Once Larry secured the agreement of the Familiars, Jesse, Cerri, and her team joined them in the overflowing office. Cerri spent several hours bringing the Familiars up to date and briefing everyone on their plan to rescue the hostages and defeat the bad guys.
Unfortunately, the bad guys launched a powerful attack on the scrapyard as the team finalized their plans.
When the lead mage’s first magical missile hit the scrapyard, it blew out the windows in the office. Larry threw Jesse an I-told-you-so look. She gave him the finger. After that, they were too busy trying to stay alive to communicate much.
Cerri’s shouted commands sent everyone scurrying. “Familiars, fan out along the scrapyard fence. Use your magic to reinforce the wards. Pull on my Earth power, if you need to.”
As the Familiars poured out of the office, Cerri pulled a small vial from her pocket and smashed it on the office floor. The earth heaved and ripples of power rattled the floorboards. Larry stumbled and fell, narrowly avoiding a fiery arrow that sailed through the shattered glass of the window. “Ow, what the hell?”
The earthquake Cerri started quickly spread outward, rolling across the dusty ground of the scrapyard until it passed under the fence. The fence’s metal panels heaved and groaned but held firm.
Shouts and screams sounded from the attackers as the earthquake reached them. Taking advantage of the lull in battle, Larry and Jesse hurried out of the office and took cover behind the nearest mountain of metal.
“What do we do now?” Jesse met Larry’s eyes, hers a mix of determination and fear.
“Now, we fight.” Larry’s magic writhed around his body, the golden glow reflecting off shards of shiny metal mixed in with the rusted heap of scraps. “Touch my fur, Jesse, and stock up on power. Let’s give these idiots something to scream about.”
* * *
Long hours later, as the first pink rays of dawn colored the horizon, the battle was over. Several of the mountains of metal now lay in ruins, now just mere hills that ran together in a twisted, magic-darkened pile of destruction.
Familiars carefully skirted the sharp shards littering the ground and gathered on the forecourt in front of the office. Cerri and her team sprawled on the ground, chests heaving with exhaustion. Jesse and Larry joined Cerri, both collapsing onto the cracked asphalt next to her.
A throat cleared. Larry’s head whipped around to identify its source, his magic glowing in the early morning light.
“Peace, Larry.” Carb emerged from near the top of one of the few remaining piles of metal, his squat, but agile, form clambering quickly to the ground. “It’s only me. Glad this battle’s over, but what a mess you’ve made.” The ferrous demon gazed sadly at the remnants of the metal mountains. “And just when I had everything so nicely arranged, too.”
Larry let his magic recede. Carb was no threat, despite his insinuation that the scrapyard’s dire condition was down to his team. “In case you didn’t notice, gremlin, the bad guys attacked us. They’re the ones responsible for the mess. Not us.”
Carb grinned. “But you helped.”
With a reluctant snicker, Larry nodded. “Yes. We helped.”
After a pause, and one final pained glance at the disordered piles of metal strewn across the scrapyard, Carb straightened, faced Cerri, and issued a sharp salute. “Hail, Priestess. I’ve got a progress report on our search for the Universum.”
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Cerri snapped to attention, her former tired slump gone. “Well, demon? Speak up.”
Carb hesitated, his eyes roving over the few witches and Familiars still resting nearby. Most of the team, along with many of the Familiars, were working to repair the scrapyard fencing and provide first aid to the injured. A few had drawn the short straw and were busy clearing away the remnants of the battle outside the gates. They carefully avoided the crevices now stretching greedy fingers across the wide entrance drive. Cerri’s earthquake had been a humdinger.
“We have located the quadrant containing the Universum, ma’am.” Carb aimed a respectful nod at Midnight. “Familiar, you and your partner did an admirable job of hiding and warding the blasted thing.”
Midnight’s whiskers twitched with pleasure. “Why thank you, Carb.”
“Just one question ... well, two, really.” Carb waited for Midnight to nod her agreement before he asked, “Um ... if you are the Felinus Universum, how come you didn’t know its location in the scrapyard? Or did you? And if you knew, why did you need me and the other ferrous demons to locate it?” Carb scuffed his feet in the dirt. “You lot weren’t just giving us busy work, were you?”
Midnight licked her paw and ran it over her ear and down her muzzle. She continued her grooming, concentrating on a patch of dirt that matted the fur behind her ear. After an uncomfortable minute, during which Larry began to wonder if the regal feline would deign to answer Carb’s very legitimate question, Midnight ceased her obsessive grooming and sat up, her two front paws in perfect alignment.
“Like my magical partner, I swore a Life Oath never to reveal the location of the Universum on pain of final death.” With a frustrated mew, Midnight continued. “That’s why Ted hasn’t told those idiots where the damn thing is, no matter how much they torture him. He can’t tell them, or he’ll lose not just his life, but his soul!”
Larry cringed in sympathy at Midnight and Ted’s plight. Their lives were literally tied to a tool of cosmic destruction.
Carb squatted down, bringing his gaze level with Midnight. “Thank you for sharing the truth with us.” He dipped his head respectfully. “I understand now. My sincerest apologies for questioning your honor. You have helped us as much as you can, risking your very soul to do so.”
Larry caught Midnight’s fleeting expression of pleasure, even if the others didn’t. Mere seconds later, her normal inscrutable expression blanketed her face.
* * *
Everyone had long since disbursed, many taking up residence in the main house to rest. Others patrolled the perimeter, while Cerri huddled with her SBI team, deep in conversation. Jesse had drooped with exhaustion, but only retired to her room to rest after Larry badgered her into doing so.
The promise of the dawn had given way to a cloudy morning. Rain spurted intermittently from the gray sky overhead. They had cleaned the scrapyard. Mostly. Stray pieces of metal and glass still littered the cracked asphalt. The office windows were boarded up, the door wedged crookedly in its frame.
Larry gingerly pushed his head through the cat flap in the damaged door and checked out the dim interior of the office. The nursery under the desk was cold and empty. Midnight had moved her kittens to the safety of the main house, where they now slept in comfort in a drawer pulled from Jesse’s bureau. Larry stuffed his weary body through the cat flap, its narrow sides scraping along his ribs. Need to quit with the extra slices of pizza, he mused.
He padded forward, then lay down on the pile of blankets under the desk, nose wrinkling at the powerful smell of kittens that Midnight’s litter had left behind.
Resting his head on his paws, Larry considered.
He’d messed up just about everything over the last few months. Or was it years? Sighing, he admitted it may have even been decades. Four and a half centuries was a long time as a Familiar, charged with constantly protecting and aiding a long succession of magical partners. Some had been very good at their jobs, some not so good. Some, he admitted, downright awful at them. He’d always done his best. Paid attention. Kept them out of trouble. Protected them when needed. Been a good magical partner, most of the time, he thought. Until the last fifty years or so.
The grind had finally gotten to him. His latest magical partner, Mabel, and he had been together over a century. She had been one of the better ones. Too good, in fact. She was so competent that she hadn’t really needed much magical, administrative, or technical support from him; in fact, she had been so powerful that his magic and gone stale from disuse. He’d gotten complacent. Coasting through the motions instead of maintaining vigilance and honing his magic.
His inattention had resulted in Mabel’s death. Just because people were frighteningly competent didn’t mean they couldn’t use a hand now and then. He had known something was wrong, but Mabel told him she could handle it. And she usually could, so he’d ignored his gut and stood down. Then she’d been murdered, and those they’d trusted had tricked him and Jesse. After that, they were cast aside and sent on a fool’s errand to protect this supposedly moldering magical backwater.
Well, fuck.