6.

Admetus followed the gray and orange Queen down the street. His movements were like an ill-commanded marionette. His eyes were glazed over, and he had no visible control over his body.

“Very good, Admetus,” Asille said. “You’re following along just fine. Come now, we’re almost there.” She turned her face toward the dilapidated building a few hundred meters away from them. “Soon everything will be restored.”

A lean red Persian lie basking in the partial sunlight atop an old trash can. He perked up as he heard an all too familiar voice. “Great, now who does Asille have to assist in their demonic schemes?” he wondered out loud. He crept toward the end of the alley and peered into the street. At first he could only see Asille’s gray and orange form, but soon her captive appeared. Macavity stifled a shout. ‘What is she doing with Admetus?’ he thought. He knew of the ways of her and Dersoun, and he couldn’t sit back and watch Admetus fall victim to one of the sisters’ ritual. There was only one thing for him to do if he wished to save Admetus: Macavity had no choice but to go to the Jellicles.

“There, there, here we go,” Asille said as she guided Admetus down the stairs into the basement. ‘This is too easy,’ she thought. Getting rid of that Oriental Queen or whatever she was back in the Junkyard was a bit tricky, but this tom followed her like a common Pollicle. They would have no difficulties performing the ceremony.

The two cats reached the door to the basement. Asille took Admetus’s paw in hers and pulled him into the room. She then shut the door, but in doing so passed her paw in front of Admetus’s eyes. This act obviously lifted the spell, because the glaze left his eyes. “I mean, I’m really not sure I should be… doing… what?” The young tom looked nervously at his surroundings.

Asille clenched her teeth in aggravation. The spell could only be performed once a day on each cat, and now that she accidentally lifted the spell, she would have to contend with him at his full mental capacity. “Thank you for accompanying me here, Admetus. I appreciate it so much,” she said, trying to keep her cool.

“I don’t remember walking here,” he said, confused. “I mean, we’re in the Junkyard, and then we’re here. What happened?”

“Oh, it was, uh, such a brisk walk, I’m not surprised you don’t remember it.”

“Well, I’m going back now, nice to have met you.” Admetus made his way for the door, but Asille grabbed his wrist.

“No, you haven’t begun to help us yet. There’s so much more we need you to do,” Asille said.

“I don’t like this; it’s too weird. Let me go.” Admetus struggled to release his paw from Asille, but her grip was like iron. “Let me go,” he repeated, his voice rising a bit.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” she said while dragging him to the far side of the basement. “We need a young tom for our ritual, and you are him.” As they neared the back wall, Admetus could see a large wooden table. Unlit candles lined the table, and with a wave of her free hand, small orange flames burst into life, feeding upon the wick of the old candles. The young Jellicle gasped in horror at the sight that the light brought to his eyes. Attached to the back wall were a pair of manacles that hung from heavy chains, and the floor was littered with what appeared to be bones of other “helpers.”

Admetus panicked. “What are you doing? What’s going on?” he asked. His voice trembled with fear.

Asille flung him against the wall and before he could react she fastened the cuffs around his wrists. “Comfortable?” she asked with an evil grin.

Admetus struggled against the bonds. “What are you doing?” he asked in a frightened whisper.

“You’ll find out. Dersoun will appear shortly, once she is fully rested. Then we will begin the ritual.”