Page Twenty: The Beat of Butterfly Wings

…the storm raged with the power of nature: simple, unguided and raw. The Shadow could appreciate that. The storm raged with chaos theory: pure, elegant and simple. The Shadow knew that. A power that mankind would never command or master - a power that could make them immortal - a power that would keep them mortal. The Shadow liked that too…

The Xanadu had excelled, as always. Saffron's appalled reaction to the display of raw meats was soon calmed when he explained that it would be cooked on a Mongolian barbecue after they had chosen their portions. Still, she chose a modest selection of sliced fish and seafood doused in the hottest most fiery concoction of spices and sauces they had to offer, while Philip hungrily had a bit of everything piled on his plate, with a similar searing cocktail. Over the meal, they laughed and joked like old friends, the conversation flowing with seamless ease as they slipped from one subject to the next while effortlessly avoided the one subject they wanted to discuss. They had left the restaurant still laughing, with her arm linked in his and their mouths tingling from the burning spices, to be caught minutes later by the sudden downpour. Rushing through the rain soaked streets, with Philip's coat held above their heads in futile defiance against the onslaught of wind and rain, they arrived back at the house drenched and shaking from the shock of the near freezing water.

…the Shadow knew. It sent minor events into the storm. Subtle insignificances to fine tuning the atmosphere and minuscule variances to tip the delicate balance of forces. With delicacy and precision the Shadow manipulated the electro-magnetic energies within the clouds, carefully crafting a maelstrom from the raw material of nature…

The shop had finally emptied and the owner had closed up for the night, leaving the cat to the now darkened peace. The steady rain beat down on the plate windows at the front of the shop, but deep in the rear, all was calm as the cat settled down amid the piles of books and papers. A cracking bolt of lightning struck somewhere near by, flooding the shop in an intense blue-white light, momentarily blinding the cat causing its pupils to narrow to razor thin slits, before plunging it back into an inky black nothing. The cat's fur bristled as the surge of static electricity charged the air. The long florescent lights that delineated the ceiling also reacted to this free energy, emitted a dull glow as their inert gasses became excited, the energized electrons in turn jolting photons free from the phosphorescent coating of the tubes. Gradually the cat became re-accustomed to the diminished lighting, its nocturnal vision returning to its usual sharpness. Cowering, yet ready to pounce or flee, it searched the show-room. Something was there, but it could neither see nor smell it, yet the cat sensed a presence.
     'You have questions.' The thought was warm and silky as it soundlessly entered the cats head. It jumped up, startled and very frightened, its ears flicking in all directions, searching for a sound that was never made. Yet it did not run.
     'Who are you? Where can I run? How did you do that? Am I going to die? What are you? How big are you? Can I eat you? Am I dead? Where are you? Why?' It thought, a multitude of questions asked in parallel as its defensive instincts took over.
     'Not those questions. Calm down. You know who I am.' The unspoken voice said. The cat relaxed. It did know the visitor, but not on this plane, not in the physical world. Slowly it cleared its mind of the clutter of questions, carefully answering each one so they would not resurface unexpectedly later. It sat down on its bed of papers and cocked its head to one side.
     'Why are you here?' The cat thought.
     'To answer your questions.'
     'Oh sure.' The cat was not convinced. 'You could have done that in the Realm, why come here?' The soft chimes of purring laughter filled its head, not mocking laughter, but laughter of realisation. The realisation that this was not a stupid cat.
     'Okay, it's not safe for you to come to the Realm.' A subdued orange glow enveloped a near-by armchair. 'I've been sending distractions to keep you away, but I cannot do that indefinitely. So, now I've come in person.' The glow gently vibrated with each word and with each vibration, became more solid.
     'Your entrance was a bit melodramatic.' The cat said to the shimmering figure seated before it. The figure moved to look towards the shop window, then turned its now feline/human face back to the cat and smiled.
     'The storm? Oh that is not my doing, but it has to do with why I am here and why you cannot got to Bast for now.' The figure leaned forward, it had now coalesced into a solid female human form, her feline features now muted into cat-like human features. 'That' the figure indicated to the storm, 'is the work of The Enemy.'
     'The Enemy!' The cat spat at that. 'The Enemy! Sweet Bast - more melodrama! Half a dozen scrawny Corvidae against the entire population of the Realm. They never stood a chance.'
     'They were not The Enemy, they were just the expendable ground troupes, sent to look for me.'
     'So we slaughtered them.'
     'Expendable. And Yes, you would do it again if I so wished.' And the cat knew it would too, such is the persuasion of the Sphinx.
     'So-'
     '-why is it not safe to go the the Realm?' the Sphinx completing the question before the cat had even thought it. 'Because, before they died, the Corvidae selected you to guide them. Through you, The Enemy would reach into Bast's Realm with this Tempest it is creating and destroy us all.'
     'So now-' The cat resigned.
     '-I kill you? Now who is being melodramatic. There is no need for that, we do not kill our own-'
     '-we don't kill scavengers either.'
     'A fair point, but not exactly a precedent though.' The Sphinx paused for a moment, reflecting on the possibilities and options. 'Anyway, only two of them actually died, and they were regrettable 'accidents'. I only wanted to scare them a little, but they fought well and died an honorable death - for scavengers.
     'No, all you need to do is not go the the Realm for a while.' The cat gave a cat-frown, flicking its tail once to register its vote of disapproval. Outside, the storm appeared to be easing off, or at least moving away.
     'And how-'
     '-are you supposed to do that? Simple, just do not go to sleep.' The Sphinx smiled. 'And no cat-naps either.' It then stood up, revealing its tall slender body in all its glory, still glowing with the warm orange aura. The Sphinx examined itself, bending and flexing its arms. 'Hmm', it mused as it fanned its fingers, curled them into a fist and then flicked them out like a cat extending its claws. 'Now I have this body, I think I will keep it for a while.' The aura began to dim. She looked at the cat. 'It has been a long time since I walked the city. Let us do some exploring, that should keep you awake. Grab your coat then.' The cat jumped down from the pile of papers and padded over to the Sphinx. 'Oh good, you are already wearing it. Got any boots to go with that?'

…the Shadow stopped directing the storm, but let it rage on under its own will. The channel was not opening and the opportunity was lost. The aura of the Sphinx was shrouded, but still present. It could end this now, confront it now, but now was not the time, the Sphinx was too strong and the Darqness was not ready. But soon…