by Erin Johnson
The bald guy lifted his thick brows. “Tanaka’s got a point.”
“Really?” The center councilwoman leaned back.
The bald guy shrugged. “Best-case scenario, they stay and we’re forced to care for them… and there’s quite a few of them. They’ll eat our food and they clearly don’t know how to handle themselves in monster territory—they’ll be a liability at best.”
The man with the glasses cocked his head. “Now I don’t know about—”
“At worst,” the bald guy spoke over him, “King Roch comes down on us for harboring his criminal son and friends.” He threw a thick hand our way. “And he finds new ways to torment our island.”
Glasses guy shook his head. “What do you propose then, because I don’t think—”
“I don’t want to even hear what he proposes.” Jiji drew herself taller, though she still looked tiny. “How can we talk of throwing those in need outside our walls when—”
Ryuu Tanaka slammed his hand on the table and the ceramic cups of tea rattled. “You’re just too weak to do what you know needs to be done, but—”
The center councilwoman raised her hands. “This is absurd, I call for order.”
The noise and arguing escalated. They weren’t entirely wrong—we didn’t know what we were doing. And while casting us out would certainly result in our deaths, I could see how they might think that letting us stay could worsen their own chances of surviving on this monster-infested island.
I sank back down to the ground. “This is bad,” I breathed.
Ryuu Tanaka and the bald councilman shouted down the guy in glasses, while members of the guard and Misaki chimed in, the room devolving into chaos. I shook my head and my stomach sank—this wasn’t going to end well for us. I could feel it.
A high-pitched yelp cut through the din and I jerked my head up as the voices quieted. I scanned the room and froze when I spotted Misaki’s grandma. Jiji stood with her hands over her mouth, her dark eyes wide and twinkling. I followed her gaze to my left and leaned over to see around tall Jun. My jaw dropped.
Cat, Maple and Wiley’s weird little pet, sat upright on the ground with Jiji’s white cat in his lap.
I gasped. “How did he— Where did he come from?” I gaped at Maple, whose mouth hung open. She shook her head.
“Rhonda was watching him for me the day we got back from the Air Kingdom.” Her eyes darted to the Seer on my other side.
Rhonda shrugged. “I’m no helicopter pet mom. I let him go where he wanted. I say, too many rules and they’ll just rebel.”
Maple lifted a doubtful brow.
I blinked at the little black monster, who with his leathery bat wings and rows of pointed teeth, made quite the contrast to the fluffy white cat in his lap.
Yann breathed in a loud gasp. “Oh my. I tink he may haf been riding with mee.” The big man now wore the clean clothes Jiji had provided us, a simple cotton top and pants, which on Yann amounted to a belly shirt and knickers. “I tought my pocket felt a leetle beet heavy.” Earlier he’d been wearing a big oilskin jacket with huge pockets. He’d offered to let me wear it during our hike through the forest, like a gentleman, but I’d eyed it and realized it probably weighed more than I did and would likely have dragged on the ground. I’d declined.
My gaze swung back to Cat. The weirdo blinked his giant, globular pug eyes, and his catlike tail whipped happily from side to side behind him. He dragged his monkey hands through the actual cat’s soft white fur.
Iggy made a disgusted noise. “Just get it over with, Cat, don’t play with your food.”
Icy fear washed over me and I reached to my left and grabbed Maple’s wrist. “Oh my goddess, tell me he’s not going to eat that poor little kitty.” I turned my head and hid my eyes against Maple’s shoulder. “I can’t watch.”
“Imogen.” Maple tapped my shoulder. “Imogen, look.”
“No.” I squeezed my eyes tight. “If I look up to find Cat wearing the kitty’s face, I’ll have nightmares for the rest of my life.” Which might not be that much longer, actually.
Maple clicked her tongue. “Cat’s a good boy. But no, just look.”
I peeled one eye open, then turned my head. “Oh.” I looked around the room, my face slack with shock. Every single councilor and all the guards bowed deeply to Cat, their foreheads pressed to the woven mat floor. The room buzzed with silence.
Cat blinked his dark eyes and flashed a sharp, toothy smile as the white cat purred and rubbed its head against his monkey paw.
“That cat has a death wish.” Iggy grimaced.
I nodded in agreement.
Wiley winked at the beaming Maple. “We always knew he was the cutest.”
“Yes, Wiley, yeah.” Iggy narrowed his little flame eyes. “They’re bowing out of reverence for your pet’s cuteness.”
Maple’s eyes twinkled as she admired her little monster. “I think I like it here.” She smiled. “These people know what’s what.”
6
Cat and the Cat
Jun rose from his deep bow first. He slid his hand behind his back and fished around in the wide fabric belt he wore. He pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil and sketched the outline of Cat holding the cat.
Rhonda, on my right, leaned forward to get a glimpse of what he was doing, then nudged my shoulder. “It’s like Madonna and child.” She chuckled, and Francis, still hanging upside down, cracked a smile.
The others lifted their heads, slowly, silently, and kept their eyes glued to Cat. Ryuu Tanaka glared, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head, though what he or any of the others were thinking was beyond me.
The center councilwoman breathed her words quietly, reverently. “How did you tame it?”
I looked at Maple, who shrugged. “I—well, I found him at a carnival. We think he escaped from the monster tent and I couldn’t send him back there, so we kept him.” She gestured between her and Wiley.
He grinned. “We call him Cat. He’s our special little guy.”
Iggy and I exchanged dubious looks.
My little flame sniffed. “Special’s one word for it.”
The councilman in glasses cleared his throat. “We live on an island filled with monsters, but of all of them, your Cat, as you call him, is the most rare, powerful, and dangerous.”
Maple turned to Wiley, a huge grin on her face. “Aww.” She clasped her hands together.
Jun’s pencil scratched along his pad, Cat’s vacant pug eyes coming to life in his drawing.
“Him?” Iggy and I said at once. Maple and Wiley’s pet now gummed the white cat’s head, her ears flattened wide and eyes shut tight in contentment.
Grandma Jiji chuckled. “Well, if Rini likes him, that’s good enough for me.”
“Are you suggesting we keep a dangerous creature among us on recommendation of your cat?” Ryuu Tanaka sneered. “The old woman’s finally lost her last wits.”
Misaki, still standing before the council, bristled, her shoulders hiking to her ears. “My grandmother has a point. If that creature deigns to reside among these people, surely this means something.”
The bald guy sniffed and folded his thick arms. “Sure. It means they’ve brought yet another monster to our island.”
The center councilwoman laced her hands together on the low table. “We’ve all heard tales of this creature, yet very few of us have ever seen one. Each witness’s account of these encounters describes a feeling of overwhelming awe and reverence for the monster.”
My eyes slid to Cat, still gumming away at the cat’s now wet, clumpy fur. Not feeling the overwhelming awe.
“We must consider what the creature might do to us and our town if we were to cast its friends out or harm them.” The councilwoman considered Cat with lips pressed tight together.
Footsteps sounded in the next room, and a young man burst in on our meeting. He stopped just inside the doorway near Misaki’s little sister, Fumi. He bowed deeply before the council, his ch
est heaving.
“Yes, what is it?” The center councilwoman, who seemed to be in charge, blinked at the young man and shifted on her cushion. “We’re in the middle of an important meeting.”
The young man’s eyes slid past the guards to my friends and me, still kneeling in the back. His mouth hung open as he gawked at us, and then at Cat, who continued to groom the real cat.
The councilwoman cleared her throat. “Unless this is urgent, I suggest you return later and we can—”
He wiped his hand across his sweaty brow and panted. “It is urgent.” He gulped and tried to catch his breath. “My father and I were out fishing this morning.” He panted again. “The cave is singing.”
Every councilor sat up taller.
“I came as quickly as I could.” The young man bent over, his hands on his knees.
“Go fetch a glass of water for him, will you, Fumi?” Jiji patted her granddaughter’s leg, and Fumi skipped off into the next room.
The young man nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”
“It’s no trouble.” Jiji winked. “She thinks you’re cute.” She leaned closer. “I read her diary.”
“Grandma!” Fumi’s furious voice sounded from the next room.
Misaki rounded on the council. “If the cave’s singing, it means a typhoon will hit our island in three days.” She bowed deeply, then straightened again. “Please. Let us look for Captain Kenta. If he’s out there hurt, alone when a storm hits…. We have to find him first.”
Ryuu Tanaka’s face darkened. “Not this nonsense again.”
Jun’s pencil paused and he grew still, then sat taller and faced the council. “You might allow us to escort those going on the coming of age quest.” He gave a short bow. “We could keep them safe as they seek the kusuri herb, and search for Kenta at the same time.”
Misaki shot him a grateful look, her lips pressed tight together and her dark eyes shining.
The bald guy scoffed. “Ha! Send our youngsters, including my son, into a monster-infested forest with a storm on their heels? No.”
“But if we don’t go now, we won’t get the herb this year and we won’t be able to make the elixir.” Jun clutched his pencil so tightly his knuckles whitened. “There are many who need the medicine we make from the kusuri.” He dropped his voice. “My mother among them.”
Misaki rubbed her fingers together at her sides and gave Jun a concerned look. She turned to the council. “Jun’s right. The young people can wait to prove their value to our society, but we can’t wait on getting the herb… or Kenta.”
The councilors looked at each other as an idea formed in my mind. I glanced left and right at my friends. “Hey. Do you guys trust me?”
Maple gulped. “What are you thinking?”
Wiley nodded.
Rhonda shot me two thumbs up.
I thought of Hank, sleeping upstairs. I hoped he’d wake soon and be strong enough for what I was about to propose.
I stood and the council turned to me with wide, surprised eyes. I bowed, as I’d seen the others do, then straightened. Was that low enough? Any lower and I’d probably topple over on my wobbly legs. “Councilors, earlier you said that at best we would be a burden to your people.” I gestured to my friends and myself. “What if we took over the quest for this herb? We could prove that we deserve to stay and—and then you’d get your elixir.”
Misaki grinned. “We can escort them, show them where to find the herb, and keep an eye out for Kenta at the same time.”
Ryuu Tanaka bit his cheek, his eyes narrowed and faraway as he stared at Cat.
The man with the glasses frowned. “Can you get the herb and be back within three days?”
Misaki gave a sharp nod. “Yes.”
The councilwoman in the middle folded her hands, her brow creased. “I hesitate to risk so many of our guard.”
Misaki shook her head. “We’ll take a light force. We’ll keep them without magic, so they’ll pose no threat to us.” She jerked her head at me.
I didn’t like the sound of that.
Ryuu Tanaka flashed his eyes, or at least I thought he did, at the buff guard—I’d overheard Misaki call him Kai. Then the well-dressed councilman cleared his throat. “I say let them go.”
The middle councilwoman lifted her thin brows. “Really?” She glanced at me, then back at Ryuu Tanaka. “So, we’re in agreement then? If they pass the test and return with the herb, then they’re one of us and we allow them to stay?”
I gulped.
“And if they don’t…”
Ryuu Tanaka finished her thought. “They’re outsiders and not our concern. We cast them out if they return empty-handed. And if they simply don’t return in time….” He lifted his palms. “The storm will seal their fate.”
Not a daunting task at all. I gulped. Did everyone hear that ringing in their ears?
“One more thing.” Ryuu Tanaka’s lips split into a wide, humorless smile. “I say, since Miss Mori has already shown such initiative, we put her in charge. The success, or more likely failure, of this mission rests squarely on her shoulders.”
Misaki stiffened.
Jiji narrowed her eyes, but the center councilwoman looked at her peers. “Fine. We’re all in agreement?” The others nodded, and she turned to my friends and me. “Then it is done.”
7
A Rude Awakening
Jiji, Misaki, and Fumi dragged rolled-up mattresses out of closets and laid them out on the floor for us. They moved about the upper story of the guesthouse, magically dusting off cotton sheets and fluffing pillows. In a short time, the room looked ready for a sleepover—we just needed popcorn and a mildly scary movie.
I took the futon nearest Hank and closed the shutters on Iggy’s lantern. Everyone else settled into their beds, and Francis managed to hook his feet on the exposed wooden beams and hang upside down from the ceiling.
“I’ll wake you up in four hours.” Misaki gave a slight bow and padded off down the hall.
Four? I needed about twenty-four to feel rested, but I’d take what I could get.
Fumi lingered behind in the doorway to gawk at my comatose boyfriend, and Misaki doubled back and dragged her sister off by her sleeve.
I snuggled into my fluffy pillow as their voices sounded from down the hall.
“It’s not polite to stare.”
“Oh, so I should just glare at them like you do? Ow!”
After that, a peaceful silence settled over the room. I turned onto my side to face Hank, who lay on his back beside me. His lips moved and he grunted softly now and then. I slid my hand under his cream-colored blanket and wrapped it around his cool hand. The floor mattress felt surprisingly soft and comfortable, and even Rhonda’s snoring didn’t keep my lids from growing weighted. Soon enough, I drifted into a heavy sleep.
“Imogen?”
I felt like a sack of rocks. I couldn’t even bear to peel my eyes open—it felt as though I’d just closed them. Could it really have been four hours already?
“Imogen.”
I groaned. “Five more minutes.” I flipped to my back and threw an arm across my eyes.
“Keep it down, you two,” Iggy hissed.
I froze. You two? I opened my eyes and bolted upright with a gasp. It woke up Sam, who yelped, and without even a pause in her snoring, Rhonda rolled to the side, off her pillow, and chucked it at me. With her eyes closed!
I batted it away. “Hey!” Then I turned and faced Hank.
His bloodshot, swollen eyes blinked up at me. I smiled as a wave of ecstatic joy flooded over me. My skin tingled and I felt like both laughing and crying. I grabbed one of Hank’s hands in both of mine. “You guys! He’s awake!”
Grunts and groans were my only answers. Filtered sunlight shone in through a crack in the curtains, and Wiley pulled his pillow over his face, moaning, “Turn off the light.”
But I didn’t care. I only had eyes for Hank. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and leaned closer to him. I gently brush
ed a strand of dark hair away from his warm, clammy forehead. “How are you feeling?”
Hank let out a heavy breath, then another. His eyes fluttered and his thick brows drew together in a slight frown. “I had a bad dream.” His voice came out quiet and groggy.
I pulled my lips to the side as my stomach twisted with unease. “It, uh—” I grimaced. “It may not have been a dream.”
His broad chest heaved.
“But we’re okay now,” I added hastily. I smiled. “You’re okay.”
He blinked up at me and focused on my face. He paled and his eyes widened. He lurched forward, trying to push up to sitting, but gasped and clutched at his side where he’d been hit by the lance and collapsed back down on his pillow. “What’s happening?” I’d never heard this note of panic in his voice before. “Where are we?”
I looked around the room, hoping someone could help me.
Francis unfolded his enormous, leathery wings and yawned. He dangled upside down a few feet away. “Oh good, you’re awake.”
“Ah!” Hank pressed himself down into the pillow when he caught sight of the vampire, his arms replaced by wings. Hank’s wide, frantic eyes found my face.
I grasped his trembling hand again and stared him straight in the eyes. I tried to make my voice calm and soothing. “It’s all right. We’re in the Badlands.”
Hank’s jaw dropped.
I shook my head. “But it’s okay. There are people who live here who’ve given us a place to rest.”
“Which some of us are trying to do,” Iggy quipped from behind his shutters.
Hank’s eyes darted from side to side, his gaze far away. “The meeting my father called—the soldiers—” He gasped and gripped my hands tightly. “The lance?” His chest heaved. “That was real?”
I pressed my lips tight together and nodded. “It’s okay. We made it through the portal mirror and Horace healed you.”
Hank shoved down the blanket and pulled down the fresh cotton binding Jiji had wrapped around the healing wound. A pink, puckered scar about six inches long marred the skin over his ribs. He gaped at it, then up at me.
