Tourism was dead.

It was not the kind of dead that one could easily fix though relocation or flasher advertising. In

fact if anything was working against drawing in more visitors from the west it was the

Spiderdale Castle. Other parts of the land that protected the inner Kingdoms were friendly and

hospitable, nearly falling all other themselves in offerings of free assorted cookies and the

occasional mug of Blackberry ale. But Spiderdale Castle, the long sentry atop the pillars that

separated the Human dimension of the Earth from The Kingdoms was vastly different, and as

such had fallen into social disrepair. Even the most unfeeling of creatures would stop to think on

lazy days of what ever the human beings could have done to deserve such a unfavorable

welcome..and then add shortly after that it served them right. After all, who in their right mind

liked the smelly things?

Chapter 3: In which Cat Meets Rat, and The Journey is Begun

The Baron had hoped he would never become accustomed to coming to this area. Even now, meerly

lingering outside the giant drawbridge as the human girl gasped in astonishment he did not relish

what was awaiting them. The once grand towers that had shone with life year ago had long fallen

into disgrace. Holes in the caved in detailed roofs hung with a a tapestry of spiderwebs that

seemed to soak up any light and file it away from its domain on n like a living creature.

The stone and morder a of the castle body was half swallowed alive by vast quantities of moss, brown and wilted from lack of rain even this close to the clouds.

The Baron stole a glance at the human once before stepping forward.

As human went she was easy to look at, with pale hair and a similar complexion.

He marveled at how well the same dress looked on even the paleness of females.

Perhaps it was only the appeal of the style upon his thoughts, or the fact that the same matter of dress

was worn by only the nobles of his land.

He swiftly decided to block out the wave of memory that it invoked, a land of bright and elegant

jewel walled, flowered dress and smartly attired travelers, their ears pricked happily, and tails playfully

twitching to the music of steert corner minstrels playing endless lines of vilon and flute to

welcome the new year.

But was this girl truly up to the task? He had known so many different girls that had taken upon

this task. The plot was always the same written on half soulful pages. How could he possibly describe

to her that right this moment her body was somewhere long removed from here trapped

in the spell that had been cast on him years before for dragging others into the line of the curse that

bound his freedom.

The same story, yes, it was always the same, written in bits and pieces but

somehow no one never arrange them in the correct order.

How could they?

The story was one that only one other soul in all the dimensions knew the ending and they were long dead

along with his home land.

And so his soul was entrapped in his own life, reliving it only to give empowerment to

the varied writers around the world.

They sang his praises and then promptly out grew the ability to hear his voice, leaving him to to collect dust on a shelf,

once again voiceless.

But still he did not give up hope, not as long as he remained living again by the power of this girls imagination.

He quickly pulled himself from his thoughts as he had often become very good at doing.

Reaching out , he tapped his polished hard wood cane musically upon the base of the drawbridge

there was a sudden cloud of dust the blowed up from around its rim and something that sounded

remarkably like a cough. Slowly tiny pin points of light gathered from some unseen location

inside the structure or swirling faster and faster around the doors shell.

"Quick! Out of the way!" He shouted, scooping the awestruck girl up in his arms and making a leap

to side.

The drawbridge did not come down neatly and snail like as any reasonable door, but all at once

and flatly like an antique oak being cleared in a trash and burn clearing.

Baron placed her down again and had to reach out to keep his clumsy charge, half frozen from the

sudden event, from falling off the edge they had come to rest on.

"We...have to go in there...don't we?" She asked "Isn't there some rule about only having happy

castles at the beginning of stories..? You know: with singing princesses and happy bluebirds and

sewing mice and... W, a spider!" She concluded, stomping on the offending arachnid without

much thought as they began their way down the hallway.

It smelled of musky long forgotten linens left indoors to rot and the trick layer of dust and dried

leaves on the floor blocked the view of the once fine red

carpet. It depicted a scene all of the Kingdoms knew well in their tales: The sun goddess

scattering fish down from the heavens, while a hunting party of cat's on horseback waited

below in wonder, the First Cat King in his glistening armor, standing up high on his majestic

mount to fetch the offerings directly from her paw...

Her meek side is as well produced as her humor he remarked. My but I do pick the odd ones, I

must think about braking than habit.

"Yes we must..Most unfortunate I know. With any luck we should be able to pass with little

chance of..."

"Chance of what what what, Von Jikkingen?" A sudden voice interjected coming from nowhere

and yet everywhere resounding in the hollow chamber. The Baron whirled around instinctively,

blocking the girl at his side.

"Chance of not meeting me? That's very, very, very, unkind of you boy."

"Who are you?" Rachael shouted, her tone suggesting she wasn't too interested in finding out and

would rather whatever it was would kindly melt back into the shadows.

Baron braced himself, but found that he was still after all these years unprepared for it. The smell.

He thanked the Gods that at least the girl with her weak human nose was saved the true depth of

the scent. Cats noses however were sparred nothing of the details, with a sense of smell that

rivaled in close second even the best dog.

It smelled of rotten flesh and eggs and the decomposing body of grains that had somehow mixed

themselves into a near alcoholic concoction.

The same spots of light began to glitter brightly on the walls glowing brighter as they grew from

the consuction, in a doorway that was filled with darkness. The word 'fireflies' died in the girls

throat as soon it was mouthed. The figure that approached could only kindly be described as grotesque:

Clothed in multicolored rags that looked like they had been dragged out of dumpsters the huge rats

fur was matted with unspeakable unidentifiable bits of filth. His muzzle, grayed with time jaunted

out from beneath large glassy black eyes.

He began speak again, thin lips parting to reveal two large dagger like teeth, yellowed and

chipped, his saliva having a deep green tint the drooled a bit over the ground beneath an ever

moving nose that his true nature was rightly marked as the scum of this plain.

"Jikkingen, I'm so very hurt hurt hurt by your disregard for this poor old man."

"Good afternoon Baladan, it's been a while."

"Oh, it's been far far too long, how long on the human side now? Nearly ten years since you

brought the last one? I hear she only got to chapter five, wrote bits of the ending and them got

lost in the harder school work of high school and forgot about you..."

Baladan paused and turned to Rachael with a sudden snap of his head , making her cringe just

inches from his raptly twitching nose as he assessed her cheerfully

"She's a bit older than your normal tag a long isn't she? How very very very interesting..She doesn't

smell like she is from Japan though..Where do you come from Missy? What's your nest mates living? "

"A..America...n..northern California...My family owns a ...vineyard..."

"Bah, I thought I smelled a mutt..Germain, Irish, Indian...You have got odd odd odd tastes my

boy..." the rat shrugged "But, who am I to judge? People say I have none at all!" He laughed ,

nearly going into and coughing fit.

"I"d thank you not to speak of her in such a fashion...That is surely not the reason we are here...

let us past in peace and we will not brother you any longer..."

"Oh please do do brother me! You do not know how very very very dull it gets here with only

the blasted lights for company!"

"W..What are the fireflies for?" Rachael mused as a tail of the tiny insects swooped lazily near

her head, giving the effect of being near a large low burning candle.

"Why, they are my slaves, my magic helpers, their lights will never burn out and they only die if

put in water, so they are so very very efficient to dig out my tunnels with you see..."

The rat batted at one of the insects halfheartedly and sent it reeling.

"Burns though any surface that isn't organic and all..Don't they teach you anything in those human schools of

your's?"

Rachael reached out toward the half battered fly that fell like a half drunk leaf into the palm of her

hand. It was shaped like a ladybug with metallic rainbow colored wings with dots that were actually

tiny holes in their surface allowing the yellowish gold of its whole body to peek though to the

surrounding darkness.

"All right then..." The rat guardian said solemnly. He stopped in their pace, coming to a very solid

looking brick wall, outfitted with a pulley made of discarded sand bags. The fireflies came out of

the walls in waves grabbing a hold of the rope. Slowly, carefully, they began to pull and the

corder was fulled with the noise of grinding stone on stone.

Bright crystal white light spilled into the space, and the rat hastily shaded his eyes turning away.

"Now, there is the matter of my payment Jikkingen..."

"Rachael.." He whispered "Something metal you carry, anything will do..."

Rachael reached deeper into the purse and came out with the earring.

Baladan scooped it up, his mouth curled in an impressed 'o' before biting it to make sure it was real and

sticking it in an unseen pocket.

"

That is nice...But I had something so so so much better in mind...she is very plain for one of

your's Jikky, but she will do nicely!"

"Not if I can help it, let go!" She struggled against the old rodents surprisingly tight grip. In her

wiggling the golden chain came lose from its hidden place, the stone catching the brilliant clear

light from the doorway.

"THE ALMLET! I will have it and you!"

The next moments pasted so quickly Rachael barely had time to react:

The Baron's body pressed in front of her, knocking her from the old ones grasp.

"Go, I will follow!"

The sound of the things claws against his cane was a sicking thing like the ring of metal against bone.

She could see the flash of a sword, that had somehow been concealed in its walking stick width.

"How will I find you again?"

"Go!" He prompted, edging toward the doorway pushed by the keepers strength and elbowing her on.

She nodded and took a deep breath, jumping head long into the mysterious realm beyond the

castle and into the unknown.