‘I’m in all the way.’ Whose voice was that? Surely not mine she wondered. It sounded different, stronger. It was the birth of a new Grace maybe, one who could undertake this extremely dangerous mission.
***
It is said that an exceptional scout learns to sense the enemy, to feel his presence. If his mind is clear and focused, he becomes the hunter rather than the prey. In Grace’s dimension the cats had been able to see the Drawl whereas in their own dimension they could not. This added to the difficulty in fighting this deadly foe. The scientists had been working on a means of locating the Drawl, a device that detected the displacement of air molecules as they moved around. It was crude and no one knew whether it would work or not. But tonight it was all they had. There were scout teams posted all over the city. Boot had decided to spread the teams as wide as he could. Any team detecting Drawl activity should report it immediately and a map of their movements would be drawn up. Over time it was hoped that this map would narrow down the locations in the search for the exact position of the Drawl anchor.
So far, however, it had been hopeless. They had found nothing. Boot sat silently on the ground, his cloak drawn up tightly around his neck, his sword resting under his chin. His eyes scanned the horizon, as the sun’s final rays withdrew across the landscape. Blues, oranges and finally reds disappeared beyond the horizon one after the other.
‘Come on you scumbags,’ cursed Boot under his breath. He looked to Grace who was also wrapped up in a shawl given to her by Fredya. She was squinting into the distance with a grim expression on her face. She really had been thrust in at the deep end. At least Boot was a trained professional, used to dealing with this kind of thing on a daily basis. Grace, however, was still just a kid, a remarkable one, but still, a child. He admired her bravery as he remembered his first night against the Drawl all those years ago. That’s how he got the scar on the back of his paw. It was during the last big offensive. Every able-bodied cat in the city had been called up to fight. Even Boot, along with the other kittens, had been conscripted. It was Boot’s first time, and he had felt so scared, he had vomited at his post as the first wave attacked. There were so many Drawl. They had come through into the fourth dimension in a brazen attempt to secure a foothold.
It had been a terrible battle, many of Boot’s friends had died, their tiny bodies drained of energy, or torn asunder by the invading hordes. The conscripts had been given only the most basic of training and adding to their desperation there weren’t enough arms to go around so each group had to share. Most cats had brought weapons from home, axes, pitchforks; whatever they could get their paws on.
The fighting had lasted four days before the enemy had withdrawn. Most cats considered they were lucky, another day’s fighting and their numbers would have been decimated beyond survival. Since that battle, the Drawl had concentrated their efforts on the third dimension because humans offered no resistance. They still journeyed into the cats’ realm but only moving through from a higher dimension, only materializing to sap energy from the ill, or aged.
From that day Boot had remained in the army, fighting and protecting. He hated the Drawl and would fight until their threat was gone or die trying.
‘I see them! Over there by that building,’ whispered Grace. Boot snapped his head around to look. He couldn’t see anything, but by concentrating his mind, his senses started to focus. Yes, there was something.
‘How many Grace?’ he asked.
‘I count half a dozen or so. They are heading down that street,’ Grace replied pointing in the direction. Boot made some notes in a little book he was carrying.
‘Let’s hope the others get some results too,’ Boot whispered.
***
‘I don’t understand,’ cried Joyce, looking to her husband. ‘What’s he saying?’ The doctor sucked in a slow, deep breath. He had vainly hoped to hide behind large and sterile medical terms. He didn’t want to use the emotive words, words that had so much power that their mere mention was enough to send parents into hysterics. He now had to use two of them. It was not going to be pleasant.
‘It’s a tumour, in your daughter’s brain. We need to operate.’ There they were tumour and operation, words you never wanted to hear spoken about regarding your child. Joyce’s own brain rebooted. As it came back online she tried denial.
‘No you have the wrong scans. There has been some mix-up.’ But the young doctor was adamant there was no confusion, Grace was the only teenage patient scanned today. Next Joyce tried negotiation.
‘Can’t we try something else, some other less drastic treatment? Is an operation really that necessary?’ Again the doctor shook his head. Next Joyce tried anger looking at her husband.
‘It’s all your fault you know! If you had taken better care of her….’ But Joyce soon realized the stupidity and fruitlessness of what she was saying. George hugged his wife, kissed her forehead, and brushed the matted hair from her face.
‘I want to see her,’ she wept.
***
Private Lanus had always been lucky, as a kitten he had had it rough sure, but later on in life things just seemed to fall into place for him. How he ended up in the army was anyone’s guess though. Some say it was probably his unwillingness to think for himself and that the army was great if you just wanted to switch your brain off and do what you were told. This suited Pvt. Lanus very well. He was a model soldier, who never questioned orders. He never got bored on guard duty and was always the first to volunteer for special duties. So that was how he came to find himself sitting in his hide, watching for Drawl activity with a small kit that tech div had equipped him with. For three nights he had sat there patiently waiting for something to happen, he might have thought it a bit pointless but he never mentioned the fact. Tonight, however, it was different. The small box had started beeping a few moments ago and now couldn’t be silenced. Lanus had been told that the device would beep if the Drawl were in the area. He also knew that some cats could sense the Drawl just by concentrating hard. Lanus, however, had no such skill. He lacked the imagination and perseverance to master it. So he sat there listening to the beeping and watching a seemingly empty street. He also duly noted the information in his notebook, just as the Sgt. had ordered.
***
Although Thaal was a cat of the faith, he was also well schooled in the ways of science. He picked through the texts to find the bits that were most useful to him. He had listened with interest when Dr Yang had explained the workings of the machine that he used to transport objects into this realm. After much deliberation Thaal realised that the same machine that gave Grace form in this world could now be used to destroy her. He slipped unseen into the lab while everybody was out hunting the Drawl. He moved silently from room to room until he reached the one where he had witnessed the demonstration, the same one he had sent his men to capture Grace from when she had first arrived.
Thaal inspected the controls. It had not been touched since the girl’s arrival. Operating the switches, he recalibrated the finder. Transporting an object permanently to his realm was a lot less tricky than keeping its 3D component intact as had been done with Grace. What Thaal was after wouldn’t be going back. He scanned the machine’s scope, searching through all the images until at last he had what he wanted. He stabbed the acquire button with a sharp claw. The object arrived in the tank and Thaal lifted it free, the cold metal glinting in the dim moonlight of the room. Placing it inside his robes he found it surprisingly heavy and uncomfortable. Not at all like the Nagamitsu blade also tucked away under his cloak. Thaal slipped out of the lab, and into the darkness. All the preparations were now complete.
***
The night had been a busy one for the squads deployed throughout the city. Activity reports had flooded in from several scouts and now Boot surveyed the results on a large map pinned to the wall of his makeshift command post. General Talus had been by that morning to inspect his progress and remind him of the importance of the mission. It was
the sort of things generals did. They were like company managers, waltzing around giving high level directives and expecting everyone below them to make it work. They didn’t care how. They just went back to their corner offices to dream up more whacky schemes.
Grace sat quietly watching Boot fiddle with the pins on his map. He had all his reports in now and had many pointers and arrows plastered all over the wall. The arrows indicated the direction the enemy was moving. Boot then drew lines back from each Drawl group in the opposite direction to that which they were heading. The result was that the lines all intersected in an area roughly the size of a football field. It was an unused piece of land just south of the city.
‘Tonight, my squad will concentrate our search around this area,’ said Boot pointing to his chart.
‘But won’t that arouse suspicion, all those soldiers in one small area? Shouldn’t it just be the two of us? I mean it has got to be in there right?’ Grace suggested. Are you mad? A little voice inside her head yelled at her. Of course you want all those soldiers around you. What if something goes wrong?
Boot considered Grace’s comments for a second.
‘Yes you could be right. But I still want my men on call, just in case things get nasty.’
***
It was a few hours before dark when Boot received word from the swordsmith that his weapons were ready. With Grace by his side Boot set off to collect them.
Grace could feel the heat of the building even before she saw it. Nagamitsu’s students were climbing onto the roof pouring water over the timbers which caused steam to come off in great groans and hisses. The foundry had never been this busy as far back as Boot could remember. There were cats everywhere. The noise was deafening, as they banged metal, quenched steel and pumped the bellows. Above all else Grace could still hear the old master himself yelling orders to his apprentices. After hurling a final word of encouraging abuse at some hapless worker he ventured out to greet his visitors.
‘Come see what I have for you,’ he beckoned, and he led them around the back of the workshop to the storage area. It was a little cooler here and Grace found it easier to breath without hurting her lungs. Nagamitsu opened the storeroom door and they filed inside.
Along one wall were the swords, at least two dozen of them. They were rougher than the one Nagamitsu had made earlier that Boot now carried. Choosing one at random Boot withdrew it from its leather casing. Light danced along the blade and reflected off his face. It too had the bluish patina just back from the cutting edge. Boot inspected a few more. Each was slightly different reflecting the individual styles of the master’s students, but all had the same keen edge.
‘I also have these for you,’ he said as he reached for a large box in the corner. It squeaked as he opened it and inside were hundreds of shiny arrow heads. These Grace noticed had the same faint blue tinge to them.
‘They should be quite effective against our foe,’ the old cat sneered. Boot too was smiling at the thought.
‘I have one last surprise for you.’ He grinned as he lead Boot and Grace to the back of the storage area where it was a little darker. He removed an old oily rag from a stand and before them was a set of brand new armour. Grace was astounded by the amount of work accomplished in such a short time. To make the swords and arrow tips was one thing, but to put together this amazing set of armour was beyond belief. Hand stitched leather and silk, the whole thing was impregnated with the Drawl material and it shone radiantly with the polish on the leather, and the glow of the exotic metal. How the old master had achieved so much from his forge when he couldn’t even see the Drawl material dumbfounded Grace. Boot later told her that a true master’s abilities transcended the ordinary. To them nothing was impossible.
‘And one for the lady,’ said Nagamitsu drawing aside another oily cloth. Grace’s amour was slightly different to Boot’s. It was more ornate, with embossed images in the breast plate. Grace gasped at the sheer beauty of it. The pink silk sashes that tied it off, the yellow silk threads and the blue material worked throughout. Grace lifted it off the stand. It was heavy, but well balanced. Suddenly Grace’s mind started to appreciate the gravity of the situation.
‘But I can’t fight,’ she stammered. ‘I’m just a little girl.’ And right now Grace felt very, very alone, scared and vulnerable. Boot turned to Grace, his voice firm but kind.
‘Grace, this is a war and our kind are dying every day in battle with these creatures. They are dying for a cause you humans aren’t even aware of. They are dying to protect you while you live on in ignorant bliss. Do you think we want things to be this way? Do you think we like the fighting and the dying? We do it because we have a duty to protect those who can’t fight back and protect themselves. Believe me Grace; you do have it in you, everyone does. Inside every creature, be they human, cat or polyped, there is something that, when pushed too far, when forced to make a choice between lying down and dying or standing up and fighting, they pick up a weapon. These people are far more valuable than soldiers, soldiers fight for a living, farmers, butchers, bakers, when pushed to the point, are fighting to live.’
Grace stared at Boot. She hadn’t seen him this alive, this passionate before. She pulled the armour over her head and managed a thin smile.
‘Good girl’ smiled the old sword maker as he tightened the amour across Grace’s back.
‘Of course amour isn’t much use without a weapon,’ and Nagamitsu handed Grace a shorter version of the sword Boot now carried.
‘I have balanced it based on your height, and made it lighter for your untrained wrists.’
Grace examined the handle, it was the same sharkskin wrapping. However, the butt of the sword had a lion’s head carved into it. Its golden mane flowing around its face and its fearsome teeth exposed in a ferocious roar.
‘Now everything is set. Tonight we kick some Drawl butt!’ The mood had changed, and Grace was silent on the walk back to Boot’s war room.
***
Grace lay asleep in her hospital bed. Her mother sat beside her on the bed, clasping her daughter’s tiny hands.
‘It’s going to be fine. It’s all going to be fine. Just wake up sweetheart; Mummy’s here, and daddy, even your brother. We are all here for you Grace, just wake up,’ Joyce sobbed. But Grace didn’t respond. The blankets rose and fell with Grace’s breathing but that was the only sign of life she gave. George came over and put his arms around his wife’s shoulders.
‘What should we do?’ he asked. Joyce looked up, tears reddened her eyes.
‘I don’t know,’ she cried.
‘Maybe we should listen to the doctors. They helped Grace before,’ George suggested nervously. His wife was fragile enough and he didn’t want to upset her further if she was so against the surgery. Joyce turned back to Grace and sat quietly in thought for ten minutes before replying.
‘I guess it’s the only thing we can do, it’s better than doing nothing.’
George nodded and squeezed his wife’s hand. Then he walked over to the door and down to the nurses’ station to page the doctor. He fought back the tears as he waited
‘Bring us the forms,’ he said to the doctor who was now standing rather uncomfortably in front of Grace’s parents.
‘It’s the only way honey, and the sooner they do it, the better Grace’s chances will be.’ The resident hurried away with the consent forms leaving George and Joyce sitting forlornly on the sofa in their desperately sick child’s hospital room.
Chapter Thirteen
Grace sat quietly in the corner of the room. Boot was busy talking to other cats as they came and went throughout the day. Scooter had arranged for the swords and arrows to be collected and a team was working on attaching the arrowheads and fletching to shafts in preparation for battle.
‘Are we expecting much of a show tonight Sarge?’ asked Scooter cheerfully as ever. How do they remain so calm knowing what they will be doing in a few hours thought Grace. I’m sick to my stomach and Scooter is purring awa
y to himself while he works. Grace didn’t wait for Boot’s reply. Instead she went outside the hut to get some fresh air. Things had happened so fast, ever since she had arrived in this dimension one crazy situation had followed the next. There was the mad cat who wanted to sacrifice her, giant spiders, and now she was preparing for battle. Grace suddenly came over homesick. She wanted to be tucked up on the couch with a hot chocolate and a good book, spending time with her family as they watched TV and argued about which channel to watch.
The fresh air made her feel better and she decided to experiment with the blade that Nagamitsu had given her. She withdrew it cautiously from the tsubo and watched it glisten in the sunlight. It was indeed very light. Grace tried stabbing the air with it. She felt clumsy and awkward; how is it that Boot can move it with such elegance?
‘Don’t grip it so tight Toots.’ It was Scooter; he was standing with Boot in the doorway watching her.
‘Well I don’t know how this thing works,’ groaned Grace with a slightly higher pitch to her voice than normal. Scooter stepped forward to assist but Boot held him back.
‘I’ll do it. You get on with your work.’ He grinned as he walked over to Grace.
‘The first lesson is respect. Respect the blade, and it will respect you. That means never letting it touch the ground, not chipping it, and keeping it sharp and clean.’
Grace picked her sword tip off the ground and lifted it up rather sheepishly.
‘Hold it like this,’ instructed Boot pulling his sword from its home at his waist and clasping it with both hands. ‘And spread your feet wider.’
‘Like this?’ asked Grace moving into position.
‘That’s it. But put more weight on the back foot. In case you need to spring back, you don’t want to be caught with too much weight forward. Now follow what I do.’ Boot moved slowly and began teaching Grace the basics of cutting. The vertical strike, and the top-left to bottom-right slash. Then Boot watched patiently as Grace repeated the movements in slow motion, correcting little errors as she made them.