Catfantastic by Andre Norton

Author:Andre Norton [Norton, Andre]
Format: epub
Tags: Demonoid Upload 6
ISBN: 9781567311532
Publisher: Lisa's E-Book Collection
Published: 1997-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

"Butterfly, how does Poplios get back to the present?"

"The hard way," I said, as I settled myself. "He waits a month."

Jack frowned. "But can't he get some more time and-"

"It only works backward, Jack. Don't bother your head about it-time travel is an advanced subject,

hardly of a level for an apprentice at your stage."

"Yeah? Look, Butterfly, I've been thinking. Since Uncle Hugh seems to have neglected to teach me such

a lot, how about if I become your apprentice instead?"

I had to start washing my face in order to think of an appropriate reply for such an absurd suggestion. I

was interrupted, however, by Arachne, who cried out, "Jack! The tree!"

Sure enough, a great gash had opened in the bark, and along its edges were a number of pale yellowish,

walnut-sized lumps.

"There you go," I said. "Now, pluck out an eyelash, roll it in the gum, and have Arachne weave it into the

sock."

There was a tense moment when Arachne, having completed her task, seemed to be stuck to the inside

of the sock, but Jack pulled her free without harming a hair on her little spidery head, and reinstalled her

behind his ear.

"Okay, this is it," he said, as he pulled on the first sock, the undamaged one. Even the blue bird held its

breath as he rolled up the second sock, the newly repaired one, and slipped it over his toes.

"Itworks itworks itworks works worf!" barked the dog, and the rest of Jack's menagerie-concealed on

his person and so sharing his invisibility-joined in with their various cheers.

Jack took off the magic socks and stowed them safely in his shirt. "Well, gang, I guess that finally wraps-"

I felt the tingling of my sixth sense too late. Jack pitched forward as if struck by a hard blow and landed

flat on the ground, sending his menagerie scattering in alarm.

I squinted my amber eye closed, so I could watch with my blue one. There was a tremendous upset in

Jack's aura, blue and green light flashing about and then suddenly dissipating and being replaced by an

unhealthy glow rather like radioactive gangrene in color. By the time he was on his feet again even his

face had a different look about it.

I began to wash my paws with studied nonchalance. I needed time to figure out the details. What had

happened, of course, was that Jack had been possessed by one of the Lost Minds that wandered about

in the desert; the question was, whose mind? And what exactly did he or she intend to do? And was

Jack still in his body, dominated by the invader to the point where his aura was no longer recognizable, or

had he been ousted to the desert?

I cursed many mental Feline curses-I won't shock you with them just now. I should never have brought

him here-as the incompetent Hugh's apprentice, he had never learned any psychic self-defense. The

whole wild-goose chase through Some Place had gone much too easily up to now, but this was a

situation where Jack's animal talent was useless. It was up to me to right things now.

"Jack"

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