Seth hogged the only fan in the hotel room as the two adults and the boy waited for Bracken. It was unbearably hot and a big change from the wintry weather they were experiencing in America.
The door opened and Bracken strode through, holding a piece of paper in his hand with some written directions.
"I asked several people where we might find him, and they have given me varied answers, but this one seems the most likely."
He grabbed his bag from a chair nearby and motioned the exhausted humans to follow.
Seth kept his front pressed closely to Bracken's back as they waded through the crowd, hearing the calls of good prices and better deals. Vanessa glared at the merchants and steered Warren away by the arm. Finally they reached a small indoors shop with a flickering neon sign in the window, it read; We're open!
Warren squinted at the place and looked a bit skeptical, "Are you sure this is it?"
Bracken opened the door the shop and stepped in, "Very sure." He said, scanning the shop for signs of the person he was looking for.
Bracken's eye settled on the man at the desk, he was lazing back in his chair, while beside him on the table a black cat lazed on the counter.
The cat looked up just as Bracken walked over. The fur stood on end and the cat hissed backing away and jumping off the desk.
The man woke up with a start, "Welcome…" his eyes focused on the obvious tourists.
But Bracken paid him no attention and went after the cat, which had disappeared into the back of the shop. Seth followed suit and he and the unicorn came to a dark storage room with a dead end. Objects in the darkness looked strange and bent, kind of like broken people's bodies lying about them.
In Bracken's hand, a stone glowed, bathing the shadows in the room with a little light. The cat could barely be seen at the back wall, but its eyes, despite the light, glowed red.
"Mi'aiq," Bracken said, slowly making his way over to the feline. "I mean you no harm."
"Mi'aiq knows that what you say is a lie!" The cat hissed, and prepared to spring away.
"A shape-shifter?" Seth asked, blinking in curiosity and getting closer, despite the warning look Bracken sent him.
"Mi'aiq is indeed a shape-shifter."
"He used to be a dark wizard's familiar, but his mistress was killed."
Mi'aiq growled and shrunk back from the light more, "Mi'aiq is not evil, Mi'aiq has done nothing!"
"I know," Bracken grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck and lifted it up, "But you are going to tell us; who has the horn, and where is it?"
Mi'aiq squirmed and glared at the unicorn as he kicked his back legs, trying to get free. "Mi'aiq will tell you nothing!"
Bracken looked like he was just about to strangle the cat when Seth cut in and took the shape-shifter from Bracken. "I'd really appreciate it if you tell us something; I kind of have a debt to repay, and I need the horn to do that." He said as he held the cat up to his eye-level.
Mi'aiq studied the boy and found something in the shadow-charmer's gaze that he had not seen in centuries. "Alright, Mi'aiq will tell you." He purred.
Bracken relaxed, and let out a breath of relief.
"But first," Mi'aiq continued,
Bracken frowned at the feline, "No conditions."
Mi'aiq glanced over at the silver-haired boy. "Mi'aiq would like to stay with this young shadow-charmer. Wherever he goes, Mi'aiq will follow."
Seth put Mi'aiq down, "Fine, now tell us what you know."
The cat sat down and began licking its ruffled fur, "The new protector of the horn is Julius Kinderson. He is located in Chicago, Illinois."
"Alright, back to the US it is then." Seth said as he walked out of the storage room and back into the shop.
Bracken watched Mi'aiq's expression of interest as the cat looked at the Shadow Charmer.
"What are you thinking on doing to him?" Bracken growled, light blue eyes flashing with cold anger.
Mi'aiq let out a sigh, "Nothing, Mi'aiq simply wishes to once more serve a Shadow Charmer." The cat observed the tense unicorn out of the corner of his eye. "You get quite harsh when it comes to the Dark Night, don't you? Mi'aiq thinks you behave this way because you are in human form, but…" The cat smugly studied the unicorn's reaction, "Mi'aiq thinks it is also because you lost someone…. very… precious…."
"One more word, Cat, and your throat will be ripped out!" Bracken threatened, and then turned about on his heel and stormed out of the room.
Mi'aiq sat there quietly for a second then muttered to himself, "Mi'aiq knows you lost someone dear… Mi'aiq was there when she was killed."
Then the black cat resumed licking itself as if nothing had happened.