The Big Meow - Diana Dueyn

Urruah waved his tail gently. “So he got around to speaking his mind at last, did he,” he said. “I wondered.”

Rhiow sat down. “How long have you known this was in the wind?”

Urruah looked thoughtful. “Since he first turned up in Olvera Street?” he said. “The kits certainly saw how he was looking at you. I imagine even Aufwi may have noticed. Can you have been the only one who hasn’t seen this coming?”

Rhiow wanted to crouch down and simply hide her face: and this reaction too was so unlike her that it embarrassed her. “This is terrible,” she said under her breath. “There’s no way this can be happening. It’s all wrong –”

“In what way?” Urruah said.

She gave him an annoyed look, not sure she much cared for his amused tone. “Well, for one thing, we’re from different times, ‘Ruah! This presents certain problems, wouldn’t you say? And besides, I’m not – you know –”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t exactly have all the necessary equipment!” she hissed. “I haven’t had it since just before I took the Oath!”

“I think he may have noticed that,” Urruah said.

“Will you stop being so calm about this?!” Rhiow nearly shouted at him, and then was mortified at the way it had come out, practically in a howl of pain.

“I don’t mind holding the calm for both of us,” Urruah said, “until you find yours again.”

Rhiow shut up and concentrated on doing just that. “I don’t know, Rhi,” Urruah said, “ but it occurs to me that he may be interested in you for other reasons besides the straightforwardly physical. What do you think?” And there was a bit of a twinkle in his eye. “I would have thought that a Person of a certain age might actually prefer that kind of approach. You know – after the the need for the ‘kittenish excesses’ of which you keep warning Siffha’h has tapered off a bit.”

There was something profoundly annoying about Urruah using her own sentiments against her in circumstances like this. “Sorry,” Rhiow said. “It’s just that it’s a little, I don’t know, embarrassing to think that the people around you think you need somebody…”

“You know, Rhi,” Urruah said, “I could swear you’ve been talking about the same kind of thing about your Iaehh. Wondering if it’s good for him to be alone, muttering about how he really ought to start looking for someone to share his life…”

Rhiow was strongly tempted to whack Urruah soundly enough to reposition his ears. But at the same time… she thought. “Damn it, ‘Ruah,” she said, “you have a point.”

He scrubbed behind one ear for a moment without looking at her. “Glad to see that you’ve noticed.”

“But why me?” she said under her breath. “And, ‘Ruah, there’s no way it could work. What it seems he has for me, I don’t have for him. And even if I did –”

“Rhi,” Urruah said. “Let it alone. It’s not as if we’re not going to be busy enough, this evening –“

“That’s been worrying me too,” Rhiow said. “How can we work together with this going on –”

“You were doing it earlier in the day,” Urruah said, “and it didn’t seem to affect his performance. If it’s your performance you’re concerned about –” He flirted his tail at her. “You’ve got a few hours to settle yourself, so if you need to meditate, I suggest you get on with it. Or go look over Sif’s power layout, or help brief the Silent Man…”

“Or just get a grip,” Rhiow said, flicking an ear at him in agreement. “I hear you. … I supposed this was just one thing too many to take at that particular moment. What I really want to be hearing is Ith’s voice telling me what those other tablets say. Because if we don’t find out before we go…”

“I know,” Urruah said. “But meantime let’s go finish doing the work we can do. Not even the Powers can do more than that.”

Rhiow did indeed spend a little time with the Silent Man, and most of that in convincing him that he shouldn’t come with them that night. The others had attempted to explain to him that what they were doing was too dangerous, but when Rhiow saw that taking this tack was getting them nowhere – indeed possibly having the opposite effect – she moved immediately to a different tack.

“Naturally we’d want you with us,” she said, “if there were a simple way to keep you from being seen. All we have to do is be invisible is sidle…but for an ehhif it takes more work. If you accompanied us, someone would have to hold that spell in place for you – and that someone wouldn’t be free for other wizardry should there be need. But what’s more to the point is that while we’re working up at Elwin’s place, the best place for you to be is following up on matters that we can’t effectively pursue. There are some loose ends…”

“That studio fire, for one,” Helen said, sounding thoughtful. “The police connection is still a little murky. They didn’t do the kind of follow-up you would usually expect. And the local fire chief doesn’t seem to have been inclined to dig into causes, either. Almost as if somebody or other told him to just accept the studio fire department’s story and walk away…”

The Silent Man looked from Helen to Rhiow. Not that we don’t have our share of crooked cops, he said. The take goes way up the chain: has for years, now. And the fire departments are always squabbling over jurisdiction — famous for it. So I take your point. However – He gave Rhiow a look. Don’t think I don’t know a misdirect when I hear one, Blackie.

Rhiow’s tail started lashing with her exasperation. After a moment, embarrassed, she got it to hold still again – only to find the Silent Man soundlessly laughing at her as he cocked an eye at Helen. And you’re just as bad. Now, don’t start batting those big dark lashes of yours at me, sister! He gave Helen a mock-severe look. But all right… I know better than to push in somewhere I’d be more of a liability than an asset. I’ll sit this one out. How’ll I know what’s going on with you, though?

“We’ll find a way to get you word,” Rhiow said. “In fact, we have a silent partner working up the timestream from us who’d be perfect for the job. Assuming we hear from him before we have to go…”

She threw a glance at the windows. That eternal sunshine was already beginning to slant into afternoon; soon enough it would be early evening, and whether or not Ith had come through, they would have to go. “In the meantime,” Rhiow said, “if you’d like to drive us over within walking distance when it’s time, that’d be useful.”

The Silent Man nodded. “You don’t even like the idea of doing personal transports over that way?” Urruah said.

“No,” Rhiow said. “The less attention of any kind we draw to ourselves, the better I’m going to like it. Anyway, for now let’s get everyone together for a prebrief so that our silent partner will know the order of business. Who knows, he may come across something of use for him to look into…”

Urruah went off to gather everyone together. Shortly the whole team was gathered in the living room except for Hwaith and Aufwi. “Hwaith said he had something personal to attend to: he’ll meet us at Dagenham’s,” Urruah said. “Aufwi had to go deal with something gate-based… he’ll be along shortly.”

“All right,” Rhiow said. “So here’s the situation. As far as we can tell, there aren’t any overshadowed wizards involved in this operation. Judging from what we’ve found so far – especially the charm that secured the room where Arhu found the tablet drawings — Dagenham and his cronies have found and have been employing some fragments of wizardry, probably long phrases in the Speech, that are powerful enough for nonwizards to use as standalone operators.”

“Normally only a wizard can do spells,” Urruah said to the Silent Man. “Wizards in active practice are invested by the Powers that Be with a property called ‘enacture’. Without enacture in place, spells don’t run. But the Speech is the language that built the Universe… and some words and phrases in it are so powerful that even without enacture, they have the ability to change the world.”

Magic words… the Silent Man said. It’s like something out of a fairy tale.

“Lots of fairy tales have truth in them,” Rhiow said. “That’s one reason they last so long. But these fragments of the Speech can be found scattered around the landscape of human history like ancient relics or weapons. Some are worn down by long burial, almost unrecognizable. Some are clear to see for what they are, and can be still be used. We think it likely that Dagenham’s people have been using such fragmentary spells to try to control or command some of the minor dark powers associated with the Lone One: the idea being that the scavenger-powers have more energy to lend to the ehhifs’ intent.”

Leverage, the Silent Man said.

“Exactly. That’s something we can put a permanent stop to, and we’re going in tonight prepared to do that. But something worse is going on as well. My guess is that Dagenham or someone connected with him is preparing to enact another sacrificial murder, the latest in the sequence that this group of people, wittingly or unwittingly, has been facilitating. If they succeed, the Earth will move, and the sky will break, and powers from outside our sheaf of worlds will push in through the crack and try to establish a permanent presence here.”

Sounds bad, the Silent Man said.

His dry understatement was surprisingly calming, considering the way the mere description of the work that awaited them had made Rhiow’s stomach roil. It settled now, a little, though the reaction might be irrational. It’s like something the Great Tom would say, Rhiow thought. And why wouldn’t He speak through an ehhif if it suited him? The whole point is to speak and be heard…

“It would be bad,” Rhiow said. “In the aftermath of the quakes associated with the arrival of the power the ancient ehhif called Tepeyollotl, Los Angeles would certainly be destroyed in fire and water: and that’s just the least of the expected effects. I’m sure the poor dupes involved in this business somehow think they’ll be spared if they succeed… but they’re crazy.”

The Silent Man sat quietly for a moment. Knowing that you people have all kinds of amazing abilities, he said, I’m noting that you’re not making any offer to send me and the local feline population to safety.

“Because if we fail,” Helen said, “nowhere we could send you, in the short run, would be any safer in the long run than where you are right now. If this is the last day for all of us, better that you and the local People should go about your business, and their business, with dignity.”

And hope you succeed.

“I like our chances,” Urruah said, sounding a whole lot calmer than Rhiow felt. “Pity there’s no one to take the bet.”

Through his concern, the Silent Man got a glint of amusement in his eye: but over to one side Rhiow caught a glimpse of Arhu and Siffha’h exchanging a glance, and she could feel some private thought passing between them. Must ask about that later, if there’s time…

The French door on the backyard side of the room pushed open a little, and Aufwi slipped in. “Sorry,” he said, “I had a couple of local gate issues. It’s acting up again…”

“Why wouldn’t it,” Urruah muttered. “It has to feel how everything’s hanging in the balance right now…”

“And we’ve been doing that as long as we dare,” Rhiow said, “but we must get moving and get over there now. I could wish we had the last tranche of information that we need… but no matter: we’ll have to do without it.” She stood up. “Iau be with us in its absence, for we’ll need Her.” Her tail lashed with unease.

“Wait, what?” Aufwi said. “What’s still missing?”

“Ith can’t find the carvings uptime,” Rhiow said. “They’re not in the museum any more!”

Aufwi looked surprised. “What, at Exposition Park?”

“Of course, what else would she be talking about!” Urruah said.

Aufwi blinked at him. “But of course the carvings wouldn’t be there. They moved them.”

Rhiow stared.“What?”

“The pre-Columbian art was only in the old Museum until the Sixties,” Aufwi said. “But they ran out of room up there with all the other stuff they kept cramming into the same little space. So they built a new place, the LA County Museum of Art, down on Wilshire, by the Miracle Mile. ‘Museum Row,’ they call it now: there’s a whole bunch of them down there – the Page Museum over by the Tar Pits and a few others.”

Rhiow sagged with relief. “So it’s just all been moved across town –?!”

“Only five miles or so,” Aufwi said. “Just tell your friend–”

Rhiow sat down again, reached down into her mind and poured everything she’d just heard down the until-now dormant link to Ith’s mind uptime. “I’ve told him,” Rhiow said. “Aufwi, I don’t know whether to pull your ears right off because you didn’t think to tell us this earlier, or to thank you and beg to have your kittens.” She caught Urruah giving her a slightly peculiar sideways look, and laughed. “Though in my present state that would take a lot of work. Never mind! Ith — ?”

I will go there straightaway, Ith said. As soon as I’ve seen the tablets, I will speak to you.

Rhiow stood up and shook herself. “Let’s get ourselves ready, then,” she said. “Last snacks and other personal business…”

All the People in the group dispersed and left Rhiow standing all by herself in the middle of the living room, feeling suddenly very alone and frightened, and wishing she could show it to someone, anyone. The Silent Man and Helen were talking quietly together, but Rhiow could see from their body language that it was something intimate in the ehhif mode, and interrupting them seemed rude. This is all so strange, Rhiow thought, and shivered. I want a lap to curl up on. Why do I feel so insufficient, all of a sudden?What’s the matter with me?

Slowly she turned toward the French doors and walked out into the back yard. What ‘Ruah said may have something to it, she thought. Some meditation time is what I need. Let’s get on with it.

She just wished she could make herself believe it would make a difference….

The sound of the motor of the Silent Man’s big car purring away down the empty, narrow hillside road where he left them seemed very loud to Rhiow as she watched her People and Helen melt into the underbrush at the roadside. She stood there watching the big gleaming thing cruise slowly round the curve and pass out of sight. I wonder if he really understands what he’s gotten into… she thought.

Siffha’h, pausing beside Rhiow for a moment, looked past her at the vanishing car. “Rhi,” she said, “you have no idea how much energy I pumped into the wizardry around his house. It’d take a nuke to get through it.” As Rhiow opened her mouth, Siffha’h added, “And it’s not a conditional, either, so don’t give me that look. Whether we’re dead or alive after midnight, he’ll be as safe as anything can make him while he stays on this planet. Or in this continuum.”

Rhiow immediately felt guilty for treating Sif like a kitten. “I wasn’t –”