“I will send you escorts tomorrow night,” says Michel. “Feel free to roam our land, for you will be under our protection. However, you must let us mark you.”
I gasp. “You want to pee on us?”
This produces laughter from all the cats. Fannie laughs, too, and I frown at her. Conner gets points for
not
laughing.
“Pardon our naïve one, sir,” cackle
s Fannie. “I am Fannie, by the way. Kailey, he means for the cats to rub up against you, distributing their pack scent upon your body. That is all.”
“Oh.” I now feel stupid, but what
’s new? I can’t help staring at Fannie’s giant mole. Fannie rubs it and turns away from me.
The cats slowly approach us. Michel remains seated. Nayla rubs against Gunthreon and Lupa, while the other cats rub against Fannie, Conner, and Bu, who holds his breath and closes his eyes, standing motionless as one of the cats rubs slowly against him.
Nayla walks to Jenna and teases her, swatting at her like a cat playing with a mouse. Jenna bares her little dagger teeth at Nayla. “Calm down, woodsprite. I’m just playing,” laughs Nayla. She then licks her on the head, but I have to laugh as her tongue gets stuck in Jenna’s matted hair. Jenna and Nayla fight to free her tongue, and I feel Nayla’s anger. “Ooh, I should have just eaten you and gotten it over with!” she exclaims. Her tongue is eventually freed.
Rising now, Michel approaches me, and I feel his strength as he comes clo
ser. The arrogance and superiority blare like subwoofers from him, making me cringe. But my own power rises to match his, and we both feel a sort of electricity as he rubs against me ever so gently. His tail slowly caresses my face and lips, then moves between my legs, but I quickly jump away, and Conner steps forward. Michel laughs deep in his throat as I tremble. “I feel your power, little one,” he says. “Your group is marked. We will see you tomorrow night—at the moon’s highest point.”
Suddenly, they all run away into the dark, only Nayla lagging behind, taking up the rear. She is soon gone.
I speak to Gunthreon, restating something he told us—something that I know everyone is thinking: “You said no parties.”
He frowns. “This one is unavoidable, I fear.”
As I point to the cave entrance, I ask, “Well, shall I unpack my bag for our night’s stay in our cuddly cave?”
I jump from face to face, and it
’s Fannie who answers: “I guess this
is
the best place, as long as someone keeps watch. I’m willing to watch tonight, and I’m sure Bu would be happy to relinquish that duty?” Bu nods.
“Gunthreon,” I say, approaching him privately, “I have to ask you why you didn
’t really try to persuade Michel.”
“Ladimer had it right. We have to appear as though we are not a threat,” he says. “It will give us a bit more flexibility.”
“Flexibility for what?”
“For us to do what we must, when we must.”
“Thanks for the Greek.”
“Anytime.”
Fannie says her goodnights and disappears out the mouth of the cave. Jenna walks over to me. “You know, with some practice, I bet you could be as strong as him someday,” she says. “There is so much one can do with energy, Kailey. If you can feel it, you can grasp it, if you can grasp it, you can eventually manipulate it—to great proportions.”
“I will never be that caliber.” I say as I ponder what she just said.
“That’s what you say.” She then walks to Conner and snuggles next to him. He covers her up with the corner of his blanket. It’s rather endearing, and makes me think again of what he said earlier about me being taken. It kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
“What Kailey thinking about?” I jump and realize I must have been staring. Bu jumps when I jump, because he didn
’t expect me to.
“Oh, nothing. Bu, can I sleep next to you tonight?” I say. He smiles, and I take it as a yes. He rolls out his blankets, and I roll out my bag next to him. I curl up in the fetal position, and am out within five minutes.
Chapter 38
Unsuspecting
I wake up to the smell of cinnamon toast, and it smells delicious.
How I love thee, Lupa.
My mom used to make me some cinnamon toast every winter morning before school. I’d get out of bed and find, in the kitchen, a big bowl of oatmeal with a plate on top of the bowl to keep it warm, and on the plate would be buttered cinnamon toast. And next to it, I’d always find a big, frosty glass of milk. It’s things like this you don’t cherish as a kid, but as you get older, and life kicks you around, you realize there’s comfort in simple pleasures—like cinnamon toast.
I turn over toward the smell, and suddenly I realize I
’m not lying next to Bu, but am instead in Amber’s spare bedroom. I quickly roll off the bed and lay beside it, away from the door. I try peeking around the bed and out the door. I can’t see anything, but I hear talking. A peek outside the window informs me it’s still dark outside.
“Will you just eat it! I finally cook you something, and you just stare at it.” Amber sounds frustrated.
“I will. Sorry, I’m not feeling good this morning.” Russell sounds horrible.
“Whatever. Did you get your suit cleaned?”
“Yes.” He starts on the toast, and it sounds like she must have made it quite crunchy. Typical.
“I can’t wait,” says Amber. “They’re just going to flip. I can’t wait to see her face.” She sounds ecstatic. “Did you happen to buy me those olives, and vanilla bean yogurt? I can’t believe I already have the crazy cravings. Ugh.”
She
’s pregnant?
I am so startled by this I gasp.
“What was that?” This from Amber. “That sounded like something was in the bedroom,” she whispers. “Go see!”
Russell is already at the bedroom door before I can travel, and we make eye contact. His eyes widen. “There’s nothing here. I’m going back to bed,” he says. He sneaks over to me. “Are you with my grandfather?”
“I was. I
’m sorry I’m here,” I respond. “Amber’s pregnant?” He nods. “How—” is all that I get out before he covers my mouth.
He whispers. “You
’re a big girl. I think you know ‘how.’”
I hear Amber approaching as Russell says, “Just tell him—,” and I travel, for fear Amber might see me.
It must still be the wee hours of the morning, for I see everyone sleeping and can hear Jenna snoring. Her snore is almost as loud as Bu’s. It appears nobody has noticed I left. I lay my head back down, insert my iPod earphones into my ears, and count sheep, trying to fall back asleep.
But I can
’t help but think how Amber and Russell got so busy so fast—marriage, and a baby, already. Thinking about Amber’s past relationships, I pray for Russell that it’s actually
his
baby, and if it
is,
that he sticks around to be a good husband, and father. Amber cannot be abandoned with a child—it would break her. I pray that the faith I have in Russell and his ability to deal with a hormone-crazed female like Amber will pay off.
As I contemplate telling Gunthreon about what I witnessed, Bu turns over and puts his arm around me, and I feel like I
’m in a giant cocoon, unable to move. His stink has grown on me, and now it will probably
be
on me.
Sleep soon takes over.
*********
I am awakened by a hissing noise right near my head, and jump up at the sight of Jenna baring her teeth at me. Her eyes are opened as wide as can be, and she hisses at my iPod. “Evil magic! Kailey, get up! It has snakes in your ears!” She reaches out to me and rips out the earphones, then bites them with her teeth, tearing—no, shredding—the cords. She then manages to chew on the iPod itself, breaking pieces off.
“No! Jenna—” My voice chokes up with displeasure. “You better sell a few weapons to replace what you just broke!” Gunthreon moans slightly, but checks himself fast. Jenna frowns. I pick up the iPod and it won’t turn on. “What the hell?! Damn, Damn, Damn!” I shout. Seeing my displeasure, Jenna starts crying, realizing she made a mistake.
I look at her and her energy feels as though
it’s
crying—it’s so full of sadness that I crouch down near her, realizing I’m overreacting. “Sorry. I know you were only protecting me. It’s all right. You see, I bought this. It plays music, and those ‘snakes’ were only cords to bring the music to my ears. Don’t be upset. I can replace it someday.” I throw the iPod down in the corner of the cave and salute it. “Rest in peace, dear Marley, Morrison, and Bono.”
Conner walks over to me. “I know someone who could get you a
really
good
deal on a new one,” he says. “Remind me when we get home, and I’ll give you his number.” Gunthreon overhears the conversation and looks disturbed as Conner talks about his inside connection. Gunthreon looks the other way as his energy swirls with a sort of uneasiness.
“That would be great
, thanks,” I reply, downhearted, as Conner squeezes my shoulder. He’s being nice to me this morning.
Jenna walks toward Conner
and I hear, “You know a magician who makes those things?” They continue their conversation as I shed tears internally, not expressing what I truly feel right now.
Everyone starts packing up their stuff, and I do the same—slowly, thinking of my lost music, and humming “Cat
’s in the Cradle,” to myself.
Cats.
Mooncat thoughts soon shadow my sorrow over my lost music. Bu’s expression of sheer panic surely reflects his own thoughts as he fiddles with his fanny pack. I pull out my own ring and stare at it, tracing the braiding with my eyes, finding no seam. I then look up to Gunthreon, who is still bothered by something.
I shove the ring back in my pocket and ask him to come with me outside the cave. It has to be morning, but it
’s still totally dark outside. This will take some getting used to.
“What
’s on your mind, Gunth?”
He stares at me.
“You can’t hide it from me,” I say.
He sighs.
“Remember when I told you that I was not always a friend in a high place?”
“Yes?” I say, suddenly overwhelmed with eagerness to learn a deep, dark secret. His energy wavers and I feel
embarrassment leaking through.
Gunthreon looks out in the distance, apparently gathering courage. “I used to be not such an honest man.”
“Yeah, well, we all have moments of weakness.”
“I
...used to run with some woodsprites.” He says it so quickly I can feel his breath pushing the words out.
My jaw opens slightly, and my head tilts to the side. “And what does that mean?”
“I used to buy weapons from the woodsprites and sell them to the highest bidders. I was so young, and I misused my persuasion, not understanding that karma would eventually find me. I was awful.” His face is darkened by the shame he has been holding onto too tightly, most likely for decades.
I dig into his energy, and he scratches his chest, where I
’ve touched, not realizing it’s me. I reach in deep, trying to find something to help his remorse.
“Everyone does stupid things when they’re young,” I say. “As long as you make a turnaround at some point and lead a better life
, which you’ve done, higher powers will recognize this—whatever or whomever they may be.” I then find what I seek, inside his energy field.
Gunthreon stares into the darkness as I say, shyly, “I feel something won
derful in your energy. I’ve dug—maybe I shouldn’t so deeply—into yours, and I’ve found a most endearing quality.” He continues scratching his chest, then looks to me, realizing what I’ve just done, then looks at me with an odd expression. I say, “I’ve found you possess an
honest
willing of self-sacrifice. You are risking your life to save others, others you do not even know. What’s more unselfish than that? You’re a good man.”
He breathes deeply, not saying anything. I then feel him build up an extra energy layer around himself, something I
’ve never experienced before. I step back slightly, and continue watching his face.
“Impressive, Kailey,” he says, pulling himself together, and standing a bit more straight. “Thank you for the reading. I
needed
that.” He then turns and whispers to himself, “You are definitely ready for this.”
“
What?” I ask, not understanding.
“Nothing. Let’s go back in.”
“You do have to do one thing for me,” I say.
He turns to me with a quizzical face. “What?”
“Give a certain someone else the benefit of the doubt. Give her a chance. You turned your life around. She can, too.”
“Oh, yes, of course. I
’ll try,” he responds. “It’s just that I see her, and everything comes back to me.” I nod. He leads me back toward our friends, and back toward the smell of something cooking. “Let’s head out, everyone,” he says to the group. “Jenna, can I talk with you?” He doesn’t look at her directly when he asks, and I see her eyes widen with fear.
“Why?” She
’s not going easily.
“Please, Jenna,” he plead
s. I feel Gunthreon’s energy change as he makes a conscious effort to keep his temper in check. I nod to Jenna. Then, I make sure I’m close enough to eavesdrop.
“I need you to every now and then run ahead of us to check out the area,” Gunthreon says. “Could you do me that favor? You wouldn
’t be in much danger, because we’d be near enough, and I know that you are stealthy enough not to be seen. I’d really appreciate it.” He looks directly into her eyes.
“No pe
rsuasion—a genuine request,” grunts Jenna. “All right. I will do that for you.” Gunthreon extends his hand to her. She studies his face, but eventually holds her tiny hands out to him.
Jenna is still holding Gunthreon
’s hand when she says, “Only thing we need is a call in case something is up. Do you know the cry of the speckled witherling?”
Gunthreon makes a guttural sound from deep in his throat with a high-pitched shrill at the end. Lupa jumps, and both Gunthreon and Jenna laugh. From Jenna
’s face, it must be the perfect rendition of a speckled witherling.
Glad to see there are no longer any enemies in our party
, I think
. Let’s see how long it lasts.
Fannie, packed, sits, waiting for Lupa to finish making some delicious smelling pancakes on a tiny, camp-sized griddle. I have to ask about the griddle. It
’s the last straw. “Lupa, where on earth are you storing all these things?” I say, picking up a saucepan lying next to her. She hands me a plate of pancakes and I start devouring them.
“I acquired the coolest everyth
ing pack when I was shopping in Nanorea a few years back,” confesses Lupa, as she hands me her plain, tan linen bag, embroidered with a blue spiral. I look inside and there is nothing. “It was quite pricey though, and I even had to cut a deal for
that
price! The mayor was in a contest for garden-grown roses, and, I helped him out just a little bit. I know it’s probably cheating, but the pack is the best!”
I turn the bag upside down and shake it. “Lupa, you’ve lost it. There’s nothing here.”
She reaches over, sticks her hand in and pulls out a metal colander.
“What?!?”
She laughs. “So I’ve lost it?”
“How?”
“When you put something in the bag,” she explains, “you make sure you get a good mental picture of it and think of it as you place it in. Then, when you need it again, you think of it, stick your hand in, and voila! It’s in your hand.”
“Can I try?” I ask
.
She hands the bag back to me and I look around. I grab a fork, and then think of it as I stick my hand in the bag, placing the fork inside and closing the bag. I then look in it and it’s empty once more.
“Okay, now retrieve it,” she says.
I think of the fork and place my hand in the bag. A sudden coldness envelopes my hand
and I feel around, only feeling linen, until suddenly, I grasp metal. I pull the object out and it’s the same fork. “So I bet you have to be the one to get it. I couldn’t reach in and take anything because I don’t know what’s in there. It’s the perfect safeguard against thieves!”
Lupa smiles. “You got it.”
“I want one!”
“Works in your realm, too” she says, a big smile across her face “You could borrow mine someday if you like. It
’s kind of scary to think how this thing really works. I mean, where does everything go?”
“Th
anks, that would be cool,” I laugh. “But what if you forget about something you put in there?”
“Well, most likely, you would remember it at some point. The only way to lose something would be to never think of it again.”
We all finish eating and pack up. I pick up my bag and sling it over my shoulder. That’s when I smell the odor wafting from my own body. “Good god! Will we ever be able to shower?”