized the favor I needed.

"Because I belong to the Temple, I abide by their rules.  I cannot tell you why I want this done. I can only ask that you trust me.  I would not do this for a minor reason."

Lapril looked at me and then at the runes I was trying to catch and put away.

"I trust you."

"First, I do not want you to kill anyone."

Lapril gave a sigh of relief.  I told him the basics of what I needed and let him work out the details.  There wasn't much time.

By evening the next day, I knew Lapril had succeeded.

King Cosin and his party had stopped for the night at the last caravansary before the city.  They would have arrived midday, but instead, a messenger delivered the tale of a goat on the roof and the area over the king's table collapsing onto his group.

There were no serious injuries.  Even the goat survived, although there was still some question of how it got up there.

King Cosin broke his leg and couldn't travel for at least ten days and probably more.  King Telthe sent supplies and gifts, and made certain they wanted for nothing.  He even went to visit.  
 
By the time they arrived,  the kings were fast friends.  The wedding took place ten days later with as much pomp and festivities as could be managed. I even danced with Lapril, much to the delight of Santia and her mother.  Lapril seemed to enjoy it as well.

At the end of the dance, I quietly thanked him for his help.  Lapril had a nice smile.

At midnight, I gave Santia a reading and could promise her everything bright and beautiful I had hoped to see in the previous reading.  This time there was no doubt.

Well, there was the problem with their future children, but I had time enough to figure that one out.  I trusted it would not require an assassin this time.

Flash Fiction #638 Neko's Trip Home/18

 

Maybe we should have discussed it before Colin opened a portal and dragged us through it.  Not that I wanted to stay, but a lot of the trouble had been connected with us.  It was not exactly our fault, but it was present because we had shown up.

So maybe the trouble would disappear along with us.  I was aware that Colin had also brought Dorian, Luna, and Shosha into the portal. A good thing.  I would have insisted we return and get them, although I suspect Dorian could have managed to follow without our help.

Colin had found the nearest portal and used a fascinating and dangerous spell to yank us straight to it and into the vortex. I thought Avesa made a sound of surprise, and I am sure I heard Dorian make a sound of protest.  That did not improve my state of mind.  

This portal was filled with whispers and faces that came and went with powerful eddies of colorful magic. I saw scenes from our recent adventures.  Giant Shosha was the worst.  However, I also saw places, people, and things I'd never seen in my life.

I realized that meant the adventures were far from over.  I don't know why that made me happy.  I guess I am not as sane as I thought. And maybe I hadn't lost my cat attitude.

Then everything went dark and still.  Colin held tight to me, and I feared we were lost.

"Ah. There." Colin turned a little bit.

The darkness gave way to gold and blue. A warm breeze blew across my face, and I could smell the sea. I landed in the sand with Colin beside me.  Dorian, Luna, and Shosha dropped out of the portal just behind us.

For a few heartbeats, I worried about everyone we had left behind, especially those children.  Maude might still be around there.

However, they did have Avesa.

And I was at Malibu!

"Getting us here was a neat trick," Dorian admitted.  "I didn't even feel you building up power, let alone opening a portal."

"As soon as I found the portals on that world, I tied myself to one and keyed it for here," Colin explained.  He waved his hand and they were all better clothed for the beach rather than rain and snow.  "I just waited for the right time to duck out. I have complete faith that Avesa can handle any more trouble.  If not, I will know."

"I do like this better," Luna admitted.  "But should we have left them? They might need our help faster than you can get us there, Colin."

"It is more likely we'll need theirs," Dorian replied. He shook a blanket out over the sand and sat down. "Let's take advantage of the peace and the better weather while we can."

Dorian had not been holding the blanket a heartbeat before. It was great to have things back to normal.

"I suspect Maude will come after us," Colin added.

"Tomorrow, I will head back to the Faelands," Dorian said.  He looked exhausted. I thought he deserved more than a single night's rest.  All of us did.

We staked out our spot in the sun.  None of us were talkative, and I spent some time watching the surfers. It looked like fun until someone spotted a shark, and they all headed for the shore and waited for the all-clear. No, I wasn't interested in swimming with the sharks.

The beach remained busy but no one did more than nod in our direction and we returned the friendly greeting. We had pizza for lunch, and then we all napped in the warm sun.

I couldn't remember the last time we had such calm.

It continued to stay calm, too.  That part I did not trust.  We couldn't have simply walked away from the trouble with nothing following us. We had been magnets for trouble from our first meeting.

I'd had trouble before that, though.

I was almost ready to tell Colin to send me back to the bookstore and leave me there, away from all this madness. As much as I hated being trapped in the building, I really missed the calm.

Then I looked over at Shosha and realized she might never have been saved without me. I hadn't merely tagged along. I had helped.

While the others taught Shosha about the various types of pizza, I took a walk down the beach to annoy some gulls.

Instead, I ran into a penguin.

Really, ran into him.  A huge emperor penguin who had just suddenly appeared in front of me.

This could not be good.

"Oh, there you are," the penguin said, leaning over me. I took a half dozen steps back. He ambled forward. "I have been looking all over for you. I was told you were on the beach.  Do you have any  idea how much beach there is?"

"A lot," I offered.

He nodded vigorously.  No one else noticed him, which made it apparent that he must be a being of magic. My friends would take notice soon, right? This wasn't normal.

Well, not typical for most of the world.  

"Why are you looking for me?" I dared to ask and prepared to run. Going for the ocean wasn't a good plan. Penguins can swim well.  Better than me. Besides, there were still the sharks.

"Why am I here?" he asked and looked startled.  "I thought it was obvious."

"Not so I noticed."

He stood up straighter and then had to lean far over to look me in the face.

"I am your spirit animal!"

The End ... for now.

Flash Fiction #637 -- Neko's Trip Home/17

 

Avesa was not human. She wasn't fae, either. I only now realized she was a manifestation of nature.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Avesa was a nature Goddess. I couldn't imagine how Maude got hold of her, but it was plain Dorian was having trouble just trying to help her. Everything went bright and loud. The birds screamed and would soon attack.

She still had hold of me. There was only one thing I could do. I had warned her.

I twisted, turned, clawed my way free of her arms, and scrambled up high enough to bite her on the nose.

I had warned her.

The bite startled her and shorted out the surge of magic growing in her. It dissipated, and Dorian stumbled away into Luna's hold.

I wanted to be there, too, but Avesa had too tight of a hold on me. I had stopped her surge of rage, but the despair grew stronger. Children wept. Ogres howled. Both fae went to their knees.

Luna cursed and ran straight at us.

I was not the only one surprised. Colin tried to say something, but it was gibberish. Or maybe a hamster. Avesa squeaked.

I don't know what Luna thought she could do --

She grabbed me out of Avesa's hold.

"How dare you hurt Neko after all he's done to help you and the others! Now stop it. You are upsetting the children!"

I looked to see the children huddled together and still weeping. A glance around showed no sign of Maude in any form. Her slaver partner had slipped away and now the ogres took off running. The hawks had taken refuge in a nearby building and didn't look inclined to come back down.

A couple owls landed on a building opposite the hawks. They didn't make me feel any safer from the hawks.

It was the lack of Maude that bothered me most, though. I wanted to --

What? Stop her? If we did, what happened elsewhere?

"We can't stop her," I said aloud, my voice steadier than expected. "Not in any permanent way. We can't know what we might change. We can free the others she has trapped, but she's jumping around her own timeline. What if we disrupt it?"

We all gathered around -- but not too near -- Avesa. She contemplated the situation as she looked at the children. I wondered what would happen to them.

"The despair is gone," Avesa said, and I could sense that truth, even if I couldn't figure much else out. She looked around again and gave a decisive nod. "I have questions still. Where is Maude? How did she get control of me?"

"How did she get hold of so many of us?" I dared to ask. "Even without Avesa, it showed an amount of power she'd never had when I was her familiar. Maude was good at casting curses but not very good with powerful spells."

"I suspect everyone trapped was more cursed than under a spell," Colin replied. "Even you, Neko."

"I'm not going argue about that one," I told Colin. "And besides, we still have the remnants of despair and rage. Maude must have an ally, and I don't mean that blob of a man who came with her here. I don't like the idea of her teamed with something powerful. Something that must have its own reasons for what it helps Maude do."

The two fae nodded and then so did Avesa.

I wanted to say that it was time to go home. I'd had enough adventure for all nine lives and then some. But there were still too many loose ends, the most obvious ones sitting on the other side of the fountain looking scared.

"I am going to settle in this fascinating city," Avesa announced with a wave toward the buildings. "If all of you agree, I will take in the children and find them homes and futures."

I wanted to jump up and down shouting yes. I kept quiet. The humans and such had to work this out. There are times when even cats need to know when to stay silent.

They soon clarified the details and included the older children in the conversation. The fox who had led us into this mess -- oh yes, I had kept an eye on him -- still looked shocked and maybe dismayed at what had happened. He might still believe the entire world would soon fall apart because we had stepped in to save the children.

I would have been unsettled if I believed what he did, but the fox was a bit over the top. When a breeze stirred up a few leaves, he jumped like a kitten on his first trip outside. I glanced at the leaves and back -- and the fox was gone.

My reaction was probably much like his at the blowing leaves. My ears went back, my eyes narrowed, and I stared where he had been -- which happened to be straight into the wind.

Cold wind.

I was the first to see the snow, although the others noted the cold and tried to decide what to do with the children.

"I have had it!" I yowled with enough force that everyone looked at me in shock. "Snow! "Why can't we hold this meeting at a nice warm beach where I can chase seagulls? Why does there have to be snow?"

"Too much magic," Dorian explained. I started to say something rude. "I am serious. Most magic disrupts nature. Even if we all moved this discussion to Malibu, chances are that it would snow there, as well."

"I am doomed," I whispered. I batted at a large snowflake.

"But here is the good news," Colin added. "We are done talking."

"And now?" I dared to ask, ignoring the snowflake on my nose.

"Now we go back to our vacation," he replied. He picked me up. "And we wait for Maude."

Flash Fiction #636 -- Neko's Trip Home/16

 

 

 Hawks.

Five Hawks flew into our area. Four red-tailed hawks took positions at the cardinal points while the majestic white hawk landed on the fountain's edge.

Hawks belong to a realm where stubbornness is a virtue, and these birds have reached alpha status there. Once they have decided, getting them to change their decision is impossible. For instance why it would be a bad idea to try to eat you. Holding off a hawk while you attempt to get the window closed is no fun.

I tried to tunnel under the street again.

One of the hawks moved a step closer to me. I decided to become a rock.

"Fae," the hawk said in a tone that showed he was not happy. "Colin and Dorian."

"Kind of you to remember," Dorian said with a bow of his head. "And we remember you, of course, Lord Whitefeather."

"There. We have proved that our memories are all still good. So, I assume you two also remember the treaty."

"Word for word," Dorian replied.

"No doubt," the hawk said with a hint of snarkiness. "And you are still here interfering in my realm."

"You know the fae fight slavery everywhere."

"There are no slaves here."

"So, we should allow them to become slaves and then hope to rescue them," Colin replied. "Don't be pedantic with me."

The white hawk spread his wings and threw back his head in a show of dramatic aggression. From what I could tell, he hadn't impressed Colin.

I was fine until the other four hawks mimicked their leader's move. My legs twitched as I prepared to run. This was blind and instinctive fear. I saw nothing but predators around me.

But while I was blind, I was not deaf.

"Oh, do stop being so pretentious, Whitefeather," a familiar voice said. Avesa joined us from the alley to the right.

All of the hawks looked surprised and maybe embarrassed as they folded down their wings and bowed their heads to the lady.

Avesa surprised me by picking me up out of the hole. I wanted to protest, but suddenly, the hawks didn't seem so much like predators.

"Lady Avesa," Whitefeather said with a bit of a smirk despite his reaction to seeing her. "You haven't been around for quite a while."

"And you know why."

I was glad she handed me to Dorian. I didn't want to be too close to this disagreement. Even Colin backed away.

Not that it mattered since the two were not quiet. I was glad to see Luna had the children sitting down and silent.

Dorian had taken the guards and slavers in hand, but they looked restless.

"Dorian needs help," I whispered.

He looked back at the group, but I focused on Maude. She leaned against a wall and looked far too calm. She wasn't as powerful as she would be later, but the potential was there. So was the hatred and disdain for everyone else.

I was sure Avesa had not seen her. I didn't know if I wanted her to spot our mutual enemy. She was handling the hawks just now, and I didn't want them to go wild on us. They would and through no fault of their own. There was so much magic in the air -- and from different sources -- that it might short-circuit thought patterns. Some of us could be thrown back to our animal forms.

Let Avesa keep things under control.

I kept watch on Maude and her people. She was not in charge, but I knew she was the most dangerous of the group. In fact, I didn't like how quiet she'd been.

In all the time I had known Maude, she had never been quiet. Now, she stood by the ogre guards, looking no more interested than they were.

Looking at Maude, I was struck by how much she mimicked the ogres.

Like one of them in human skin.

Oh hell.

I admit that I panicked. "Where is Maude!"

"She's right there," Colin said. "Oh hell."

Before long, even the hawks were looking for our missing witch. She could look like anything, and by the time we found her, it turned out to be another fake. I studied everyone who came in sight, but before too long, I felt a wave of desperation, knowing Maude would get away and all we did here would gain us nothing.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to go to the beach, the mountains, the desert. I was beginning to feel trapped in this never-ending quest --

Trapped.

At first, I couldn't find Avesa. I had to fight my limbs to move so that I turned -- and found her sitting by the well, her head bowed into her hands and her breath coming in ragged gasps.   She was the perfect vision of despair.

I forced myself closer, each step like fighting through a storm. What could I do? Even the fae and ogres were affected by this woman's emotions. We had not broken her spell. She had brought it with her.

"Stop!" I gasped. In all my years of captivity, I had never felt such despair. It is an attack, I reminded myself. An attack.

I had no weapon to fight it. I didn't have enough magic.

But I did have very sharp teeth.

I bit her on the ankle.

Avesa's despair changed to rage, and she caught me by the front right leg and left me dangling as she stood. She was about to throw me when she suddenly swept me up, holding me tight. I could feel desperation coming back --

"Either you fight for control, or I'll bite you on the nose," I warned.

For a heartbeat, despair fought for control, even when the fae added his power to help destroy the spell.

"This despair is not you," Dorian said as he touched her forehead.

That was a mistake.

Flash Fiction #635 -- Neko's Trip Home/15

 

The fox came with us when we headed for the crossroads. He seemed overly enthusiastic about our agreement to take a look.

So he led us to a minor road, a bridge over a stream, and what seemed to be an alley crossing over the area.

"This was an important spot a few hundred years ago," Fox said. "There were fewer buildings, a lovely fountain, and statues of heroes."

I realized he'd been here and most likely knew more about the Forgotten than he had told us. I wanted to demand answers, but I worried that with so much magic about, such a demand might take on a different life than I had intended. This was not a night to take chances.

Have you ever walked down a street at night and thought someone followed you? Then, looking back, you see no one?

It was like that, but knowing something really was there.

Colin handed me to Luna, indicating the trouble was about to start. He and Darian slowed until they were behind Luna and me. Fox ran around us, kicking up almost visible traces of natural magic.

Shosha slept in Luna's pocket.

We were near the spot where the old fountain had been. It was easy to make out the circular pattern of old brick and the metal shield that now blocked off the system that had brought water to the surface.

And this was when something odd happened ... as if this midnight journey had been anything normal before now.

I heard children laughing. This wasn't anything I had expected. They were coming down the main road, swirling shapes that divided into individuals with discernible faces. Happy children. How could they be Forgotten?

"What happened here?" Colin asked.

"They were part of a refugee group," Fox said. "They were told to wait by the fountain."


The children's memory of the fountain, mixed with the wild magic in the air, made it real again. It did the same for the children.

"What happened here?" Darion asked, his voice as soft as a breeze.

"Slavers," the fox said with a snarl. "The children were traded for supplies to feed refugees on their way across the land. The slavers will arrive soon. They'll kill the youngest and the weakest of the group."

"No," Luna said. "We need to find a way to stop them!"

"No," Fox replied with a violent shake of his head. "We come here to ensure all goes as it did that night. Some have tried to change it, but it did not go well."

"No," Luna repeated. There was no arguing with her.

And I found I agreed with her anyway. The children were almost real already and I heard the sound of another group coming to the fountain.

They laughed.

I think the laughter upset the fae to a point beyond reason. I jumped from Colin's hold and almost landed in the water. Instead, I caught the sleeve of a young girl's shirt.

"Go!" I told her. "Gather them all and run!"

I hadn't considered the effect of a talking cat.

She screamed. I yowled. Luna came running to help, and beyond her, I could see the two slavers and their men arriving. The male slaver looked fat, scowling, and angry.

The woman was Maude.

The others might not have recognized her since she was so young. They didn't understand why I growled, leaped across the fountain, and charged toward her. Colin tried to use magic to hold me back, but my power surged through it.

I saw when she recognized me. I didn't expect her to scream in fear and shock.

"You can't be Neko! He's trapped!"

Colin, Dorian, and perhaps even Luna understood now. Shosha cried out and hid. I kept going because I had her at a disadvantage for once.

I never considered that her companions might also have magic. The stout leader spun on me with a curse and fire in his hands. I swerved in time, although I hated giving up my attack on Maude.

That's when I realized the guards all but glowed with magic. And despite how they looked, they were not human. They would be no help for me, and finding myself at their feet was a bad position.

Dart one way, slip the other, swipe at a reaching hand while avoiding the knife in the other. Magic didn't seem to give them extra speed or strength. It just made them human.

Outwitting humans was never that difficult. The guards were too close together, too. So I confused them, dancing around their legs and then down into a crevice at the edge of the street.

I had lost them, and it was even a few heartbeats before Maude began to yell.

"Where is he? Where did the cat go!"

"Damn the cat," the man snarled. "Get the children! If the guard comes along, we can't talk our way out of this!"

"That's why we have powers!"

"And if we use any more, we'll draw the watchers down on us. Grab the children."

"No," Dorian said. It was a simple word with a lot of power. "You will not take them."

"Fae," the man mumbled, and I could hear a hint of worry in his voice this time. "Maude --"

"I want the cat. Neko, come to me."

She had the power to call me. I had to put all my little strength into not moving so that I became almost as still as stone. Maude and her companions had limited time, and Maude wouldn't risk getting caught even to catch me. She was already siphoning off some of her magic to rope in the frightened children. Did they expect the fae to do nothing? The sudden surge of magic brightened the world. Maude yelled --

And then the watchers arrived with their own magic. I tried to tunnel my way into the ground. This was not good.