“Wherever I pleased. I removed myself from Thiside completely. I floated through space as far as I could go and then I went further. I dropped into Othaside occasionally. I’ve always favoured Cannock Chase woods in England and appeared there many times as a large cat. I believe it made the news a few times,” said the Cat.
“Why are you back now?”
“I felt a pull. A tugging. As if something had been introduced into Thiside, a catalyst that felt like it would bring change, and it drew me back.”
“What was it?”
“It was you, Robert Darkly.”
“Me?” said Robert. “I really don’t think I’m the catalyst type.”
“You’re shaking things up and you don’t even know it. Just by existing, you allowed the Dwarf to escape. Jack put his plan into action. Your father will probably get what he wants out of the deal. Lily found a connection with you. Things are changing. You’re bringing the magic back to this world.”
“Lily told me that you were a source of magic.”
“And it’s because of you that I came back. You are a bringer of change and chaos, my friend.”
“Why haven’t you shown yourself before now? And why not explain all this while you were the voice in my head?”
“I tried to become corporeal but there wasn’t enough magic left in this world to allow me to remain. The best I could manage was a kitten, which in turn started a most unfortunate fire. But even the corporeality of the kitten began to slip away, so I chose to be incorporeal again, but instead of floating in nothingness I decided to float in your subconscious; that way I could stay in touch with you. And let’s face it, you needed my help.”
“You healed me after the werewolf attacked me,” said Robert as pieces began to fit together. “You created the doors! When I needed them, it was you!”
“I don’t create doors, silly boy. But sometimes I can move them where I need them to be.”
“I was beginning to think I was going mad! Why not tell me you were the Cat all along?”
The Cat let out a light laugh. “Well, it was funny, wasn’t it? Your lineage lends to being a little off the deep end, so those around you almost expected it of you.”
“My lineage?”
“All in good time. We have more pressing matters at hand.”
“So what now?”
“We’re in the remains of the Emerald City and Rumpelstiltskin is casting a spell that will make the magical field churn and expand. I believe that if you can get me close enough, I’ll be able to become corporeal.”
“And if you’re corporeal, you’ll be able to help us stop him?”
“There are great things ahead of you, Robert Darkly, and I don’t see any advantage to the Dwarf completing his spell.”
“So how do I get out of here?”
“This might hurt a little.”
“What will hurt?” asked Robert, who was becoming accustomed to painful experiences.
“This,” said the Cat.
A door appeared next to Robert and he was instantly sucked into it―
―and was thrown up into the air twenty feet before crashing down on a patch of grass amongst the ruins of the Emerald City.
“Oourgg,” groaned Robert.
“I did warn you,” said the Cat, now back in Robert’s head.
Robert stood up and looked around. The Emerald ruins glowed and in the distance he could see people moving around.
“Robert!”
Robert turned to the voice to find Lily just as he’d left her. She was carrying an unconscious man who looked like he had the legs of an ostrich. She dropped the man and ran to Robert, throwing her arms around him. They embraced and Robert was happy that he wasn’t a smear on the ground somewhere.
“You’re welcome,” said the Cat.
“I saw you fall,” said Lily, “I thought you were dead.”
“Nahh,” said Robert, “takes more than a fall from a Screech Demon to kill Robert Darkly.”
Lily pulled back and Robert was surprised to see tears in her eyes. “How did you survive?”
“It’s a long story and we don’t have time. We need to get to Rumpelstiltskin. Who’s that?” asked Robert pointing to the unconscious Humanimal.
“I think he’s a henchman.”
“He has ostrich legs.”
“Nothing slips by you, does it? Come on.”
Lily took Robert’s hand and together they weaved a path through the rubble and dead creatures toward the courtyard that became more and more illuminated, as if the luminescence from the ruins was being concentrated toward it.
Jack held Rumpelstiltskin by the front of his shirt. “You’re a double-crossing little weasel!”
“I just thought by tricking you,” said the Dwarf, “that it’d throw the Agency off my tail and relieve you of any suspicion. After all this is said and done, you still want to be an Agent, don’t you? I thought that was the whole point. Bring back the good ol’ days! I assume you want to appreciate those days from anywhere other than the inside of the Tower. It adds to the charade; I’m the fugitive, you’re the brilliant Agent on my tail.”
“Just finish the spell,” said Jack and released the Dwarf.
“How did you get here, anyway?” asked the Dwarf.
“Special order of the Director. She used emergency orders to send me through a door created by the Wizards’ Council to get me here and take control of the situation.”
“But that means…”
“That there’ll be more Agents coming soon. And the Emerald Guard.”
Rumpelstiltskin’s blood pressure shot to its peak and he turned a lovely mauve colour. “Why did you do that?”
Jack shrugged. “Like you said, it adds to the charade. When they get here, I’ll tell them you’d already completed the spell and got away. So finish fast and then get out of here.”
“It’s not that easy!” shouted Rumpelstiltskin. “It’s intricate, it takes time, you idiot!”
“Then get on with it,” said Jack matter-of-factly and went to stand next to Blarfunder, who was polishing the horn on the end of his rhino’s snout.
Rumpelstiltskin resumed his incantations and a ball of green fire appeared in the courtyard above the gathered objects. The glow from the surrounding ruins crept toward the courtyard, making the surrounding rock and masonry brighter and more distinct.
“I wonder what happened to Ian?” said Blarfunder to Crushnut.
“Mehh,” said Crushnut.
Robert crouched next to Lily behind a large piece of masonry thirty feet from the courtyard. The air had taken to crackling and snapping and sometimes swirling. Thanks to the green ball of flame currently floating in the courtyard, it had been easy to find Rumpelstiltskin. Robert had noticed Lily bristle at the sight of Jack.
“How did he get here?” she growled.
It looked like the Dwarf had employed two other henchmen and one of them had a large rhino’s head on its shoulders. The other was picking its nose and aside from looking like he could rip entire telephone companies in half, let alone a telephone book, he didn’t seem like much of an immediate threat.
“Now what do we do?” asked Robert.
“Get us as close as you can to the emerald flame in the middle of the courtyard,” urged the Cat in Robert’s head.
“I don’t know. I think I can take the two henchmen. But we need to stop the spell,” said Lily. “And I don’t know how to do that.”
“Destroy the papers he’s reading from,” said the Cat.
“We have to destroy the papers,” said Robert.