by Taki Drake
I wonder what this means, TT thought to herself.
Rosemary’s chanting and gesturing had reached frenzied peaks. The harsh-sounding syllables seemed to rip themselves out of her throat in a wave of alien sound and magical force. TT’s instinctive response was to hide away, but she could not.
The Persian had only a split second to realize that Rosemary had altered the Familiar bond to dump all of the spell costs on her, instead of sharing it equally, before the Witch’s voice rose in triumphal completion. Shouting out the last line of the incantation, Rosemary took the parchment in both hands and ripped it to shreds.
TT was overwhelmed with echoing, pounding pain. With her magical sight, she saw a cloud of black that rose from the Witch and swooped over to cover her own body, shrouding everything within the circle that contained her. It was like knives of obsidian were floating above her and slashing at the golden Familiar bond slashing pieces from it until it finally broke. When finally that connection snapped, the shadows intensified over TT pulling increasing amounts of energy from her until her spark of life dimmed. The Persian could feel the lifeforce as it was stolen, suffering from every pull and rip until she thought that she was going to die.
The spell circle around TT dropped, and the Witch walked over to look at the barely breathing cat. Glancing contemptuously at the cat with a disdainful tilt of her perfect face, the Lady Rosemary turned to the footmen and said, “This garbage doesn’t belong to me. Kick it out with the trash.” The beautiful Witch spun on her heel and abandoned the area leaving the animal that had adored her and given everything for her lying helplessly on the ground.
It was almost an anticlimax when TT felt her body being lifted. She knew she was breathing because each inhalation hurt. Her breaths were shallow and slow, her body struggling to continue to function. Through the fog of energy depletion and echoing heartbreak, the Persian cat heard one of the footmen mutter, “Poor thing. It just doesn’t seem right.”
“Hush! You don’t want anybody to hear you talking like that. Just do what you’re told and let’s get back to the house,” ordered his superior.
TT felt her body being moved. The semi-jerky motion caused small spikes of pain to shoot through her limbs and rebound into the base of her skull. It was all that she could do to hold on to her consciousness and focus on breathing in and breathing out. The journey might have lasted 30 seconds or as far as she knew it could have lasted an hour. There was no further conversation between the men that were carrying her, and she had no other definition of distance or time.
Suddenly, the pattern of movement changed, and the cat felt herself being lofted into the air. Before her numbed thoughts could react, TT slammed into a pile of assorted objects. Although some of them were sharp and dug into parts of her body, others were more cushioning, if more odiferous. As if to add insult to injury, the soft pelting of torn parchment was then dropped on her body, bringing with it the faint smell of her Witch’s perfume.
The assault on her sense of smell was the last straw. The semi-conscious cat found herself gagging in nausea. Every spasm of her stomach caused a flare of pain and flashing lights that seem to explode from the back of her eyeballs. There was no resisting this journey into unconsciousness, and TT found herself falling back into that familiar abyss.
<<<>>>
The first thing that TT could sense as she emerged step by teetering step from the pit of unconsciousness was a mixture of rank odors that coated the inside of her throat and numbed her nose. She could feel the acid of her vomit, the smell of her stomach contents adding to the general nauseating atmosphere.
Gradually, the cat became aware that there were sounds nearby. TT could hear a man’s voice, and for a moment she was afraid that it was the footmen coming back to finish her off. There were other sounds, a snuffling noise coupled with scraping on the ground. She knew that it was familiar, but could not remember exactly what it was. Slowly, the words started to make sense. “Come on my girl. Come on, Adelphia. You can find her, I know you can.”
Norbert. The voice belonged to Norbert. He was… He was… The kennel master! Now, things started to make more sense. He and the large dog that had provided help and comfort before were looking for her!
TT would have cried if she had enough moisture in her body to do so. Of course, that would have meant she had the human ability to weep. Her mind wanted to skitter off into various directions, but she could not impose any organization on her thoughts. She just didn’t have enough energy to try to corral them into anything useful. Like demented butterflies, her mind fluttered here and there, unable to land or even pause for a moment.
A bolt of fear shot through the Persian’s body. They were in danger! Worried that they would be discovered and harm would come to the only people that had shown kindness to her, TT rose from the comforting numbness of the border between life and death to try to warn her friends. Trying to let out a loud meow of warning, the only noise that managed to make it past her abused throat was a small sound powered by her lagging energy and unresponsive body.
“Mew…”
The noise of snuffling that had been getting slowly closer all of a sudden changed in its acceleration. In just a few seconds, the cat could hear the busy paws of the dog as Adelphia tried to dig her way through to the cat. Soon, TT could hear the man’s hands join in, pulling the shrouding trash from her body. It was just a matter of a few more moments before the thin light very early morning pierced the gloom of where TT lay abandoned.
“Oh you poor thing, what have they done to you?” said the man, sorrow laced through his voice.
The dog’s mental voice was gentle, << TT, can you hear us? >>
<< Yes, I can hear you. But you are in danger. What if someone sees you? They will know that you helped me. Think of the puppies! Think of the rest the dogs! >>
<< Don’t worry, the Witch lady left a couple of days ago, and she took a bunch of the people we worry about away with her. The others we can cope with, in one way or another. >>
<<?? >> sent the Persian cat. Reassured, TT lost her grip on consciousness and tumbled back into the pit. Her last thought before that veil blotted out all thought was, At least the puppies are safe.
Chapter 8 – Smugglers and Deception
TT was not sure of how they had managed to get her out of the trash and smuggled back to the kennel. When she finally woke up, the Persian cat was extremely weak and listless. The hounds, especially the nursing mothers, had decided to treat her as one of theirs and conspired to conceal her from the view of the sparse kennel visitors. There was no facility for nursing the cat back to health. TT could feel herself getting even weaker, but she was comforted by the presence of the animals around her and the attention of the goodhearted and well-intentioned kennel master.
The first notice that her living situation was going to change again was when the cook once again visited her friend, Norbert. TT heard them talking as they came closer to her.
“It’s the day for my normal once-a-month visit to my daughter in the city, Norbert. No one will find it unusual that I go to see her today or that I take a basket of goods to her. I’ve been doing that for almost 30 years, and the only unusual thing would be if I didn’t take something with me.”
“Lori, I just worry about you. Make sure no one catches you! I truly don’t understand how you’re going to smuggle our little scrap of a kitten out of here.”
“That is for me to know and you to wonder about. A girl has to have some secrets, you know.”
The man laughed and gave up. “Peace, Lori. Do what you can but please don’t get caught.”
TT felt herself being lifted by a pair of small, firm hands. She heard the kennel master leave the area before the woman’s voice sounded again. “You are such a little thing. I’m not going to put you in the basket, where they’re going to look. However, most of these guards have known me since they were little boys. They would no more search my body than they would search their grandmothers. So, I think I will
just tuck you into my bosom. Now, mind you, no clawing! And please be quiet. I know it’s going to be hard, but you have to stay silent.”
The cat was placed against the woman’s shift in an area that was soft and comfortable. The smell of laundry soap and the underlying scent of the woman herself told TT where she was being hidden. Another layer of fabric was arranged over the small cat, cutting off the light but in closing her in warmth and the feeling of security.
As the woman settled the rest of her clothing, she said, “Now be quiet and still, dearling. I need to be able to get you out of here without anyone being the wiser. If I can get you into the city, my daughter will take care of you for a while at least. We can then figure out where you are going to go from there.”
Cradled in warmth and softness, the Persian floated in bliss, enclosed in the most comfortable surroundings that she had been for many days. Still too drained to have any desire to move, she was perfectly content with being a passive rider on this leg of a journey without goal or direction.
In a semi-aware state where the motion of her transport and the delicious warmth that seeped into her body kept her in a relaxed and encompassing bubble of semi-consciousness, TT was only partially aware of her surroundings. Gradually, she noticed that most of the motions of travel had stopped and that although the woman that carried her still was using a friendly, cheerful voice, the tension in the body against TT’s own had risen. The words outside of that cocoon of comfort and warmth changed from background noise to specific communications as the cat began to actively listen.
“George Conboy, yes I’ve been taking this trip once a month for almost three decades. Everyone in the estate is allowed a day a month to do what they want. I go to visit my daughter. The same one that grew up with you. What did you expect, that I was sneaking off to meet some lover?”
“Now Cook Lori, don’t get so bent out of shape. We are always getting new guidelines for what we have to do and searching your basket is one of them. I don’t mean anything by it, but that’s what I’ve been told I have to do, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Fine, but don’t you mess up the little pies that I made for my grandchildren or you won’t be finding any extra treats for you when you come sneaking into the kitchen after your shift gets off.”
There was more fussing back and forth, but TT could tell that the cook had responded appropriately, and no one was suspicious. The cat kept very still, not wanting to throw any hint of her presence out. After a few more moments, the cook was allowed to go on her way, basket and other items intact.
Moving more rapidly now, the cook walked briskly forward. She made no comment to the somnolent cat, and TT stayed utterly quiet. Soon the sound of the cook’s shoes on the roads changed to a more variable pitch as if the stones were uneven or partially absent. The other sounds that TT could hear had also changed. It’d gotten a lot more silent. Where before there had been the sounds of market booths and crowds, now the aural presence of the people in the squares was thinner and the language accents rougher.
Only once or twice did the cook call out greetings to passersby. Her comments were more guarded, and the accent that she used had altered. Her voice was broader and less refined, but it matched that of the people with whom she exchanged comments.
The shift to climbing stairs startled TT so much that she almost stood up before realizing where she was. Giving herself a small shake to get her brains back in working order, the cat was wary and listened closely. Soon the cook came to a stop, breathing slightly labored after the multiple flights of stairs.
The sound of knocking vibrated through TT. That thrum of the cook’s announcement had not worn off when Lori said cheerfully, “Hello in there! It’s your Nana come for her day. Phil and Maddie, if you’re there by yourself let your Nana in. If not, go get your Mama.”
The sound of an opening door creaked audibly, and TT felt more movement. She could tell that the cook had slipped into the apartment by the movement and the abrupt cessation of the hallway sounds. As TT heard the door close, a confused storm of greeting filled the air, with little voices exclaiming, “Nana!” and an older, female voice saying, “Mother, I was getting worried.”
The cook replied, “I’m sorry I’m late, dear. There was a very important task I had to complete first. Unfortunately, there was no way to let you know about my delay.”
“They made you work on your one day off!?”
“No, this was a personal task. Something that I thought was very important.”
The younger adult female voice became suspicious, shifting to a slower and more questioning note, “What have you gotten yourself into now, Mother?”
“You know me too well, daughter. In this case, I have brought my problem with me. It is something that I would like you to do and should only be an inconvenience for a few weeks.”
“I think you better tell me what this is all about. You know that with Brendan gone things are tight here. I really cannot take in one of your little orphan strays to feed right now. I have all I can do to keep your two grandchildren in food and clothing.”
“I think this one won’t eat very much, and you certainly don’t have to worry about clothing.” With that, the covering was pulled off of TT, and the small hands of the woman gently brought her out into the light of the room. The reaction from the children was instantaneous.
“Kitty!”
Two sets of little hands reached out toward TT. She had no experience with children. What would they do? Considering the favor that the woman had done for her, TT restrained her fearful hisses but couldn’t stop her flattened ears and her defensive crouch. The cook showed her understanding of animals when she warned her grandchildren, “Be very gentle with the kitty. She is not very old, and she has been hurt badly. We don’t want to hurt her again so please be careful.”
TT opened bleary eyes to look into two little faces that were staring intently at her. It took her a moment to figure out one was a boy and other a girl because they were dressed similarly and had identical long, reddish-brown hair tied back, brown eyes, and mirrored expressions of surprise and pleasure.
There was another woman in the room, midway between the children’s age and that of her mother. Her eyes softened in sympathy when she saw the bedraggled cat, but then they had narrowed as she turned and looked at her mother in suspicion. “Mother! Is this by any chance one of those fancy Familiars that the castle Witch runs through all the time?”
“Shush daughter. This is TT, and she used to be a Familiar of the Witch. She is no longer employed in that manner. She needs a place to recover so that she can travel away from here. I brought funds so that you can feed her, plus some extra to help with the children. That way you won’t be out of pocket for anything associated with the cat.”
“Are you going to be in trouble over this, Mother? I can’t see the Lady Rosemary letting anything of hers go.”
“The only way I will get in trouble is for them to figure out that we pulled the poor kitty from the trash and smuggled her out of the castle.”
“Mother! How could you endanger us like this?!”
“There is no way for Rosemary to trace the cat. This sweet girl did not deserve what happened to her. I could not save any of the others that have been killed, but at least, I could save this one. If you’re incapable of taking the cat in and allowing her a few weeks to recover, I will find somebody else to do it.”
The cook’s gentle voice had changed, becoming bracing and almost hard. TT couldn’t bear to hear her that angry. Stiffly turning her head, the cat stretched out a soft paw and patted the older woman’s wrist, while attempting a rusty purr. The shaky, threadbare cadence of that tattered sound filled the silence and broke the tension between the mother and daughter.
Startled by that response, the cook’s daughter flung her hands into the air and said, “Oh, all right. I will take care of the cat but no more than three weeks, do you hear me?”
The cook responded, “Why don’t we jus
t make it until the next day that I can come to visit you. That way, I can work on all the details and take the cat to the next stage in her journey at that time. It means there’s less for you to do and it keeps the babies safer.”
With this arrangement, the cook’s daughter had no further objection. Having cleared the more serious business, the next few hours were filled with family gossip and the warmth of close and loving family interaction that happens even in the poorest environments.
Chapter 9 – Back from the Edge
TT had spent the first two weeks simply sleeping and eating. It seemed that all she could manage to do was to keep existing one day at a time. The first three days were the worst. If she didn’t keep focused on making her chest move, she would forget to breathe. She also had to listen to her heartbeat because if her attention wavered, her heart would begin to skip. It was as if her body had forgotten how to live and only her mind could remember.
Somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind, the little Persian cat knew. She had visited the drop-off to oblivion, to death. One more step would have put her over. Sometime later on, she was sure that she would be grateful that she had not stepped over that edge, but for right now, she was too tired to care.
Stubbornness continued to drive her. Even without conscious thought, the cat had an underlying determination and toughness that she would have been surprised about a simple month before. The Familiar Trials really changed me, she thought, or maybe it was just exposure to Stinky, Jack, and Dascha.
As her health improved, TT took more notice of her surroundings. She saw how careful that Dora, the cook’s daughter, was with all of her resources. The woman was frugal and strategic about everything she did. It was obvious that she loved her children and that they loved her back without reservation. The Persian found it fascinating to watch the interplay among them. She both recognized the differences from all of the other families she had observed and mourned for never feeling that herself.