literature

Ribbons Red Chapter 17 That Darned Cat

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A couple days later, when I was practicing with my ribbon sword, I overheard a commotion coming from the kitchen. Placing my sword away, I followed the banging and shrieking into the pantry. When I arrived I found Jacqueline, the cook, with her back braced against the pantry door a look of horror on her face. Pots, pans, spoons, and knives, littered the kitchen floor around her.

Before I could ask her what was wrong, she looked at me with wide frightened eyes and said, “ mice. There's a whole pack of mice in the pantry!”

“How many mice is a pack?” I asked.

“There must be thirty!” she exclaimed as her eyes darted about the kitchen. At about the same time both of our eyes fell on where Einya was perched on a nearby counter. Jacqueline's eyes lit up. “Look, Reveri, it's Einya. Maybe she can help us?”

“I don't know about that, Jackie,” I said doubtfully, my eyes locked with Einya's, “I have a feeling that she's not in the mood for chasing mice.”

“What? What cat doesn't like chasing mice? Isn't that suppose to like, be their job?” She asked incredulously.

“Perhaps most but Einya isn't your every day cat. The captain on the boat she came from kept her quite spoiled.”

“Can't we at least try?” Jacqueline plead, reaching for the pantry handle.

As if to emphasize my statement and answer Jacqueline's Einya jumped down off the counter and sashayed away through the kitchen frame into the dinning hall. Hanging a left she headed down to residential hallway towards our room. Stepping away from counter I had been standing beside, I spoke.

“Whatever you do, Jackie,” I said, holding my hand out towards her for emphasize, “don't open that door. Let me go talk to her.”

Turning to leave, I hurried after Einya. It wasn't long before I found her seated delicately on her haunches by our door, waiting patiently to be let in; she have a small mew when she saw me.

“Oh no you don't,” I scolded, “everyone else may think you're just a cat but I know better, Einya. Those mice are your fault aren't they?” She stared me down for a moment then turned away and gave another small mew as she began to flick her tail. I spoke again. “Einya, you can't go around her terrorizing Silas's staff just because he forbade us to go see Issadora.” She didn't give a response, just kept on staring at the wall beside her and flicking her tail. “I suggest you get rid of those mice before Silas finds half a mind to get rid of you.”

Einya stood then and pawed gently at our door. With an exasperated sigh, I opened the door and allowed her passage inside. After she had settled herself onto my bed, she gave a stretch, turned around twice and settled her tail over her nose. After a small sigh, she fell asleep. Frustrated, I yanked the door shut and headed back to the pantry. Reasoning with Einya was clearly out of the questioned. Since Jacqueline was too scared of the mice to do anything about them, I supposed that left only one person to deal with them, me.

A month and a half later, Levi and I found ourselves in Silas's office once again. This time Einya accompanied us upon Silas's specific request. I had no doubt of the reason why. Ever since Silas had forbidden us from searching out Issadora, Einya had been casting spells on the whole guild. At first they had been annoyances but as time went on, they were beginning to grow in severity and frequency. Just this past week, Silas and half of the den had come down with a mysterious case of the pox. Even as he addressed us now, he was clearly fighting the urge to dig his nails into the lesions.

“Reveri,” he began matter-of-factly, “things cannot go on as they are.”

“I know, Silas, I'm...”

“Please, let me finish,” he interrupted, turning his eyes towards Einya, “something must be done about this... cat. I'd tell you to kick her out but she is clearly very smart and powerful witch. One who now knows where we live. So instead, against my better judgment, I am freeing you and Levi to go find Issadora.”

While Einya sat there looking fairly satisfied with herself, Levi and I looked at each other disbelief. Since we had talked last to Silas, neither of us had mentioned the word to him about going to Magesis. Einya's pranks must have been very convincing. Before we knew what was happening Silas had commandeered Captain Kayc and his ship, The Iron Ingrid, and we were on our way.

First we traveled to Tsuibz to ask Loren where we might find Issadora more specifically. At first he was puzzled by the strength of our desire to find her but when we told him the tale of the prankster cat he gave us excellent directions for which we were eternally grateful. So we visited with him for a short time before we finally headed for Magesis.

When we set out from Tsuibz it was the heart of winter but when we arrived in Magesis just a few short weeks later it felt more like the ending of a mild spring. While Magesis was famous for it's varied and eccentric peoples it was also well known for it's year round warmth. It may have been January back in Agus but here it felt more like June. Captain Kayc and his crew who traveled here frequently were unphased while Levi and I welcomed the change eagerly.

Shortly after we arrived, Levi and I gathered our provisions and headed out towards the Valley of Folly where both Captain Kayc and Loren had assured us that we were sure to find Issadora. Our trek across the desert sands of Magesis was slow. It was nearly a week before we saw the first signs that we were nearing Issadora's lair. At first it was hard to distinguish the recessed houses from the dunes, but once we saw one the rest of them appeared as if from thin air. We had finally made it!

Careful not be seen, we picked our way between the houses until we came upon the one with the bluest archway. Since we doubted Issadora would be receptive to our visit, we searched for the back way in Loren had told us about. After a few cases of trial and error, we came across the hatch loop in the sand that he had reassured us would grant us passage. Her lair was amazingly well lit. The packed sand walls were decorated with rows of shelves covered in numerous beautifully colored glasses. It was unlike anything I seen before. I took a moment to stare at everything before I shook myself and, plucking Einya from the bag that rested on my hip, began our search.

We searched hurriedly, afraid that at any moment Issadora might discover us. As I search the books that laid between the glass jars, I came across many amazing spells but none of them were the curse that Issadora had placed on Einya. Just as I was about to give up, I saw the shelf above the door way. The cover on this book unlike the others was pristine but covered in dust. It had obviously been there a long time undisturbed. As Levi came over to see what I had found, I blew dust in his general direction causing him to sneeze. After giving me a look, he settled down over my shoulder to read.

I opened to the first page and immediately smiled. The title of the book was “That Darned Cat” below is a picture of Einya. My eyes scanned the pages eagerly. Surely the wait to cure Einya would be here! The first few pages, in great detail, listed how, when, and where Issadora at first spelled Einya. In just four months, she will have been a cat for a full eleven years. Hopeful the reading the full account of what transpired might give me some inclination of how to dispel the curse, I read on.

Today is May 12 1327 and today is the day I shall finally bind that wretched creature, Einya the Swift, once and for all. By luck a fortnight ago, I captured her prowling about in my woods with her guard down and now that she has been weakened by a dozen leeches for 13 nights, she is finally ready.

I will inflict this curse upon her in the very place that she caused me my first and greatest pain, the lose of my daughter, Madeira, right here in this very home.

First, I shall ready the brand I am going to inflict on her pretty porcelain skin. Three intertwined circles mean “Lucky”, a meaning both truthful and ironic. She is lucky that I have chosen not to kill her but rather to give her nine lives, each one more meaningless than the last. May she live them in pain and misery!

Once it is as red-hot as my fury, then I shall bring her forth from her cell and brand her wrist with it for all of eternity. Then maybe she will suffer just a small portion of the pain she has caused me. As if the loss of Madeira, was not enough. Beloved Job, she took you too. How I wish you were here with me instead of her! But alas, that cannot be, for she has taken you from me and for that she cannot be forgiven...


The thought seemed unfinished but as far as Reveri could tell, that was the last of the entry on that page. The next 34 pages of the book detailed the torture that Issadora had inflicted on Einya after she had morphed her into a cat. It was plain to see why Linus had finally taken pity on her and stolen her away to sell her on the wharf of the Genie's Den to Captain Kayc all those years ago.

What wasn't clear is where Issadora had written how to reverse the curse. At first Reveri had been certain it must have been written somewhere but now that she had read a snippet of the tale that had driven Issadora to curse Einya in the first place she was not so sure.

The only reason a witch wrote down how to undo a curse was self preservation. A witch never intended to be her own target, however, due to the unpredictable nature of curses, a backfiring curse was not unheard of. So it had become common practice to write it down in case you found yourself the victim of your own heinous curse down the line.

However, Issadora didn't seem like the type who had anything left to lose so Reveri feared she very well may not have taken this precaution after all. Just as she was about to give up on flipping through blank pages, she came across a page titled “How to Save Yourself”. As she began to read it Reveri knew that she had finally found how to cure Einya from her curse.

If you are reading this my dear Issadora, than it is safe to assume that your curse has backfired. I know you care little for life itself but you mustn't lose hope and forget your purpose. Your day for peace will come but you cannot have it until Madeira and Job have been avenged.

If Einya still walks free and you have instead been cursed, you must reverse it and try again. You must  continue your quest drown Einya in the misery she deserves, that she first forced on you.

Now that your need for revenge has been rekindled, here is what you must do. If you are not there already, go to the place where you first performed your curse and prepare for yourself a hot bath of aloe and vinegar. When the moon is at its highest in the sky, you must submerge yourself in this potion for a full thirty seconds. Then, when you emerge again, the curse shall be broken. Good luck my friend.

Sincerely, L.B.


Before I could ask him to, Levi was already peeking out the window and searching the house to fund a tub large enough to submerge Einya within it. As Levi hurried to complete his tasks, I carried out several of my own with swift determination. A hasty search of the shelves, revealed the Issadora did indeed have extract of aloe vera and vinegar.

“We have about an hour to get this ready or else we'll have to sneak in again and try it another night,” Levi informed me.

When he said that, my resolve hardened that we must fail this evening for I was sure that this was an opportunity that Issadora would not allow to happen again. Somehow, with 30 minutes to spare, we managed to gather everything that we needed. As the hour approached, I added the extract of aloe and vinegar to the steaming water and turned to Einya.

“Are you ready, Einya?” I asked her wide blue, green eyes.

She nodded and allowed me to pick her up but gave a loud hiss when I held her near the water.

“Now,” Levi commanded a moment later before Einya had time to begin to properly flail.

“Here we go, hold your breath, Einya,” I instructed as I dunked her under the water and held her there. At first she thrashed about rapidly and then went still. Second passed like hours; it felt like days before Levi gave the command to pull her up.

At first when we pulled her head up above water again, Einya didn't give much of a reaction. However, she was breathing so we gently rested her paws and chin against the edge of the tub as we waited to see what would happen. At first nothing did and then, all the once, the room echoed with sound. Our eyes simultaneously flew to the door just as a woman dressed in all shade of white came storming in through.
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