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When at last night fell, the two cats and I marched out to the yard and straight over to Merlin’s cauldron, aka the unassuming stone bird bath that served as his tie to all things magical, including the city of Nocturna.

We had to wait for a couple odd cars to drive past, but as soon as the coast was clear, we hightailed it to the cauldron. Merlin jumped up and splashed at the water, then motioned for me to jump on through.

This was only the second time I’d traveled via cauldron. My heart beat wildly as I plunged into the tiny opening to the next realm, but at least I managed to land on my feet. The cats joined me a few seconds later, and together we surveyed the bustling cobblestone streets of the old city. The buildings mimicked the Bavarian style and were made to accommodate cats rather than people. This gave everything an adorable fairytale quality, and I found it quite enchanting.

“Well, this is your plan, so what next?” Merlin asked, beaming up at me. It seemed our little talk in the kitchen had softened his demeanor some, thank goodness.

“We should see the blood witch,” Luna said. It wasn’t like her to interrupt, but I understood that tensions were high between her and Merlin. She probably just wanted to get this little trip finished as quickly as possible.

I nodded.“Yes, that’s what I was going to say, too.”

“Then let’s go.” Luna trotted down the cobblestone walkway, leaving us to follow.

Merlin and I exchanged curious glances before following after her. The sooner we got this over with, the sooner we could find a way to exterminate our zombie problem once and for all.

As we strolled through the darkened streets of Nocturna, a few friendly cats called out to us. But nothing could stop Luna on her quest to reach our destination without delay.

As we rounded a corner, my toe caught a crack in the stone path, causing me to stumble and fall to my hands and knees.

“Are you all right?” Merlin asked, racing over to examine my skinned palms.

I let out a slow, shaky breath. It stung, but not bad enough for me to request magical aid.“I’m fine. It’s just a bit hard to see without any lights,” I offered as I slowly rose back to my feet.

“We have the moon to guide us,” Luna said, tilting her head to the sky.

“Yes, but I don’t have night vision like the two of you,” I reminded her. The feline residents of Nocturna didn’t need artificial light to see, which resulted in some paths being better lit than others. The one we had just turned onto had nary a lantern or lamppost to be seen.

“Right.” Luna sat and waited for me to get my bearings before continuing on.

Our little party had almost made it to the old covered wagon where the flame-point Siamese had his blood witch consultancy when a shadowy figure exploded from the alleyway and pounced on Merlin.

“Ah-ha! I knew you couldn’t hide forever,” a fat orange tabby snarled.

As a young Maine Coon, Merlin hadn’t quite reached his full size. However, it was rare to find any other cats who were larger than him. Somehow, though, this chunky assailant seemed to outweigh him two to one.

“Get off him,” I shouted and stomped my foot while Luna watched the scene unfold from several paces away.

“This scaredy cat owes me a duel,” the orange chonker decreed, clueing me in to his exact identity.

“You’re Tom,” I said, pointing at him with an angry, shaking finger.

He flashed us a wide smile, showing off his pointed fangs.“Gee, what gave me away?”

“We have nothing to fight about,” Merlin ground out, still trapped beneath the larger cat’s bulk. “Luna made her choice, and it wasn’t you.”

“That’s right! You tell him!” Luna called out but kept her distance. “Now, please leave us. We have somewhere we need to be.”

Tom scoffed at her request.“More important than this? I think not. I’ve been waiting weeks to put this guy in his place. Where you been, Merlin?”

“I have a life outside of Nocturna. And if memory serves, that’s the whole problem in the first place.” Merlin growled, then jerked his head to the side in a fast fake-out maneuver.

Tom toppled off him, giving Merlin the chance to escape his hold. Now both cats stood with their hackles raised, facing each other as they hissed wildly.

“You’re jealous,” Merlin bit out.

“Nah, I just don’t like to see good things happen to bad cats,” Tom countered. “Now, are we going to do this right here in the middle of the street, or what?”

“No, no.” Merlin glanced toward Luna, and she nodded reassuringly. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Let’s take this to the fields.”

Tom took a step back, then lowered himself to a sitting position.“I’m counting on you to be there,” he said without taking his eyes from Merlin. “Five minutes, or you forfeit.”

“You have my word,” Merlin replied with a slight bow of his head.

And with that, Tom flashed a sinister smile, blinked twice, and disappeared into the night.

14

Luna tiptoed over to Merlin and me.“Come. We have to be quick. There’s still time to visit the blood witch before that thug returns.”