Ch. 32.4 — “Bandersnatches,” said the cat, sniffing the air. “And something else.”
Eli clutched his sword and turned around to face the manxiom foes.
Felix’s hair stood on end as he yowled. “I’m just a cat. I was never trained for battle. If I try to go against those bandersnatches, they’ll swallow me whole.”
“Go then,” said Eli. “I’ll do what I can.” He took a deep breath and stood ready, sword in hand.
“You can’t defeat so many on your own,” said Felix. “You’d better run while you can.”
Eli shook his head. “I’m not leaving an old man to be eaten.”
They stared at each other for a moment.
“Fine,” said Felix. “We’ll die together.” He crouched beside Eli and flicked his front claws in and out.
“Prince Eli,” the old man called. “You cannot defeat so many with the sword, not even with Felix’s teeth and claws helping you. But there is another way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Use one of your wishes to set me free.”
Carol Nicolas 