A Novel Opinion

"You can't put me in here like this. Just how long can you stay on the run like this? It's a lost cause!"

Dimyri ignored him and reached for the wooden door, looking up at Felix. "I get that we're stuck but, are you sure we don't have anything to break this chain with? Not even a rock or something?"

Felix brushed his hair. "I can look for one but it's going to be real tough breaking metal with it. Those chains are mighty thick."

She groaned and turned back to glare at their prisoner, raising her hand up high. The cuffs that bounded them together dangled around, teasing them of their poor confinement. "Last chance, where's the dumb key?"

Raz frowned. "If I had it, I would gleefully unlock myself and run off. I must have dropped it when you so hastily took the wagon by force."

They heard a scoff from down the hall as Janette's voice spoke up, "Bite me!"

Felix sighed and looked back at Dimyri. "Are you sure about this? We don't mind if you slept with us instead, I'm sure I can keep watch over him for a while. He's already tied up so-"

"No Felix, mom is gone. I-I can't mess up by taking a chance, I'd much rather have it this way. Just, please." Dimyri was having none of it, that was clear to him. She shared the same look of determination he saw in her mother, which had convinced him that there was no way to tell her otherwise.

"Alright, I won't fight you on that. We'll be down the hall, shout if you need us okay?" She shook her head and shut the door, allowing him to turn around and head back to the main room. KuliKuli and Syri sat around the floor as an irritated Janette busied herself throwing a fit with a familiar large book in her hands.

"Damn, just how the heck do you get this thing to work?" She pouted, dropping the book on the floor.

KuliKuli looked up. "You never figured it out, I thought it was as easy as asking it a question?"

"It was, but something wasn't right, it was refusing to answer a lot of things later on. Guess that's why I tucked it back into the library. Figures it was the only thing I would carry back from my house." She sighed, glancing at the hard book cover. "Reta said that to make magic work, you would need magic to start it. If that doesn't seem cryptic then I don't know what is."

Felix sat down beside KuliKuli looking exhausted. Syri reached out for the magic book and flipped it open. "Where's mom?"

The page responded in bold letters.

LOOK INTO YOURSELF

"Great, now it's being silly." Syri frowned, shoving it along the floor when her sister reached out to grab it.

"That's kind of sweet actually, weird. Has it ever said something like that?"

Janette shrugged. "Maybe, it just says what it feels like I guess. Don't you?"

DEPENDS ON THE QUESTION

Felix raised his eye. "Hold on, was that a response? This book just replied like it heard you?"

HAVE I NOT BEEN LISTENING TO YOU PEOPLE SQUABBLE FOR THE LONGEST TIME?

Both kitties gasped with Syri jumping into Janette's arms. "Whoa! Spooky, I don't know how I feel about this."

ASK ME IF I CARE

"Sassy." Janette grumbled, "Why the heck are you being so talkative now when we needed you before huh?"

WELL YOUR TONE CERTAINLY MAKES ME THINK TWICE ABOUT BEING SO OPEN

"Janette shush!" KuliKuli reached out, lifting the open book in her paws. "Okay, so you can listen to us. Can you help us out?"

REALLY, HELPING EACH OF YOU IS A LOT TO ASK

"Hey!"

"Janette, shh! Okay, that's fair. But please, what do we do now? We're kind of low on ideas here."

YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR ANSWER

"What? No we don't what answer?"

ASK YOURSELF

"I am, I'm asking you!" KuliKuli pouted, putting the book down. "Can't you just be clear this once please?"

CAN YOU?

She began to growl when Felix placed a hand on her shoulder. Something odd pressed against her then, and when he pulled his hand away he held up a funny looking charm.

"I guess their is no use keeping this, your mother gave it to me." Syri's eyes grew wider with KuliKuli looking up at her mate with a puzzled look. "But you're not going to like what she had to say. It's pretty cryptic."

Janette sighed. "If it's not, I would be concerned at this point."

"Right. It's about Leone." Everyone in the room grew quiet as he settled in. "She told me to tell you... that we can trust him."