Chapter Six: Corroded Cage
Cassandra shifted uneasily.
Alonzo looked her over with a carefully appraising eye. "So, let me get this straight," he began, after staring at her for several minutes. "You think you're pregnant?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"And you think that –"
"Yes. He will come for me."
"For the kittens?"
She looked away, staring at the shadows in the corner of his den. It was early yet, the moon had not risen, and everything was dark. "Yes," she answered finally.
There was a long silence while Alonzo tried to think of something to say. He knew well how much Cassandra feared the shadows, but try as he might he could not think of a way to protect her from them, or to chase them away once and for all. Things had been peaceful for a few weeks, but it seemed that she was tied to the shadows just as much as the Jellicles were tied to the moon.
"I need to think about this," he admitted finally.
Cassandra sighed sadly. "I do not know if there is anything you can do to help me, Alonzo. It makes me happy to know you want to help, but He always gets what He wants."
"Bah," Alonzo scoffed. "No matter how powerful you say he is, he can't possibly know everything. Besides, we've got Tux and the twins on our side. We'll protect you if it's at all possible. Please… don't feel you have to leave to protect us."
"It worries me." Cassandra was slowly but surely becoming more comfortable expressing herself, at least when she was around him, but her reluctance could be infuriating at times like this. She shifted her gaze from side to side, looking everywhere but at him. He wanted to take her in his arms and force things to be all right, but he knew that he couldn't. Nobody could. They both knew it.
"Cassie, please stay. If something bad happens, we'll figure out what to do then. IF something bad happens. You can't keep living as if something bad will always happen." Unable to stand it any longer, he nuzzled her gently. She took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "Look, I know –"
"It is difficult to be brave when I do not understand what is going on or why." She looked him in the eyes; his breath caught in his throat. "I only know what has happened before, and it scares me. I want to stay here. I don't want -"
Alonzo smiled. That, he could deal with. "Then you'll stay here. If he comes for you here again, we'll be ready for him. And with all of us behind you, we'll think of something." She looked skeptical, and in her position he thought he might feel the same way; she had always been something of an outsider among the Jellicles because of the strange way in which she had come to be one of them. After all, not many cats that were found sleeping in the junkyard were readily welcomed into the tribe, but Old Deuteronomy had taken a special liking to this child and had bid her be welcome for as long as she wished to stay. It made more sense now that he knew that Deuteronomy had met and welcomed her before she was officially "found" and brought before the Jellicle Leader for questioning.
She looked at the ground and ignored his reassurances. "Alonzo, I don't want to be taken in the night again. He knows where this place is, and once he figures out what is going on, he will come here to look for me."
"Stop being so stubborn and listen to me," he muttered. "We'll help you. We are your family. Whether the others like it or not, Deuteronomy has welcomed you into our tribe and we are duty-bound to help you." He waited for the look of astonishment to disappear from her face, and tried to keep his own expression gentle and caring. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep from yelling at her. "Now that Tux and the twins know what to look for, they can keep an eye out for it and warn us before anything bad can happen."
"I will try." It was all she could promise, and for now it would have to be enough. He stayed with her that night, when the rest of the tribe was out and about the junkyard, and tried as best as he could to comfort her. It did not occur to him until much later to wonder whether the kittens were his, or if Cassandra merely thought that he would be the best one to protect her offspring; after all, she had been in heat shortly after their adventure and toms from Admetus to Rum Tum Tugger had been pursuing her. He tried to dismiss those dark shadows that lately had been lingering always at the edge of his consciousness, but try as he might the thought nagged. It became almost like an internal argument.
Cassandra isn't that devious.
But she's also just a Cat, despite what Deuteronomy says about her father. She has needs. Urges
She wouldn't use somebody like that.
But Rum Tum Tugger is very attractive - and quite charming when he wants to be. Any queen could fall for that. Any queen could make that mistake. And once is all it takes…
But she loves me.
It sounded weak, even to Alonzo; after all, Cassandra had never confessed love for him, nor even mentioned anything like it. So it went, back and forth, day and night, as he argued both ways inside his head. In the meantime, it seemed Mistoffelees had been busy with the twins Tantomile and Coricopat, seeking a solution to Cassandra's problem. Three days after Cassandra's confession of pregnancy, though she had as yet told no other save the twins, who were sworn to secrecy for the moment, Mistoffelees slipped into Alonzo's den wit h news. Alonzo was gloomily brooding in the den, content for the moment to ponder the possibilities of infidelity, but Mistoffelees was unusually cheerful.
"We found something."
Alonzo blinked in confusion. "We? Who's this 'we'? And what have you found, and where?"
"An answer. Tantomile says it would have to be temporary, but it's something." Alonzo cocked an eyebrow at him quizzically and said nothing. Taking the hint, the young tom continued, "It's a sort of magical shield that, if we do it right, can keep out the forces of darkness. Which is good, because all we have to do is set it up and Cassandra's immediately protected and that thing can't come back for her. But –"
"There's always a catch," Alonzo grumbled.
"But," Mistoffelees continued, ignoring Alonzo for the moment, "It is tied both to a place and to the person it protects. Meaning that if we do it, for the spell to remain intact Cassandra must remain in the place where we cast the spell. It may be possible to cast it over the entire junkyard and give her that much room, but Tantomile and Coricopat doubt we could do much more than that, if we can even do that much. It's a tough choice."
He did not need to think about it. "So, you're saying that if you make this 'shield' thing, Cassandra will be protected, but she'll be trapped here, and probably in only a small portion of the 'yard. Am I right?" Mistoffelees nodded. "Do what is necessary to protect her, Tux."
Suddenly Mistoffelees looked like the shy young tom he normally was. "Munkustrap already told me that… But I don't like it. Shouldn't Cassandra get a say?"
"She does. I promised her we, the Jellicles, all of us, would do whatever we could to make sure she was safe." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "She's pregnant, you know. It's no longer just her we have to look after, and she's terrified for them. I am too." Liar, whispered something dark.
"I see." He sounded intimidated. "I guess then the stakes just got a lot higher. I better tell Tantomile and Coricopat."
"I think they already know," Alonzo murmured, "But to be safe tell them and no one else. This doesn't need to become gossip just yet."
Mistoffelees saluted, making Alonzo feel vaguely like Munkustrap or Jennyanydots; he could not quite decide which would more likely receive a salute that silly. "Understood. I'll talk to you later, Captain. We magicians have work to do." With that, he departed, leaving Alonzo to his thoughts.
In the end, Mistoffelees went behind Alonzo's back and against Munkustrap's orders and asked Cassandra for her permission; it seemed his conscience was unsettled lately. She agreed to whatever terms were necessary to ensure the protection of herself and her unborn children, though like Mistoffelees she never admitted it to any other, except to Alonzo when he pressed her for it.
The day of the spell casting dawned cloudy and gray; Deuteronomy had ordered the junkyard emptied of all the Jellicles that he did not deem immediately necessary to the project, though he was of necessity vague in his explanation of why it had to be so. Cassandra may have been willing to be bound to the junkyard to protect herself and her children, but she still did not want the news becoming common yard gossip. Mistoffelees was there, as well as Tantomile and Coricopat, as was to be expected. Also in attendance were Alonzo, Munkustrap, and Old Deuteronomy. The rest of the toms, who would normally have helped keep the junkyard safe from strays and other vagabonds, were engaged in escorting the queens and younger kittens and making sure they stayed out of trouble until it was safe to return to their dens. Some of the kittens had not yet left the junkyard before this, and they turned out to be quite a handful for their caretakers.
Jemima, especially had been difficult that morning; the spell was to be cast during the day, so that most of the Jellicles would merely find a comfortable spot far from the center of the junkyard and sleep through it. But Jemima had been adamant about staying, even refusing to obey Jennyanydots. In fact, Alonzo very much doubted she would have left at all if it had not been for Mungojerrie, who, in a rare fit of responsibility, picked her up and carried her bodily away from the clearing.
As he sat next to Cassandra and watched them depart, Alonzo did not envy those other toms. He did not much like his lot, either. He was considered one of the strongest Jellicle toms, one of the best fighters and most capable leaders, one of the cats the others would come to if they needed help or advice – though the quality of his advice was often debatable – and he hated to be rendered helpless. And when it came to magic, like most of the Jellicles, Alonzo was completely helpless.
The three magicians joined hands and recited the spell from memory; Tantomile and Coricopat had numerous spellbooks and grimoires, but they considered those books too precious to risk taking them outside their shared den. Mistoffelees often stumbled over the unfamiliar syllables, but his expertise was not needed, his power was. Despite their lack of innate power, the twins were well practiced and knowledgeable enough that they could help Mistoffelees use his magic in the proper way without his knowing it.
It cast an eerie pall over the scene. Alonzo's fur stood on end, his every nerve felt on fire, as he watched and worried. In fact, of all the Jellicles present, only Deuteronomy looked calm and unaffected.
The air fairly crackled with magic.
For a long time, the only sound was the soft chanting of the three magicians; then all of a sudden a transparent blue sphere appeared out of nowhere and engulfed Cassandra. To her credit, she managed not to panic. Alonzo was hard pressed to do the same. He glanced nervously at Munkustrap but found no reassurance there. Almost as soon as it had appeared, the sphere shrank in on Cassandra and gradually faded away; a similar sphere flew straight upward, almost as if it had come from Cassandra's heart, then grew to enormous proportions, engulfing all of the Jellicles and a large portion of the junkyard, before fading away. A faint blue glow remained where the edges of that sphere had touched the earth.
"Remember that boundary," Tantomile said, pointing.
"For it is as far as your protection extends, and you may go no farther," Coricopat cautioned.
"I understand. And I thank you, all three of you, for your help." With that, Cassandra departed, making her careful way toward her den. Alonzo watched her go but did not move to follow her. At the moment he was more concerned about the tribe's magicians, especially Mistoffelees; the young tom looked exhausted from the ordeal. Until that moment, Alonzo had not quite realized that some hours had past since they had begun the spell. If not for the thick clouds, the sun would have been high in the sky by that time.
As if sensing that the deed was done, the first of the Jellicles were already beginning to return to their dens. As his fur was still prickling Alonzo thought it a good idea to follow their example. "We should take cover," he murmured to Munkustrap and Deuteronomy, stating the obvious. "It looks like rain." Indeed, the first drops were starting to fall even as he spoke.
The few remaining Jellicles scattered, each making their way toward their den of choice. Alonzo went toward his den, then snuck around several large heaps of junk and backtracked to Cassandra's den. He had caught sight of Jemima a few moments earlier and did not want her following him. The rain was coming down harder as he slipped into the tight space beneath a ruined chest of drawers that had long ago toppled over – the place that Cassandra called home. He was about to go in when he heard something.
From deep inside the den came the sound of muffled voices; one was Cassandra's, the other clearly belonged to a tom. He nearly stumbled but regained his composure and crept backward up the small tunnel; luckily it was long enough to hide a tom and curved just enough before leading into the larger main den area that he was completely hidden from view.
"I assume the spell went well?"
"Yes. It would seem I am protected. For now, at least."
See? She is that devious. Not an hour after you helped to save her, she is in the arms of another.
Between his own raging thoughts and the pounding of the rain, Alonzo could hear no more of what was said. Shaking his head fiercely in a vain attempt to clear it, he moved backward until he was free of the tunnel and ran back to his own den. Despite his best efforts at speeding through the downpour, he was soaking wet and extremely uncomfortable by the time he arrived. He was, however, glad to get in out of the rain.
He shook himself to a semblance of dryness before he realized he was not alone. Jemima stared at him out of the darkness, wide-eyed and apparently frightened. If nothing else, the sight of her snapped him out of his trance. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. "Jemima? What are you doing here?"
"I- I'm scared," she stuttered. "I came to see you… but you weren't here."
"I went to check on Cassandra," he lied, his voice gruff. Did she somehow not see that he wanted her to leave him alone?
She pretended not to notice. "Oh! How is she?"
"She's fine." Something in that angry response silenced Jemima, though he paid little attention to her. The doubts that crowded his head – though he had been blessedly free of them for the past few days - were returning in force, and some of them urged retaliation he was not sure he was ready to attempt.
Get back at her now, while you know she is busy. She can't just cheat on you and expect your help. Jemima is here. Jemima is willing.
I don't know that Cassandra has done anything wrong!
But she might have. She has been acting strange lately.
I don't believe that. I won't believe that until she tells me herself.
"Alonzo?"
Ask now before you lose your chance, you coward.
No! I will not use Jemima even if Cassandra has used me. It's tempting, but no. I made my choice.
"Alonzo? Are you okay?" He did not answer; indeed, he hardly heard her, for all the panic in her voice. "Uhm, Alonzo… I'm going to leave now. The rain's letting up… and… I'll talk to you later." With that, the young queen fled out into the rain, which had not let up at all.
Alonzo rested his head on his paws and shivered. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would talk to her; tomorrow he would make things right and silence his doubts for good.