Chương 22: Episode Two Hundred and Sixty-Six: The Cat Visits

"So, you don't believe the rebellion had anything to do with actual form?" asked Henry, to the student who had pulled a chair up to the counter. The troll smiled at me, then answered Henry.

"No, I think it had to do with food. A starving group of people will do whatever it takes to fix the situation, hence why they burned down the castle, so to speak."

"The history book by…" Henry's voice trailed off when he noticed me standing there.

"Oh, Sable, this is Glen. He is working on his final paper."

"Sounds like you are having a great conversation. What if you take lunch with him at one of the tables?" Henry's eyes brightened.

"That'd be great!" said Glen.

"Can I get an iced coffee?"

"Of course," I said, as I pulled the pitcher out of the fridge.

"Henry, I made you a sandwich, so pick a spot and I'll send it over." I wouldn't, Betty would, but I didn't speak of Betty around others. He nodded, then leaped up and followed Glen to one of the smaller tables. His sandwich already waited for him when he landed. The Cat padded down the hallway and joined me in his normal spot. It was a little bittersweet. Mostly sweet, but also, I knew it wouldn't last. Given how many people were in the shop, I didn't want to ask any sensitive questions about his people.

Though, I did peek at the charm monitoring Betty. It was better, probably because the Cat was here. Indigo landed beside the Cat and wouldn't move. Each time he shifted away, she inched closer to him. His eyes softened, and he stayed put.

"It looks like you are handling things fine," he said slowly.

"We are learning." I sighed.

"I have some questions, once we close up shop for the day. And some ideas I need your input on."

"Anything that can't wait till dinner?" he asked, staring at me with those green eyes. My mind went to the list of items we had to sell, and to Betty being almost out of energy this morning.

"No…" He nodded as his tail flicked out behind him. The bells rang again as a couple walked in. That seemed to set off a small afternoon rush, before people started leaving. Last was Glen, who was still chatting with Henry. Both were deeply engaged in the conversation, completely ignoring everything else. I finally walked over to the table.

"Hey guys, time to wrap up…" Both glanced at me like I was a ghost. Glen's eyes snapped to the windows, then his watch, while Henry nodded.

"Oh, no. I need to run," said Glen, as he quickly packed his books up.

"Henry, this was amazing!"

"Good luck with your paper," said Henry, as Glen darted out the door. It locked behind him. Henry leaped up and wobbled a bit in his flight to the counter. Indigo and the Cat both waited.

"Do ya'll want to chat here, or the living room?" I asked. Everyone turned in the direction of the living room. Once we were all sitting on the couch, the Cat spoke first.

"For dinner nights, we should watch a movie." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Indigo nodded enthusiastically.

"Something fun!" I chuckled, thinking to myself that he had to miss us as much as we missed him. Even if he wouldn't say it.

"We can do that." The Cat stared at me for a second.

"Questions?"

"Alright, how is magic coming in from your domain?" I asked. The Cat's ears dropped for a second, then he shook his head no.

"It's not coming from my side. Right now I am feeding the shop, but when I'm not here it isn't coming from the Towering Forest."

"It might be from the portal itself," said Henry. All of us turned to him.

"The tree feeds portals with the leylines. It could be leaking a little extra to us." I flung myself up and headed to the doorway. It rippled before I arrived, and now led to the Cat's domain. The Cat jumped to the back of the couch, watching. I didn't go through the portal. Well, I didn't go all the way through. Instead, I stepped into the middle, with one foot on either side. Like most doors with Betty, there wasn't anything in between. Yet, from this position, I could feel the magic even easier.

The Cat was right. It wasn't coming from the Towering Forests at all. It rose from the door jam.

"You figured it out," I said, as I stepped back into the living room. My mind raced, thinking of what that meant. If I wanted to tie a doorway to the Clan Lands, the actual magic came from the portal, but that magic depended on where it was attached to, since the magic levels varied.

"Anything else?" asked the Cat. I blinked and shoved those thoughts away, I wasn't going to solve that problem just now, and I did have other questions. This time I sat down with a little more bounce.

"The Oddity Bazaar. Just how dangerous is it?"

"How do you even know of that place?" asked the Cat, with what was almost a growl.

"It's full of unsavory types. Though, some sections have great prices, and ways to find things you wouldn't otherwise… Hmmmm…." Before either Henry or I could say anything, he continued.

"... It's actually not a bad idea." He glanced at Henry.

"You came up with this, right? Since, if I remember right, the Chromoflame sell their work there?"

"Yes, I did," said Henry, holding his head high.

"I will need to work that day. Then we can eat Chinese food, and watch a movie." The Cat nodded, like it had been decided.

"Sure, that makes sense," I said, agreeing. That way, we weren't taking up too much of his time needed for his people. I reached out and scratched his ears. He leaned in and crawled onto my shoulder with a purr.

"Did everything get fixed?" asked Indigo, in a small voice. The Cat stopped purring.

"Betty is doing better, after all of our customers today," I said with a grin. The Cat cocked his head, but didn't say anything. I barely shook my head in response.

"I'll do my homework, then," said Indigo, as she leaped off the couch.

"And no night flying! I'll save it for the Clan Lands!"

"I'm not sure that is the response we were looking for," muttered Henry. He watched Indigo fly off, while shaking his head.

"What happened?" asked the Cat after Indigo left. Henry gave him a quick rundown of events, which left the Cat blinking on the back of the couch. Henry chuckled at his expression.

"I want to go study a few history books, in case Glen comes back." That left the Cat and I.

"You seem to be handling things with a deft touch," said the Cat, after a few moments. I leaned back on the couch and closed my eyes.

"I'm not so sure about that." He flopped into my lap from my shoulder.

"Betty is still here, the dragon is healthy, and your familiar had a good day. What more can you want?" # Sable looked so tired. That resonated inside me. The centuries managing the shop weighed heavy on my soul. Somehow, though this was different.

"I miss you," she said, in almost a whisper.

"You know all of these places, and beings, and you're always so confident." I chuckled.

"I faked most of it. I knew stuff from the books, from the Book of Fate, and from being older than most planets." She had no idea how much I'd learned from the book, or from my early years trying to find a way to break the curse. I'd studied everything I could get my paws on. I continued, "You can do this, Sable. The more I ponder the situation, the more I know you were made to be the Shopkeeper. I was only ever here to find you."

"It took you a long time to find me," she said, opening her eyes. Yet, that tiredness had lifted, just a little"Too long," I added, looking away and thinking about the centuries.

"How is the Towering Forest?" she asked, this time studying my face.

"We are holding a gathering. More of my children's children show up every day." So many to heal, and they didn't even know it. Not the massive broken connections, but tiny ones that made everything about their lives harder. Even being in the Towering Forest healed some. Their magic came easier, and the connection to the land helped. Others, though, needed more, and it was hard. But she didn't need to know that. She scratched behind my ear, and I leaned into her hand. She asked, "Are you doing okay?"

Again, she reminded me that she cared.

"I am good. My people are thriving." But I missed moments like this, just sitting on the couch and relaxing. This wasn't what a Fey Lord did. Not at all. But I could enjoy moments like this. Did that make me more than a Fey Lord, or less? The question troubled me as I purred.