The Fathomless Fire by Thomas Wharton Page A

out from behind the bar. “It’s Nicholas Pendrake that I’d be hearing from right now.”
    Rowen’s grandfather came to her side, limping slightly. He gave her a quick smile that said,
You did very well.
For some reason she couldn’t quite get at, she felt tears rise. Then she saw the shadow of pain still on his face and understood. In moments like this she had always counted on him to take charge and make things right. This time she’d done it herself, without a second thought. As if deep down she had begun to doubt he could.
    “This is Riddle,” Pendrake said, gesturing to the cat, who had put on a convincingly feline expression of
who, me?
“He’s a creature of the forest, the Deep, it’s true, but he’s harmless. He was lost and alone, and needed our help, so my granddaughter and I brought him with us.”
    “And what else did you bring with you?” Seamus croaked. “Decent folk don’t be prowling around in the Deep these days. It’s unnatural. We were never meant to swim in those waters, and anyone who does is not to be trusted, I say.”
    “And didn’t I say mind your mouth, old man,” Kate snapped.
    “I’ll go one better than that,” Seamus said with a scowl, and he strode for the door. “I’ll take my custom elsewhere, while I still can. And if any of you have a crumb of brains, you’ll join me.”
    “Well if you’re going, then be off with you,” Kate said, waving him away with a hand.
    The door rattled behind the old man as he stalked out. No one else moved, not because they didn’t want to, Rowen realized, but because they were afraid to take their eyes off Riddle, even for a moment.
    Kate snatched a tumbler from one of her customers, who was letting the contents spill unnoticed down his shirtfront as he stared slack-jawed at Riddle. “Now, Nicholas,” she said, “we’re old friends, we are, but I just don’t know about this … this …
that.
”
    She pointed a trembling finger at Riddle, who had slunk behind Rowen’s legs. Rowen reached down and scooped him up in her arms. To her surprise, he didn’t resist. He was lighter than she had expected, too, and there was something else surprising about him, she now discovered: she had held cats before who purred, but Riddle
hummed.
That was the only word for the strange feeling he gave off, of something vibrating with life. It didn’t make her feel calm and sleepy like a cat’s purr could, but more awake. It was like holding a bag full of bees.
    “I understand, Kate,” Pendrake said. “I assure you there’s no danger. Riddle won’t harm anyone. He’s just not used to being around so many people.”
    “It isn’t so many
now.
”
    “You’re right and I’m sorry about that too. We’ve done enough damage here for one night, so we’ll be on our way.”
    Rowen was only too glad to be leaving, but they had taken only a few steps towards the door when it burst open and Seamus came staggering in, his long haggard face contorted in fear. He clutched Pendrake’s sleeve and wheezed out a string of words Rowen couldn’t catch.
    “What is it, Seamus?” Kate cried.
    “The D – D – Deep,” the old man managed to gasp out. “The Deep is…”
    He couldn’t summon the words.
    “Show us,” Kate said.
    Everyone who was still in the room after Riddle’s shape-changing episode hurried out into the street after the old man. The wind had died down, but there was a heaviness in the air, Rowen thought, like you sometimes felt before a thunderstorm. Dogs were barking their heads off all over the village. Lamps were lighting up in windows, and people in nightshirts were peering out their doors. Some joined the procession, asking anxiously what was going on. Up the street the growing crowd went, following Seamus. In a short time they came to an elevated spot where they could all gather, near the edge of the ridge the village was perched on, and look out over the forest.
    Only now they didn’t have to look out quite as far as