Chapitre 18: Chapter 18: The Open Gate

Tucker arrived just in time to see a column of rats come through the now-open Gate.

He couldn't see past it, but knew Julian had to be on the other side of the large door. Ignoring the rats who tried to take him down, Tucker bounded his way through them, sometimes over their backs, until he reached the inside of the open Gate.

And received a huge surprise. Susan held the spitting and slashing Julian by the scruff of the neck.

"Bad kitty!" Susan said as she shook the furious cat. "Bad, bad kitty!"

Julian howled at her and managed to get his claws into her wrist. Susan cried out but shook him again and he let go.

"Susan!" Tucker cried. She looked over at him and burst into tears. "Tucker! I couldn't stop him in time!"

He made it to her side. "Hold him!" Tucker said. "I need to get help!" "We need to close the Gate first," Susan insisted.Tucker bounded away, call behind him, "I can't! I'll be back! Just make sure you hold him!" He finished just as he made it to the guardhouse.

"He's not going anywhere," he heard her call after him.

Tucker made it to the top of the tower in record time. His heart lifted. The rats were in, but Susan was alive and Vinnie would be at the tunnel by now with fighters. Tucker couldn't close the Gate, his magic wasn't keyed to it, the only duty of Gatekeeping he hadn't been allowed. He needed reinforcements. All he could do was to warn the City.

Tucker skidded to a halt next to the huge horn standing at the top. To his knowledge, the horn was only ever used once, long ago, before the City moved. Tucker gathered his power and his beautiful purple magic, his second life light, blew the horn.

The sound rose from the top of the tower, carrying from one end of Cat City to the other. Tucker, standing next to it, covered his ears by burying his head in his forearms. It was so loud! He waited for the last note to die before spinning and running back down to Susan.

He emerged from the tower to see the rats frozen in place. Not from magic, he knew, but from fear. Their column halted from the first note. And Tucker could already hear the howling of approaching cats coming to answer the horn. He bounded up to Susan just as Julian twisted free and attacked her, howling in fury and frustration.

"You think you've stopped us?" He landed on her shoulders, going at her with his claws. "You've done nothing! Cat City will be mine!"

Tucker flew at Julian and landed on him, his weight sending Susan to her knees. "Your fight is with me!" Tucker howled. "Let her go!"

Julian pulled free and leaped from Susan's back, landing lightly to face Tucker. "Come," he said in a hiss. "Let's see how many lives you have left."

Tucker gathered his strength as he heard a distant alarm sound, coming from somewhere else in the City. Vinnie! Knowing the City was alerted at last, Tucker focused on Julian.

"Tucker," Susan said. "Be careful!"

He flicked his tail at her and went after the traitor.

*****

Susan could only watch as Tucker stalked forward. She sucked on a scratch, deep and bloody, that Julian managed to give her on the back of her hand. She just wanted to run and hide, to let the cats deal with the rats now that they were aware.

And they were aware. They flooded the Gate, attacking the rats. But by now the rats made up their minds to fight and more were coming. She risked a peek around the edge of the Gate and was shocked.

There seemed to be no end to them. As far as her eye could see into the dark tunnel past the Gate, the rats were coming, thousands upon thousands of eyes flashing in the darkness. And the only things keeping them from all pouring in at once were the narrowness of the tunnel approach and the fact only one half of the Gate was open.

Susan knew then if she could get the Gate closed they would stand a chance. She pushed against it, but couldn't get it to budge. She put her back against it and shoved as hard as she could, heels digging into the stone, but the Gate remained stubbornly open.

Magic! She thought. Darn! I need magic to close the Gate!

Susan turned to get Tucker and came face-to-face with Khai.

"I don't know how you survived," Khai said, eyes flashing fire again, tail thrashing, "but that will not last. Step away from the Gate, Susan."

He's worried, she thought. Why does he think I'm a threat? I don't even have any magic!

Or do I?

Susan shook her head.

"Get lost," she said. "I'm busy." She pushed again, but still no luck. There has to be a way, she thought.

Khai slunk closer, belly low, tail twitching. "Only human magic can close it, and only a few cats have it," he said.

"I guess you'd be one." She knew she was right when he flinched and snarled at her. "I warn you, girl," he hissed. "Step away from the Gate now."

Susan ignored him, trying to think. Khai leaped at her, claws extended. She ducked, swatting at him with her hands, knocking him to the ground. She got a hold of him as she had with Julian, pinning him by the scruff of the neck. Unlike Julian, he didn't fight.Instead, Susan felt that thrill, the same one from the statue in the garden, go through her when she touched the cat. Shocked, she almost let him go. Khai froze under her grip.

"Release me," he said.

"As if," Susan said. "Use your magic to close the Gate and I'll think about it." Khai tensed and started to laugh.

"Forgive me," he said. "I am a fool. Here I thought you knewÉ release me, Susan, you are in no danger from me."

"Knew what?" She asked.

"Let me go." Khai stopped laughing and lay limp on the ground. "Be a good kitty," she said, releasing him slowly.

Khai stood up and shook himself. He looked up at her.

"So much is lost to your people now," he said. "A shame, really. Especially considering how close you came to being able to save the City all by yourself."

She scowled down at him. "What are you talking about?" "Goodbye, Susan," Khai said.

And threw a ball of pink light directly at her.

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