Chapter 16
On Monday morning, June 29th, Anemo and his furry crew were out in the backyard. They were gathered around the wrought-iron and glass table, sitting in front of the laptop and a cup of Anemo’s famous whipped-cream coffee with pink salt. They were on a video call with Professor Simoon, who was doing his absolute best to help them all the way from London.
“Anemo, my boy, listen closely,” the Professor said. “I’ve been studying the map and consulting with my colleagues.”
“But Dad, we have the map here with us!” Anemo said, looking confused.
“I have a photo of it on my phone! There are two options... well, at least two that might actually work.”
“Go on, Dad, tell us!” Anemo replied. “We’re all ears.”
The kittens and Anemo were huddled together like they were posing for a group photo. Mistral was balancing perfectly on top of the fence. Bise was perched on the left armrest of Anemo’s chair, while Sirocco sat right on the writer’s right shoulder. Aeolus, being the smallest of them all, was on the table, practically glued to the laptop keyboard.
“For the first and closest portal, we need to go to Cairo with Miss Remi,” Professor Simoon explained. “This means paperwork, microchipping, vaccinations, and making sure her collar is right next to its twin in Cairo during the 24-hour portal at the Autumn Equinox. I have contacts who can guarantee we get inside the museum.”
“And what’s the second option?” asked the white cat, shuddering at the mere thought of a microchip.
Knowing his father couldn’t hear Remi, Anemo repeated the question: “And the second option?”
“For the second option, we don’t need to go to Egypt at all.”
“Wow, that’s awesome!” Bise chimed in.
“We won’t even need the twin collar. We can stay right here in Ireland. The portal will open in the Cats’ Cave.”
Sirocco jumped onto the table, feeling like he just had to celebrate for his new friend.
“That’s amazing, Miss Remi! That means we can come with you to the Cats’ Cave! How cool is it that we have our very own cave!”
Mistral leaped down onto the grass to inspect his claws in peace and felt the need to break in. “Calm down, kiddo. It’s not as simple as you think. Listen to what Professor Simoon is saying!”
“...the portal will open in the Cats’ Cave in County Roscommon, but not until the Winter Solstice. That means December,” Professor Simoon continued, his voice sounding flat through the laptop speakers.
Anemo felt his breath catch for a second. He looked to his left at Bise. The white cat had frozen solid on the armrest, her pupils wide with a mix of shock and panic.
“December?!” Anemo repeated, staring at his dad on the screen. “Dad, it’s the end of June! That means almost six months of waiting! How can Remi stay trapped in a cat’s body for half a year?”
“I know, Anemo, it’s a very long time,” Professor Simoon said, rubbing his temples. The screen showed the exhaustion in his eyes, but also that sharp, analytical spark he always had. “But listen to me carefully. The Cairo option is faster since the equinox is in September, but it’s a bureaucratic nightmare. Egypt’s animal quarantine rules are incredibly strict right now. If even one stamp is missing from Miss Remi’s export papers, they will block her at the border. We risk missing the equinox’s 24-hour window just standing in airport queues.”
Bise let out a long sigh, staring blankly at the screen. The thought of being poked with microchip needles, vaccinated like an ordinary stray, and locked in a pet carrier all the way to Egypt terrified her just as much as the idea of spending an Irish winter inside that beautiful white coat of fur.
“On the other hand,” Professor Simoon continued, shifting his eyes to the maps behind him, “the Cats’ Cave—or Oweynagat, as the locals call it—is a native Celtic portal. In mythology, it’s considered a gateway to the Otherworld. At the Winter Solstice, when the night is longest, the energies reverse. We don’t need permits, and we don’t need visas. We just need her to be right there, in the heart of the cave, at midnight.”
Anemo took a sip of his whipped-cream coffee, letting the salty taste clear his thoughts. The options were on the table. Remi was the only one who could decide which risks to take, but he wanted to make sure she knew he’d be by her side no matter what.
“Well, what do you say?” he asked her gently.
Remi-Bise took a deep breath, rubbed her head against Anemo’s palm, and then, looking straight into his eyes with her electric-blue gaze, she said bravely:
“I choose the vaccines and the microchip. Thank your dad for helping us, and let’s make a list of everything we need for the trip.”
“Remi,” Anemo said softly, feeling his heart do a strange little flip in his chest. He looked into those familiar blue eyes, looking past the white fur to find the girl with the scraped knees he had grown up with on the very same streets. “Our writing rivalry was just silly. You know I’m on your side, right?”
“It’s a loy-al-ty thing! Mistral, did I say it right this time? Loyalty! Loyalty! I’m learning more every single day!” Sirocco added, looking incredibly proud of himself before heading off for his usual dragonfly hunt in the flowerbed.
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