10. Epilogue
They had all advised Felicia—begged her—not to do it. She did it anyway. She went to visit the landlord, to tell the truth and come clean. That is what she had to be, even if her parents weren’t—especially because her parents weren’t, wherever they may be. Honest and open, an example to others.
“A month ago,” she said formally, “a female dog named Dora was tested and convicted of being a witch. This was done purely because I claimed to witness her practicing witchcraft.”
The landlord received some documents from his assistants. He quickly read it and nodded.
“That was a lie.” She cast her eyes downward. “I had never seen her before in my life.”
He frowned and leaned forward. “The Crows state that five more eyewitnesses followed immediately. They swore it on the holy book, the Bjib. You claim that everyone lied? That is a severe misdeed.”
“I admit mistakes,” she said softly. “I think that’s the first step to not making the mistakes again in the future.”
The wolf walked up to her. He barked and mumbled to himself. His large front paws pushed hers into the floor, his face right up to hers.
“If I ask,” he said, “would you point out those other liars?”
Her breathing quickened. They had given her food and a roof over her head, even Fonza who had been fished from the River—alive and well.
“With a heavy heart, yes.”
His frown deepened. “You would protect those who hunted you and put you on a burning pyre?”
“Maybe,” Felicia said cautiously, “the bigger problem is that animals who could stop it still let it happen.”
The wolf grunted. He turned back to his throne, which tried to be impressive but failed spectacularly. “Oh don’t even start with me. Those Companions have never done anything for our city, and Chef always comes too late!”
Felicia stood up with a sigh. The landlord was just the next animal keeping an illusion alive for himself. She’d solve that some other time.
“May I go?”
“I should sentence you to death,” the wolf said, suddenly serious. “But they’ve all asked me to let you go.”
“That, well, that is nice,” she said with a wavering voice.
“They are wrong,” the landlord said. “But they are numerous. Go.”
The landlord seemed more interested in the tasty food in front of him and his butt on a soft throne.
She breathed a sigh of relief and walked home—Catia’s home. Villa. No, estate. She was a daughter of Cartin! They owned half the lands surrounding the city and commanded thousands of workers. She smiled at the idea that, somehow, the two cats had crossed paths.
And she was now allowed to live in that beautiful place, with much nicer parents.
When she entered, she first found Chef and Aria having an argument.
“You’ve brought the Book to shame,” Chef said. “You don’t deserve it. It was stolen from me first, so I take it back.”
“And how did you get it?” Aria asked. “It’s Bella’s book, not yours.”
“You’re right. Shall I return it to the dead goddess who could not save the owls?”
Aria jumped from her place and yelled: “Don’t you dare start about that!”
Chef grinned mischievously. “Ah. Just wanted to see if you still had some fire in you. Perhaps you’ll be fine after all.”
The Book of Meaning had returned to the chimpanzee’s loving arms. “Maybe knowledge is a curse. Maybe there are illnesses that cannot be cured.”
She looked at Catia, who slept on the carpet, curled up and softly meowing. “But the only way to solve it, is to keep looking every day for more knowledge.”
Or as the wise Ardex once wrote down, dear reader: no growth without defeat. No progress without setbacks, no successes without failures. Though I obviously still wish, every day, with all my heart, that the godchildren had never been defeated and removed from Somnia.
She nudged Felicia. “Have you already tried the Thunder Medicine?”
“Yes, first thing.”
“And Simmersauce? Maybe a Cricket Treatment?”
Felicia nodded, losing her last sliver of hope again. “Did all of that, yes.”
But Chef smiled. “Great! Then we don’t have to try that anymore. Now that we know what doesn’t work, we’ll find the correct treatment for Catia much sooner.”
She waggled back to her wooden home on wheels and rummaged through it. “I have some odd plants left from my adventure with the Lionking. Oh, yes, you have to hear this story! So we were in Slumberland, the empire of the sloths, and then …”
“Chef, great story,” Felicia said. “But how did you know to come here?”
Chef just continued her anecdote as if she hadn’t been interrupted.
Aria stood up and tested her wings. “Maybe … maybe my perfect heaven can still exist. We just don’t have the knowledge, technology, or resources yet. I thought the Companions would be the solution to everything. Giving all animals one vote over every decision. But maybe it was just too soon.”
She put on all three glasses at once. “Maybe I can still do something to help there.”
She said a quick goodbye and flew into the clear blue sky.
Catia cracked open one eye. “Oh woe is me, what hear my ears, must I swallow more medicine, that brings me to filthy tears?”
Felicia smiled and lay down next to her on the warm carpet. “Only if you want.”
“Bring it on. In a week I’ll run faster across the rooftops than you ever did.”
Chef returned with a grocery list of ingredients that they needed, ready to save Catia before it was too late.
“Let’s start.”
And so it was that life continued …