The Spell of Rosette - Kim Falconer [27]
‘What did you mean?’
‘I was wondering if you could hear his thoughts,’ she said, making a compress for the swollen eye. ‘Hold this over his face. It may sting a little. Be ready.’
‘It’s going to hurt?’
‘We have to get the swelling down to protect his optic nerve. Talk to him.’
It’s okay, baby cat. It might pinch a bit, but it is going to help you heal. Trust me. I won’t hurt you. She thought the words, applying the warm compress to the feline’s face.
Trust…me…Maudi.
Rosette’s eyes widened when she heard the sound in her head. She looked first at Nell and then at the injured cat.
‘He’s communicating already, isn’t he?’ Nell whispered.
Maudi?
She stroked his back. ‘He called me Maudi,’ she said, her eyes welling.
‘Answer him then, reassure him. Keep your thoughts flowing!’
Rosette started babbling at the kitten.
‘They don’t have to be aloud,’ Nell said.
Rosette closed her mouth. I’m here, little one. Maudi is here. You’re going to be fine. Are you hungry? She turned to Nell. ‘I can hear him. It’s impossible.’
Nell shook her head. ‘After all our work this summer, you still think that some things in this world might be “impossible”?’
‘But this…I just wasn’t expecting…this.’
‘Nor was I.’
Rosette turned back to the feline and wiped the crusted blood and leaves from the black fur. A tiny, sputtering, rumbling sound vibrated in its throat.
‘Nell! He’s choking. He must have an obstruction. Quick!’
Nell smiled, stopping her hand. ‘He’s not choking, Rosette.’
‘What then?’
‘He’s purring.’
‘He’s happy?’
‘Wouldn’t you be? Here he is, by the fire, being looked after and loved, where a short time ago he was about to be torn apart by scavengers. He may be young, but these creatures are very intelligent. I think he knows he’s got plenty to be happy about.’
Rosette smiled, stroking him again. She was lost in the vibration of his purr for some time before she looked up. ‘What do you mean, “these creatures”?’
‘Dumarkian temple cats.’
Rosette’s mouth opened, but no words came out for several seconds. When they did, they were a mere whisper. ‘He’s a temple cat? Of the ancient line? Familiars to the High Priestesses? The offspring of Basta?’
‘It appears so.’
‘I thought they had all left when the temple was abandoned?’
‘Apparently not all.’ Nell washed her hands in a basin, wrung out a sponge and handed it to Rosette. ‘Clean him up properly. They can’t stand a hair out of place, even the younglings.’
‘But, Nell, what does it mean? Are we…are we really linked, thought to thought?’
‘Maybe not the words, not yet, but he’ll learn fast. Talk to him with your mind. You can learn his language too, though it’s not an easy one.’
Nell touched Rosette’s left forearm where she had received the tattoo of the guardian feline, Basta, months before. ‘You’ve got yourself a familiar, Rosette. A bond with a Dumarkian temple cat is an eternal one, something to cherish and revere, forever.’
Rosette welled up again. She sent thoughts of love and safety and warmth to the little feline, and his purring increased. She sponged him clean and offered a bowl of milk. He lapped at it eagerly, white splatters flecking his whiskers.
‘Help me set the fracture. He’s going to be one big animal when he grows up and we want to make sure he has four strong limbs,’ Nell said, her brow creasing.
‘Is the break that bad?’
‘It’s greenstick. It’ll heal fine.’
‘What, then?’
‘It’s going to be hard to keep you anonymous with this one in tow. You’ll turn every head, if you didn’t already.’
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Rosette said. ‘What will I do?’
‘Don’t worry. We’ll work it out.’
Through that night and for the next six weeks, Rosette rocked, carried, fed and cradled the young feline. They called him Baby Cat for a few days until she understood that his name was Drayco. Nell was surprised. The Drayconians were primordial creatures, thought to be from another world. They looked like black winged dragons and their auras were filled with a very old magic. The Drayconians