CHAPTER 100

Lying on Kisa's bed was Tink. At the foot of the bed was a large lump that opened brilliant, emerald eyes. They reflected the dim light that came in from the nearby window, and Kisa's tail twitched nervously behind her. If Beth hadn't been looking specifically for her, she doubted she would have seen her there.

"How is she?" asked Beth.

"Still out." When Kisa sat up, it almost looked like a magic trick. She could become very small when she wanted. "She keeps grinning in her sleep, so I guess that's a good sign."

"That's my doing." Lily crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Her dreams were a solid jumble. A bunch of dark corridors and angry voices. Shit ton of goblins. They sound like they're speaking German."

"Could you go in there and ask what she saw?"

Lily frowned. "I can try. Being in there isn't like other heads I've been in. It's both very abstract and intensely detailed, and she's...distracted. "

Tink giggled, then let out a gasp. She clutched the blankets tight against her body and groaned.

"Tink best wife," she muttered in her sleep, then sighed contentedly.

"Well, no time like the present." Lily sat next to Tink. "Maybe her post-nut clarity will give me some answers. Take Kisa, see if she can help you sniff out your pet rat."

"I don't track by smell." Kisa slid out of bed and stretched. Her mouth opened wide, revealing all of her teeth. "Also, I have to tell you something. I haven't been feeling the best since last night. My whole body aches like I have the flu."

"You're sick?"

"I think I had a fever for a bit, but not anymore. Felt like the flu. Seems to be fading, but..." she yawned again. "I think Tink had something similar. May have just been a bug, or whatever. She kept wincing like she was in pain. Just thought you should know. Anyway, let's go."

The two of them did a quick search of the second floor. All of the rooms that the rats used were either empty or had a few of them about. Beth questioned them about Reggie's whereabouts, but none of them gave any indication that they understood what she was asking.

The study with large viewing windows that usually looked over an unexplored mountain-range now looked directly into the insulated walls of the house. It was most likely another world like the greenhouse, but there hadn't been a safe way to explore it. Now it just looked like the symptoms of a mad architect.

The first floor was empty as well. The office and the parlor were empty, and both were so cold that Beth shivered. This led to her and Kisa stopping in Beth's room so that she could put on a sweater.

The other rooms on the third floor were also empty. The Observatory no longer looked on eerie star fields but misty skies.

She and Kisa wandered out into the hallway. Beth leaned against the railing, her eyes on the first floor. From here, she could see part of the living room and the front door. Maybe even the door of the office if she leaned forward far enough.

"Where could they be?" asked Beth. She really hoped nothing had happened to Reggie or Jenny. It was starting to feel like everything that happened was part of some overarching plot, but she also wondered how much of that was just her imagination.

"I'm out of ideas," Kisa admitted. "I can't think of anywhere else to look for them. They didn't go into the Vault, did they?"

Beth shivered. "If so, then they're stuck there until someone who actually knows how to use magic can go back in." She wondered if the Grimoire would have a spell for locating someone.

"Beth?" Kisa was looking up at the ceiling.

When Beth looked up, she saw the small string dangling from the cord that released the spring activated door to the attic. She had noticed it a handful of times, but had never once considered what might be up there.

"Worth a look," she said. "But let me get reinforcements."

By reinforcements, she meant Tick Tock. When she walked into Mike's room, she could hear sloshing sounds from the tub. Once at the bed, she laid on her belly and slid underneath to grab the mimic and pull him out. Hopefully she wouldn't need his assistance, but he also had the Grimoire.

Back in the hall, she put her hands together over her knee to give Kisa a boost. The catgirl was very light and easily leapt into the air to grab the dangling cord. The door creaked and tilted, allowing a wooden ladder to slide free. Both Beth and Kisa leapt out of the way as it smacked into the floor, chipping the wood.

"Tink's gonna be pissed," Beth muttered.

"Then don't be around when she sees it." Kisa stared up into the darkness of the attic. "Guess you want me to go first?"

"Semi-invisible, phenomenal eyesight...I could go first, but if there are any surprises, I may fall on you."

"And squish me with your big ass..." Kisa immediately covered her mouth with both hands, her ears curling down. "Oh God, I'm sorry. That's how Tink has started referring to you."

"As big ass?" Beth frowned. She didn't think her ass was that big.

"Don't think of it as an insult, it isn't about weight. To her, everyone has a bigger ass. And it really is a step up from horny lawyer. You don't really practice law anymore, and...you know what? I'll just pop up and look around." Kisa went around Beth and scrambled up the ladder. She disappeared into the darkness without a sound.

A few moments later, Kisa reappeared and held a finger to her lips, and then waved Beth up.

Strange. Beth climbed the ladder.

The attic was very dark, but there was a soft glow emanating from a corner of the attic. Kisa took Beth's hands and led her in a circuitous route around large objects that Beth couldn't quite make out. She debated using the light on her phone, but the batteries were already running low.