In the Past: Part II

            Donal got permission to bring a book to his cousin in prison. He realized afterwards that he didn’t know what sort of books Ciaran liked. The castle had an enormous library, a collection of a few millennia, and he could only pick out one. Most of the books he saw were very old and uninteresting, others were volumes of history, which, for Donal, fell into the same category as the first... finally he found the section labeled ‘Fiction,’ and chose a book that promised adventure.

            Ciaran blinked several times at the cover of the book, but thanked him all the same. He asked how the politics were going upstairs.

“Nothing’s happened so far.” Donal reported. “I know they’ve been discussing it since yesterday, but I’m not allowed in. How are you doing?”

“Well, you’ve just cured my boredom, so I can’t complain. The food’s not terrible, and the company’s good.”

“The company?” Donal glanced nervously towards the dark cell in the corner.

“Have you not heard of my infamous fellow inmate? Jinge! Wake up and meet my cousin.”

“He’s here too?!” Donal squeaked and jumped back as the glowing eyes appeared again in the darkness. This time white teeth appeared as well, shaped in a smile.

“You have heard of me, then?” a deep voice asked.

“Who hasn’t?” Donal took another step back.

“Don’t be scared, Donal.” Ciaran said. “Most of the rumors aren’t true.”

“I don’t want to be rude, but one of those rumors would be enough.”

Jinge laughed in the darkness, a rough, rumbling sound. “I have a favor to ask you, crown prince.”

“Why should I do you any favors?” Donal did not like the way this conversation was going.

“That is for you to decide. I make it a point to honor my debts, and if you helped me I would be indebted to you.” The shape of a head and shoulders became vaguely defined.

“This is true. I can vouch for him.” Ciaran added cheerfully.

“How can you say that?”

“Because we made a wager on the color of the guard’s new tie, and he gave up his bread like a good loser.”

“But you already knew the color of his wife’s hair, so that was an unfair advantage.” Jinge grumbled.

“You didn’t hear him singing about her during breakfast?”

“The idiot was off-key.”

“Still, he honored his debt in the end.” Ciaran finished.

Donal frowned. “What is this favor you wanted to ask?”

Jinge leaned forward, and put a hand on the prison bars. Donal had seen humans with black skin before, but never any pigment that was so translucently black. It was a shadow, not a hand. The half-goblin criminal took a moment to answer, sighing in his cell. “I would ask you to feed my cat for me.”

Donal blinked. “Your cat?”

“Yes. I know, cats can fend for themselves, and she’ll probably be fine, but she’s about to have kittens, and I don’t want them starving or growing up completely feral.”

The crown prince closed his mouth after realizing it had been hanging open. “What does she look like?”

“She’s many different colors. Mostly gray. She has an orange stripe on her nose. Will you help me? No one would listen to me after I was arrested, and she’s been alone for two weeks now.”

“She’s... not a large, ferocious cat, is she?” he had to make sure.

“No. Just a normal cat.”

“Where would I find her?”

“My house. It’s probably famous by now, so I don’t think you’ll have trouble finding it.”

“No one goes near it.”

“Good.” Jinge retorted.

Donal swallowed. “I suppose I could go there tomorrow after school.”

“I would be in your debt.” The shadowy head bowed. “Please tell her I am all right. I don’t want her to worry.”

“...She’s a cat.” Donal reminded him.

The half-goblin held out his hand. “She will accept you if you shake hands with me.”

Terrified, Donal looked at Ciaran for help. Ciaran smiled and nodded.

Hand shaking, Donal reached out and quickly touched hands with the evil being who was yet still honorable and had a strange fondness for cats. “I promise I will take care of her, at least for a while.”

            “Thank you, Crown Prince Donal.”