“Oh, yes. I’ve rescued him dozens of times.”
“Have you ever failed to rescue him?” Josephine didn’t respond, but from the look on her face the answer was yes.
Ahead, the forest thinned and ended as tree branches parted, allowing us passage. We stopped at the tree line. Josephine gave a grand gesture as if she were revealing something magnificent. In truth, she was. Across a field, I saw the first buildings of Ulthar.
Chapter 6
When you move every couple of years, as I did when I was young, you learn that places are different. Not just strange people and new buildings. It is the landscape itself. The color palette is subtly off until you get used to it. Trees are the wrong shade of green and are shaped differently—rounder instead of triangular. The grass is lighter or longer or stiffer. The buildings are made from yellower rock instead of red. It seemed to me that the farther away from the coast you went, the lighter, yellower, or browner the landscape became. If you were not looking for it, all you would know is that something was “not right” about the new place you were in.
One of the things I would do as a child when we arrived at our new home was pick out exactly what was different—flora, fauna, and colors. I did not know it then, but I was creating coping mechanisms for the loss of my home and friends and all things familiar.
At first, it looked like a small New England village, but the closer we came, the more it looked like what someone thought a New England village should look like. Between the meadow and the start of the village was a road that gave Ulthar the perfect border. The rest of the village was displayed like a postcard on the gentle slope of the foothills. The village proper clustered together in a series of business buildings and homes. The rest of the land to either side of the village was farmland as far as the eye could see. Behind it all, the mountain stood as if shepherding its flock below.
It was beautiful and not quite right. It was too neat, too properly quaint for a real village. The central area appeared to be laid out in the shape of a cross with shops on the main street and administrative buildings on the cross street. Snaking out from the sides were several dirt roads that picturesquely wound their way out to numerous farms and small houses. This appeared to be where the bulk of the people of Ulthar lived—if you judged by the people coming and going.
In the center of it all, there was an actual town square. This was where Foolishness led us. Almost every building had some sort of cat motif adorning it in the form of statues, metal silhouettes, and etched glass. People watched the cat lead us toward a door with a sign emblazoned above it: Einar’s Place.
The cats watched us as well. There were dozens upon dozens of cats in the streets, on porches, in windows, and in the alleys between buildings. All of them looked healthy, well fed, and clean. Several smaller ones, older than kittens but not quite adults, followed us. There were no meows, hisses, yowls, or trills normally associated with cats. Just the soft murmur of voices from humans and felines alike.
Rather than being strange, this felt appropriate. As if it were meant to be. I gave the village and our watchers one last look before I entered Einar’s Place after our escort and my patient. Inside, I found myself in a tavern, clean smelling and welcoming. Long tables lined the almost empty room. Two people and three cats turned as we came in.
I froze. One of the people looked like Malachi. Just as I was about to call out to him, he laughed and stood. I was mistaken. That wasn’t Malachi. He was too different in stature and tone. I just wanted him to be my dead patient, well again. The man looked over his shoulder, a smile playing about his lips as if he knew he’d fooled me.
Josephine touched my shoulder. “We need to wait.”
“Yes.” I nodded. I looked from her to the man and found him gone. I shivered, unsettled. “All right.”
Foolishness wound himself through our ankles. “I’ll find Insightful.” The cat disappeared among the legs of the tables and chairs.
Josephine chose a table and sat. “I remember when my brother first brought me here.”
“Your brother?” I furrowed my brow. Ah, yes. Leland.
“Sometimes, we would meet in dreams. When he thought I was old enough, he brought me here.” She gave me that sly smile of hers. “Our parents did not know. They had a time line for everything. Sometimes, we skipped the time line.”
“I don’t have a brother or any siblings. What was it like?”
Josephine smiled to herself. “It was terrible and lovely at the same time. Leland was older than me. Sometimes, I think he resented me as the youngest. We fought over so many things. But he was my big brother and he protected me from all who would do me harm.”
I glanced at the ceiling with its large, dark wood beams. Leland might be the source of her grief, but I could not remember how he had died. Just that he had passed. “It sounds like a complicated relationship.”
“It was. The older I became, the more we understood each other.” Her smile disappeared. “Then he left, as all siblings must do in the end.” She hugged herself and turned away, ending the conversation.
I sat across from Josephine, watching her and letting the silence grow until she relaxed into that familiar waiting pose. The tavern was like the rest of the village: it looked like a tavern you would see in picture books. The artwork wasn’t exactly normal pub fare, however. A framed silhouette of a cat, gold against a black background, hung above the hearth. I gestured to it. “They really like their cats here.”
“Of course we do.” A heavyset man approached with a couple of tankards. “They’re the eyes and ears of the god Ulthar.” He gave me a curious look at my obvious lack of knowledge. “Real kitten here, eh, Josephine? Where’d you dig her up?”
Josephine folded her hands. “Good day, Einar. Please meet Dr. Carolyn Fern. She is my doctor and a good one at that.” Although her tone of voice was smooth and polite, her mild rebuke was plain.
“Pardon, uh, Doctor.” Einar put the tankards on the table. “Didn’t mean any disrespect. It’s just strange here in Ulthar for someone to not know of Ulthar.” He glanced at Josephine who nodded her approval. “Ulthar was put on earth to watch the other Elder and Outer Gods. It’s said that if things go too wrong, Ulthar will reveal himself and deal with them.”
I glanced between Josephine and Einar. “Elder Gods?”
He shook his head. “We don’t say their names. Not even here where we’re so blessed and protected.”
Josephine nodded. “So true. I will explain them later.”
“I will explain them sooner.” This came from a small, long-haired calico cat not much bigger than a loaf of bread. She leapt to the table and sat, wrapping her tail about her paws.
Einar looked uncomfortable. “Anything for you, Insightful?”
The cat shook her head. “No. I have business with these two.”
Fascinated, I watched as the cat commanded the room. Her presence was enormous despite her small body. Einar ducked his head and hurried away. Josephine and Foolishness both regarded Insightful with respect.
“Welcome home, Josephine. Welcome, Carolyn.”
“Hello.”
Sometimes when Insightful spoke, it looked like she actually spoke in words. Sometimes, it looked like she spoke with only her body. “You don’t have much time and you have much to do while you are here.” Insightful twitched the end of her tail. “But, it’s dangerous for you to be so naïve to the true ways of the universe.”
“You speak of these otherworldly gods?” Just saying those words gave me a shiver. It reminded me of the spiral I’d started to fall into while looking at the marks on Josephine’s back. “Who are they?”