Succession at Seventeen

Chapter 5

Jeremy had goosebumps under his brand new fur and he wasn’t sure why. It could have been the new ferret body. It could have been his tiny body reacting to the temperature which hadn’t stopped falling with the snow. But he was pretty sure it was the circle that he’d known since he was five suddenly glowing with strange symbols whenever Di wandered close.

It was so strange, he’d played in this forest his entire life and the circles had always been mysterious but never anything more than that. They never shined like that, not even when he was playing inside the center circle. But now every time Di got close the little symbols lit up like starry eyed fans. There was something else about them now too. When the circles lit up the scenery in center changed. The ground and plants looked like they were in a forest in the northeast. It was strange because the image would fade with the light.

He concentrated on trying to read the two alphabets but the way that Di was skipping back and forward over the boundary made it impossible.

“Di I’m happy to see that you are happy, in spite of the fact that your boyfriend is a huge liar, I’m a rodent, and Markus showed up, but could you stop skipping around?”

She did, a foot away from lighting them up again. “Diana.” He said as he turned his nastiest scowl on her.

She gasped and for a second he thought he’d scared her. “You’re adorable!” She cried as she ran over and scooped him up.

“Oh right, I’m a rodent.” he muttered while she scratched his cheeks with her thumbs. And if that wasn’t humiliating enough he could tell from the light shining on her face that she’d stopped right where he could have read the symbols. She plopped down on the stones and and continued to pet him in spite of his struggles.

“I’m back.” Said Markus.

Diana turned to see him walking up the path “OH OK. What’s next?” she asked like a child on vacation in an exciting new country.

“What do you have there?”

 She stood up and whipped around so that Jeremy and Markus were eye to eye. “I has a Jeremy!”

Markus’ eyes narrowed in anger. “Give him to me.” A copper knife appeared in his hand as he reached out with the other.

Diana pulled back. “I... n-no he’s mine.” she stammered.

Markus looked at her for a second, obviously surprised. “You can’t say no.”

“Why can’t she?” Jeremy

“Not talking to you rat.”

“I’m not a-”

“Zip it!”

Jeremy bristled while Markus considered. He shrugged and turned around. “He’ll be water horse food soon enough I guess. Come on Diana.”

She jumped to her feet and skipped after him happily.

Jeremy was confused. He had no ideas what he was expecting but whatever it was he expected it to have happened there. “Uhm aren’t we going the wrong way?”

“No.”

“But what about the circles?”

“We don’t need the window.”

“What window?”

“The rocks. It’s how little Chrissy and his folks talk to the Seelie.” Markus spat the last word.

“Who is that?”

“You really have no idea what you’re involved in in do you boyo?”

“I’m older than you are idiot.”