Vaile

Aislinn VIII

The next few days were spent forging through a seemingly endless forest. There was no point in staying by the city's ruins, Zoe had pointed out. Their best chance was to find Mavis and the nearest town.

Aislinn felt numb inside. What if she'd never decided to run away in the first place? Would the city still exist?

By the time they finally reached the edge of the wood there was no sign of Mavis, Orpheus, or Cherokee. There was, as Zoe said, a small village near the forest, and the three spent the night there.

Aislinn went to sleep expecting to dream about the woman and her song. Instead she experienced something far more haunting.

"Aislinn, you have to wake up."

The man's voice was fierce and insistent. He spoke the strange tongue from her dreams, and his clothes were the color of a summer twilight. "Get dressed, pack everything you will need for a long journey."

Aislinn vaguely wondered why everything had to happen to her while she was dreaming. "Why? We're safe here. Zoe promised to get a search party to find Mavis."

"Zoe will not keep her word. She means to keep you here. Though her intentions are the best, they will not suffice. Get up. Go. You must find your cousin."

She awoke to a mewing, grunting noise that sounded very much like it had come from Hell. Mavis's cat, the one that gave Aislinn the creeps, was wrestling with Zel on the floor, claws extended.

Something felt wet on the neck of Aislinn's nightshirt.

"Zel! Put the cat down!" she hissed, sounding very much like the black cat. What had Mavis called it--Charlie. No, Charli. No 'e'.

Boy and cat froze. Aislinn noticed the reddish hue of Charli's claws and realized with a chill that her throat was bleeding.

"I'm not going to put it down. I'm going to kill it. This thing's dangerous."

"You don't know that."

"Ace, as a general rule you know something's dangerous when you see it trying to slit a person's throat while they're asleep. Which reminds me, I don't recall hearing a thank you for saving your life."

"Thank you," she sighed, "But I don't think we should kill the cat. It's not ours." She suddenly remembered the dream and jumped up, forgetting that there was a minor cut on her neck. "I have to leave. Don't tell Zoe, all right?"

"Hang on! You have to--hey, Ace, wait!" Zel tripped as he got to his feet, pinioning Charli with a skill that could have only come with practice. "Where do you think you're going?"

"No idea. But I have to go."

"Then I'm coming with you."

Aislinn paused, considering. Her mind was made up for her, really. The only person who knew she was planning on escape could hardly squeal on her if he went along for the ride.

"Fine. Pack your things. We have to leave before anyone wakes up."