Chapter 33
Chapter
Thirty-Three
A lthough plenty of people had turned and run, once the earthquake was over and the red smoke had dissipated hundreds still remained. Some were curious, some afraid to move – and some were laughing.
‘Look! There’s our new leader! That’s who’s going to unite Coldstream and make us a world power to be reckoned with!’
‘Miaow!’
‘Who’s got kibble?’
‘How about a piece of string?’
‘Happy Winter Solstice!’
I ignored the amused shouts as I elbowed past a group of druids. Thane was by Lorna’s side but she didn’t appear to be moving. I left them and focused on the ginger kitten, which was now on all fours and licking carefully at the pool of blood around its little paws.
‘Hey there,’ I said. I bent down and scooped its warm body up with one hand. It let out a tiny miaow of protest as I examined it closely. One white tipped tail, four little legs with four little paws and a number of outstretched claws. A curved belly, quivering whiskers and intelligent green eyes. It was a cat, nothing more, nothing less. I checked underneath: a girl.
She wriggled free, darted towards Lorna and Thane and sniffed at Lorna’s feet. Thane looked up at me. ‘She’s gone.’ His voice was stiff. ‘She must have used a lot of her own blood to start the invocation. Getting shot as well was too much for her body to take.’
The witch whom Thane had punched was out cold, his body sprawled on the cobbles less than twenty metres away. If there were any more answers to be had, he’d be able to provide them.
I gently touched Thane’s arm.
‘She betrayed us,’ he said starkly. ‘All of us. She manipulated everyone.’
I gazed at Lorna’s wide-open eyes and unmoving body. Had she truly believed she would be helping the city of Coldstream by bringing a demon here, or had it been nothing more than a power play? There was little doubt that she had created Umbra; she knew what it was like to be on the periphery of society and she’d found other outsiders and persuaded them to join her cause with promises of power and wealth and ideological control. They’d fallen hook, line and sinker for her lies. But then again, so had I.
The kitten clambered over her corpse towards Thane and jumped up, clawing her way up his body and onto his shoulder. He jerked in shock. ‘What the hell?’
‘Cat distribution system,’ I informed him. ‘You have no choice in the matter.’
He straightened up and reached for the kitten, then he paused. ‘Kit,’ he said slowly, ‘is this the…’
‘It’s a kitten,’ I told him firmly. ‘And she wants to be with you.’
She had already started to purr.
There was no market during the solstice and I had promised Trilby that I wouldn’t bother them at their house without an invitation, so I hovered around the waterfront on the edge of Danksville. They’d be along sooner or later; they wouldn’t be able to stop themselves.
I sat cross-legged by the river watching for monsters, but there were no signs of life. Even the Tweed’s usual bloodthirsty creatures seemed to be enjoying a holiday.
‘Hello, Kit.’
I didn’t turn around. ‘Hello, Trilby.’
‘Happy Winter Solstice.’
Yeah, yeah. ‘You knew, didn’t you?’
They didn’t play dumb. ‘That Coldstream is already over-run by demons? Yes, I knew.’
‘You could have told me.’
‘Perhaps you didn’t ask the right questions or come to the right conclusions.’ They examined me dispassionately. ‘You know that once the genie has been let out of the bottle it can’t be put back in. Demons have roamed this world from time immemorial. It’s true they can’t escape from their own realm without help – but it’s also true that there are millions of them here already.’
‘ Hunters art they, first and foremost,’ I quoted . ‘Natural predators equipped with sharp claws, keen senses, and a most terrifying agility.’
‘You see?’ Trilby said. ‘You had the answers all along. And as the book said, they do murder up to three thousand souls. Your own little furry family are all killers.’ They paused. ‘As, I suspect, are you.’
I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of answering that last comment .
Trilby sat down beside me. ‘Anyone who canst bind and command a demon shall wield power most formidable, far beyond the ken of mortal men. Such mastery over the infernal arts doth grant dominion over forces unseen, and with it the might to shape the very world to one’s will.’
I flicked them a side look.
‘That makes you a demon lord,’ they said. ‘Demon lady, if that’s what you prefer.’
I wasn’t amused. ‘People have died, Trilby.’
‘I suspect they deserved it – and look at what you’ve learned along the way. You’ve been floundering for some time, but now you’ve found your path.’
‘And what path is that?’
They clapped me on the shoulder. ‘Helping the waifs and strays of Coldstream, of course. We need demon ladies like you to keep us on the straight and narrow.’ They grinned. ‘And now you know it as much as the demons do.’
‘They’re just cats.’
Trilby winked. ‘They’re never just cats. And that means you’re never just a cat lady.’
I sighed, but then I smiled too.