Taboo: Chapter 1: Rite of Passage (Part 3)
Title: Taboo
Author: wingeddreamer9
Rating: PG for now, probably R later for sexual content and possible violence
Word Count: 10,583 for whole chapter, 5,953 for this part
Warnings/Spoilers: Slash, fem-slash, mentions of sex, possibly mentions of violence, pesky gods who like to stick their noses where they don't belong
Story Summary: In a world where status is determined by breed, two young men - one low born, one high - work together to tear down the walls placed between them by society. Asher masquerades as a brothel slave to gather information for an upcoming rebellion against the suffocating oppression of his class, desperate to create a world where his siblings can live without fear. Jornen is a Noble about to come into his majority, and the last thing he wants is the fate his father has planned for him. Only together can they shake things up - hopefully for the better - and only together will they find out that love truly is blind.
Chapter Summary: It is New Year's Eve, and Ash doesn't exactly share everyone else's enthusiasm for the holiest of days...
Chapter 1: Part 1
Chapter 1: Part 2
Chapter 1: Part 3
Small fingers trembling in her big brother's grip, Maye let Ash open the church's heavy wooden door, its old hinges creaking in demand for a fresh treatment of oil. Multitudes of lit candles battled valiantly against the interior gloom, the setting sun turning the stained glass windows into dark holes in the weathered stone of the walls. Maye had never been in the church at night, and the normally welcoming space had turned into something eerie and mysterious. Not even the number of people milling around the large room helped to drive away the creeping darkness, their voices softened in respect for the tale about to be told. Seeking reassurance, she lifted her jade eyes to Ash's comforting face.
"It's alright, Maye-kit," Ash promised with a gentle smile, knowing very well how the dark could frighten a kitten. "Why don't you go see who's here? You wanted to sit next to Keili, didn't you?" At his sister's nod, Ash knelt to rub his cheek against hers, his hand smoothing over her soft curls. "You go ahead and find her. I promise I'll stay right here by the door and make sure nothing bad gets in, alright?"
"Alright." Maye kissed her brother's cheek in return and cautiously trotted off to find her friend among the excited throng of seven-year-old kittens in front of the chipped stone altar, trusting Ash to ensure her safety just as he always did.
When he was sure Maye had found someone she knew, Ash settled in a shadowy corner beside the door, the old stone he leaned against cool along his back. Crossing his arms, he watched in amusement as eight and nine-year-old kittens, dressed in their cleanest clothing, wove around the adults with a cool superiority that came from already having heard the story at least once. By ten the smugness wore off, replaced by respect for the ancient tale.
A startled gasp nearby surprised Ash, and he turned his gaze to see a wide-eyed queen about his age, her hands clapped over her mouth and tail bottle-brushed, at the receiving end of numerous glares for disturbing the hushed atmosphere. Sheepishly, she and the friend she was talking to moved away from the gathering towards the shadows - and Ash. Curious, he casually shifted a few steps closer, keeping to the darkness so he wouldn't be noticed.
"What do you mean, Sasha was snatched?!" she hissed once they were a respectful distance from the main crowd, ears flat against her head in fear. "He's the most careful person I know! He would never go anywhere where he might be taken!"
"Hush," the other queen scolded with a wave of her hand as she checked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening in on them, completely unaware of the tom nearby. "I know, I know, but it's true. It was early yesterday morning down near the docks, soon after dawn. He had gone to get some fish for his family's breakfast and never came back. And Sasha wasn't the only one. A lot of the fishermen my father works with said they haven't seen a noticeable amount of their usual morning customers recently, especially the toms about our age. At least three of them, besides Sasha, were sons of friends of my mother."
"But where are they going? Who's taking them? Who could possibly want so many young males as slaves?"
Her friend could only shrug wearily. "I don't know. All I do know is that the fishermen are beginning to fear that they'll soon lose all their business if people continue to disappear on their way to the docks like this."
Some unseen signal quieted the gathered crowd - not for the first time Ash cursed his short stature - and the young queens were forced to join the adults and older kittens as they found seats in the pews while the seven-year-olds sat on the floor in front of the altar, circled around a wooden chair. Ash shifted until his back found a mostly smooth spot on the stone wall and settled into a comfortable lean. There was an empty pew just a few strides away that he could have sat in, but he wouldn't feel right joining the others. Everyone else in the room believed the Great Story to be an absolute truth, and while Ash appreciated the Great Story as a tale, that was all it was to him. A tale. And if Maye had not insisted that he be the one to bring her here tonight, he would have been spending another year at home. The Gods and their Story belonged to those who had faith, and Ash had given his up a long time ago.
This year the tale was being given by Ruisa, the old deacon and midwife known for her extraordinary storytelling. She was bent with age and her grey hair was thinning badly, but her amber eyes were still bright with wisdom and love for the young lives surrounding her.
Once the kittens had stopped squirming, their impatience calmed by Ruisa's gentle smile, the old grandmother began to weave the Great Story's spell. "In the beginning, there was nothing, only thoughts and dust floating in a dark void. Slowly, the thoughts gathered the dust together…"
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…their whispered conversations growing louder as they mingled and began to merge. At last the gathered dust took the form of a large sphere, and the thoughts became silent for the first time. Into the silence, the thoughts cried out in unison, "LIFE."
A mound of dust grew on the sphere, took shape, and then shook as the newborn creature inside broke free in a billowy cloud. She was long and sleek, her dark fur rippling with each movement she made, glimmering with a strange internal light. Her eyes were intelligent pools of glittering gold. With a sweep of her slim tail, she launched herself forward to play in her new home. Large paws batted at the dust as her tail stirred it up, creating clouds and tendrils in wild patterns. The particles she breathed on exploded with light and flew into the darkness above, drawing her gaze up. She paused in wonder as the lights settled into patterns as wild as the ones she had been creating, radiating their light down onto her. "Sky," she named the velvet blanket above her, trying out her voice for the first time. "Stars," she named the sparkling dots that let her see the barren world around her. Satisfied, she continued to play, tossing more stars into the sky.
Eventually tired of play, she became lonely, and using a fourth of her power, she commanded the dust to create another like her, yet different. From the dust arose another long, sleek form. His pelt shone gold, his spots black and bronze in the young starlight. Golden eyes to match hers gazed at her with wonder. "I am Pardis, queen of all you see. My form is Black Leopard," she told him. "I name you Pardus, your form Golden Leopard, and make you my king. I gave you life, and I will give you the sky covering our home, though the stars remain mine. Will you give me something in return?"
"I will, my queen, in thanks for my life and the sky." Pardus gathered some dust between his golden paws and rolled it around until it became a solid sphere. He breathed on it, and it began to shine with a silver light that dimmed the stars. A strong bat of his paw tossed the silver ball into the sky, where it grew and settled to illuminate them in its gentle glow. "I give you the moon," he said, and bowed to Pardis.
Impressed, Pardis allowed Pardus to hook one of her stars closer to their home to share the task of casting light on them with the moon. Together they named it the sun, and agreed that the sun and moon would take turns in the sky. They divided the time into two parts, called night and day, and enjoyed a full cycle in each other's company. Pleased with the companion she had created, Pardis allowed him to mate with her.
By the end of the next day, her sleek black belly had swollen. Pardis yowled with pain as the strange things growing inside her tired to emerge. Pardus took pity on his wife and slashed her belly open with his gleaming claws. Out leapt two more beings, each half as big as their parents yet just as long and sleek, and each carrying one fourth of their mother's original power. One was a female with a pelt as bronze as her father's was golden, dusky gold shimmering between her large black and bronze spots. Her amber eyes shone with warmth and joy. The other was a male with fur as white as his mother's was black, dotted with spots of black and ash. His cool grey eyes were calm and pensive. Both had long, long tails. Together they licked Pardis' belly and the gashes healed, leaving her whole once more.
"You are Losa, your form Clouded Leopard," Pardis told the female.
"You are Panu, your form Snow Leopard," Pardus told the male.
"Will you give us a gift, for giving you life?" they asked together.
"I will give you a gift, great Mother, in thanks for my life," purred Losa. Strong claws emerged from her soft paws and she raked at the dust covering their home, digging until she revealed a large patch of something green and just as alive as they were, many of the thin strands heavy with small buds threatening to burst. "I give you grass and life," she said, and bowed to Pardis.
"I will give you a gift, great Father, in thanks for my life," murmured Panu. Pushing back onto his haunches, he gazed up at the night sky until the stars shed some of their shine. Soft white flakes not much larger than dust quietly fell onto them, glittering gently. It settled on Losa's grass, making it wilt and turn brown. "I give you snow and death," he said, and bowed to Pardus.
"Life and death. Warmth and cold. Balance, and cycle. An order to things. I approve of your gifts," said Pardus.
"Just as there is balance, there is uncertainty. Chaos. Life comes unbidden, and death comes without prelude or reason. I approve of your gifts," said Pardis, and she rose to her feet. "Come, my children. Let us explore this world that is our home."
For nine days and nine nights, the Leopards played on the dust-covered world, changing it and giving it form. Wherever Pardis danced, grasslands sprang up, tall and green and golden, feeding off the rich earth she provided. Wherever Pardus danced, rivers and lakes were born, and the sea formed where he rolled in joy. Lush forests erupted behind Losa, wild creatures emerging from between leaves and beneath roots to join in her play. Barren mountains followed in Panu's wake, and deserts formed wherever he lay.
When at last all the dust had disappeared, the Leopards gathered together to rest where their creations had joined: Pardis' rich, life-giving silt, Pardus' flowing water, Losa's vibrant plants and animals, and Panu's lifeless, water-worn rock beds. They called the area the Great Delta, and lay together in sleep.
Pardus was the first to wake the next morning, lifting his golden head to greet his equally golden sun. Suddenly he saw movement in the trees beyond, and he nudged his wife and children awake. Together they all sat up to meet whatever was coming. Within moments, the Leopards were faced with a semi-circle of beings similar to them. One of the smallest beings stepped forward and bowed, her ringed tail coming forward to wrap around her small paws. Her coppery eyes shone with respect, and her black and bronze chains of spots glimmered in the young daylight.
"Greetings, great ones. I am Trigi, my form Oncilla. I, just like my fellows behind me, have come to be thanks to the great power you poured into this world. We have come to serve you and be your companions. I humbly offer my services as your messenger, and offer you the gifts of music, poetry, and art to fill your days with pleasantness."
"We thank you, Trigi, and accept your gifts," said Pardis, her proud dark head held high. She watched as the small cat bowed low once more and returned to the circle. One by one, the other beings stepped forward to present their gifts.
At last the smallest being approached, carrying with her the largest gift of all. "I am Vela, my form Wild Cat. I offer the gifts of my own children to accompany you all your days, safe birthing so that you may always have servants, and I vow to protect all those who are oppressed." From beneath her brindle fur emerged hundreds of cats slightly smaller than her. Lanky and stout, longhaired and short, white and grey and black, orange and brown and blue, spotted and striped and solid-colored, they all bowed to the Leopards and swore in one voice to serve always.
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The kittens had been respectfully quiet, but now their silence grew heavy with something close to hopelessness. "Is that why we have to serve the Nobles and Mages? Because Vela made us to serve the Leopards?" asked Maye, her small voice announcing their fear. In his shadow, Ash shifted uncomfortably. He remembered asking the same question at his first hearing of the Story, and he had never been content with the answer he had received; the same answer he knew Maye would get.
"Vela created us to be companions to the Gods," Ruisa gently corrected. "It is the Nobles and Mages who decided that meant we must serve them because they wear the Gods' forms. Be at ease, my kit. Listen to the rest of the story."
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Pardis and Pardus thanked all for their gifts, and invited their new companions to a grand hunt. Together the Gods feasted on the new bounties of their home, learning one another and making alliances.
In time, the Gods decided to create new beings to entertain them. In their pride, they created cats in their images, smaller in size and finite in life. Generations passed, and together with the Gods, the mortal cats built a marvelous city on the Great Delta to house their growing population and flourishing culture, and named it Catam. In the center of it all they built a great palace of gold and ivory that reached the sky, from where the Gods could watch over their kingdom, with the Leopards in the rooms at the very top. It was a golden age of peace and prosperity, of Gods and mortal cats walking side by side, Vela's children always beside the Gods and those made in their images.
But the peace was not destined to last.
The god-kind grew proud, relishing that they had been made in the Gods' images. In many places they served as lieutenants to the Gods, helping nurture and watch over the world. In time, the mortal cats began to use their God-given gifts to create new things without help, and pride consumed them.
"We are as powerful as the Gods," said one cat to another in the darkness of an alley. "More so. They no longer create, leaving the task to us to invent new things. Perhaps they can no longer create at all! Let us take the science of the Caracal, the wisdom of the Tiger, and the cleverness of the Ocelot and destroy the Gods!"
"Why must we answer to the Gods, when we are greater?" asked one cat of another in the corner of a tavern. "Let us take our numbers and cunning and make them answer to us! Their age binds them just as our youth frees us. Let us show them the ways of a new world!"
Only the god-kind made in Vela's image plotted no coup, content to live alongside their Mother's children and watch over them. They knew their place, and were happy. Worried of the trouble to come, the Wild Cats warned their Mother Vela of the other god-kinds' plot, and Vela warned the Leopards.
The attack came at night, and came swift to the great palace's gates. The Leopards were ready, waiting. Pardus summoned the sun's brightness to blind the attackers. Pardis commanded the earth to shift, throwing them off their feet. Losa called for wild vines to tie the traitors to the ground. Panu chilled the god-kind down to their bones, sapping them of any fight. The ambush thus killed, the Leopards surrounded their would-be murders and debated on punishment. They chose to relieve the god-kind of their pelts, leaving only their ears and tails furred and their patterns branded to their naked skin to mark breed.
"Never again will you wear a god-like form," Pardus declared. "Never again will you walk on four legs. Rise, traitors, and walk out of this city on two weak, naked legs."
The spared Wild Cats, surrounded by Vela's children, stepped forward and bowed low to the Leopards. "My King and Queen," said the leader of the mortal Wild Cats, her brindle pelt glimmering in the starlight. "Would it not be better to keep them here, to always watch them? Weak they may be now, but with numbers comes foolish pride, and they may try to rise up again."
"Let them stay here," suggested the leader of Vela's children, standing beside the Wild Cat. "Let us teach them the humility they have forgotten, and make them worthy of your favor once more."
"Very well," agreed Pardis, and Vela's children found themselves stripped of their pelts, leaving only their ears and tails furred and their patterns branded to their naked skin to mark breed. "You will accompany them as you have accompanied us, and you will teach them humility. In exchange for your sacrifice, you will be free to join us in our palace after you have died."
To keep the god-kind from growing too proud once more, the Gods divided them in two. Nobles were stripped of their magic and were to be born a plain, featureless cat, given the pattern and ear of the God they had pleased most when they reached twenty years of age. Only those destined to be leaders would be given a Leopard pattern and the right to speak with the Great Leopards, to know the true will of the Gods. Mages were allowed to keep their magic and original patterns, but were now forever denied the ability to speak directly with the Gods. Thus power was balanced, and neither group could rise above the other. Alongside them, Vela's children - now called the Common ones - would temper their pride with faithful companionship.
That very night, the Gods lifted their gold and ivory palace into the sky. Where the Gods' palace had stood, the now furless cats built a new palace for their new leaders and began to learn the new ways of their world.
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"And that, my dears, is how the world we know came to be." Ruisa rested her thin hands in her lap.
"What happened to the Wild Cats?" asked a Keili, her russet ears quivering with curiosity. "Why are there no Aristocrats who look like Vela?"
"The Wild Cats are still here, and still in their fur. They hide in the shadows, watching over us in Vela's stead and helping us when we truly need it from the bottom of our souls," answered Ruisa with a fond smile.
"What about the cats that live in other cities? Where did they come from?" asked a butcher's son, his voice rising above all the other questions struggling to be heard.
"Not even a city as great as Catam could hold all the cats born after the Gods left. Some had to leave, and they built new cities and towns."
"So what happens if you're not a servant of an Aristocrat? Do you not get to live in the palace after everything?" asked Maye, her question cutting through the others. Many of the kittens around her drooped at the prospect of never getting to see heaven.
"If you live a good, humble life, and honor the Gods, you will live someday in the gold and ivory palace. You need not be a servant of an Aristocrat to teach by example," Ruisa reassured them. Careful of her aching knees, the old queen rose to her feet, silencing the still questioning children. "Now, my kits, the story is done, but the Equinox Festival is not. Go, rejoin your families, and celebrate another year gone by."
Emerging from his shadowed corner, Ash welcomed a confused Maye into his arms as the other kittens rejoined their families, most of them murmuring in discontent at questions gone unanswered. Without a word, the little queen pulled herself up onto his hip, her arms circling his neck as she set her head on his shoulder. Ash understood that she needed a moment to think. Glad that no one was approaching them, he shifted his little sister into a better position and made his way out of the church.
An unwelcome figure emerged from the alcove beside the door to cut off Ash's exit, almost as if she had been laying in wait for him. "Hello, Asher," murmured the priestess, a welcoming smile on her spotted face. She, just as all the other clergymen of rank of priest or higher, was a Noble Chosen by the goddess Mara, the Marbled Cat. "It's good to see you. How have you been?"
Ash swallowed the growl wanting to rise in his throat and managed a neutral expression, though his tail trembled in agitation. "I've been well, thank you, Mother," he stated with a slight nod, forcing himself to be respectful.
"We haven't seen you for many months now. I was afraid you would not come for the Story yet again." She tilted her head in a silent question, candlelight reflecting off the thin gold circlet on her forehead that marked her as a Noble in her majority.
"I usually stayed home to look after the kits while Ma came. She needs the Story more than I do. But this was Maye's first time, and she wanted me to bring her," explained Ash, glad that he didn't have to make up a story for the too-nosy Marbled Cat. He felt Maye cling tighter to him in response to how tense he was, and he forced himself to relax slightly.
Smile softening, the priestess turned her gaze to Maye. "Thank you for bringing your brother, child. The gods have missed him. Perhaps you convince him to come more often."
"Maybe," the little queen murmured before turning her face into her brother's neck. "M'sleepy, Ash."
Nodding, Ash shifted her weight to a more comfortable spot on his hip. "Of course. If you'll excuse us, Mother, I need to get Maye home. She's had a very long day. Vela hold and keep you." With a quick bow of his head, Ash sidestepped around the priestess and made for the exit at a quick walk before she could stop him. He didn't stop until they were half a block away from the church, far enough out of her reach that Ash could be confident that she wouldn't approach them again. Letting out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he transferred Maye to his other hip and began the journey home.
"I didn't like it," murmured Maye after a moment, lifting her head from Ash's shoulder.
"Didn't like what, kit?"
"The Great Story. I didn't like it. Well, the beginning was pretty. But I didn't like the end."
"Why didn't you like the end?" Ash patiently asked, biting the inside of his lip to keep it from curling up in a satisfied smirk.
"They don't tell you what happened to the Wild Cats. Why weren't they made naked too?" demanded Maye, her face stern and thoughtful. "Where did they go? Are they really still here, hiding but watching?"
"I don't know. I've never seen them, and I haven't talked to anyone who has, if that's true."
"But they didn't get made naked too, right? Only the Wild Cats still wear fur, right?"
Ash thought back to the end of the Great Story, carefully going over the ending in his head. "Right. Because the Wild Cats were spared the punishment given to the rest of the god-kind, and they stood up to defend the other god-kind along with Vela's children. And after standing up, only Vela's children are mentioned as getting stripped of their fur. So if the Wild Cats were also stripped, it isn't mentioned."
"Why?" Maye insisted.
Her brother could only shake his head. "I don't know. I don't know why what happened to them isn't told. Maybe the priests don't know, and so they don't say anything so they can't tell us a lie."
"But the priests talk to Mara. Can't they ask Her? Can't they ask Her to ask Vela?"
Tempted though he was to tell Maye he didn't believe in the least that Nobles could actually talk to the gods, Ash kept his mouth shut and just shrugged again. At her age, he too had completely believed the "truths" everyone was told from the moment they could understand, truths that stemmed from the Great Story. His faith had been just as strong as that of any devoted churchgoer. But that was before his father had died of a simple, common disease because the Healers hadn't considered him worth their efforts; before his stepfather had forced him to endure verbal and physical beatings on a daily basis for four years before abandoning them with no money left and five extra mouths to feed; before the ra-
Shuddering as he shoved that memory back down, Ash shook his head at Maye's questioning look. No, he wouldn't tell her about the things that had irrecoverably killed Ash's faith in the gods' existence. In her own time, she would decide on her own whether to continue believing.
The stubborn set in Maye's jaw as she prepared to question him again prompted Ash to say, "Why don't you ask the priestess the next time Ma takes you to service?"
"Alright," the little queen muttered with a frown, clearly not satisfied, but she knew that if Ash told her he didn't know something, he honestly didn't know it, and that there was no point in pestering him further. Maye set her head on his shoulder again with a soft sigh, retreating into her thoughts.
Ash gently smiled and pressed his cheek to the top of her head for a moment. While he hated the memory of his stepfather with a furious passion, Ash loved the siblings Mendan had given him and would put his life on the line for any one of them, Maye especially. She had been only three when Mendan ran out on them, but the moment she'd figured out that her father wasn't coming back, Maye had quietly and without protest set aside her own childhood to help Maryam and Ash care for the house and raise her smaller siblings. It had started with just keeping toys off the floor, dusting whatever she could reach, and putting the laundry away - little things that at the end of the day made everything just that much easier. Now, at seven, she was more adult than kitten, able to do almost all the chores on her own and trustworthy enough to leave in charge of her siblings if Maryam and Ash had to go somewhere. She was an invaluable part of their family, and Ash loved her with the fierceness of a protective big brother and proud father figure.
Lost in his thoughts, Ash almost didn't notice shadowed figure calmly following them at a discreet distance down the relatively quiet side streets. The main roads were crowed to capacity already with revelers, and Ash had chosen an alternate route of back streets and alleys to get them home, figuring it would be safer as well as faster. He really should have known better.
Carefully keeping the line of his spine relaxed - though his tail shook in agitation no matter how hard he tried to tell it not to - the grey tabby smiled and playfully bounced his little sister a bit. "Hey, Maye? Want to play I Spy?"
He was so proud of the way she didn't tense up. Asking to play I Spy was their family's code for, There's a potential slaver following us, so make your collar clearly visible without letting them know you know they're here. Maye lifted her head from Ash's shoulder and shook her long hair back with a casualness that impressed him. "Who's turn is it to start?" she calmly asked, the only signs of her fear present in the slight trembling of her lower lip and in the way her ears so clearly wanted to lie flat against her head.
"I think it's mine." Ash gently squeezed her in reassurance as he slowly looked around them, chin up, for something to "spy." "I spy with my wandering eye… something white."
Maye gazed down the street, slowly turning her head so that her protected servant collar could be visible in all directions. She purposefully chose a few wrong items so that she would also have to look behind them for anything she could have missed, giving their follower a full-on view of the Lady's claim on her. Once she found the item Ash had spied, Maye selected an equally "difficult" item for her brother to find.
They went back and forth, round after round, until Ash could no longer sense their follower, and then for a little bit longer just to be sure that they were no longer being tailed. Allowed to relax at last, the grey tom let out a deep breath and winked at Maye to signify the end of the "game." At his signal, Maye's ears went flat as her fear was finally released and she tucked her head into the crook of Ash's neck with a tiny whimper.
They got back to The Dragon's Rest without further incident, and Ash carried Maye into their basement apartment. Maryam was waiting for them in the small living area, reclined in her worn armchair with a steaming mug of tea between her hands. The smaller kittens were playing a card game on the floor by her feet, made mostly quiet and lazy by contentedly full bellies. Letting Maye down when she squirmed, Ash went to grab a pocket meat pie from the covered plate on the dinner table while Maye crawled into their mother's lap.
Sensing their big sister's distress, the other kittens immediately abandoned their game to huddle around her. "What's wrong?" asked Penny, trying to join Maye on Maryam's lap only to slip off. "Was the big story scary?"
"Great Story, kit, and no, it's not scary," answered Ash as Maye curled up tighter. Meeting his mother's gaze, he stated, "We were followed for part of the way home."
"Slaver?" asked Maryam softly, stroking a soothing hand over her eldest daughter's hair. There was no point in saving the discussion for later, away from little ears - not when it would be a good thing to remind the children, especially the twins, the dangers of Catam's streets.
"Don't know. They never got close enough for me to get a good look. But they never made a move."
"But I thought New Year was a safe time," said Morwen, his gold eyes wide with fear. "Everybody free for a night. Slavers can't take people on New Year because nobody's a slave."
"Not everyone holds this night holy," Maryam murmured gently. "And it is very easy to steal people when they feel safe and protected under religious law."
The twins were weirdly quiet, hands clasped tight between them. Ash watched Lydia's eyes flick to Sorel's scraped neck before she flushed in embarrassment and turned away. Sighing, Ash set down his half-eaten pie and knelt down to hug them, pulling Morwen and Penny into the hug as well. "But nothing happened, and Maye and I are just fine. Rozas gave us a New Year's present today, so tomorrow we'll all go out shopping together, and so long as we stay together, nothing bad will happen."
"Promise?" whispered Lydia.
"Promise," Asher affirmed with a kiss to her forehead. "Now, the Lady wanted to talk to me tonight, so I need to get to her office before she beats me there and fusses."
Smiling, Maryam set Maye on her feet and rose. "Alright, my little monsters, it's going to be your bedtime soon. Go get ready so I can read you a story." The promise of a story cheering them up, the five kittens took off to prepare for bed and argue over who got a turn in the bathroom first, and Maryam turned to her eldest child. "Did anything else happen?"
The remains of the pie in his mouth, Ash mumbled, "No. The rest of the evening was as peaceful as you can expect when dealing with a kit with a million questions."
His mother smirked. "Maye wanted answers, did she?"
"She didn't like the ending," was all Ash needed to say. Brushing crumbs from his shirtfront, he rubbed his cheek against Maryam's. "You might want to keep all the kits with you tonight. Knowing the Lady, I'll be back after midnight, if not at dawn."
"I was counting on it." Maryam smiled and reached up to affectionately tug on her son's ear. "See you in the morning, Asher."
"G'night, Ma." Content now, knowing that his family was safely together, Ash headed for the communal hallway through the door in their small kitchen. A presence-activated mage light appeared by his shoulder as he closed the door behind him, and it followed him down the hall, past the food cellar and past the unusually quiet laundry, to an oak door inlaid with a mother-of-pearl dragon resting on a bed of marble moss. Resting his hand on a panel of leather beside the handle, Ash heard the tumblers fall out of place to let him in. The light at his shoulder faded out of existence as the lights in Lady Adassa's apartment turned on and the soft tinkling of a bell sounded throughout the rooms to announce his entrance. There was no response, which meant the Mage was still had not returned from her family's New Year's Eve gathering.
Until she returned, Ash had work to do. Striding through the large living area to her office, Ash located the secret compartment under the Lady's desk with practiced ease and pulled out sheaves of paper-thin leather documents spelled so that only her eyes and his could read them, spreading them out atop the large mahogany desk. On top of the stack was a large map of Fellius. Pulling out of his pocket the handkerchief Areyla had slipped him earlier, the grey tabby unfolded it to reveal a small scrap of paper with the army's current coordinates, which Ash carefully marked on the map.
Fellius' army was currently spread out along the border, prepared to defend the nation during the soon-to-be up-and-coming transition of power from the current Grand Duchess and Grand Duke to the newly god-Chosen pair… leaving an absolute minimum of soldiers within the capitol of Catam and the surrounding towns. Ash felt his heart begin to race.
The time for the Rebellion was close at hand.
~ Next Week ~
Chapter Two: Stubborn Rebellion + Fellius' Pantheon
Yes! Chapter one is finally DONE! If you read, I ask that you please, please, please review - I need to know people are reading this and, more importantly, enjoying it, otherwise my muses get extremely stubborn and stop letting me play with them... and I not only want to take this novel to its end, I have hopes of eventually publishing it. Help me get there, please? *puppy eyes*
And if you do leave a review, please let me know what you what you think of the end. It feels rather rushed to me, but I couldn't figure out any way to expand on it without feeling like a horrible info-dump. Thanks!
Author: wingeddreamer9
Rating: PG for now, probably R later for sexual content and possible violence
Word Count: 10,583 for whole chapter, 5,953 for this part
Warnings/Spoilers: Slash, fem-slash, mentions of sex, possibly mentions of violence, pesky gods who like to stick their noses where they don't belong
Story Summary: In a world where status is determined by breed, two young men - one low born, one high - work together to tear down the walls placed between them by society. Asher masquerades as a brothel slave to gather information for an upcoming rebellion against the suffocating oppression of his class, desperate to create a world where his siblings can live without fear. Jornen is a Noble about to come into his majority, and the last thing he wants is the fate his father has planned for him. Only together can they shake things up - hopefully for the better - and only together will they find out that love truly is blind.
Chapter Summary: It is New Year's Eve, and Ash doesn't exactly share everyone else's enthusiasm for the holiest of days...
Chapter 1: Part 1
Chapter 1: Part 2
Chapter 1: Part 3
Small fingers trembling in her big brother's grip, Maye let Ash open the church's heavy wooden door, its old hinges creaking in demand for a fresh treatment of oil. Multitudes of lit candles battled valiantly against the interior gloom, the setting sun turning the stained glass windows into dark holes in the weathered stone of the walls. Maye had never been in the church at night, and the normally welcoming space had turned into something eerie and mysterious. Not even the number of people milling around the large room helped to drive away the creeping darkness, their voices softened in respect for the tale about to be told. Seeking reassurance, she lifted her jade eyes to Ash's comforting face.
"It's alright, Maye-kit," Ash promised with a gentle smile, knowing very well how the dark could frighten a kitten. "Why don't you go see who's here? You wanted to sit next to Keili, didn't you?" At his sister's nod, Ash knelt to rub his cheek against hers, his hand smoothing over her soft curls. "You go ahead and find her. I promise I'll stay right here by the door and make sure nothing bad gets in, alright?"
"Alright." Maye kissed her brother's cheek in return and cautiously trotted off to find her friend among the excited throng of seven-year-old kittens in front of the chipped stone altar, trusting Ash to ensure her safety just as he always did.
When he was sure Maye had found someone she knew, Ash settled in a shadowy corner beside the door, the old stone he leaned against cool along his back. Crossing his arms, he watched in amusement as eight and nine-year-old kittens, dressed in their cleanest clothing, wove around the adults with a cool superiority that came from already having heard the story at least once. By ten the smugness wore off, replaced by respect for the ancient tale.
A startled gasp nearby surprised Ash, and he turned his gaze to see a wide-eyed queen about his age, her hands clapped over her mouth and tail bottle-brushed, at the receiving end of numerous glares for disturbing the hushed atmosphere. Sheepishly, she and the friend she was talking to moved away from the gathering towards the shadows - and Ash. Curious, he casually shifted a few steps closer, keeping to the darkness so he wouldn't be noticed.
"What do you mean, Sasha was snatched?!" she hissed once they were a respectful distance from the main crowd, ears flat against her head in fear. "He's the most careful person I know! He would never go anywhere where he might be taken!"
"Hush," the other queen scolded with a wave of her hand as she checked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening in on them, completely unaware of the tom nearby. "I know, I know, but it's true. It was early yesterday morning down near the docks, soon after dawn. He had gone to get some fish for his family's breakfast and never came back. And Sasha wasn't the only one. A lot of the fishermen my father works with said they haven't seen a noticeable amount of their usual morning customers recently, especially the toms about our age. At least three of them, besides Sasha, were sons of friends of my mother."
"But where are they going? Who's taking them? Who could possibly want so many young males as slaves?"
Her friend could only shrug wearily. "I don't know. All I do know is that the fishermen are beginning to fear that they'll soon lose all their business if people continue to disappear on their way to the docks like this."
Some unseen signal quieted the gathered crowd - not for the first time Ash cursed his short stature - and the young queens were forced to join the adults and older kittens as they found seats in the pews while the seven-year-olds sat on the floor in front of the altar, circled around a wooden chair. Ash shifted until his back found a mostly smooth spot on the stone wall and settled into a comfortable lean. There was an empty pew just a few strides away that he could have sat in, but he wouldn't feel right joining the others. Everyone else in the room believed the Great Story to be an absolute truth, and while Ash appreciated the Great Story as a tale, that was all it was to him. A tale. And if Maye had not insisted that he be the one to bring her here tonight, he would have been spending another year at home. The Gods and their Story belonged to those who had faith, and Ash had given his up a long time ago.
This year the tale was being given by Ruisa, the old deacon and midwife known for her extraordinary storytelling. She was bent with age and her grey hair was thinning badly, but her amber eyes were still bright with wisdom and love for the young lives surrounding her.
Once the kittens had stopped squirming, their impatience calmed by Ruisa's gentle smile, the old grandmother began to weave the Great Story's spell. "In the beginning, there was nothing, only thoughts and dust floating in a dark void. Slowly, the thoughts gathered the dust together…"
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…their whispered conversations growing louder as they mingled and began to merge. At last the gathered dust took the form of a large sphere, and the thoughts became silent for the first time. Into the silence, the thoughts cried out in unison, "LIFE."
A mound of dust grew on the sphere, took shape, and then shook as the newborn creature inside broke free in a billowy cloud. She was long and sleek, her dark fur rippling with each movement she made, glimmering with a strange internal light. Her eyes were intelligent pools of glittering gold. With a sweep of her slim tail, she launched herself forward to play in her new home. Large paws batted at the dust as her tail stirred it up, creating clouds and tendrils in wild patterns. The particles she breathed on exploded with light and flew into the darkness above, drawing her gaze up. She paused in wonder as the lights settled into patterns as wild as the ones she had been creating, radiating their light down onto her. "Sky," she named the velvet blanket above her, trying out her voice for the first time. "Stars," she named the sparkling dots that let her see the barren world around her. Satisfied, she continued to play, tossing more stars into the sky.
Eventually tired of play, she became lonely, and using a fourth of her power, she commanded the dust to create another like her, yet different. From the dust arose another long, sleek form. His pelt shone gold, his spots black and bronze in the young starlight. Golden eyes to match hers gazed at her with wonder. "I am Pardis, queen of all you see. My form is Black Leopard," she told him. "I name you Pardus, your form Golden Leopard, and make you my king. I gave you life, and I will give you the sky covering our home, though the stars remain mine. Will you give me something in return?"
"I will, my queen, in thanks for my life and the sky." Pardus gathered some dust between his golden paws and rolled it around until it became a solid sphere. He breathed on it, and it began to shine with a silver light that dimmed the stars. A strong bat of his paw tossed the silver ball into the sky, where it grew and settled to illuminate them in its gentle glow. "I give you the moon," he said, and bowed to Pardis.
Impressed, Pardis allowed Pardus to hook one of her stars closer to their home to share the task of casting light on them with the moon. Together they named it the sun, and agreed that the sun and moon would take turns in the sky. They divided the time into two parts, called night and day, and enjoyed a full cycle in each other's company. Pleased with the companion she had created, Pardis allowed him to mate with her.
By the end of the next day, her sleek black belly had swollen. Pardis yowled with pain as the strange things growing inside her tired to emerge. Pardus took pity on his wife and slashed her belly open with his gleaming claws. Out leapt two more beings, each half as big as their parents yet just as long and sleek, and each carrying one fourth of their mother's original power. One was a female with a pelt as bronze as her father's was golden, dusky gold shimmering between her large black and bronze spots. Her amber eyes shone with warmth and joy. The other was a male with fur as white as his mother's was black, dotted with spots of black and ash. His cool grey eyes were calm and pensive. Both had long, long tails. Together they licked Pardis' belly and the gashes healed, leaving her whole once more.
"You are Losa, your form Clouded Leopard," Pardis told the female.
"You are Panu, your form Snow Leopard," Pardus told the male.
"Will you give us a gift, for giving you life?" they asked together.
"I will give you a gift, great Mother, in thanks for my life," purred Losa. Strong claws emerged from her soft paws and she raked at the dust covering their home, digging until she revealed a large patch of something green and just as alive as they were, many of the thin strands heavy with small buds threatening to burst. "I give you grass and life," she said, and bowed to Pardis.
"I will give you a gift, great Father, in thanks for my life," murmured Panu. Pushing back onto his haunches, he gazed up at the night sky until the stars shed some of their shine. Soft white flakes not much larger than dust quietly fell onto them, glittering gently. It settled on Losa's grass, making it wilt and turn brown. "I give you snow and death," he said, and bowed to Pardus.
"Life and death. Warmth and cold. Balance, and cycle. An order to things. I approve of your gifts," said Pardus.
"Just as there is balance, there is uncertainty. Chaos. Life comes unbidden, and death comes without prelude or reason. I approve of your gifts," said Pardis, and she rose to her feet. "Come, my children. Let us explore this world that is our home."
For nine days and nine nights, the Leopards played on the dust-covered world, changing it and giving it form. Wherever Pardis danced, grasslands sprang up, tall and green and golden, feeding off the rich earth she provided. Wherever Pardus danced, rivers and lakes were born, and the sea formed where he rolled in joy. Lush forests erupted behind Losa, wild creatures emerging from between leaves and beneath roots to join in her play. Barren mountains followed in Panu's wake, and deserts formed wherever he lay.
When at last all the dust had disappeared, the Leopards gathered together to rest where their creations had joined: Pardis' rich, life-giving silt, Pardus' flowing water, Losa's vibrant plants and animals, and Panu's lifeless, water-worn rock beds. They called the area the Great Delta, and lay together in sleep.
Pardus was the first to wake the next morning, lifting his golden head to greet his equally golden sun. Suddenly he saw movement in the trees beyond, and he nudged his wife and children awake. Together they all sat up to meet whatever was coming. Within moments, the Leopards were faced with a semi-circle of beings similar to them. One of the smallest beings stepped forward and bowed, her ringed tail coming forward to wrap around her small paws. Her coppery eyes shone with respect, and her black and bronze chains of spots glimmered in the young daylight.
"Greetings, great ones. I am Trigi, my form Oncilla. I, just like my fellows behind me, have come to be thanks to the great power you poured into this world. We have come to serve you and be your companions. I humbly offer my services as your messenger, and offer you the gifts of music, poetry, and art to fill your days with pleasantness."
"We thank you, Trigi, and accept your gifts," said Pardis, her proud dark head held high. She watched as the small cat bowed low once more and returned to the circle. One by one, the other beings stepped forward to present their gifts.
At last the smallest being approached, carrying with her the largest gift of all. "I am Vela, my form Wild Cat. I offer the gifts of my own children to accompany you all your days, safe birthing so that you may always have servants, and I vow to protect all those who are oppressed." From beneath her brindle fur emerged hundreds of cats slightly smaller than her. Lanky and stout, longhaired and short, white and grey and black, orange and brown and blue, spotted and striped and solid-colored, they all bowed to the Leopards and swore in one voice to serve always.
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The kittens had been respectfully quiet, but now their silence grew heavy with something close to hopelessness. "Is that why we have to serve the Nobles and Mages? Because Vela made us to serve the Leopards?" asked Maye, her small voice announcing their fear. In his shadow, Ash shifted uncomfortably. He remembered asking the same question at his first hearing of the Story, and he had never been content with the answer he had received; the same answer he knew Maye would get.
"Vela created us to be companions to the Gods," Ruisa gently corrected. "It is the Nobles and Mages who decided that meant we must serve them because they wear the Gods' forms. Be at ease, my kit. Listen to the rest of the story."
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Pardis and Pardus thanked all for their gifts, and invited their new companions to a grand hunt. Together the Gods feasted on the new bounties of their home, learning one another and making alliances.
In time, the Gods decided to create new beings to entertain them. In their pride, they created cats in their images, smaller in size and finite in life. Generations passed, and together with the Gods, the mortal cats built a marvelous city on the Great Delta to house their growing population and flourishing culture, and named it Catam. In the center of it all they built a great palace of gold and ivory that reached the sky, from where the Gods could watch over their kingdom, with the Leopards in the rooms at the very top. It was a golden age of peace and prosperity, of Gods and mortal cats walking side by side, Vela's children always beside the Gods and those made in their images.
But the peace was not destined to last.
The god-kind grew proud, relishing that they had been made in the Gods' images. In many places they served as lieutenants to the Gods, helping nurture and watch over the world. In time, the mortal cats began to use their God-given gifts to create new things without help, and pride consumed them.
"We are as powerful as the Gods," said one cat to another in the darkness of an alley. "More so. They no longer create, leaving the task to us to invent new things. Perhaps they can no longer create at all! Let us take the science of the Caracal, the wisdom of the Tiger, and the cleverness of the Ocelot and destroy the Gods!"
"Why must we answer to the Gods, when we are greater?" asked one cat of another in the corner of a tavern. "Let us take our numbers and cunning and make them answer to us! Their age binds them just as our youth frees us. Let us show them the ways of a new world!"
Only the god-kind made in Vela's image plotted no coup, content to live alongside their Mother's children and watch over them. They knew their place, and were happy. Worried of the trouble to come, the Wild Cats warned their Mother Vela of the other god-kinds' plot, and Vela warned the Leopards.
The attack came at night, and came swift to the great palace's gates. The Leopards were ready, waiting. Pardus summoned the sun's brightness to blind the attackers. Pardis commanded the earth to shift, throwing them off their feet. Losa called for wild vines to tie the traitors to the ground. Panu chilled the god-kind down to their bones, sapping them of any fight. The ambush thus killed, the Leopards surrounded their would-be murders and debated on punishment. They chose to relieve the god-kind of their pelts, leaving only their ears and tails furred and their patterns branded to their naked skin to mark breed.
"Never again will you wear a god-like form," Pardus declared. "Never again will you walk on four legs. Rise, traitors, and walk out of this city on two weak, naked legs."
The spared Wild Cats, surrounded by Vela's children, stepped forward and bowed low to the Leopards. "My King and Queen," said the leader of the mortal Wild Cats, her brindle pelt glimmering in the starlight. "Would it not be better to keep them here, to always watch them? Weak they may be now, but with numbers comes foolish pride, and they may try to rise up again."
"Let them stay here," suggested the leader of Vela's children, standing beside the Wild Cat. "Let us teach them the humility they have forgotten, and make them worthy of your favor once more."
"Very well," agreed Pardis, and Vela's children found themselves stripped of their pelts, leaving only their ears and tails furred and their patterns branded to their naked skin to mark breed. "You will accompany them as you have accompanied us, and you will teach them humility. In exchange for your sacrifice, you will be free to join us in our palace after you have died."
To keep the god-kind from growing too proud once more, the Gods divided them in two. Nobles were stripped of their magic and were to be born a plain, featureless cat, given the pattern and ear of the God they had pleased most when they reached twenty years of age. Only those destined to be leaders would be given a Leopard pattern and the right to speak with the Great Leopards, to know the true will of the Gods. Mages were allowed to keep their magic and original patterns, but were now forever denied the ability to speak directly with the Gods. Thus power was balanced, and neither group could rise above the other. Alongside them, Vela's children - now called the Common ones - would temper their pride with faithful companionship.
That very night, the Gods lifted their gold and ivory palace into the sky. Where the Gods' palace had stood, the now furless cats built a new palace for their new leaders and began to learn the new ways of their world.
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"And that, my dears, is how the world we know came to be." Ruisa rested her thin hands in her lap.
"What happened to the Wild Cats?" asked a Keili, her russet ears quivering with curiosity. "Why are there no Aristocrats who look like Vela?"
"The Wild Cats are still here, and still in their fur. They hide in the shadows, watching over us in Vela's stead and helping us when we truly need it from the bottom of our souls," answered Ruisa with a fond smile.
"What about the cats that live in other cities? Where did they come from?" asked a butcher's son, his voice rising above all the other questions struggling to be heard.
"Not even a city as great as Catam could hold all the cats born after the Gods left. Some had to leave, and they built new cities and towns."
"So what happens if you're not a servant of an Aristocrat? Do you not get to live in the palace after everything?" asked Maye, her question cutting through the others. Many of the kittens around her drooped at the prospect of never getting to see heaven.
"If you live a good, humble life, and honor the Gods, you will live someday in the gold and ivory palace. You need not be a servant of an Aristocrat to teach by example," Ruisa reassured them. Careful of her aching knees, the old queen rose to her feet, silencing the still questioning children. "Now, my kits, the story is done, but the Equinox Festival is not. Go, rejoin your families, and celebrate another year gone by."
Emerging from his shadowed corner, Ash welcomed a confused Maye into his arms as the other kittens rejoined their families, most of them murmuring in discontent at questions gone unanswered. Without a word, the little queen pulled herself up onto his hip, her arms circling his neck as she set her head on his shoulder. Ash understood that she needed a moment to think. Glad that no one was approaching them, he shifted his little sister into a better position and made his way out of the church.
An unwelcome figure emerged from the alcove beside the door to cut off Ash's exit, almost as if she had been laying in wait for him. "Hello, Asher," murmured the priestess, a welcoming smile on her spotted face. She, just as all the other clergymen of rank of priest or higher, was a Noble Chosen by the goddess Mara, the Marbled Cat. "It's good to see you. How have you been?"
Ash swallowed the growl wanting to rise in his throat and managed a neutral expression, though his tail trembled in agitation. "I've been well, thank you, Mother," he stated with a slight nod, forcing himself to be respectful.
"We haven't seen you for many months now. I was afraid you would not come for the Story yet again." She tilted her head in a silent question, candlelight reflecting off the thin gold circlet on her forehead that marked her as a Noble in her majority.
"I usually stayed home to look after the kits while Ma came. She needs the Story more than I do. But this was Maye's first time, and she wanted me to bring her," explained Ash, glad that he didn't have to make up a story for the too-nosy Marbled Cat. He felt Maye cling tighter to him in response to how tense he was, and he forced himself to relax slightly.
Smile softening, the priestess turned her gaze to Maye. "Thank you for bringing your brother, child. The gods have missed him. Perhaps you convince him to come more often."
"Maybe," the little queen murmured before turning her face into her brother's neck. "M'sleepy, Ash."
Nodding, Ash shifted her weight to a more comfortable spot on his hip. "Of course. If you'll excuse us, Mother, I need to get Maye home. She's had a very long day. Vela hold and keep you." With a quick bow of his head, Ash sidestepped around the priestess and made for the exit at a quick walk before she could stop him. He didn't stop until they were half a block away from the church, far enough out of her reach that Ash could be confident that she wouldn't approach them again. Letting out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, he transferred Maye to his other hip and began the journey home.
"I didn't like it," murmured Maye after a moment, lifting her head from Ash's shoulder.
"Didn't like what, kit?"
"The Great Story. I didn't like it. Well, the beginning was pretty. But I didn't like the end."
"Why didn't you like the end?" Ash patiently asked, biting the inside of his lip to keep it from curling up in a satisfied smirk.
"They don't tell you what happened to the Wild Cats. Why weren't they made naked too?" demanded Maye, her face stern and thoughtful. "Where did they go? Are they really still here, hiding but watching?"
"I don't know. I've never seen them, and I haven't talked to anyone who has, if that's true."
"But they didn't get made naked too, right? Only the Wild Cats still wear fur, right?"
Ash thought back to the end of the Great Story, carefully going over the ending in his head. "Right. Because the Wild Cats were spared the punishment given to the rest of the god-kind, and they stood up to defend the other god-kind along with Vela's children. And after standing up, only Vela's children are mentioned as getting stripped of their fur. So if the Wild Cats were also stripped, it isn't mentioned."
"Why?" Maye insisted.
Her brother could only shake his head. "I don't know. I don't know why what happened to them isn't told. Maybe the priests don't know, and so they don't say anything so they can't tell us a lie."
"But the priests talk to Mara. Can't they ask Her? Can't they ask Her to ask Vela?"
Tempted though he was to tell Maye he didn't believe in the least that Nobles could actually talk to the gods, Ash kept his mouth shut and just shrugged again. At her age, he too had completely believed the "truths" everyone was told from the moment they could understand, truths that stemmed from the Great Story. His faith had been just as strong as that of any devoted churchgoer. But that was before his father had died of a simple, common disease because the Healers hadn't considered him worth their efforts; before his stepfather had forced him to endure verbal and physical beatings on a daily basis for four years before abandoning them with no money left and five extra mouths to feed; before the ra-
Shuddering as he shoved that memory back down, Ash shook his head at Maye's questioning look. No, he wouldn't tell her about the things that had irrecoverably killed Ash's faith in the gods' existence. In her own time, she would decide on her own whether to continue believing.
The stubborn set in Maye's jaw as she prepared to question him again prompted Ash to say, "Why don't you ask the priestess the next time Ma takes you to service?"
"Alright," the little queen muttered with a frown, clearly not satisfied, but she knew that if Ash told her he didn't know something, he honestly didn't know it, and that there was no point in pestering him further. Maye set her head on his shoulder again with a soft sigh, retreating into her thoughts.
Ash gently smiled and pressed his cheek to the top of her head for a moment. While he hated the memory of his stepfather with a furious passion, Ash loved the siblings Mendan had given him and would put his life on the line for any one of them, Maye especially. She had been only three when Mendan ran out on them, but the moment she'd figured out that her father wasn't coming back, Maye had quietly and without protest set aside her own childhood to help Maryam and Ash care for the house and raise her smaller siblings. It had started with just keeping toys off the floor, dusting whatever she could reach, and putting the laundry away - little things that at the end of the day made everything just that much easier. Now, at seven, she was more adult than kitten, able to do almost all the chores on her own and trustworthy enough to leave in charge of her siblings if Maryam and Ash had to go somewhere. She was an invaluable part of their family, and Ash loved her with the fierceness of a protective big brother and proud father figure.
Lost in his thoughts, Ash almost didn't notice shadowed figure calmly following them at a discreet distance down the relatively quiet side streets. The main roads were crowed to capacity already with revelers, and Ash had chosen an alternate route of back streets and alleys to get them home, figuring it would be safer as well as faster. He really should have known better.
Carefully keeping the line of his spine relaxed - though his tail shook in agitation no matter how hard he tried to tell it not to - the grey tabby smiled and playfully bounced his little sister a bit. "Hey, Maye? Want to play I Spy?"
He was so proud of the way she didn't tense up. Asking to play I Spy was their family's code for, There's a potential slaver following us, so make your collar clearly visible without letting them know you know they're here. Maye lifted her head from Ash's shoulder and shook her long hair back with a casualness that impressed him. "Who's turn is it to start?" she calmly asked, the only signs of her fear present in the slight trembling of her lower lip and in the way her ears so clearly wanted to lie flat against her head.
"I think it's mine." Ash gently squeezed her in reassurance as he slowly looked around them, chin up, for something to "spy." "I spy with my wandering eye… something white."
Maye gazed down the street, slowly turning her head so that her protected servant collar could be visible in all directions. She purposefully chose a few wrong items so that she would also have to look behind them for anything she could have missed, giving their follower a full-on view of the Lady's claim on her. Once she found the item Ash had spied, Maye selected an equally "difficult" item for her brother to find.
They went back and forth, round after round, until Ash could no longer sense their follower, and then for a little bit longer just to be sure that they were no longer being tailed. Allowed to relax at last, the grey tom let out a deep breath and winked at Maye to signify the end of the "game." At his signal, Maye's ears went flat as her fear was finally released and she tucked her head into the crook of Ash's neck with a tiny whimper.
They got back to The Dragon's Rest without further incident, and Ash carried Maye into their basement apartment. Maryam was waiting for them in the small living area, reclined in her worn armchair with a steaming mug of tea between her hands. The smaller kittens were playing a card game on the floor by her feet, made mostly quiet and lazy by contentedly full bellies. Letting Maye down when she squirmed, Ash went to grab a pocket meat pie from the covered plate on the dinner table while Maye crawled into their mother's lap.
Sensing their big sister's distress, the other kittens immediately abandoned their game to huddle around her. "What's wrong?" asked Penny, trying to join Maye on Maryam's lap only to slip off. "Was the big story scary?"
"Great Story, kit, and no, it's not scary," answered Ash as Maye curled up tighter. Meeting his mother's gaze, he stated, "We were followed for part of the way home."
"Slaver?" asked Maryam softly, stroking a soothing hand over her eldest daughter's hair. There was no point in saving the discussion for later, away from little ears - not when it would be a good thing to remind the children, especially the twins, the dangers of Catam's streets.
"Don't know. They never got close enough for me to get a good look. But they never made a move."
"But I thought New Year was a safe time," said Morwen, his gold eyes wide with fear. "Everybody free for a night. Slavers can't take people on New Year because nobody's a slave."
"Not everyone holds this night holy," Maryam murmured gently. "And it is very easy to steal people when they feel safe and protected under religious law."
The twins were weirdly quiet, hands clasped tight between them. Ash watched Lydia's eyes flick to Sorel's scraped neck before she flushed in embarrassment and turned away. Sighing, Ash set down his half-eaten pie and knelt down to hug them, pulling Morwen and Penny into the hug as well. "But nothing happened, and Maye and I are just fine. Rozas gave us a New Year's present today, so tomorrow we'll all go out shopping together, and so long as we stay together, nothing bad will happen."
"Promise?" whispered Lydia.
"Promise," Asher affirmed with a kiss to her forehead. "Now, the Lady wanted to talk to me tonight, so I need to get to her office before she beats me there and fusses."
Smiling, Maryam set Maye on her feet and rose. "Alright, my little monsters, it's going to be your bedtime soon. Go get ready so I can read you a story." The promise of a story cheering them up, the five kittens took off to prepare for bed and argue over who got a turn in the bathroom first, and Maryam turned to her eldest child. "Did anything else happen?"
The remains of the pie in his mouth, Ash mumbled, "No. The rest of the evening was as peaceful as you can expect when dealing with a kit with a million questions."
His mother smirked. "Maye wanted answers, did she?"
"She didn't like the ending," was all Ash needed to say. Brushing crumbs from his shirtfront, he rubbed his cheek against Maryam's. "You might want to keep all the kits with you tonight. Knowing the Lady, I'll be back after midnight, if not at dawn."
"I was counting on it." Maryam smiled and reached up to affectionately tug on her son's ear. "See you in the morning, Asher."
"G'night, Ma." Content now, knowing that his family was safely together, Ash headed for the communal hallway through the door in their small kitchen. A presence-activated mage light appeared by his shoulder as he closed the door behind him, and it followed him down the hall, past the food cellar and past the unusually quiet laundry, to an oak door inlaid with a mother-of-pearl dragon resting on a bed of marble moss. Resting his hand on a panel of leather beside the handle, Ash heard the tumblers fall out of place to let him in. The light at his shoulder faded out of existence as the lights in Lady Adassa's apartment turned on and the soft tinkling of a bell sounded throughout the rooms to announce his entrance. There was no response, which meant the Mage was still had not returned from her family's New Year's Eve gathering.
Until she returned, Ash had work to do. Striding through the large living area to her office, Ash located the secret compartment under the Lady's desk with practiced ease and pulled out sheaves of paper-thin leather documents spelled so that only her eyes and his could read them, spreading them out atop the large mahogany desk. On top of the stack was a large map of Fellius. Pulling out of his pocket the handkerchief Areyla had slipped him earlier, the grey tabby unfolded it to reveal a small scrap of paper with the army's current coordinates, which Ash carefully marked on the map.
Fellius' army was currently spread out along the border, prepared to defend the nation during the soon-to-be up-and-coming transition of power from the current Grand Duchess and Grand Duke to the newly god-Chosen pair… leaving an absolute minimum of soldiers within the capitol of Catam and the surrounding towns. Ash felt his heart begin to race.
The time for the Rebellion was close at hand.
~ Next Week ~
Chapter Two: Stubborn Rebellion + Fellius' Pantheon
Yes! Chapter one is finally DONE! If you read, I ask that you please, please, please review - I need to know people are reading this and, more importantly, enjoying it, otherwise my muses get extremely stubborn and stop letting me play with them... and I not only want to take this novel to its end, I have hopes of eventually publishing it. Help me get there, please? *puppy eyes*
And if you do leave a review, please let me know what you what you think of the end. It feels rather rushed to me, but I couldn't figure out any way to expand on it without feeling like a horrible info-dump. Thanks!