Catopolis

The door opened, and the men who’d captured him came back through. The one with the narrow face opened a cage and dragged a dachshund out. The little black dog tried to bite, but its teeth couldn’t penetrate the human’s brown leather work gloves.

The other man, thickset with blond hair sheared very short, jabbed a hypodermic into the dachshund’s flank. In a few moments, its frantic struggles subsided to an almost imperceptible squirming. The man holding it laid it atop a steel table, and his partner set down the needle and picked up a cordless power drill. He pressed the button, and the bit spun and whined.

Silent had no obligation to act, for it was only a dog quivering helpless on the table. If he were as cu

He called on Brother Tiger and swiped at the door of his cage. It flew open and dangled askew, hanging by one hinge. He leaped out onto the linoleum floor.

The humans pivoted in his direction. He charged them and ripped at the leg of the one with the drill.

His claws cut to the bone, the gashes spaced more widely than seemed possible, because at present he wasn’t just a cat but rather a fusion of cat and tiger. The man screamed and dropped, his blood spurting. The captive animals clamored.

Silent pivoted toward the man with the narrow face. His eyes wide, the human backed away and lifted a pocket pistol.

The gun was a problem. It likely wouldn’t kill Brother Tiger, but it could put a hole in Silent that would kill him when the Aspect departed.

He darted under the table. The human would be waiting to shoot when he reappeared, but at least this way he didn’t have to cover the entire distance ru

He bounded into the open. The pistol banged, and the bullet cracked into the floor beside him.

Silent closed the distance and tore the human’s leg out from underneath him. His foe fell down, and, his arm now shaking, tried again to point the gun. Silent leaped and clawed at his hand, half severing it and knocking the pistol away. The man convulsed.

Silent spun around to check on his other adversary. Still supine, the man was only shivering and twitching. By the looks of it, there was no fight left in either one of them.

Silent stood and panted. It wasn’t difficult to roar like a lion or run like a cheetah. But even for an adept, generating the strength and shadowy semblance of a tiger’s size and weight was a more taxing feat.

The other prisoners begged him to free them. He wanted to, but perhaps it would be better to scout now and come back for them later. He was still considering when the door opened once again.

A slender, raven-haired woman dressed in an Animal Control coverall entered the room, with several black cats padding at her back. The maimed men whined, evidently begging for her help.

When she answered, even a cat could recognize the note of scorn in her voice. She raised her hand, and each man jerked and then lay still. Points of light flew up out of their mouths and into her grasp. She squeezed them together, mashing them into a jelly, which she then licked off her palm and fingers. Now perceiving her true nature, the caged animals cowered.

Her repast complete, the demoness shrank and became a black cat. In heat. The scent of her evoked an instant pang of desire, even though Silent recognized her for what she truly was. It was surely a ploy to addle him, and he struggled to clear his head.

Perhaps she could tell that he was straining, for she laughed at him. “Silent,” she purred. “When I heard what happened in the cathedral, I suspected we’d meet by and by.”

He didn’t like it that she knew his name, but then, he didn’t like anything about this situation. “Who are you, and what are doing here?”

“When I wear this shape, some people call me Barb.” She lifted a paw and unsheathed gleaming claws to display their secondary points. “As for what I’m doing, haven’t you guessed?”

“You’ve taken control of the animal shelter, or at least a part of it, and turned it into a place of torment. You offer the black-cat prisoners a way out, but only if they agree to become what you want them to be.”

“Actually, it’s a little more subtle than that. The prisoners never associate me with captivity and abuse. That’s all done by humans under my control. I’m the shadow that comes in the night offering comfort, hope, and liberation if only the blacks will join me in a war against mankind. And why wouldn’t they? By that time, most of them are only too eager to strike back.”

“But what’s the point?”

“Why, to corrupt souls. To create living weapons, wield them to assail servants of the good and spread misery and despair, and, in time, to pass them along to human warlocks to serve as their familiars. With any luck, to stir up the old mistrust between men and cats all over again.”

“Her Majesty won’t allow that.”

“Your Queen isn’t here, only you, and you can’t stop me. But you can join me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“To save your life.”

“It’s no use keeping your body alive if you kill your spirit to do it.”

“I’m not asking you to lose yourself. I’m asking you to become yourself more fully than ever before. Lucifer’s gift has always been a part of you. Haven’t you ever wondered how it would feel to use it? Imagine the wonderful things you could do if you married that power to the magic you’ve already mastered.”

For a moment, the prospect tempted him, or maybe it was simply the smell of her nether parts, still wafting on the air. He gave his head a shake. “I’m not interested.”

“Why? Because you love the humans? Have you looked around at this horrible place they built? It was a house of misery and death long before I arrived.”

“Maybe so, but for every one that hates us, there are ten who are our friends, and for every cruel deed, a hundred acts of kindness. I suppose I do love them. And even if I didn’t, I love the Queen, and I’ve already pledged her my allegiance.”

Barb sighed. “What a shame. We could have si

With the enemy blocking the only way out of the room, Silent poised himself to fight as hard and die as well as possible, for die he almost certainly would. The conversation had given him a chance to catch his breath, and he had faith in his own powers, but they couldn’t protect him from a dozen tainted blacks all giving him the Evil Eye at once.

Then inspiration struck. “Wait!” he cried.

Barb turned back around. “Changed your mind?”

“Partly. I won’t just surrender myself. But I will bet myself.” According to feline lore, demons loved to gamble.

Barb’s green eyes narrowed. “What do you have in mind?”

“You and I will fight.

Just you and I. Your stooges will stay out of it. If you render me helpless, then I’ll let you change me as you’ve changed these others. If I win, they revert to what they were.”

“Ridiculous. They gave themselves of their own free will.”

“That’s not the way I see it. You boasted yourself that you tortured and tricked them into it, and that means they deserve another chance.”

“Whether they do or not, you’re proposing to wager one soul while I risk more than twenty. You value yourself too highly.”

“Do I? Does the chance to turn an Adept of Bast come along every day? You want me, demon. Quite a bit. Maybe you shouldn’t have let me know, but it’s too late now.”

Barb glared.

“What’s the matter?” Silent asked. “You’re a champion of Hell. Are you afraid of one lone cat? Don’t you think you can beat me without a bunch of slaves backing you up? I hope the other demons don’t find out. They’ll laugh their tails off.”