Unfamiliar Territory, page 22
“Which is precisely why you need to be the one to go. Wren needs her soul piece back. You can’t expect a young girl to do this alone, can you?”
“Then send Fal with her.”
Fleurette shook her head. “That would be handing Annie exactly what she wants. You need to go and lift that spell and hopefully get back your remaining hair. Besides, the prophecy doesn’t say how you prevent her from returning. Perhaps doing nothing won’t stop her but standing up to her is what’s expected of you.”
I scrubbed my hands down my face. “I hate your logic,” I grumbled. “Fiiiine. I’ll go. But I don’t have the foggiest clue what I’m supposed to do to stop her.”
Fleurette gave me a friendly hug. “My advice? Help Wren get her soul back. Break the spell placed on you. And have faith that the rest will work out.”
“Because if it doesn’t, we are all screwed,” I muttered.
“No pressure, right?” Fleurette gave a dark chuckle. “Seriously, though, Cress. This moment is what not only your short life but all of your ancestor’s lives combined has been leading up to. You were born to do this. Don’t doubt yourself now.”
“Ugh, no pressure!” I moaned back.
The plan was set. We would wait another couple of hours to allow Wren to rest and regain her strength. Fleurette and Fal needed a nap as well, considering they were up all night. I would spend that time as a lump on the couch, fretting about my perceived impending doom.
They say that young people believe themselves to be immortal, and apparently that goes for young cats too. Up until this moment, I was happy to adventure out in the world with never a care. Even with my highly dangerous job, I had never felt like my life was in jeopardy.
Now, however, there was a large knot of dread in my stomach, and all I could think about was the fact that I could be dead in just a couple of hours.
Grimm could clearly sense my dark mood. He lay his heavy head on my lap, allowing me to pet his soft black ears as I contemplated my fate. His presence gave me a small sliver of comfort, but even that would be stripped away as he wasn’t allowed to go with us.
“I miss our chats, buddy,” I told him softly. “I hate being stuck in this form.”
Grimm nuzzled my hand but could not give any other answer. I sighed.
A knock at the front door gave me a start. Fleurette was still sleeping, and it did not seem appropriate for either of the fugitives to answer the door. “I guess I’ll get that,” I said aloud.
I tenderly shoved the canine head out of my lap so that I could stand. The last thing I wanted now was for someone to bother me. Besides, who could it possibly be? We never got visitors out here.
I swung the door inward. And stared.
“Mom?” I asked incredulously.
I hadn’t seen my mother in her human form for at least a year. While she still looked approximately how I remembered, her human form had aged considerably in that year. Her hair, longer than mine and a mix of brown and red that paralleled her calico colorations, was now streaked generously with white strands. Her green eyes were surrounded by a few wrinkles, and her face had lost some of the roundness I remembered. She looked to be solidly in her forties, now, instead of her early thirties as she had previously appeared.
She pursed her lips. “Don’t stare. I know,” she told me disapprovingly. But in the next instant she swept me up into a loving embrace.
I hugged her back tightly, tears running freely down my face. “I’m so happy to see you.”
After a few seconds, she pulled away, looking me over with those all-seeing mom eyes. “Rupert filled me in,” she told me as she led me back to the sofa. We both sat simultaneously, side by side. “You look like hell.”
A laugh sputtered out of me. “So I’ve been told.” Leave it to my mom to tell it like it is.
“So, this is what it takes to get you into your human form?” I asked her with sarcasm.
She smiled as she brushed my unruly black streaks out of my face. “I know that the last time we spoke I was rough on you,” she said, sadness leaking into her words. “Cressida, I never want you to think that I’m not proud of you. In fact, far from it. I’m so very proud of your free spirit.”
These words unleashed a fresh batch of tears from me.
“I’m hard on you sometimes because I’m not like you. I never wanted to look for danger. I just wanted a husband and a daughter and peace for the rest of my days. I sort of got that. And I guess I figured you would want that too for yourself.”
She leaned toward me. “And I never wanted the prophecy to land on you. But even if it wasn’t you and you had already passed on the responsibility, I wouldn’t want that for my granddaughter either. I guess what I’m trying to say is that if it had to be anyone, you are the best choice available.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you have spunk, you have the drive, you have the necessary spirit to do this. I wouldn’t have. We would have been screwed if this had happened just a few years earlier.” She gave me a wry smile. “But you, you are the best possible choice. I know with all of my heart that fate picked the right cat for this job. You won’t fail.”
I sobbed and hugged her again. Somehow, my mother had lifted the feeling of dread within me and replaced it with hope.
“Thank you,” I murmured into her shoulder.
She pulled back again, her own eyes shiny. She wiped her thumb over my cheek with affection. “One last thing,” she said.
“What?”
“I’m sure Grimm has a few words for you, too. Hang tight.” She shimmered into a cat, then gave her full attention to my partner.
After a few moments of a conversation I couldn’t understand as a human, Mom retransformed.
“He says, and I quote, ‘Stop being mopey and do your damn job. I chose you as my business partner because I know you are going to kick ass no matter what the job is. If you fail me now, I will be forced into early retirement because I refuse to work with anyone else. Come back to me, Cressida.’”
I stared at Grimm while Mom quoted those words. At the end, I grabbed the furry lunk’s head in a fierce hug. His tail wagged at my touch. “You know just what to say,” I told him. “I won’t let you down, partner.”
Okay, so I was still nervous. But instead of feeling like I was walking to my death, my natural confidence was back. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was going to do the best I could no matter what. And dying was not on my to-do list.
I could tell Wren was also nervous, as she was once again entering the lion’s den. But that girl also had a spunky spirit. Perhaps we were more alike than I originally thought.
Fleurette had lent Wren some of her clothes, with a few modifications due to the girl’s smaller stature. She was more closely sized to me, but I simply did not have spare clothes since mine got magically washed every time I groomed myself as a cat. So, Wren now was sporting a loose shirt that hung like a tunic on her body, tied at the waist with a ribbon, and a pair of capri pants that came down to her ankles. Fleurette even braided Wren’s hair to keep the long dark tresses out of her face.
My hair wasn’t quite long enough and was too slippery to hold a decent braid. Instead, mine got the ponytail treatment.
I had Hail Mary still strapped inside my right boot, but otherwise we were not bringing anything else with us. There was no point when going up against a powerful witch. Besides, Wren could not wield a weapon, and her talents combined with my natural capabilities were hopefully enough.
We were surrounded by the people who meant the most to us: Grimm, Fal, Fleurette, my mom, and Lyle. Rupert perched on my friend’s shoulder, looking as somber as the rest of us felt. I had already said my goodbyes to Humbert outside, not that he understood.
“Remember, the plan is to pretend that Wren is still controlled. Perhaps that way you can get close enough to find the soul piece and your tail hair,” Fleurette said.
We both nodded in unison with grim determination.
Fleurette stepped forward and swept me into a hug. “Be safe,” she whispered to me.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fal embrace his sister with gusto. Fleurette stepped back and Mom took her place.
“Come back to me,” she said with a slight hitch in her voice. I tried not to shed any more tears as I gripped her tightly.
Lyle also offered a fatherly hug and words of encouragement as the others made their rounds with Wren. To my surprise, Fal stepped up to me after Lyle was finished. He stood before me awkwardly, as if debating to hug me. Finally, he opened his arms. I accepted the embrace after a second’s hesitation.
“Please keep my sister safe,” he murmured.
“With my life,” I returned.
There was just one last goodbye to give. I stooped down to be eye level with my partner. “Grimm, it doesn’t feel right to not have you by my side. I’m going to miss you.”
He made a little whine and licked his lips before rushing me for a furry embrace. I buried my face in his fur, sending a little prayer to Freya and the universe that I would be reunited with this ragtag assortment of friends.
They were ... my family, strange as it was for a cat to admit. But the word felt right.
I released my grip on Grimm and straightened. I stepped back to Wren, smiling wanly at her as she returned the expression. She held out a hand. I stared at it for a second, took a deep breath, and grasped it with my own.
“Ready?” she asked me.
I nodded.
My world turned upside down.
Chapter 23
It was over before I could even comprehend what had happened. But the disorientation passed, and the reality of it hit me hard. I fell to my knees, my head swimming. Wren put a comforting hand on my back.
“Sorry about that. The two men reacted the same way. I should have warned you,” she apologized as I strained to regain my equilibrium.
“Yeah, that was the worst,” I replied huskily, blinking my eyes rapidly. My head finally stopped spinning after a few minutes and I slowly stood up, making sure my stomach wasn’t about to rebel. The contents stayed down, but the headache was back. Apparently Fleurette’s energy potion was wearing off. Just fantastic.
Now that my body was feeling a bit back to normal, I looked around. We were outside, but absolutely nothing made sense to me. At first glance I thought it was nighttime. But upon further inspection, I changed my theory. The sky was a deep, dark purple, but there was also a sun in the sky that created a strange bluish glow over everything. This unearthly shine filtered down to highlight the alien landscape before us. I saw zero plant life: no trees, no grass, no shrubs dotting the terrain. There were gigantic mushrooms here and there, however, acting as a stand-in for trees in an otherwise barren land. The earth was black with jagged rock formations, and veins of blue crystals peeked out in places, glowing with the subtle light of the sun.
The overall look of the landscape was one of sharp angles and shadows. It was beautiful, but in a bleak, dreary sort of way. I shivered at the sight.
Wren seemed unaffected. “C’mon,” she said quietly as she grabbed my sleeve. “I transported us a little ways away to give us extra time. Her castle is this way.”
She led me down an obsidian path. I still gawked at my surroundings, taking in the unearthly light from the sun as it lit up the surrounding crystals.
“What is this place?” I asked her.
Wren shrugged. “Just another dimension. This one is definitely nothing like our own dimension, so it’s pretty creepy. I don’t think anything else lives here, though. But I don’t know for sure. I’ve only been outside once before. Usually, I just pop right into the throne room.”
I stared at her. “You seem to be taking this in stride.”
She glanced my way before focusing back on the path before her. “I’m nervous, but I’m in my element, in a way. I’ve been here before. And what other choice is there?”
“True.” I agreed. “Still, I’m impressed. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
“Thanks.” She laughed a little uncertainly. “Let’s hope my head stays on my shoulders by the end of this.”
I frowned. I didn’t want to dwell on the possibility that we would fail. “It will. It has too.”
“Yep.”
“Where is this castle, anyway?” I asked, looking around. The terrain hadn’t changed in the slightest. I saw nothing in the landscape but more of those weird mushrooms and jagged rocks. One in particular was huge, rising out of the ground like a jagged blade ripping through flesh. It was directly in front of us, but still in the distance. I stared at the behemoth with apprehension.
“You’re looking at it,” Wren replied, nodding her head in the direction of my gaze.
“That’s her castle?” I asked, incredulous.
Wren nodded. “Mm-hmm. Castle is a strong word, but inside looks more like one. It’s basically a hollowed-out stone structure.”
“Homey.” I glanced around as we approached. A slight movement to the right caught my eye. I turned my head quickly, but only spotted a small pile of rocks. Frowning, I turned back. “Are you sure there’s nothing else out here?”
“No, I’m not. I just never saw anything else.” Wren amended.
“Great,” I caustically replied, adding, “Can we pick up the pace?”
“What did you see?” Wren asked with a hint of apprehension.
I felt like eyes were on us. I turned back around, and I swear the pile of rocks had moved position. I grabbed Wren’s arm.
“We aren’t alone,” I whispered. She stiffened at my words, but we did not stop walking.
“What do we do?” Wren asked, sounding more like a scared little girl instead of the in-charge persona she had adopted earlier.
“Keep walking and stay calm.”
As we neared the castle, two piles of rocks suddenly appeared on either side of the path in front of us, their sharp crystal lances held glinting in the alien light. Staying calm was impossible. We both shrieked.
“Halt!” a masculine voice emitted from the pile of rocks on the left. We did, petrified.
As both entities approached us, I noticed that they were not made of rocks, but were in fact two men dressed in rock armor. When lying on the ground, they had blended into the scenery seamlessly.
“You are trespassers. We are taking you to Mother. She is expecting you,” the left-hand man informed us as he bound our wrists behind our backs with rope. Properly restrained, the two rock guards marched us into the depths of the castle.
“Castle” probably wasn’t the best way of describing the dwelling. More like, “hollowed out rock formation sitting on top of a warren of tunnels.” I felt like I was visiting mole people. The walls of the tunnel hallways were smooth, with many crystals peeking out. Surprisingly, the crystals gave off a soft blue-white light, even without the presence of the sun.
But once we got to what Wren had referred to as the throne room, I saw why she had mistaken it for a castle initially. It was a large room with a cathedral-like ceiling. Crystal skylights lined the top and more crystals lit the interior walls. Directly facing the doors from which we entered was a massive purple stone throne, with a rack of antlers mounted above it.
And a woman sat upon the throne.
“Bring them forward.” Her voice was cracked and husky.
The lances held at our backs nudged us. Wren and I slowly marched down the center aisle.
Once we got close enough, I broke the silence. “Annie, babe, is that you? Immortality does not agree with you.”
Being a cat, rodents have always fascinated me. When I was little, my mother would tell me about all sorts of different types of unusual rodents that existed in the world. And once I met up with Fleurette, she gifted me with a book about rodents, complete with pictures, as a birthday present. One chapter in that book was devoted to the naked mole rat, a curiously hairless little critter that lives in colonies under the ground. The one fact that really stuck with me was that the entire colony is ruled by a queen naked mole rat, the only female that is able to breed. This queen is always the largest mole rat in the colony.
Annie Coddle reminded me of a queen naked mole rat.
I could not discern her age, but she seemed to hover around early forties if I had to guess. She wasn’t exactly obese, but her whole body looked soft and corpulent, including her rather long, doughy face with two piggy eyes that peered out angrily. She had curly auburn hair that was heavily streaked with white. Her mouth seemed too small for her face, and she kept her lips slightly open, exposing front teeth that were rather long and yellow, once more reminding me of a rodent’s.
It was hard to tell what she was wearing, but I could swear it was a robe made of human hair woven together.
She narrowed her eyes at me in response to my comment, but then turned to Wren. She stared at her, eerily quiet, for a long moment.
“Let them free,” she told the guard behind Wren without breaking eye contact with the girl.
As the guards fumbled to remove our restraints, Annie gave a small, chilling smile, highlighting those ill-fitting front teeth even more. “Wren, dear, you’re back. And you brought the cat.”
Well, so much for the element of surprise.
“Yes, ma’am,” Wren replied meekly.
“How very ... brave ... of you, dear, for coming back so soon after you misbehaved.” The threat in the statement was thinly veiled.
Wren gulped. “My apologies, Madam Coddle,” she said with a small curtsy. “It was a shock to the system. I thought if I brought the cat instead of my brother, that might make you happy.”
“Clever girl,” the witch murmured. She turned her eyes to me. “You must be very strong to withstand the change. I had hoped to burn you to a crisp by now.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” I shrugged with feigned nonchalance. I peered at the disgusting dress as something caught my eye. A silver ball pendant hung around her neck. Something within flashed with a pure lavender light.
