Part VII:
The Queen and Old Tiger nipped out
of the exit of the freehold, leaping over
the bum/ troll door guard. They could
hear a troupe of Kithain knights
gathering in the antechamber, preparing
to track down the chyrsalid. They leapt
on to a heap of garbage and waited. Two
sidhe and an eshu stepped out of the
doorway, looking around as if getting
their bearings. Old Tiger and Esmerelda
began grooming each other drawing on the
subtle glamour of their kith. The eshu
started pointing in a direction as the
cantrip hit him. "It's in tha... that
direction." He said as he pointed on a
course forty five degrees from the
original.
The sidhe looked at each other and
shrugged their shoulders following the
eshu out of the alleyway. The cait sidhe
looked each other, smiling. They
mimicked the sidhe, shrugging in mockery
before heading off in the what they knew
to be the right direction.
***
"Thank goodness," Tom thought, "I
was nearly lost there." Tom looked up
from Amy's arms suppressing his
shuddering from the glamour surge. By all
the pieces of Dan, he had stumbled upon
another chrysalis. She stood up from the
bench to which she had stumbled. It
looked like it was a cait sidhe on top of
that. He stared at her face, "Are you
OK?"
Her face showed momentary confusion
then recognition. Tom felt a coldness
snap down on the glamour that was roiling
about her. She shook her head and
continued walking. Tom squirmed to see
where she was going. The sights and sounds
of Place Alexis Nihon (a shopping center
in Montreal) overwhelmed him and sent his
heart pitter-pattering in anxiety. Amy
strode quickly upstairs and out into the
cool fall air. She crossed St. Catherine
street to the park. Tom felt the
vibrations in her chest that indicated
that she was humming and soon heard the
music, perking his ears when he realized
that it was a favourite among the
gremalkin. Tom felt euphoria take him,
burning his veins as it carried him to a
glamour high. He was so disoriented by a
wave of visions that he nearly fell when
Amy dropped him as she reached for a
nearby tree to steady her. She slunk and
slithered to the ground in a daze. He
looked around to see if anyone had noticed.
In typical cityfolk fashion, they ignored
the stumbling woman and her cat. Then he
saw a black cat, an orange tabby and a
scruffy looking calico running in his
direction and realized that other gremalkin
had been drawn by the chrysalis. He sighed
in relief and sat back licking his paw.
The black cat ran up to him looking
at the blond girl as the chrysalis drew
her into unconsciousness. The cat looked
rather pensive. Tom greeted her in the
tongue of the gremalkin, which consisted
of various meows and mewlings. "Hello,
fair lady, she is cait sidhe and not one
of the others, eh?"
The orange tabby growled slightly.
The black cat glared then came up to Tom
and they sniffed each other. She sat
back, looking at him quizzically. "You
do not know who I am and I don't
recognize your scent...."
Tom purred, "I am called Tom, and
you are?"
The grin she gave him was feral, "I
am Queen Esmerelda, and how is that you
know not of me?"
Tom quickly dropped to his belly in
submission. He looked between Amy and
the Queen, thought of Lithui and felt
alarm twist his belly into knots.
***
Count Learath sat a table in the
main hall of the Duchess's freehold
amongst his closest advisors. He was
wondering at the darkness that had take
hold in his heart towards Jonold and said
as much to his advisors. Crux, his Redcap
Knight, looked up from the plate he was
gnawing on. "*hurumph* C'est un question
de quelque chose qu'on ne voit pas, peut-
etre..."
The Count's court seer, a sluagh,
dressed strangely enough in flamboyant
colors, looked up and whispered at the
top of his voice, "My good friend Crux,
has hit it on the mark, something moves
that we cannot or choose not see." He
squinted at the Count and gasped, "My
friend, it seems that enchantments have
been laid upon you, and I suspect that
they deal with the animosity you feel to
our good friend Jonold."
Learath's eyes widened, "How could
this be? I know of no enemies of mine
that would stoop to such a low and
vindictive prank and why Jonold..." The
Count stopped to think for a moment.
The sluagh hissed in, "Perhaps the fledge
has earned enemies already, considering
who he courts."
Crux stood up from the table and
scanned the room. "J'aimerais savoir qui
l'a fait."
Learath looked up at him, "Yes, the
culprit must be found. I have a feeling
that there is more to this than jilted
lovers." He stood up and looked at the
door to the Duchess' chambers.
***
The little white mouse looked up at
the indignant tortoiseshell feline who
was glaring back. "I know what you're
thinking. What reason do I have for
being forsworn or even believe someone
who you believe to be your enemy over
your regent and probably longtime
friend...." the little mouse spewed.
The cat spat. "Listen, Andoris, I
don't know the game you're playing but
don't expect me to believe you. You're
desperate. What's to stop me from eating
you now?"
The mouse backpedaled into the
chamber then stopped to study the cat
intently. "First, you are not one to eat
Kithain." The cat glowered. "And, I have
a gift in divining and manipulating time,
if you want I would swear an oath."
The cat nodded, "You may call me
Lithui for I trust you. Yet I would
require a proof of these claims."
"A moment.." The mouse returned
carrying a wad of feathers in her mouth.
She tossed them up and watched how they
fell. "This is what I propose..."
***
As the Duchess was swaying her way
towards John, diverse alarms were
sounding in his head. His pulse was
rising with his lust, but he knew he
couldn't give in to her this night. It
felt... ill. When she asked, "Now where
were we?" diverse alarms resounded more
than a town square at noon. He slithered
quickly out of the couch as she
insinuated herself onto it. She pouted
briefly before smiling coyly thinking it
was a game. He skiddattled
towards the door. He cursed inwardly as
he realized she had warded the door. She
pursued him slowly, inexorably. John
realized his options were running out.
It was the door she had come out or the
window. He opted for the door and
sprinted. She laughed gaily, "My
thoughts exactly... *slam*" She shrieked
in outrage as the door was slammed in her
face.
John looked around Elana's bedroom,
the door firmly secure. Extreme concern
set in even more as he saw no way out.
Then the door burst open from its seams
and Elana strode into her domain. Her
beautiful countenance had lost its
playfulness. "I will not be spurned by
you chiven." She drew a candle from a
wall bracket holding it to her face. Her
beauty reached awe inspiring proportions.
John was left with his jaw hanging open
as she approached him. She smiled a
beckoning smile, "Come lie with me,
please."
The first thought through John's
mind was wondering how could he have been
a fool to have resisted her. It was
followed by an, "Oh ...." as his legs and
body responded to the siren's call. "Must
free myself..."
***
Part VIII:
John lay pinned under the Duchess.
The chemistry of passion and its glamour
burned like acid through his veins. Now
he yielded kiss for kiss, caress for
caress... A gasp passed his lips as the
glamour pulled them closer and clothing
became an obstacle. John's eyes widened.
Something in him snapped with force of
breaking steel cables. The feelings of
burning betrayal of violation swept
through him leaving ice in their wake.
Elana's eyes widened as she felt the
chill resonate through her.
The dance of love froze and they
stared into each others eyes. With a fury
that lent him surprising strength John
threw Elana from him. She didn't resist
and slumped to the ground, tears forming
in her eyes. John fled the room her eyes
on him, not accusing but with the
beginnings of anger.
John forgot about the Warded door
until he was through it. He didn't pause
to think as to why the Ward was down. The
stairs down from the Duchess' apartments
seemed too many as he was driven and
taken by some unknown passion.
As Elana heard John run down the
stairs her face became fury incarnate.
There was an aftertaste on her soul that
spoke of a manipulating unknown power. She
stood up and went to her armoire picking
up a golden ring with a black crystal. As
she slid the ring onto her finger, the
crystal changed from black to a milky
white. The white faded and she saw a
winged eye blinking up at her from within
it. An angry shriek tore itself from the
noble's throat as she hurled the treasure
into a mirror across the room reflexively
gathering glamour into a curse.
With the tinkling of the glass, all
rage was drained from her. She stood there
for moments becoming more and more pale
as she realized the import and power of
what she had just done.
***
Learath looked up from his table as
the door up to the Duchess' apartments
slammed open spewing a disheveled man
into the main hall of the freehold. The
figure sprinted for the door. Learath
called out, "John! Stop!" John didn't
break his stride as he looked over his
shoulder and called, "No, where's the
chrysalis?"
The Count arose quickly and chase
John to the door, "Jean-Claude, Terrance
and Gino went after it!"
John stormed out into the night
stopping to speak to the troll door
guard, "Where did they go?" The Troll
looked up, shrugged and pointed towards
Westmount. John's only response was to
sprint away as Learath stepped out the
door. He looked at the grimacing troll
shrugged and pursued.
***
Lithui was running down the side
alleys parallel to Ste Catherine Street
when she saw him. He was running down De
Maisonneuve pursued by a Kithain of some
sort. She stopped shrugged and changed
her mind. In moments she crossed Ste
Catherine and trotted to the chrysalis.
She purred when she saw Tom on his belly
before the Queen. It seemed that the
Queen was enjoying a rage at the moment,
railing on the commoner about respecting
his betters.
Old Tiger looked at her as she
approached and meowed a greeting. This
stopped the Queen's ravings as she turned
to look at her knight. "Why Lithui. It
seems I have found your lost charge.
He's been getting himself placed in
perspective."
Tom was looking at Lithui gratefully
at this point. Lithui pitied him. She
had been on the receiving end of the
Queen's ire way too often. Then it also
sunk in that the Queen wasn't watching
the plan unfold. That meant that she
didn't know that John had somehow freed
himself from the cantrips.
A wave a glamour disrupted her
thoughts and stopped the Queen from
saying something. As one the cait sidhe,
commoner and noble alike turned and
looked at the familiar transformation.
The true features of Amy were showing
through. On her brow was an emerald with
a star in its middle set on a band of
gold. Lithui gasped. It was rare that a
noble chrysalis with her circlet. There
was also something about the stone. A
low growl came from the Queen's throat.
In a surprisingly quick movement, Tom
jumped to place himself between the Queen
and the chrysalid. It seemed that he
recognized something. Then as the
glamour stirred her memories. The star
emerald was the symbol of a True Queen.
Esmerelda only had a pure emerald, the
symbol of a monarch or high noble but not
of a True Queen.
Old Tiger jumped and danced then
scratched the tree where Amy was resting.
Soon the results of the bunk were clear
as the park became empty and everyone
ignored its interior. Tom watched him
warily.
The Queen's tail twitched. Old
Tiger leapt at Tom claws extended.
Lithui watched and worried remembering
Andoris' words.
***
In the fey felines' freehold, a
mouse stared at a mirror watching this
scene. A wave of glamour passed from the
image to her. And she gasped. She
remembered now the face of the chrysalid
from long ago. Then she squeaked when
she saw battle joined
***
John found the three knights who
were searching for the chrysalid sitting
in another park not too far away. They
seemed to be having a heated debate.
They looked up at the two arriving
panting nobles and bowed their respects.
"Your Grace," the eshu spoke up, "my
talents and arts tell me to stay here to
find the chrysalid."
Learath nodded then watched as John
ran towards Ste Catherine street. "Then
wait here we shall. I have a feeling
that one will be returning to us with the
one you seek."
***
Part IX:
Learath watched as John's back
disappeared further down the street. He
heard a whispered heated debate behind
him and turned. The eshu and his sidhe
companions turned in unison and peered up
at the noble. One of the Sidhe looked up
and breathed, "Your Excellency it seems
that the Eshu has found sitting still the
best course to finding a chrysalis and
your friend has run off obviously to find
the chrysalis..."
Learath raised his hand to forestall
any further objections, "I trust your
Eshu friend is right more than I trust a
Fiona in some passion..."
***
Elana dressed herself very quickly
despite a pit in her stomach. At least
she wouldn't have to waste any more of
her glamour tonight was the thought that
passed through her head wryly. She swept
out of her apartment into a wall of
flesh. The troll she had flustered
earlier was towering over her.
He grabbed her shoulders and looked
into her eyes, "Your Grace, y'okay? I saw
Jonold split."
She gazed into the eyes of the guard
trying to hide the mix of anger and guilt
that was burning in her. "That was fine.
Fetch me the Court Seer and four of my
personal Knights."
The Trolls face was impassive as he
bowed and said, "Right away, Your Grace."
Elana took a deep breath to steady
herself and quickly went to get her
Sword. This time she slowly opened the
door out of the apartments at the base of
the stairs. The courtiers looked at her
murmuring to each other in their
conversations. She didn't have long to
wait when four of her knights of various
kith gathered about her with a sprightly
young Satyr sained but a year ago. Just
as she was about to say something a sidhe
dressed in black, purple, red and gold
came up to her. She repressed a shudder
at the Sidhe's malformed face. The blood
shot right eye wandered as he addressed
her, "Elana, the Children of Lilith have
gathered in the Facade. They'll be
leaving to feed in an hour." Without
waiting for acknowledgment he turned and
stalked out of the Duchess' presence.
The Knights and Satyr pointedly ignored
the retreating Sidhe.
Elana sighed eyebrows furrowed as
she turned and spoke to the five she had
called for. In very few minutes they were
returning back into the Duchess'
apartments and into her study. The Satyr
looked up at Elana gesturing for her to
sit. The Satyr, dressed in lightly
flowing gossamer clothing, set incense at
the four points of the compass. Soon the
air was filled with the pungent mixture
of their scents. Glamour danced in the
smoke forming shapes and images. The
Satyr spoke. "The one you seek is dead."
Elana paled and waved a dismissal to
the young Satyr who was out of the room
in a twinking (and assorted
twinkishness, oops sorry ::grin:: that
was twinkling) of an eye. The four
Knights listened to what their sovereign
had to say. The Knights and Elana were
out into the night in minutes.
***
John stumbled past the Alexis Nihon
Plaza catching his breath. A few late
night party goers ogled him wondering
what he was on. He stopped at Ste
Catherine's to get his bearings. Then it
struck him. There in the park. But what
was that sound... He jogged diagonally
across the intersection, jaywalking in
typical Montrealer fashion. The park
looked dark and foreboding in spite of
the lights that kept it aglow. In fact,
no one was entering that place. John
shrugged and stepped into the park. The
change was immediate. The unidentified
sound turned out to be the sound of two
cats fighting. He felt waves of glamour
from the direction of the fight. He
smiled knowing this was it and worried
about what cats were doing fighting near
a veiled chrysalis.
A few brisk paces brought him to the
scene. He was welcomed by a shrieked,
"YOU!" He looked about for the person who
made the remark and saw Tom fighting with
an orange tabby. His heart leapt in time
with his yell to his cat. Right next to
the rolling pair of cats was the most
beautiful Sidhe he had ever set his eyes
on. He looked down in time to see a
black cat leap at him, all claws,
shrieking like a maniac. He even thought
he heard words. In a reflex action he
knocked the poor creature out of the air
with a swipe and immediately felt guilt.
The cat recovered quickly and was at him
in an instant. This time he held his
hands out to hold the deranged cat at a
distance. The whites of its eyes were
showing and it was frothing at the mouth.
It was tearing his arms to shreds.
The sounds of the cat fight had
stopped. Old Tom and Tiger lay there
breathlessly staring at the Queen's
attack on John, blood matting their fur
from their wounds, stupefied at the
Queens actions. They saw John heave the
cat off a good thirty meters the second
time with droplets of his blood trailing
in the air. It landed firmly and started
to charge John again. A blast of glamour
like that of a nuclear explosion shook
the area, bursting from the being of Amy.
John fell to his knees, murmuring...
staring at Amy in rapture, his eyes
looking on the present and the past at
once, "No... It can't be...."
***
Andoris watched as a man jogged in
ignorance into the hands of her enemy.
She saw the Queen assault the hauntingly
familiar figure and get thrown twice. A
blast of glamour knocked her back through
the "opening" of the scrying device into
the Cait Sidhe freehold. With it came
memories... She sat shuddering, trapped
as a mouse in a corner, immobile and
vibrating with glamour. "Oh. John," she
sobbed.
***
Part X:
The glamour poured into John
blinding him for a moment. Darkness
wrestled with his sight until a gentle
glow formed into shapes. John found
himself in another time and place, in
memories buried by banality.
Sitting across from him chatting
gaily was the woman he had seen in the
park, the chrysalid. They were in the
room of some keep. The candles cast
jumping shadows into the corners of the
room. A black cat lay napping on top of
a packed bookcase. The stone walls and
floors seemed to hold a chill for John
for no apparent reason. But his past
self felt warm and safe in here with this
woman. A name came to him, Amestria,
Queen of the Cats. Her musical voice was
but a drone as he felt detached from what
was happening. Queen of the Cats... oh,
my.. the cat fairies. The circlet on the
Queen's eyebrow had an emerald in it with
a dark slit like that of a cat's pupil.
Presently that slit dilated and the
drone of Amestria's voice turned into
words, "Darling, there's something
bothering you. Out with it."
In the distance, John felt a strange
yet wonderful resonance in his heart.
Then he heard himself say. "My Duchess
is calling me to the Gateway to Arcadia
today. She believes there is no time to
delay."
The pupil in the circlet shrank to a
point and the Queen turned pale. For a
moment her eyes threatened to water.
"It's ending isn't it." John felt
himself nod once in an abrupt motion.
Amestria shook her head, "You know I
cannot follow you. My people chose to
stay."
John's voice sallied forth, "Why?
It doesn't make sense. You'll all be
safe in Arcadia." John's voice softened
as he said, "And I won't be with you
anymore." The Queen became quite
interested in the table, "And we never
took the Oath of True Hearts, we..."
The door opened letting in a breeze
that threatened to extinguish the candles
in the room. A short Sidhe of House Liam
entered, dressed in peasants clothing.
"Hey, guys... oops didn't mean to
interrupt. Heya, Queen, how're you
doing?" She shrugged not waiting for an
answer, "The Duchess says we leave in the
morning that gives you guys a full twenty
hours. I best be leaving you two to your
last moments." She was shaking her head
as she left. Her voice was heard as a
slowing receding mumble as she left
leaving the door open a crack behind her,
"Stupid cats never know what's good for
the silly...."
The Queen and John looked at each
other smiling, not noticing the black cat
that had slipped into the room. John's
voice rumbled forth, "Andoris means
well." Then he became very serious.
"About that Oath. It is now or never."
Their hands reached across the
table, not noticing the coarse surface.
A terrible caterwaul came from the corner
and a black form leapt onto the table
knocking both candles out, extinguishing
them. There was a brief rush of glamour.
A cantrip was cast. John heard a
terrible meowling and then scream from
the darkness in front of him. A chair
clattered to the floor.
He stumbled around the table and
felt a form flee the room. The room was
nearly silent except for a gurgling sound
coming from the floor. A green light
glowed eerily, a familiar cat's pupil in
it's center. John bowed down to its
glow. He heard the pattering of
footsteps and light entered the room from
the hallway. Andoris' voice drifted in,
"John, Amestria, everything..." She
gasped at the same time as John moaned
and curled up in a ball, crying like a
child near a pool of blood. Amestria,
Queen of Cats, lay dead on the floor
throat clawed and bitten open.
Andoris spoke softly, "It was that
black cat, Esmerelda I think her name is
that I saw running from here that did
this isn't it."
John stood up. His handsome features
twisted into something grotesque, "Yes,
that trollop has been after me for some
time. I will have her pay Dan's price."
He drew his sword and stalked out of the
room, Andoris at his side, her own sword
drawn...
***
Back in this time and place a mouse
lay in the corner of the room weeping
***
The wave a glamour that had frozen
John dissipated and he moved with a
swiftness that would defy description to
go to Amy's side. The black cat moved
more quickly then he and leapt at the
unconscious form of Amy going for her
throat, chewing a stick. Glamour
gathered about the flying form of
Esmerelda. Neither of them were quick
enough. Lithui was by Amy's side.
Amy and her were gone before the
black cat could do her deed. The glamour
about Esmerelda dissipated harmlessly.
She landed at the base of the tree meowed
a quick song. She looked about for a
moment getting her bearings then ran
before John was able to grab her.
Old Tiger and Tom separated from
each other and watched the fleeing Queen.
Tiger howled a warning, too late. John
turned to see a police car strike the
black cat he now recognized as Esmerelda
and drive on.
John turned around and picked up Tom
gingerly and took stock of the wounds on
himself and his cat. Tiger began to howl
in mourning. The plaintive wail made all
in range of hearing stop. Memories of
deceased loved ones bringing tears to
their eyes.
***
Learath and the three emissaries
from the Duchess were chatting to pass
the time when there was a rush of
displaced air with a slight bamf. They
turned as one to look upon what they took
to be a comatose Sidhe and her cat. In
moments the glamour in the area rose and
they new this was the chrysalid. The four
of them approached her quickly. The
tortoiseshell cat leapt in front of her
mistress and growled in warning. For some
reason that they didn't understand, all
but Learath stopped going to attend the
chrysalid.
The Count looked at the cat and
said, "There is more to you than meets
the eye, isn't there little one?"
The cat's only reply was to growl.
"Look, I am friend of your mistresses.
I want to help."
The cat growled again and for some
reason the Kithain present understood it
as saying, "You can not help her. You
are not of her kind."
A car pulled up next to the
assembled Kithain and spewed Elana and
her four Knights into the scene.
Everyone bowed at the arriving dignitary.
She stepped out and toward the woman she
saw lying on the ground. Once more the
cat growled a warning. The Duchess spoke
gently, "Let us see to her, little cat."
Glamour gathered and dissipated not
taking the force of the command to the
gallain.
The cat groomed her coat a bit and
growled once more at the Duchess.
The Duchess stood there stunned.
She looked over at Learath who shrugged,
"There is more to that cat than meets the
eye." The cat stuck its tongue out at the
Count and Duchess. The Duchess shrugged,
"She does not need us yet. Have you seen
Jonold?"
Learath looked down the street,
pointed then started and mentioned, "I
believe he arrives."
The Duchess turned, her face would
have done marble statues justice. What
she saw surprised her. Jonold was
carrying a rather tattered looking
grayish-blue cat in one hand and a
garbage bag in the other. An orange
tabby was trailing him by a few paces
looking rather downcast, even for a cat.
As John drew nearer, she saw the blood on
John's clothes and hands and her
composure broke into a mix of disgust a
curiosity. She called out, "Hello,
Jonold, I see you found your cat."
John looked up from his
ministrations to his cat and saw the
Duchess. A quick series of emotions
passed through his countenance and he
settled on an uneasy smile. As he crossed
the street, he felt the familiar eddies
and swirls of glamour coming from the
chrysalis. His step became lighter and
his smile became genuine. He jogged
across and looked at Amy his smile
broadening. The Duchess followed his
gaze and her curiosity deepened. His
smile darkened as he glanced at the
Duchess, "I hope all is well, your
Grace."
"It seems that the cause of the
night's ills is dead. Or at least so my
seer tells me."
John couldn't hide his surprise as
he looked at the garbage bag in his
hands. At that moment, the tortoiseshell
cat let out the most pitiful howl heard
by the Kithain here. In fact, it brought
tears to their eyes. That cat came and
pawed at the garbage bag. John slowly
eased the bag to the ground and placed
Tom next to it. The tortoiseshell poked
her head into the bag and howled once
more. This time the other cats joined in
a chorus. When they were done, it was as
if the entire neighbourhood stood still
for a moment to honour them in silence.
The cats gathered around John
expectantly. He looked down and made
arrangements with the Duchess.
***
Three cats sat perched atop some
boxes with a white mouse hanging on to
the back of the tortoiseshell. A man was
sitting on the floor caressing the
forehead of the woman lying on his couch
in an apartment cluttered with boxes yet
to be unpacked.
The woman's eyes fluttered open and
the man put an arm around her. She
looked up at him, "Jonold....?"
John pulled Amy close and tears ran
freely down both their faces. Amy
whispered, "You came back." John looked
into her eyes, "We begin together
again... True Heart"
***************************************
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geocities.com/soho)