Page 8 of The Innocent Sleep

“She left to fetch him after we received word that the fight was done, and he had been injured but healed by October’s intervention,” said Patrick, his voice still tightly controlled. I recognized the sound of a man who was struggling to keep himself from snapping. I heard it every time I spoke. “Before either of them could return, the—” Amphitrite shot him a warning look. He stopped mid-sentence.

She turned her attention back to me. “Continue.”

I swallowed. “We had concluded our business at Shadowed Hills, and returned home to handle some more personal business of our own. At the time of our departure, everything seemed to be well. We had begun the process of settling in for the evening when October began to scream as if she were in extreme pain. I could see no source of her suffering. The rest of our household rushed to aid her, and we were gathered together when . . .” I slowed.

My memory was still fuzzy on this point, but the more I thought on it, the more I was sure of what I’d seen. I swallowed and continued. “When Titania appeared in the doorway. She said she knew ‘the roads through riddle and restriction’ and that while she couldn’t hurt October, she could make her someone else’s problem. Then she told me I had no place in her plan. Everything went red, and then white, and then I found myself alone in the Court of Cats, which was—wrong.”

“Wrong how?” asked Amphitrite.

I shrugged helplessly. I like to think myself a reasonably articulate man, but the wrongness of the Court was so subtle and all-pervasive that its exact details yet escaped me. I focused instead on the parts I could identify: “It seemed seated in a place we haven’t used extensively for years, and the cats were indolent at best, unsurprised by my arrival, which should have stunned them, given recent days. It was almost as if they had all . . . given up. And whatever it was, it was so expansive that none thought to speak of it, for any royal cat would know the situation, most of all their King.”

I took a deep breath. “I left the Court for my home, thinking to reunite with October, but found an empty house instead, with no signs that we had ever dwelt there.”

“What about the wards?” asked Patrick, tone unusually sharp.

“Those were gone as well,” I said. “No magic remained, nothing of our time there, of our lives. I would have thought myself in the wrong place, had I not known that house so very well—and had I not found October’s cats outside in the garden, locked out and confused. Their presence proves we lived there.”

“Where are they now?” asked Amphitrite.

“I took them to the Court of Cats for their own safety before I continued my search,” I said. “We welcome mortal cats who have need of the shelter we can offer them. It seems the very least that we can do for our smaller cousins.”

“Good,” said Amphitrite.

It warmed me, that she should care so well for cats she didn’t know. The Firstborn are capable of compassion. I’ve seen it many times, most often from the Luidaeg, but from others as well. Some of them remember that the world moves more quickly than they do, and that they must be kind to those who are more temporary than they are.

“After that, I thought that October might have gone seeking help, so I went to the sea witch,” I said. “Is she here?”

“My sister is yet banned from these waters,” said Amphitrite—not without genuine regret in her tone. “She is not here.”

“She’s not where I normally find her, either. The city seems to have closed itself around the space she left behind. I’d say it was like the healing of a wound, but her absence seems more like an injury than her presence ever did.”

“So you’d say it was like she never existed?”

Amphitrite’s voice was sharp enough that it made me pause before I nodded, slowly.

“Yes. I would. I was dismayed by her absence, and proceeded to Muir Woods, thinking to ask Arden’s assistance. October does tend to cling to the hierarchy of the Divided Courts when under pressure, and if she were looking for me, her queen would be a reasonable destination. But I found the same in Muir Woods as I had in the city, and at the house. The entrance to the knowe was absent, and no signs of magic lingered. I don’t understand. How is this even possible?”

“Mom,” said Amphitrite, with utter disgust. “How does this end in your diving to your death?”

“I was . . . I am somewhat concerned by the disappearance of my wife, for reasons I prefer not to discuss at this time,” I said. “We were in the middle of a rather sensitive conversation, which I know she would never have left voluntarily, and while I am normally willing to allow her sufficient autonomy that I don’t panic the moment she leaves my sight, these are special circumstances.”

“We understand,” said Dianda.

“I remembered your very generous wedding gift, milady,” I said, careful to keep my eyes on Amphitrite. “Truly, it was kind beyond all measure. I thought the counsel of one among the First might serve me better than any other, and because of that gift, I thought I might be able to catch your attention more quickly than I could complete a quest for one of your siblings.”

“And so over the cliff you went,” said Amphitrite. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I sort of expected that one of you would jump off a bridge when I decided that was a better gift than a dinette set, but I really thought it was going to be Toby. If she’s rubbing off on you, I’m going to be deeply irritated with you both.”

The thought of irritating one of the Firstborn wasn’t as terrifying as it should have been, considering everything else that was happening. I had managed to wind up in the path of Titania’s anger, and that was worse than anything I could imagine Amphitrite throwing in my direction.

“As you say,” I said, wearily.

“Well, you were looking for me, and now you’ve got me,” she said, letting her hands fall to her sides. “I’d ask you what you were going to give me in exchange for answers, but since you’ve already plummeted to your certain death just so I’d pay attention to you, I guess I can answer a few questions.”

“She showed up in the knowe dragging you by the arm and shouting about how her sister was going to kill her if she let you die,” said Dianda. “It took our healers the better part of three hours to put you back together. Whatever it is you actually did, I would recommend not doing it again.”

“I had no intention of it,” I said, and finally stood, turning toward my hosts.

Patrick looked about as tense as I felt. His eyes were wild and his hair was disheveled, sticking out in all directions. Dianda was seated next to him on a rolling chair that had clearly been designed for her use; while her fins spilled over the bottom, they didn’t dangle so close to the wheels as to be in any danger. She looked less tense and more like she was restraining her temper through sheer force of will. I had never seen her quite so visibly furious.