Chapter#17

What the hell!" Pressing his hands against the glass, he gazed out into the large valley. Sloping peeks surrounded the edges, and it terminated in a large body of water with a few distant islands in the mist. He ran his fingers along the glass, searching for a way to open it. Cerulea fluttered away from him to check out the shelves.

"Mike!" Cecilia yelled his name and he turned in time to see that one of the couches crawled toward him, the cushions curled up like angry lips. It threw itself at him and he leapt to one side. It crashed through the window, cold air filling the room. He used the stones of the fireplace to stand up, the sound of clattering wood causing him to dance to the side when another couch crashed into the fireplace. Tink was riding this one, swinging her hammer down at the legs, trying to break them off.

The couch twisted around like a fat caterpillar, and Mike used the dagger to cleanly slice off one of the legs. He got pushed back, the couch nearly knocking him over when Tink shattered out one of the back legs. The whole couch wobbled unsteadily, squirming toward Mike. Tink jumped off and lifted the couch from beneath, tipping it over.

"Husband make cut." She pushed the couch up against the wall and Mike severed the remaining two legs. The couch tipped back over, flopping uselessly on the floor.

"Fuck." Mike stared at the possessed furniture. It banged heavily against the wooden floor then hurled its cushions at him. The cushions flopped uselessly for several seconds before going limp. The couch, however, kept moving.

"We should take it with us," Cecilia suggested. "We can have Ratu come look at it and figure out what kind of magic we are looking at."

"That's a pretty good idea. I think..." His voice trailed off, his eyes on the dark hole behind the couch. It was significantly smaller than the one in the servant's room, but large enough that he could crawl in it. From within the dark confines of the tunnel, several glowing eyes watched. "I think we should get out of here."

Tink grabbed one end of the couch and dragged it. Mike moved to help while Cecilia kept a watchful eye on the opening. Moving out into the hall, Mike closed the door behind him just as Cerulea shot out. Tink pulled out a couple of boards and helped him nail the door shut. The Rat King had given them time to move out, but that didn't mean the rats wouldn't start moving in.

They dragged the couch down the hall and paused long enough for Tink to check inside the servant's quarters. The patched hole was undisturbed, so they closed the door and kept going. They carried the couch down the stairs and outside to the fountain.

"What's this?" Naia asked. "Moving day already?"

"Nope." They dropped the couch by the fountain. It flopped a few times and tried to tilt itself upward and roll toward Mike. Abella drifted down from the roof and landed near the fountain. She grabbed the back of the couch and held it in place while Tink went to get some rope. When she returned, they moved some of the heavier pots closer to it, then tied it in place.

"I want to see." Zel stepped out of the garage. She wore a simple dress that Tink had sewn up for her sometime during the night using a pair of white bedsheets. It was ankle length, revealing that her feet were simply modified hooves, and her tail had been pulled out of a hole up top. The house had oohed and aahed over her transformation last night, but she had slept in the garage in case she reverted again. Zel's saddle bag was slung over one shoulder, and she set it down next to the fountain.

"It's another enchanted piece of furniture," Mike said, stepping back. "It tried to crush me, but it was pretty slow."

"Interesting. Can someone help me flip it?" They obliged, pushing it on its back. Zel knelt down to examine the splintered leg that Tink had smashed. Using a pair of tweezers, she yanked free large splinters that wriggled back and forth in her grasp. She dropped these into a vial where they rattled in place. "The furniture has been animated on a cellular level suggesting a blanket enchantment."

Mike nodded. "That makes sense. The cushions were moving independently from the couch."

"If it is a blanket enchantment, there is an obvious way to fix it."

"That would be?"

"Smash it into as many parts as possible." Zel grinned. "The enchantment can't maintain over too many pieces that way."

"Horse girl no help," Tink grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Sorry. That's the best I can offer. However, can you wait to smash this one up? As long as these are active, I can whip up a couple of interesting concoctions." She jingled the vials. "Could be fun."

"I think I am full up on fun for now." Mike sat on the edge of the fountain, his eyes on the wiggling couch. "The furniture in those rooms attacked us. Either they were enchanted by the Rat King, or somebody trying to keep us from him. I get the feeling that there is something bigger going on than just a nasty rat with a crown."

Inside the house, they heard a loud crash followed by the sound of running water. Obviously, someone had come from the Labyrinth. Mike paid it no attention until he heard screams coming from the front of the house.

Tink beat him to the door, disappearing inside. Mike was close behind her, and they ran to the front of the house. The wooden floors were soaked, and Beth stood in the living room, her eyes fixed on something.

"What is it?" Mike turned the corner and froze. The living room had been trashed, the curtains torn down and shredded. The furniture was gutted, stuffing tossed everywhere. Someone had painted a rough caricature of a rat's head on the wall with a crown above it. Beneath it, some words had been written in bold letters.

Git out ar house