Shadows of darkness slip across the rusting piles of metal as clouds scud by in the night sky above. The metal mountains shift, their insides creaking and tinkling, as if they had a life of their own. Larry shivered and hurried on his way, wanting to get back to the light and warmth of the cottage.
The metal gate across the main entrance was firmly shut and locked, Larry noted as he padded past. Good.
A rusty, desperate meow slid underneath the gate.
“Who’s there?” Larry’s sharp query met silence. He shoved his muzzle up to the narrow gap between the gate and the cracked concrete driveway, sniffing deeply. His nose wrinkled at the acrid scent of cat. “I said, who’s there? Name yourself.”
This time, a low meow answered his gruff query. Then a pained, but sarcastic, voice filled Larry’s mind. “If you don’t know by now that I’m a cat, then you aren’t much of a canine, are you, dog breath?” After a delicate sneeze, the cat added in a low whisper, “I could smell your canine butt coming from a mile away.”
“You still haven’t answered my question, feline. Who are you?” Larry refused to rise to the cat’s taunting, and suspicion colored his question. He pressed an eye to the small gap where the gate didn’t quite meet in the middle and scanned the drive. Larry suspected he knew the answer to his question, but wanted to hear it from the cat’s mouth, so to speak.
A grumbly purr sounded, echoed by a half dozen smaller, high-pitched meows. The overgrown bush closest to the gate rustled as a large black cat slunk out from its leafy interior. The cat limped over to face Larry’s inquisitive eye, still pressed to the fence. “My name is Midnight. I’m Familiar to Ted, the mage who runs—ran this scrapyard. Some bad guys kidnapped him over a moon ago. I’m injured, and I have kittens with me. Open the gate and let us in.”
Larry hesitated, wondering where the key to the gate’s lock might be. The cat misinterpreted his hesitation and gave an impressive eye roll. “Okay, fur-face since you’re going to make me beg. Please help me get inside. Nowwww-meowwww.”
“Keep your fur on, cat. I’m new here and need to either figure out where the gate key is or use some magic to open the lock if I can’t find the damn thing. Plus, I want a little back up present when I open the gate ... in case there’s any bad guys out there.”
“Ak-ak-ak-ak.” The cat chittered a feline laugh, but it ended in a pained groan. “The moronic mages surveilling this place are currently investigating a passel of rats with their tails tied together that are scurrying around at the back gate. We need to hurry before they realize the rats are a diversion.”
“Let me get the key. I think I might have seen it in the office.”
“No need for the key.” Nose in the air, Midnight emitted a screeching feline yowl. “Carb? Carb! Get your scaly green ass over here. I need some help, and this dog is clueless.”
Larry squinted in pain as his ears rang from Midnight’s cry. “Could you be any louder? I’m sure the evil mages on the other side of the scrapyard didn’t catch every word. Just most of them.”
“Midnight? Thank goddess, you’re back! But ... where are your kittens?” Carb materialized, seemingly out of thin air. He pressed his face worriedly against the gap in the fence. “Are they okay? You’re injured, girl. I can smell blood.”
“Ah, there you are, demon. My kittens are just fine.” Tiny meows sounded from under the bush at the side of the drive, confirming the truth of Midnight’s words. She limped toward her hungry kittens then pointed a paw at the fence next to the bush under which they sheltered. “There’s a loose piece of fencing behind this bush. I tried to push it aside and squeeze through, but as you can tell, I’m not at my best right now.”
The rusted piece of fence screeched as Carb shifted it to one side. “Come on, Midnight. Hurry up and get the kits inside the fence—and the wards. The mages are headed this way.”
As Carb pulled the wriggling, spitting balls of fluff through the fence, Larry got pressed into service. “Grab ‘em by the scruff,” Midnight commanded, “and take ‘em into the office. I’ll build a nursery in there.”
As they pulled the kittens through the gap, angry voices filled the night air.
“Damn rats. Who the hell tied their tails together? And how did they catch ‘em all?”
“You all right Will? That huge one gave you a big ol’ bite.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Too bad he got away before I could bite him back.”
Midnight hurriedly squeezed through the narrow opening in the fence, the last struggling kitten in her mouth. “Leave the fence patch like it is, guys. It’s hidden from view. Plus, those idiot mages can’t get through the wards, even if they could squeeze their fat asses through this opening.”
Larry snickered as he carried his last furry charge toward the office. “You’re alright, for a cat, Midnight.”
“And you’re alright, for a dog, Larry.”
Once the last of the kittens dozed off, snug in their newly created nest under the office desk, Midnight turned a serious gaze on Larry and Carb. “We need to talk.”
“First, let me check out your wounds.” Larry led the little group toward the door. “Come out into the moonlight. It’s bright enough out there and we won’t disturb the kits.”
After much protesting, Midnight submitted to Larry’s magical healing efforts. “There you go, cat. At least you aren’t bleeding anymore. All the skin’s healed over, but you’ll need to take it easy on that back leg for a while. That was a bad break.”
Despite herself, Midnight purred a sigh of relief. The pain of her injuries had subsided to nothing more than a dull ache. “Thank you, Larry. But you didn’t have to waste your magical talents on me. I’d have gotten through it.”
Carb squatted next to Midnight, eyeing her critically. “Oh, drop the tough cat act, friend. We need you feeling better so you can tell us what happened the night they kidnapped Ted ... and what’s been going on since.”
Midnight abruptly sat down and started grooming her matted fur. “Sorry, guys, I groom when I’m upset. A hell of a lot happened that night, Carb, and since. I’ll fill you both in. But first, tell me what’s happened here since I’ve been gone.”
Larry quickly explained that the Witch Council thought Ted had just walked off the job. He told her about his and Jesse’s reassignment to the scrapyard and filled her in on their activities to date.
Midnight snorted in disgust. She had groomed herself for the whole of Larry’s report but stopped as he finished. “Okay, now I’m beyond being upset. Ted’s a good guy. And dedicated. He would never have just walked off the job. Besides, he’d never have left behind ....” When she hesitated, Larry finished her sentence.
“Yeah, he never would have left behind ... whatever the hell piece of infernal magical thingy he’s been hiding in this scrapyard.” Larry eyed Midnight speculatively.
“Yeah, that.” Midnight’s lips curled in a feline grin. “I take it you haven’t found it yet. I can tell it’s still here—and hidden.”
Larry gave Midnight a reproachful glare. “Whatever the hell it is, it’s caused a whole bunch of havoc—and got Ted kidnapped, so you’d better fill us in so we can help sort it out.”
“And save the world.” Midnight's green eyes glowed gold when an errant moonbeam bounced off them.
Carb stared at Midnight, mouth agape. “Save the world? What the hell are you talking about?”
Midnight’s emerald-green eyes shone with both knowledge and worry. “Yep, I said save the world, and I meant it. You both need to know what’s at stake here, so I’ll explain. Listen up, guys.”
Larry’s muzzle dropped open in disbelief and awe as Midnight told her story. Carb’s impossibly large eyes grew even larger.
“Here’s the scoop, guys. A couple of months ago, several mages started sniffing around the scrapyard. Ted caught one and questioned him. He learned that they worked for some big mobster mage who was looking for a powerful magical tool. The guy didn’t know how the mobster heard about the tool or how he discovered that it was hidden in the scrapyard, though. Ted let him go. After turning him into a rat, of course.” Midnight’s pearly canines gleamed in the moonlight as she smiled.
“I had some fun with him before I ended things.” She grinned at Larry’s horrified expression. “No, I didn’t kill him dog-face. Just chased him off.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Okayyyy. Good.” Larry gave the cat a wary side-eye.
Snickering, Midnight added, “He didn’t go far, though. He’s one of the rats whose tails I twisted into a knot tonight.”
Despite himself, Larry snickered. A rusty chuffing sound came from Carb. He was laughing as well.
The atmosphere lightened a bit, but immediately tensed again as the duo listened to the rest of Midnight’s report.
The mobster’s mages had grown in number and boldness after the mage-rat incident. At first, they’d asked nicely for what they wanted. When that didn’t work, they resorted to threats. When Ted refused all their requests, they’d attempted to force their way into the scrapyard. For weeks, Ted had worked tirelessly to strengthen the wards, successfully keeping the mages at bay—until that last night.
Midnight sighed deeply, then rubbed her ears with her paws.
Carb nodded in confirmation. “We know what happened next. About Ted getting kidnapped and you jumping on the van before it drove away.” The little gremlin’s head fell in shame. “I saw the whole thing, and I didn’t help.”
“There’s nothing you could have done, Carb. I’m glad you stayed here and kept an eye on things.” Midnight purred, then rubbed her head against the gremlin’s skinny leg. “I clung to the van’s roof for miles. I jumped off when we reached the end of the road near the old marina and broke my leg.”
Carb exclaimed in admiration. “Way to go, Midnight! That explains the broken leg, but how did you get all the other injuries? You looked like hell when you got here.”
Midnight aimed an irritated glare at the little gremlin. “Gee, thanks, Carb. Just what a cat wants to hear.”
“Well, you did.” Carb defended his words.
“Being homeless in a rough part of Bridgeport isn’t easy, you know. Especially when you’re pregnant. The local cats thought I was trying to move in on their territory. I had to fight for my right to be there. Plus, I needed to stick around near the harbor to see if I could find out what happened to Ted.”
“Well, what did happen to Ted?” Larry hesitated. “Uh, is he still alive? Do you know where he is? You mentioned the harbor. And has he told them—”
“Yes, he’s still alive, but he’s in terrible shape. He’s being kept on a ship moored to the dock out by the old Cartwright Factory.” Midnight chuffed in indignation. “And no, he hasn’t told them anything. He would die first.” Her head hung low. “And he just might. That’s why I came back here. I need all your help to free him.”
Puzzled, Larry asked, “But how did you know we would be here? When you left the scrapyard over a month ago, the only one left who could leave the scrapyard to warn anyone was Carb.”
“Ted’s no dummy. And he’s very good with wards, so he’s been sending energy to keep the ones around the scrapyard strong. He knows the bad guys haven’t yet breached them. There’s an alert on the wards to let him know if anyone with good intent approached them, so he knew the second you arrived ... and he keyed the wards to allow you and Jesse entry. I headed this way as soon as he told me you’d arrived.”
“But why didn’t he just send you to the Witch Council to alert them to the danger? Oh, wait—” Larry’s eyes rounded in understanding.
Midnight nodded. “Yep, you’ve realized the answer to that question. It was a Witch Council member who showed up here demanding entry, and who helped the bad guys capture Ted.” She meowed sadly. “There’s a traitor on the Council.”
Larry thought he already knew the answer. “Councilman Jenkins.”
Regarding him curiously, Midnight asked, “Yes, it’s Councilman Jenkins. How did you know?”
Larry shook his head, his ears flapping. “Long story. Suffice it to say, I’m sure Councilman Jenkins has his sticky fingers all over this situation. And I’m pretty sure the new, and extremely evil, High Priestess of my former coven, Litha, is his accomplice. I’m not sure if they are completely in league with the bad guys who kidnapped your partner, or if they are playing along and have their own plans for whatever magical thingy that’s hidden here. In either case, we’ve got to stop them all.”
“And get my partner, Ted, back.”
“And get Ted back.” Larry promised. Internally, he winced. Here he was, making promises he did not know how to fulfill. But that’s what magical partners ... and friends were for. He was going to help this time, and not ignore the danger creeping along under the surface of his magical life. Poor Mabel. Larry’s tail drooped.
Carb’s growl cut into Larry’s despondent musings. “So, tell us, cat, what exactly did Ted bury in this scrapyard that everyone is so hot to get their mitts on? And how did he come by it?”
Midnight curled her muzzle in a feline snarl. “What I’m about to tell you is confidential. I need a life oath that you won’t speak of it ever again, once the danger is over.”
“Life oath?! That means we’ll die if we ever mention what you tell us!” Larry, eyes wide, stared at Midnight in dismay.
Her grave face and serious eyes informed them that Midnight wouldn’t budge on this.
Carb and Larry shared a worried look, then both nodded simultaneously, and turned their gaze back to Midnight.
Larry spoke for both of them. “If we are going to help you save the world, we need to know what we’re saving it from. Tell us.”
During a tense moment of silence, Midnight took stock of their commitment. Then she told them everything. “The magical tool hidden here in the scrapyard is called a Universum. That’s the Latin word for Cosmos. It was created by Ted’s ancestor centuries ago, during the Enlightenment, when many scientists, both mundane and magical, were theorizing and developing new creations.”
She snorted in anger. “Knowledge is a good thing, if pursued for the betterment of society. When knowledge is used in the pursuit of power, and you mix in an unscrupulous mage and powerful dark magic, well, you get a device that can destroy the world. The Universum.”
Larry gulped. “Why would someone create such a magical tool? After all, wouldn’t they be just at risk if it was used?”
Midnight settled herself more comfortably on her haunches. “It’s a long story. Settle in, boys. In answer to the first question. Alcase created the Universum because he could. In the late 17th century, his keen interest in physics and astronomy brought him into contact with Isaac Newton, who took the younger man under his wing. Over the following decade, Alcase had a front-row seat as that great man developed his theories concerning celestial mechanics and universal gravitation. The seeds of the Universum germinated there.”
“Are you saying Sir Isaac Newton helped create the Universum?” Larry’s muzzle dropped open in shock.
With a quick shake of her head, Midnight restored Larry’s opinion of Newton. Larry had never met him, personally, but he’d heard good things from those who had. There must be more to the story. He fixed Midnight with an eager, inquisitive gaze. “So, then what happened?”
“Unfortunately, Alcase did not have the same moral standards as Newton. He always had to push the ethical envelope. That bastard took Newton’s theories, combined them with those of other eminent scientists and mages of the time, and used them to create the Universum. He didn’t want to just theorize about the vastness of the cosmos, he wanted to see it in person.”
Midnight’s forehead wrinkled in a frown as her lips curled in disdain. “Alcase was simultaneously brilliant, evil … and stupid. Once he completed the Universum, he decided to test it. He was a member of the Royal Society, as well as the Mage Guild. There was—and still is, a lot of overlap between those two groups. As I’m sure you are aware, of course, most of the great philosophers and scientists of the Enlightenment were powerful mages, a fact that they kept under their hats.” A shadow of darkness tinged the cat’s gaze. “Remember, the church was still busy burning witches and other magical beings during that time.”
After a moment of silence, during which both Familiars paid sad tribute to the many lives, both magical and mundane, lost during the Burning Times, Larry prompted Midnight to continue her tale. “The Universum test? What happened?”
“Alcase used his contacts at the Royal Society and the Mage Guild to gather a team of scientists and mages to observe his experiment.” Midnight hesitated, her eyes dark in horrified remembrance. “When he began to chant the spell to activate the device, the world wobbled, then the air shimmered and thinned ... and thankfully the mages present overpowered Alcase before he could finish the activation spell. Newton had quickly realized that, if the Universum was fully activated, it would destroy the earth ... and the destruction would continue well into the stars.”
“Wow. Sir Isaac Newton saved the day,” Larry murmured, wonder in his words.
“Yep. Brilliant man.” Midnight’s eyes brightened in reminiscence. “And wise with it. Unlike Alcase.”
“You knew Isaac Newton? Wait, exactly how old are you? Don’t tell me you were Newton’s Familiar?” Larry eyed Midnight with new respect.
“Nope, I was that moron Alcase’s Familiar. I warned him about creating the Universum, but did he listen? No!” Midnight lowered a brow. “In answer to your impertinent query about my age. It’s none of your doggie business.”
Still fascinated, despite Midnight’s rebuke, Larry asked, “So what happened next? How did Newton convince Alcase not to try again with the Universum?”
Silence descended as Larry and Carb waited breathlessly for Midnight to finish her story. “Well?” They chorused.
Midnight smiled, cold satisfaction filling her eyes. “Newton and the other mages reported Alcase to the Supernatural Council. They tried him and found him guilty of the grave misuse of magical power.” Then the smile slipped from her face. “Alcase died while in prison, awaiting his execution. After that, the Council brought together the wisest and most powerful mage scientists of the time to study the infernal device and destroy the damned thing without activating it and obliterating the world. They failed.”
Larry eyed the cat skeptically. “Well, since the earth is still standing—mostly, I’m assuming you mean they failed at destroying the Universum but succeeded at not activating it.”
“Correct, you curious canine.” Midnight congratulated Larry as if he were a particularly dense student who’d surprised his teacher with an astute observation.
“The Council advisors realized that to destroy the Universum would activate its power, thus destroying the earth and the rest of this solar system, at a minimum. Since Alcase was the one to bring this magical abomination into being, the Supernatural Council decreed that his descendants would be responsible for the Universum. The Council tasked his family with keeping it safe and hiding it well, down through the generations, so that no magical being could get their grubby little power-hungry hands on it.”
Midnight’s chest puffed with pride. “At the request of Newton and the Supernatural Council, DEAF assigned me as the Felinus Universum. My job was, and still is, to assist each mage in the family line to keep the Universum safe, and out of the wrong hands.” Her whiskers curved up in a feline grin. “I guess they figured a cat, with its supreme disregard for the opinions of mages—and humans, would be a good counterpoint to any future members of Alcase’s family who developed power hungry ideas about the Universum.”
Larry couldn’t help himself. “Felinus Universum? That’s FU? Boy, the boffins at DEAF really do love their acronyms.” He snickered. “And they have no freaking idea how stupid some of them sound.”
Midnight licked her paw, then wiped it over her ear and down her face, but Larry spotted her smile, despite the attempted distraction.
Carb brought the group back to the present day with a bump. “So, Ted is now the mage in charge of the Universum and someone has kidnapped him. And the bad guys are a hair’s breadth from getting their hands on the damn thing and raining destruction on all of us. Does that about sum things up? What do we do now?”
Silence reigned as the trio eyed each other in dismay.
“Time to save the world.” They sighed in unison. “But we might need some help.”