Kat Among The Pigeons

by Lazette Gifford

  This time I could definitely feel something trying to counter me on the other side. Maybe fae, maybe not -- but definitely intelligent and magical. Rage and frustration came through The Edge in the form of a wind and nearly drove me to my knees. I didn't let go of the magic I was using, and I began reinforcing weak parts in the area. I also wondered if my warning system still sat out by Terra Tomah.

  "We're safe," I called to Adrian. "Well, safe being a relative word."

  He cautiously came closer, watching The Edge, which appeared quite impressive, even in the bright sunlight.

  "It feels like standing too near electricity," he said and stepped away. "My skin tingles -- not unpleasant, but not quite right. And the tastes mingle and are overpowering, as though everything mixes together."

  "We won't be here long." I began to sooth The Edge with gentle magic, sealing over more rough spots. "Can you keep watch behind us? I'm almost done."

  He carefully watched the woods around us. I thought about creating a shield of my own, but I feared something complex wouldn't last for long next to this much wild magic -- and I didn't want to risk any more dangerous work here, anyway. My magical scoop had not started any massive reaction. I wasn't going to risk --

  "Rider," Adrian suddenly said.

  I turned in time to see one fleeing into the snow and trees.

  "Time to go," I decided. "I really can't do much else here, and I don't think we want to stick around and see what he brings back."

  We hurried to the road. We spotted riders heading up the trails, but we slipped past and headed into the city. We moved as quickly as my magic would allow, rushing tirelessly through the snow drifts. I wanted to get home --

  More riders blocked the road to my house. I shook my head and the two of us moved off in another direction. I tried to circle around them, but the riders kept coming between me and home. I almost panicked, but Adrian kept hold of me, and we headed back into town. I hoped the others were safe: Cato, Gaylord and Shakespeare, and any of the strays who had taken refuge there. I could feel the ward intact, but I thought something tried to get in.

  We soon realized the riders were hunting us.

  "We need to get inside," I said to him. "The horses won't go inside buildings."

  "Why not? They aren't real horses."

  "They aren't real yet," I corrected. "But they are the essence of horses, and act in accordance to what they appear to be. The ghost horses, believing themselves horses, can't walk through walls and aren't going to go inside a building without directions from their riders. So far the riders don't seem to want to be inside either, and they're still linked to their horses and not moving on their own. I think outside they can soak up all the free magic and inside they can't."

  "Free magic?" Adrian asked as we reached the business district. A few people even walked around here, though not many. "Is that why I keep tasting vanilla?"

  "The storm is laden with magic and it's helping me," I admitted. "But the magic helps them as well."

  I used a little power to send the few curious people to their places of safety. This was not a time to be out wandering around. Someone had even tried to plow the street, but abandoned the truck right in the middle of an intersection. A snow drift half covered the cab door.

  "Things are going to be worse tonight," I said. "I think we need to find some place to rest for a while before sunset."

  "My hotel?" Adrian asked.

  "Good plan."

  The hotel wasn't far away. We turned, fighting our way against the growing wind. I feared the storm would soon grow worse, and I thought the weather had been pretty bad already.

  As soon as the hotel came in sight I pulled Adrian to a stop. "I need to make certain Aletta isn't there, waiting."

  "Is there going to be a time when I'm safe from her?" he asked with obvious worry.

  "Yes. I'll make certain you're safe, and so will most of the others on the other side of The Edge. I don't think even her parents are going to stand by her this time. She's been . . . well, kind of like one of those spoiled little rich princesses you see running around. Until now, her parents thought she could do no wrong, and we only really misunderstood her."

  "Uck," he said and which about summed up everything. "I guess fae are human in a lot of ways."

  I used magic to search the hotel and found no sign of Aletta, though I did locate something interesting in the stairwell. She had obviously expected me to come and see Adrian at some point. The trap had been sitting there for a couple days, ready to spring on an unwary fae who happened along. And Fae, besides me, did come here since this was so close to one of the areas where The Edge rubbed against this world.

  The trap might have killed me if I hadn't been careful.

  "We can't take the stairs," I said.

  "There is an elevator."

  "Elevators are pretty techie for a fae to risk," I replied, but shrugged. "I can hold my magic in place. There's a trap on the stairs, obviously intended for me. Aletta's work. Sloppy as always."

  We crossed the street, fighting our way through the drifts. I saw a rider a block away, but he didn't spot us as we hurried into the hotel lobby.

  I almost threw the magic sword away, but if I did -- or tried to destroy it now, Aletta might well pick up the magic and trace us to the one place I hoped she would not expect us to be if we got past her traps. There was no reason to take the chance, so I hid the weapon in an invisible scabbard which I hung over my shoulder. I didn't have enough weapons as it was.

  People milled around, all of them worried and unhappy. They appeared to be tourists mostly, and perhaps a few business men, some of whom weren't used to this kind of weather at all. I could feel a touch of their emotions, almost palpable in this magic-laden day.

  The tall, dark skinned doorman -- who also worked as a bouncer at a local bar -- came toward us when we entered. He was an imposing man with muscles bulging beneath his company uniform, and he managed a no-nonsense scowl which probably kept most people in line.

  "I'm afraid the hotel is out of rooms, but people are welcome to stay in the lobby if they need to."

  "I have a room," Adrian said, and fetched his electronic key out. "We had a hell of a time getting back here, though. I hope no one has let my room out."

  "I believe the already occupied rooms are still assigned to the original person," he said, and then grinned. "Kat!"

  "Hi Tommy. We were working on an assignment and the weather even caught me by surprise."

  "Yeah, same for most everyone." He walked with us towards the elevator and waved away other workers who had stepped forward to intercept us. I suspected they'd called in everyone who could get there to help deal with the influx of stranded people. "Damnedest storm I've ever seen. Posey-poo had kittens last week. You have to come by and see them."

  Adrian hardly concealed his grin.

  "I will." I promised. I began to pull in my powers as we neared the elevator. I didn't tell Adrian I had never dared ride in one before.

  "I left her plenty of food and water before I came to work," he said, but frowned. "I hope she and the little ones will be all right. They're on the porch. I think they should be warm enough. I made certain she had plenty of blankets."

  "She'll be fine," I said and with enough of a touch of authority -- and a little power -- so he believed and didn't worry. "Mother cats are very strong."

  "Good. Thanks." He looked from me to Adrian and back again. "Have fun."

  I turned red. The elevator door opened and disgorged a family with kids, obviously heading for the restaurant. Adrian and I slipped in and he hit the 4th floor button. The door closed.

  The feeling of moving upward kept my mind off of other things. I held my magic close, and I enjoyed the moment, watching the numbers click away, the bell chiming at each floor. I almost regretted reaching the destination. It isn't often a person gets a chance to experience something new in life.

  We stepped out into a wide hall. The wall at the right side of elevator had
a huge window and I supposed you could see the mountains on days when the snow didn't fall as thick as a blanket. I followed Adrian around the curve and to room 426.

  And stopped him before he put the key in.

  "Trap," I said, softly. I could feel the magic pulsing in the door. "Even more sloppy than the one on the stairs. She obviously never expected me to reach this far. She did want to know when you arrived, though."

  "What do we do?" he asked softly.

  "I can get past this one. If I can get the door open, and the trap doesn't go off, she won't know we're here. Better yet."

  He smiled. I carefully slid my hand over the door, found the threads of magic and pulled them apart.

  "Get the door open. Slowly."

  He did and slipped past me to go inside when I waved him through. I carefully moved away from the front of the door to the other side, the magic controlled in my left hand. I nudged the door shut with my foot and let go. The trap slid into place, undisturbed.

  Perfect.

  Adrian had gone over to the side of the room and lifted his camera bag, looking inside and nodding with relief. I felt better knowing the pack hadn't been lost.

  "I put a little shield around your equipment the first day," I said as I carefully walked past him to lift an edge of the curtains and peer out the window. "The cameras and film should be all right, even with Aletta and her companion around."

  "Thank you."

  I sat on the bed, exhausted after all we'd done. He sat as well, and pulled me close.

  There were far worse ways to spend a cold snowy day.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sunset came too soon. I didn't want to go outside, knowing we faced a dangerous night. I could feel yet more magic building in the air, like a hurricane about to break over us. Adrian could clearly taste the power. I wondered if we wouldn't be wiser to stay in the room, content with each other's company. Maybe I should have thought of other things --

  But no. We had come here because we couldn't run through the streets all day. The time resting -- more or less -- had been the best we could do.

  When we left, I wore one of Adrian's sweaters, and felt warm and comforted, much like Adrian felt to me. Protected, in an odd, emotional way.

  Not alone.

  Adrian put his digital camera into a smaller bag -- I warded it -- along with some batteries. He even put his cell phone in, which I thought might be habit more than anything. I smiled.

  "Lighter stuff," he said as he closed the bag. "I can't see going out there without a camera at all. Crazy huh?"

  "No, not crazy. Just holding on to something normal and hoping we get a chance to go back to that world soon."

  He nodded agreement. I brushed my hand over the still invisible sword, but shook my head. "I'll leave the sword here. I don't think Aletta and her people can trace it or they would have found us before we reached the hotel. But if they do try, they'll track it here instead of with us."

  He didn't argue. Trusted me. I wasn't certain why.

  Down in the lobby someone had managed to get a WiFi link -- technology winning through the magic -- and everyone crowded around for the news. Massive storms still grew over the area, and ski fanatics lined up in Denver, but no one could get the roads plowed fast enough to reach the slopes or the town.

  While Adrian went to see if he could get us a sandwich or two to go, I read a handout the hotel had on the counter. The management had everything covered: Plenty of food; generators running well and enough fuel since they had an entire fuel delivery truck sitting behind the building, trapped by the storm. They were buying what they needed straight from the gasoline company. They did ask people to conserve as they could, but not to worry about being cold, or trapped, in the hotel.

  Tommy came to us when we started toward the door, shaking his head with worry.

  "You aren't going out there tonight?" he said, looking at the growing dark as a brisk wind plastered more white against the door.

  "Don't worry." I patted him on the arm and reinforcing the feeling.

  "If you happen to go near my place, can you check in on Posey-Poo?" he asked softly. "There's a key under the flower pot to the right of the door. If you could, would you get her and the little ones inside where they might be warmer? I never thought I'd be gone for days, but the manger asked me specifically to stick around. We've dealt with some frayed tempers and I've kind of helped keep things settled."

  "I'll take care of her and the kittens," I promised. He didn't live very far, and usually rode his bike to work every day. We could make the little detour to help.

  As Adrian and I went out, I sent a little whisper of magic behind me, making certain no one thought about people walking into the worst storm of the century.

  I saw no one else on the street. Both the storm, and the innate feeling humans get when something is out of place, had sent them all indoors. They didn't have to see or believe in magic to feel something wrong tonight.

  We'd taken a couple steps from the door when something moved to the left, coming out from beside a heating unit at the side of the building. I spun, shocked as Cato, Gaylord and Shakespeare appeared.

  "About time you two came out," Cato said. He stepped into the snow and grimaced, while the two birds flew over and took refuge in my arms.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked, glancing warily around.

  "No longer safe at the house," Cato replied as Adrian picked him up. "Thanks. I hate snow, especially snow I can't even see over."

  Gaylord had slipped between the collar of my coat and the sweater. He peeked his head out again. "You smell like the human."

  "It's because I'm wearing his sweater."

  "Yeah, right." And he disappeared into the warmth once more. Shakespeare contented himself with nestling into the crook of my arm, much as Cato did with Adrian. I gave the big bird a little warmth of his own, and he nodded enthusiastically.

  "What happened at the house?" I asked.

  "Aletta and some of her ghost companions are there. She's determined to get inside because she thinks both of you are hanging out there. We kind of helped keep the illusion going by playing the tape of the birds, and turning on the TV a couple times. You know, you fae are sometimes really easy to fool. She heard voices and apparently never considered anything tech-related."

  "I wouldn't fall for that trick," I said, then thought about it for a moment. "Maybe."

  "Maybe," he agreed. "Anyway, we could see she was getting closer to taking down the ward. She actually almost got the door open once. So I led the other two to the cat door and carried them out. That big damned bird needs to get his claws clipped. And if little beaky here doesn't stop running up and down my back, he's going to be lunch."

  I smiled and reached over to give Cato a kiss on the top of his big furry head. "You're a good guy, Cato."

  "And pretty damned smart," Adrian added. "I'm not going to kiss you, though."

  Cato laughed with a soft whisper of a purr.

  "What we doing, boss?" Gaylord asked from somewhere in the folds of the jacket. He tickled when he moved.

  "Sit still," I said, squirming a little. "I'm not sure what we're doing yet. Have you seen any riders nearby?"

  "Maybe, a little while before you came out," Cato said. He glanced down the street. "Hard to tell in this storm. I talked to a couple strays on the way down here -- and wasn't that just wonderful, explaining how the birds were my companions and not there for a late lunch. But anyway, the peripix have stopped roaming the streets. And the big dark things mostly disappeared this afternoon."

  "I think I sent most of them back to the fae lands." I patted Shakespeare and gave him a little bit more protection from the weather since he still shivered. A bird like him shouldn't be out in the snow.

  "The rain came down upon my head, unsheltere'd - and the heavy wind rendered me mad and deaf and blind."

  "He's a smart bird. I wonder what he's been trying to say to you in those quotes," Adrian said watching Shakespeare intent
ly. "I think they're important, somehow."

  "I think so, too." I stopped. "The library. We might find an answer there."

  Adrian nodded and at least we had a destination, a place not too far from Tommy's house. I pointed the library out as we drew near and Adrian smiled at me.

  "I didn't think you told Tom you'd do this without intending to."

  "Do what?" Cato asked.

  "Move a mother cat and her kittens inside. You behave, Cato. She's going to be nervous enough."

  I told Gaylord the same thing. He said he wasn't coming out of the jacket anyway. Shakespeare nodded several times.

  Posey-Poo peered out of the blankets when I opened the door. She gave a great sigh of relief, even when I sat Shakespeare on a shelf.

  "Kat," she said. "I'm so glad to see you!"

  She slipped out of a cocoon of blankets, a thin calico with bright green eyes. Four little kittens streamed out after her; one a miniature of her mother and the other three variations of bright yellow marmalade stripes. "Mommy, mommy, cold, cold, cold."

  I began to gather them into my arms as Adrian got the key. Cato eyed the little ones as I held them and shook his head in dismay, but he said nothing.

  "Cato, lover," Posey-Poo said, looking at him. "I told you they'd be adorable. You should have come to visit your little ones before now."

  I glanced at Cato. He stared at the ceiling for a while. Adrian tried very hard not to laugh.

  We quickly got everyone inside. The house wasn't much warmer, but at least the wind didn't blow through the cracks. I made her a new bed, charged the blankets with a little extra warmth, found her food and water and a litter box. She settled next to the kittens, obviously relieved.

  "Thank you for coming by," she said and stopped to clean the head of one of the little yellow and white kittens. "I worried, with the storm. Is Tommy bear alright?"

  Adrian choked a little.