Coricats and Terrans alike began to regain their senses as Admeetus, Tughar, and Plaetoh came back into the hall. "Macavity returned," Tumblebrutus said grimly in response to his father's unspoken question.
"He got away with Demeetar and Cazondra!" Alahnso groaned. The black and white cat had had his right arm and leg broken in his attempts to protect the two females.
"Was anyone else taken?" Plaetoh demanded.
"One of them got away with Etsetera," Pouncival said unhappily, trying to twist around to lick his scratched hip.
Admeetus and Tughar both growled.
"Jemymah and Mozu, too," Vyktorea added, submitting to Plaetoh's comforting embrace.
"Excuse me," Pavel said tensely, "but there are some people here who don't speak your language, you know!"
Admeetus turned to face the Terran men. One of them was missing he realized. "The Tyghurss have made off with several Jellicles, all of them female," he said evenly. "They probably mean to mate with them."
"Well, damn it, they took Jabez, too!" Eliot burst out angrily. "What the hell would they want with him?"
"Maybe a female took him," Tughar growled sarcastically. "Though I can't imagine why she'd want him."
"I guess the Tyghurss females are no different from our own," Mistoffelees said in a nasty tone.
"Shut up, both of you," Alahnso hissed impatiently. "This isn't the time."
"It's strange," Skimbleshanks murmured thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since the Tyghurss have had one of their Jellicle-stealing raids."
"At least last time they were unsuccessful," Plaetoh said despondently.
"Where is Munkustrap?" Admeetus asked suddenly.
Silently the Jellicles parted to reveal their stricken chief lying on the ground with his head in Elektra's lap and Mungojery and Rumplteezer on either side. His breathing came in ragged gasps and he was barely conscious.
"Oh, Papa!" Plaetoh cried out as he released Vyktorea and dropped to his knees at his father's side. "He needs a healer! Where is Cazondra?"
"I already said," Alahnso growled, understandably upset. "The Tyghurss got her!"
"What about Vyktorea?" Azperighus said suddenly. "Hasn't Cazondra been teaching you her tricks?"
"But I've never actually done anything!" Vyktorea protested, her voice rising toward hysteria.
Eliot looked down at the wounded chief. He had blood oozing from dozens of places all over his body, but the bite to his side was the worst of all. Already his breathing was starting to sound gurgly.
Any minute now he's going to breathe his last breath, Eliot thought to himself. And these poor kittens will be without a leader. Well, what can I do? I'm not a healer; I wouldn't even know how to start! But Vyktorea does. She just needs a little encouragement. And someone needs to take charge here.
"Vyktorea, you've got to help him or he's going to die," Eliot said matter-of-factly.
"I can't!" Vyktorea wailed. "I don't know how!"
Eliot gripped the little white female by the shoulders. "You know how the body works, don't you?"
"Yes," Vyktorea sobbed.
"Then get down there, find out what's wrong, and fix it."
"But--" she began.
"Do it!" Eliot yelled, rather louder than he'd meant to. "Or he'll die!"
With tears matting her fur, Vyktorea bent down next to Munkustrap and ran her paws gingerly over the bite in his side. It was already infected, but her major worry was the blood he was losing. She felt Eliot's hands on her shoulders and heard him whisper, "Make yourself as small as you can, and go inside his body to find the problem."
Vyktorea wanted to say that this was impossible, but knew she would be wasting her breath and decided to try his suggestion anyway. She concentrated on the wound and suddenly she realized that she was staring at where Macavity's teeth had pierced the bottom of the lung, which was rapidly filling with fluid. The sight was so horrible she tried to draw back, but found a wall of magic blocking her.
"Don't be afraid," Eliot said. "Stop the bleeding."
Can he see what I'm seeing? she wondered, but put the thought out of her head as she concentrated on sealing all the broken blood vessels. Then she drew the fluid out of the lung and patched the hole. Finally she sent a wave of cleansing magic through his body to cure all his wounds and any infection they might contain. When she was done, she fell back into Eliot's arms, gasping, "I've…never…done that…before!"
"You did a great job, Vyk!" Eliot said with elation. He had used his own power to observe what she was doing and was quite pleased with the results. Munkustrap's breathing was still a little shallow, but he no longer sounded like he was drowning.
Eliot readily surrendered the badly drained Vyktorea to Plaetoh's arms and stood up. "Okay, the next order of business," he addressed the bewildered Jellicles, "is to get our people back from Macavity. Where would he have taken them?"
"To the Tyghurss settlement, I guess," Plaetoh answered.
"Do you know where that is?"
"Yes," said Admeetus, and narrowed his eyes at the Terran. "But there is no need for you to be involved."
"Forgive me, Admeetus, but I am coming with you," Eliot said with determination. "And here are my reasons: First and most obvious, Macavity kidnapped my friend, too. Second, Macavity is not afraid to fight dirty with his magic and neither am I. And here's my third reason."
Eliot pulled his blaster from the inside of his coat, where he had kept it since their first day on Coricum. The Jellicles drew back apprehensively.
"What is it?" Tughar asked, fascinated.
"It's a weapon," Eliot told him. "And that's all you need to know about it."
"Eliot, you're not really going to use that on the Coricats, are you?" Pavel cried.
"Don't blow a blood vessel, Pav, I'm setting it for stun right now," Eliot said as he pushed a couple buttons on the butt of the weapon. "We only need a small raiding party. I think me, Admeetus, Tughar, and Plaetoh should be sufficient."
"I'm coming, too," Mistoffelees said suddenly.
"Why?" Eliot asked him point blank.
Mistoffelees wavered, then answered honestly, "I want to rescue Mozu. And I can help you get in and out of the settlement quietly."
Eliot glanced at Admeetus, who nodded, then said, "Okay, then, let's go. Pavel, if I don't make it back, the Phantom is yours."
"Gee, thanks!" the young technician muttered sarcastically. "Eliot, what are you getting yourself into?"
"Trouble as usual, Pav!" Eliot grinned as he followed the others out of the hall.
©1999 Delilah