A Closed Web

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Spontoon Island, the usual suspects copyright their owners

© 2007

Seven furs stood in a very secure room, three smoking cigars while two more enjoyed cigarettes attached to very long holders. Seven very dark hearted furs. “It is certain then” a fat boar announced even as he drank his sherry. “She is one.”

“Yes. Exactly the one yes your Excellency” a small mole agreed, the dark brown bowler on his head making him look more like some furred bullet than a living being. “There can be no mistaking. Long lenses saw that same mole as she bathed.”

“Karla. You have your plan” the boar demanded.

“Dah. Simple execution” a tall, willowy looking sable answered. She flicked her holder, causing cigarette ash to fall on the shorter mole standing next to her. Ash the mole batted away almost without noticing its existence. “It is she is night fisher. Jacob, Louise and ChiChi only need wait for storm to come. White furred kitten then sinks below waters never be seen again.”

“And crew” the boar hinted.

“Much tragedy honored one” the red furred Japanese fox explained. “Ship broken up, all paws lost. Many wail for lost family in morning time.” Being an ex-pearl diver ChiChi did not smoke. It weakened her lungs she often explained when asked. Her partners, the two English-furs Jacob and Louise though were heavy smokers.

“And latest bid?”

That mole smiled, pulling out a dark red ledger covered in some kind of exotic leather. One only Karla had ever enquired about without becoming sick to her stomach. “Until this morning,19,500 English pounds. By the German. Just one hour ago the America raised to 20,000 English pounds. Other bids still are possible.” He batted another wisp of ash away with the book, still ignoring Karla’s actions. It was, after all, a game with them.

Forcing himself out of his chair the boar looked around at his companions. Not one was a typical henchman as the dime books defined such. He had spent twelve long years gathering these six, then training them. Oh they had failed once or twice. That was to be expected. They might even fail this time, it wouldn’t matter. There were hundreds of young women running about all unknowing that a price was on their head. Hundreds of secrets to be ferreted out from dashing diplomats full of their own self importance, thousands of furs who had pressed their noses into business they should not have and now much be eradicated. Miss tonight, there would be another target in the morning.

All that mattered was that everyone did their best and escaped capture. They all knew that capture meant death if they could not be rescued. To turn traitor. That was slow death. There used to be an eighth member of this little group. She had turned to the Japanese police last year. Her bloated skinned corpse had been found floating on the inner sea weeks later, the rope about her paws having rotted through. Louise had done that and Shana had been her lover. No one wanted Louise angry at them. Not even the boar.

“Same split. All equal share if successful” he announced, having placed those thoughts behind him. “Ho-Non, you will deal with lover?”

“Aye” the one eyed packrat agreed. “She ah be ah waitin her lover most likely. Ahn tha kitten?”

“If she is difficult, remove the head cleanly. A fast, painless death. If not simply make certain cannot call for help” the boar decided. “Much do I dislike the harm of children.”

A coded knock came on the rooms single door, then a slip of paper was shoved under it though no one had more than raised an eyebrow at the sound. Quickly Karla snatched up a marked envelope. Without more than glancing at the mark on its outer side she passed it on to the mole. Removing several slips of paper the mole pursed his lips as he read. “Three thing” he announced. “Father make him ready come get daughter. That bad news. German. He raise bid to 21,000 English pounds.” He suddenly burst out in laughter. “Is one thousand pound bid cat never come home. Ever. Not even dead.”

“Whom” Karla asked, interested but only for amusements sake. She waited while her companion read, converting in his head the encrypted message. “Is from housemaid” the mole cackled. “From housemaid. Where housemaid get one hundred English pound. One thousand? But has bank code. Odd.”

Shrugging the boar walked over to a hidden door. “One never knows. Must hate daughter. Is no mother, then maid want be wife. Not unknown.” He opened the hidden door, looking to his companions. “Accept. If maid pretty. Sell maid too. Low bidder.” Then he was gone, his companions following one by one until only Karl and the mole remained.

“When you tell ChiChi you love her” the sable asked as she flicked another ash towards the mole.

Slipping the envelope into an inner pocket of his jacket the mole sidestepped that falling ash. “Some things Karla” he answered. “I not have courage do.”

“Then I shall” the sable decided. “Before we reach Spontoon.” Before the mole could form a response she had opened the rooms door, stepping out silently. Leaving the mole alone to his thoughts.

A week and a half later was near a full moon. Though those who hunted had no suspicion as to why, it was the one time Ada would be with Angelica. As three of them waited on their stolen motorboat a dozen or more small fishing boats battled against a rising wind towards their traditional fishing grounds. Karla had marked the boat Angelica would be on by the simple act of tying a piece of silver cloth on its bowsprit. Though the cloth had been noticed later by the boats owner, he thought it pretty and left it. He had spent some time with Karla, very private time. In his mind she had left it as a remembrance of herself and their afternoon together. Euros were strange after all.

Ashore Kama looked out into the gathering storm. Something was wrong. She knew it was wrong but there was too much free energy in a storm for her to manage an understanding. In years to come, even her teenage years she would have known. But with power one needed skill, and skill only came with training. Training and time. Unknown to her the fact that she went straight to Momma P’s saved her from an assault, for asleep she was of no difficulty to those who hunted.

Ada Cronstein looked out into the gathering storm from her dorm window. In two days she would be on Main Island for three happy nights. For now, in that storm. Angelica would be out there. Angelica, her life depending upon her skill, her boats luck and the Gods favor. Though she knew that Angelica had become one of the best night fisher-furs in her village, the idea that HER Angelica was in danger gave the hound weak knees. Abruptly a voice came from the door behind her. It was a certain hounds voice.

“There is darkness. Go to her. Now” the yellow furred hound commanded.

Ada didn’t even bother to ask, she was out her dorm window before her classmates could more that raise their heads. As to why Miss Devinski had sent her off so early Ada didn’t care. Only that she felt as Ada did, that Angelica was in some danger. Running to the gate she was unsurprised to find it open, the second year watching as she ran through, already soaked from the rain. No pass offered, no pass requested. This was highly unusual for Songmark, but not unknown. As the gate closed three more forms slipped over the fence. Also headed out, also without passes.

“They followed” Miss Nordlingen asked as a soaking hound returned to the dry warmth of their offices.

“As expected” Miss Devinski reported. “I look forward to their reports.”

Across from her the feline instructor lifted her bare feet, setting them on the desk that was hers. “You will miss riding them” she observed as her fellow teacher began pealing off wet clothing. Had she been the kind to be so interested, the athletic body that emerged from soaked clothing would have been very interesting. Instead she simply waited as the hound dried herself, then reached for waiting dry clothing. “It’s really that important then.”

“You can see the darkness as easily as I” Catherine Devinski answered. “I know this. I taught you.”

Rubbing her temples the feline gave a short derisive snort. “And many other things High Priestess of Songmark. I see it, but not nearly as well as you and you know that.”

“I see.” Settling down on the cold floor Catherine combed her hair with the fingers of one paw. “We knew that when they sold that portfolio that hunters would come. They have come.”

“As others have, will and are” Miss Nordlingen agreed. “They spun their own cocoon, it is their duty to deal with what emerges. But four girls?”

“I believe that alone Ada would prevail. But each dorm is a team. We teach them to work together. To depend upon each other. Alone one might fail, or prevail. Together they will prevail. It is nothing but another test.”

“Coffee, or beer?”

“Whiskey” Catherine corrected. “It is a cold wet night and I am chilled to the bone.”

Ada grabbed the first water taxi in line, only after being certain that no tiki taxi was available. She had barely settled down for the long trip when three more sets of feet thudded into the boat with her. “Going hunting without us” Prudence asked as she settled accounts. “Why, that is simply not to be heard of.”

“Miss Devinski sent me, not you three” Ada reminded her friend.

“Yes. Yes she did. Then remarked as to how dorms were teams. Not single warriors to drown alone.” Prudence settled next to Ada, more to share body warmth than to be heard over the growing storm. “You will owe us deeply.”

“I did not hire you” the Jewess reminded her friend.

Prudence laughed, a full throated laugh that made everyone who heard it feel the humor within it. “No girl. You did not hire us. Can you do this alone?”

In answer Ada looked towards Main Island. In this weather it was over an hours distance away. An hour, were she but to have an aircraft but even she knew that flying into what was coming would be suicide. Oh she’d flown into the teeth of a horrid storm for Angelica once before. But this storm would be different. She could feel it. This storm was a killer. “What are your terms” she asked softly.

“A night with Angelica.”

Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood Ada nodded her head. “Done.”

“On the dark of the moon” Prudence continued. “We never take what is not ours to take. We agreed. Remember? For this there is no price.”

Ada merely nodded her head in agreement, then turned to face Main Island and the building storms fury. Something dark was that way. She was unsure exactly what it was. Other than it involved Angelica. Else Miss Devinski would never have sent her. Or allowed her entire dorm to follow.

On Main Island the kitten known only as Kama struggled in her sleep. With the storms fury about her there was no way that her still undeveloped abilities could more that struggle to worn her. Yet she was a child, and as all children had played herself to exhaustion. Even had she not, there would have been nothing she could have done to warn her adopted mother of the nightmare that was slowly closing its jaws about her. Had Ada and crew not been on the way perhaps Kama would have woken, but even at this distance the warm feel of her approaching second adopted mother comforted her. It was but a bad dream something was telling her. Believing that to be Ada’s voice, Kama slipped deeper into her slumber.

Karla leaned back against a palm tree, nearly exhausted from her efforts. “She is asleep?”

“She is” the sable reported. “Though took much more than ever. Soon she push me aside. I make her think her Ada say sleep. All could do.”

“Perhaps we should take her too. If that kitten is so powerful, we train her. Less work for you.”

Karla looked into the darkness towards her companion. “She would destroy us” she reported. “It like bottle blast liquid. Safe with light touch. Jiggle. All gone. Better this way. Her Ada comes. You will kill?”

“Best. She is Songmark. Better than any we snared before. I will kill her, then have her pelt turned into jacket for Swede to wear. Now return Casino Island dear Karla. Rest. Our part is done. We will meet at waiting plane.”

Karal watched are a darkness that was not shadow vanished, but her friend the packrat. Her companion was right, those Songmark girls were deadly dangerous. And she herself had never met anyone as powerful as that cute little kitten. “Kala, guard that I never meet her as an adult” she prayed in her native Russian.

Ada’s water taxi grounded on Main Island almost directly across from the village Angelica lived it. Almost directly across, but there was the spine of Main Island yet to cross. The spine, and miles of trail. Without a thought the canine took off running with her friends around her at a ground eating pace. One she and her friends could keep up for days. It would though be hours before they could reach the village. Had they tried to buck the storm in a water taxi the sun would have risen before they arrived. If they arrived.