CHAPTER#30

"So it sounds like we have two problems for me to tackle. What to do about the Rat King, and how to remove a parasitic soul from a human. She turned toward Sofia. "Were you able to learn anything about His Highness?"

The question startled Sofia, and she nearly dropped the journal. "Perhaps. I did some looking. Almost everything I found about a Rat King was simply a mass of rats tangled together by their tails. I found that odd so did some more digging." She grabbed at a messenger bag that Mike hadn't realized she was wearing over one shoulder, then pulled a book out of it. "I think this is an example of an imperfect translation. when I went back far enough, I kept seeing the same symbol over and over. This one."

She opened a book and held it up. It was a detailed sketch of several rats, their tails overlapping in intricate loops that reminded Mike of a Celtic knot.

"So, some old books mention a rat king and follow it with this diagram. But the diagram was meant to be interpretive. The tails overlap and cross over one another. This is a kind of symbolism for how reality overlaps itself."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I found it in a very old book. This symbol used to be the coat of arms of the very first Rat King. The many rats represent his subjects, and their overlapping tails represent their ability to chew holes into the places where reality can overlap." She closed the book. "Think of your older human cartoons where a mouse runs into a hole and somehow comes out somewhere impossible. That's some leftover lore making it into mainstream culture."

"So wait. The Rat King can chew holes that go from one place to another?"

"Kind of. The original idea was that tiny holes would be used so that his subjects could safely travel his kingdom. Find a hole in the barn, end up in the castle, that sort of thing. It's supposed to be short range. However, this house is different."

"That's right!" Beth sat up suddenly, her eyes on Ratu. "It's just like you said. The Architect did all sorts of tricks with time and space to fold this place up. The greenhouse and the Labyrinth aren't in the house, but somewhere else."

"I don't follow." He looked at all three of them, then turned to Tink. Tink was ignoring the conversation, drawing something on a piece of paper.

"Have you ever seen the wormhole explanation in a movie? The one where they fold a piece of paper over and poke a hole in it?" Beth looked ready to show him if he hadn't.

"Yeah, a shortcut through time and space, i get that."

"Well, imagine that the paper is made of several different sheets already. When they chewed through the house, they found themselves able to travel through some in-between spots."

"Exactly!" Sofia held up the journal. "This makes so much sense. The place you found this journal has been missing for centuries. Not lost, but rather removed. It was home to a very small community of magical and nonmagical beings. When the Crusades came, something happened and they fled, but not before activating a spell much like the geas. It vanished forever, its secrets lost to the world."

"Was it by chance a flying castle?"

"What? No, it was built on a hilltop."

"The whole thing was tilted on its side." Mike pulled out his phone and showed them the picture of the city. "It's just hovering above this place."

"Whoa." Beth took the phone. "I think might be somewhere in Brazil, but can't be sure. I went on a school trip there when I was in high school."

"Fascinating. The place was sealed away, and somehow a piece of it remains in the sky." Ratu looked at Beth. "In a way, this is similar to the story of Atlantis, only the seams have grown weak on this part of the property."

Mike let out a sigh. He'd let Beth explain it better to him later. "How can we use this information?"

"The rats don't need holes as large as they've been chewing them. This implies they were moving something." Beth gave him his phone back. "Also, why would they go here? It sounds like the rats don't accidentally chew holes into places."

"Fuck." The realization hit him like a brick to the head. "The second floor wasn't just sealed off. Emily erased her own memories about it. The Rat King didn't sneak in, he was brought here. By Emily."

They all looked at him.

"The stupid furniture, the weird tunnels, all of it. Emily was using them to go somewhere."

"But why?" Sofia asked.

"She was looking for something and needed the rats. She did something to keep them in line when she was done, but now that she's gone, they're ready to run amok." He scowled at the floor. "We need to find Jenny first and then talk to the Rat King. He will know what she was looking for."

"You mean what she found." Beth shook her head. "I don't like the idea that whatever she found needed to be kept a secret even from Naia."

"Yeah, well..." He shrugged. "Beats a group of witches summoning storms on the lawn." He hoped he was right. "Tink, what are you working on?"

"Rat smasher." She scribbled a few extra lines and hopped off her hay bale. "Tink go work now. See husband later." She walked toward the stairs in the back of the garage, disappearing around the corner.

Mike's stomach growled. It was getting dark out, and he realized he hadn't eaten all day. It was time for a break.

-

Sofia made them sit at the small table just off the kitchen. Beth, Ratu, Zel and Mike chatted quietly while Sofia cooked. Tink appeared briefly when food came out, grabbing a plate for herself and then wandering back out to the garage, muttering the whole time. Sofia sat on her knees so that she was eye level with everybody else.