Vaile

Aislinn VI

The second time Aislinn woke, Mavis was shaking her shoulder hard. She had been dreaming, but what was the dream about? Something in a forest. A woman's voice singing. Maybe given time she could remember. There was no time forthcoming.

     "Aislinn, we need to get out. Now." Mavis sounded panicked.

     "Go back to sleep. We're safe here, Mavis. Zoe seems weird to you, but I know we can trust her."

     "Fine. Get Zoe. Just get out now." The shaking grew more insistent. From its perch atop Mavis's shoulder, the cat made a hissing sound. She didn't like the way that creature was, and it gave her the creeps.

      "If it'll make you happy," she sighed, crawling out of the bedroll. "Zoe!"

      A nearby pile of blankets stirred. "Aislinn, it's too early. Go back to sleep," it grunted softly.

      "Zoe, I know this sounds stupid, but we all need to leave the house."

      "The city," Mavis put in, kneeling. "We need to get away from here as fast as possible. You can trust me or you can die. Your choice."

      Zoe's green eyes opened fully, and Aislinn realized that she was more than a kindly woman with street smarts. Zoe had backbone. "I trust you."

      Six people in cloaks traveling the streets at midnight being led to an unknown destination by a strange cat is an antonym for inconspicuous that is probably not listed in any thesaurus, but an antonym for inconspicuous it is. After pulling her brother and the two boarders out of bed and quickly explaining their options, she had convinced them to go along.

      Mavis didn't like this, Aislinn could tell. The way her cousin glared at the extra passengers told her that much. When there were lives at stake, however, there was no time to consider personal preferences.

       The cat suddenly bolted down the avenue towards the city exit, making a horrible noise in its throat. "Run!" cried Mavis, and the party complied.