Enchantment (133 page)

Meeka
hesitated, considering
what
Catz
had
just
said.
“
O
k
a
y
,
then,
let’s
go.”

Cha
p
ter
Thirty-Seven

Meeka
and
Catz
slipped
out
of
the
bedroom
and
headed
for
the
connecting
door
to
the Beavers’
ho
m
e.
They
were
m
omen
t
ari
l
y
st
y
mi
e
d
by
the
panel,
but
Meeka
faced
the
door
and concentrated
on
the
love
she
felt
for
Kerrigan,
and
the
reassurance
she
m
eant
no
har
m
.
The
door
s
wung
open
the
way
she’d
kn
o
wn
it would.

I
love this
house
and
the
man
who
built
it.

She
swiped
i
m
pa
t
ien
tl
y
at the
ridiculous
tears,
which
continued
to
fall while th
e
y
m
ade
their way
d
o
wn
the
tunnel. The
door
at the
other
end
stood
open
alrea
d
y
.

Meeka
hoped
Pad
d
y
and
Todd
w
ere
in
bed
asleep.
She
didn’t
kn
o
w
how
she’d
explain
to them
w
hat
she
w
a
s
doing.
She
tiptoed
past
the
kitchen
and
down
the
hall,
stricken
once
again
by the
splendor
of
the
open
rainbow
-
hued
pool.
Me
m
or
i
es
of
Kerrigan’s
caresses
the
night
in
the waterfall
washed
over
her.

H
ow
can
I
ever
forget?

Catz
looked
up
at
her.
“
N
ow
w
hat,
Meeka?
What’s
y
o
u
r
plan
?
”

“I’m
sorr
y
,
Catz.
I
know
y
o
u
’ll
get
wet,
because
we’re
going
to
have
to
go
for
a
short
s
wi
m
. We
will
have
to
s
wim
to
the
edge
of
the
waterfall
and
then
dive
under.
When
we’re
under
the water,
I’m
going
to
encase
us
in
one
of
my
protective
fire
balls,
where
I’m
hoping
we
will
s
urvive
until
we
reach
the
surface.”

“I’m
not
s
ure
I
like
y
o
ur
plan,
but
I
trust
y
o
u, Meeka.
And
I
hope
y
o
u
’re right.” “Me,
too,
Catz.”
Meeka
s
hook
her
head.

“You’ve
co
m
e
a
long
w
a
y
,
Meeka—lite
r
al
l
y
!”
Catz
put
one
p
a
w
in
the
water,
and
then
s
hook
her
w
hole bod
y
.

“Sorr
y
, Catz.
D
o
y
ou
want
m
e
to
car
r
y
y
o
u
?
” “No,
I
will
swim
beside
y
o
u
.
”

Meeka
looked
at
her
beloved
friend.
“
Catz,
if
I
haven’t
told
y
o
u late
l
y
,
I
love
y
ou dear
l
y
.
”

Catz
purred
loud
l
y
,
even
though
her
pa
w
s
were
wet.
“I
love
y
o
u
,
too,
Meeka.
Now
let’s
get this
over
with.”

Meeka
treaded
water
at
the
base
of
the
fall,
looking
back,
and
whispered,
“Good-b
y
e, Enchantment.
I’ll
alwa
y
s
love
y
o
u
,
Kerrigan.”
With
Catz
s
wim
m
i
ng
circles
around
her,
Meeka asked once
m
o
r
e.
“This
is
y
o
u
r
last
chance
to
change
y
o
u
r
m
ind,
Catz.
Are
y
o
u
sure
y
o
u
want
to co
m
e
with
m
e
?
”

Catz
gri
m
a
c
ed
unhappi
l
y
.
“
Let’s
do
it.”

Meeka
s
m
i
l
ed
and
hugged
Catz.
“
Take
a
big
breath.”
Th
e
y
dove.

With
Catz
under
her
ar
m
,
s
he
s
wam
farther
down
and
called
on
her
power.
Slowl
y
,
the war
m
th
spread
from
her
sto
m
ach
outward.
A
large
globe
of
pink
encircled
the
two
of
them
as they
spiraled
deeper.

Meeka
looked
up
to
see
the
waterfall
sliding
away
in
the
distance.
She
kept
s
wim
m
i
ng, struggling
not
to
open
her
m
outh.
She
didn’t
know
whether
the
orb
w
ould
sustain
the
m
.
She
just pra
y
e
d
.

The
beautiful
water,
once
clear
and
turquoise
in
color,
slowly
began
to
change
to
a
m
ur
k
ier green.
She
didn’t
even
know
where
she
was
going.
She
was
starting
to
feel
lightheaded.
S
he needed
to
breathe,
and
soon.
Unable
to
resist,
Meeka
final
l
y
gave
in
and
took
a
breath.

Water
filled
her
lungs
and
panic
swept
through
her.

No!

She
forced
her
will
on
the
fireball,
and
it
grew
brighter
and
larger.
With
great
force
and concentration,
the
water
started
disappearing
from
inside
the
orb.
Meeka
grabbed
Catz
and
s
hoved
her
to
the
top
and
into
the air
pocket.