Awakened

Chapter 3 - The Old Clock Tower

Two nights later, Star crept out. In cat form, she easily scaled the back yard wall and dropped down into the narrow alley behind the row of houses. Witch Wendel didn't worry about Star running away for good because the bond prevented it.

Thankfully, the Old Clock Tower wasn't too far away. The witch probably wouldn't notice the extension in the bond if she was quick.

Clouds shifted, giving way to the full moon. The cobbled alley twisted around until it met the main road. Houses were packed together on this side of town, small and squat, many with dirty curtains or battered front doors. Working folks that kept to themselves lived in this area, mainly traders or labourers. All were fast asleep at this time of night.

No one ever visited Witch Wendel. She took her potions to sell at the weekly market. The townsfolk both feared and despised the witches and warlocks. But then so many witches were both poor and a little unhinged. The fear had a humorous edge to it. Unlike with the sorcerers and the aluka who created genuine terror.

The shuttered shops felt desolate at night, but somehow Star felt more comfortable when no one else was around. If witches were feared, felimorphs were seen as deeply suspicious and unnatural creatures. Star's very nature kept her isolated, and she swallowed a lump in her throat as the loneliness of the empty streets flowed over her. Screwed up papers flapped down the road, and a wailing bird call echoed. Her padded feet made no sound on the cobbles.

She approached the square where the Old Clock Tower lay and stood in an alley entrance, sniffing the night air. The wind was in the wrong direction and no odours from the square reached her. The stench of the alley behind wafted over her instead: rotten food and decaying rodents.

This square was the largest communal area on the west side of Samanestia. The weekly market was held here, and a few shuttered stands lay around the edge.

An aluka came into view, gliding across the square, and Star pressed herself against the wall, hoping he didn't scent her. But the tall figure in the dark cape had other business, it seemed, and didn't turn to either side. Star caught a glimpse of the cold red eyes and pale face, repressing a shudder. The aluka disappeared down an alley on the far side.

When he'd gone, Star stepped hesitantly out into the open, realising she wouldn't have any cover. The moonlight made her visible, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She walked over to the Tower. No sign or scent of another felimorph came to her. She ascended the steps at the base of the tower and turned around to rest on the top step.

Bircher sat at the bottom of the steps.

Star recoiled and arched, before relaxing.

Bircher gave a meow of welcome and prowled up the steps in a roundabout fashion, before coming to sit next to Star. He wrapped his tail around his paws and sat in a friendly position.

Star mirrored him but waited for him to speak first, the tip of her tail twitching.

"I'm glad you came." Bircher meowed. "I was afraid you wouldn't. So many don't take my offer."

"Your offer seems too good to be true." Star flicked her tail. "I'm only here because the alternative is my miserable life. Maybe some don't have it as bad as I do."

"Your desperation has saved you." Bircher looked a little smug.

Star would have rolled her eyes, but it wasn't really possible in cat form. "I don't have much time. I don't want my witch to notice I'm gone. Is it really true you can break my bond?"

Bircher nodded. "Oh, yes. But it's complicated. If you want to do this, it's going to take some effort on your part."

"Tell me."

"We have to obtain a bond potion. That part's easy. My friends and I steal bond potion all the time."

Star was beginning to find Bircher's smug expression intolerable. Maybe he could break her bond, but he didn't have to be so superior about it. "Do I have to drink the potion again?"

"First, it has to be made specific to you and your witch by adding some of your essences to it. Then we have a reversing ingredient to add. Then you and the witch have to drink it. So you'll need to capture some of your witch's essence and then arrange a time when you'll be able to persuade her to drink it."

Star sat in silence for a few minutes, her tail swishing from side to side. "Her essence: that's the life force she uses on potions?"

"Yes." Bircher licked a paw and smoothed his ears down. "You'll need to divert some when you're doing a spell."

"I'll have to think about how to manage it. Spells take so much energy from me it's hard to concentrate on anything else." It was hard to imagine being able to do that without the witch noticing.

"There's no rush. When you've got the essence, contact me again." Bircher stood and stretched. "Then we can create the unbonding potion. One step at a time."

"How can I contact you?"

"Just come here at midnight. One of my tribe walks by this square every night. Sit on the bottom step." Bircher indicated below. "That's the sign you want to give us a message."

Star stretched, too. It felt like she had nothing to lose. What else could the witch do to her? She already had no energy, barely enough food, and aches all over her body. The tiny hope of freedom inside her could come closer to the surface. "I'll do it, if I can."

"Good. I hope I'll see you back here soon." Bircher trotted down the steps.

Star watched him slink across the square and disappear into the shadows. Now she had something to focus on, something to hope for, a warm feeling grew inside her chest as she strolled home.