I bounded down the hall and practically flew down the stairs to the keep’s first floor. With each step, curtains and tapestries flew by until I found myself in the sparsely decorated servant’s wing.

No meals were being prepared in the kitchens at this time of the morning, but that would be the ideal time for a smart larder cat to be on the prowl. I sniffed the air, searching for Mouse.

Her scent was all over the place, and it took several moments to sort out the threads, but soon I was able to find her. She was in the back of the pantry, her head stuffed into the corner under a shelf.

I waited patiently, curious to see what it was she was hunting. She was still as stone, her focus intense. Then, without warning, she launched herself forward. I caught the dying shriek of a rodent as she descended on the unsuspecting creature.

“A fine kill,” I praised as she backed out from behind the shelf, her prey clenched in her jaws.

“Mawshie!” she mumbled around the mouse in her jaws. “Ook!” Mouse held the mouse high. I stepped forward, studying the clean kill.

“Very nice, very nice,” I said. “You’ll make a fine mouser, indeed.” She purred with pride. “Now, come with me, I have questions for you.”

She finally set the mouse on the ground. “But, I need to give this to the head chef! He’s such a bad hunter and needs all the help he can get to provide for the castle.”

I sighed. The chef certainly did not need Mouse’s help, and I suspected that her gift would not be as well received as she hoped. Instead, I darted forward and clamped my jaws on the loose fur behind her neck.

Mouse immediately went limp and curled her tail under her. Luckily, she was still small enough that I could drag her without issue. And so, I did. I dragged her limp body into the kitchens and down the hall towards the stairs.

“Maaaaaalzzyyyyyyyy,” she complained. “Let me goooooo.”

“No.”

“I can walk on my own, you know.”

“I know.”

“All you had to do was ask and I’d have come with you.”

I snorted. “I did ask, and you complained. Now be a good kitten and listen to your elders.”

“Old Meanie…”

I dragged the calico kitten up the stairs. In the halls of the second floor, I passed a servant delivering something to Kiren’s room who just looked at us in shock, but didn’t say a word. We soon made it to Erik’s office, where he was waiting.

“Fancy Man save me from Mean Old Malzy,” Mouse muttered. I closed the door and released the kitten. She shook herself and licked her back to regain some semblance of pride.

“I didn’t know you had friends, Malzy,” Erik mused. “Who’s this sweetie?” He leaned down to offer his hand for Mouse to sniff while I jumped onto the desk. Mouse followed my example after rubbing her head on Erik’s hand. Her scents weren’t enough to override mine, so I allowed it.

On my slate, I drew an arrow pointing at Mouse and wrote:

Mouse

Erik frowned and looked at me. “It doesn’t look like a mouse…?”

I took a deep breath before revising my statement.

This is Mouse.

I paused. Then I added another line beneath.

This is Mouse,

But Sometimes Rat

“I see,” Erik said. I wasn’t sure that he actually understood, but he didn’t need to.

I turned to Mouse. “You have been watching things since I left, yes?”

“Yes, sir! I see everything!” she said.

“Good, this is Lord Erik,” I began. “His son, the Not Nice Fancy Man is Kiren. Has he been carrying packages or papers out of the keep in the last few days?”

Mouse stared at me, clearly thinking hard over the last few days of memory to provide an answer. I waited patiently. Eventually, she shook her head.

“Nope. Don’t remember.”

I hung my head a touch. “Unfortunate.”

“But, if he took it outside, maybe my brothers saw something?” she finished.

I perked up immediately. Of course! I hadn’t met Mouse’s littermates yet, thanks to my rather quick departure from the keep on my last visit. One of them was the stable cat! If Kiren used his horse, he would have had to bring his things to the stable at some point, and maybe the stable cat saw!

Scribbling furiously at Erik, I explained the situation. Erik nodded and picked up Mouse. She purred in his arms as I leapt onto his shoulders.

“People are going to start thinking I’m a cat person at this rate,” he muttered. I didn’t see what was so wrong about that. There was honor in being chosen as a cat’s hench-human, especially to be chosen as my hench-human.

Erik carried Mouse and I down the stairs and to the small stable inside the outer wall. Only two horses kept their home there, one for Erik and one for his son, but there was room for four. Mouse squirmed out of Lord Erik’s grip and rushed into one of the empty stalls.

Without warning, a dark blur fell from the ceiling on top of Mouse. Erik and I watched over the stall door as a dark brown tabby who was even smaller than Mouse wrestled with the calico.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I’m gonna bite you!” cried the smaller cat.

“You won’t!” Mouse answered. They tumbled through the straw.

Erik stifled a laugh. “I always imagined my kids would wrestle like that. Unfortunately, Kiren is above such things and my wife passed before we could have another.”

Do you want to adopt them? They’re all yours.

“No, no, I wouldn’t want to take them from you.”

They’re not my kittens.

“Really?”

They’re my hench-cats.

“Ah, I see. An important distinction.” There was a twinkle in Erik’s eye. I shook my head and jumped off his shoulder.

Mouse and her brother continued to tumble through the straw as they played. After I felt they’d had their fun, I reached out with telekinesis and shoved them both apart.

“Mouse, have you forgotten why we’re here?” I asked.

“Sorry,” she said. “was excited. This is my brother!”

“HI!” the tabby practically shouted, meowing loudly. I blinked in surprise. Cats don’t normally meow fully when speaking to one another. He was clearly used to spending time with humans.

I nodded to the tabby. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Mouse tells me you’re the cat who presides over the stables. Do you have a name?” I already knew the answer, but it seemed polite to ask anyway.

“I’m Mewse,” he said. “The boy who gives me milk says that I’m the prettiest kitty around, and scratches little pictures of me. He says I’m his muse, so that’s my name!”

“Very well, Muse, it’s nic-”

“No, it’s Mewse,” he corrected. “Mewse, not Muse.”

I scowled at him. The two words sounded exactly the same to my ear, but he seemed so insistent.

“Fine, Mewse?” He didn’t correct me, so I continued. “I’m told you know of the Not Nice Fancy Man. Has he passed through here with papers or packages in the last few days?”

Mewse stared off into space as he searched the recesses of his memory. Once he finally had an answer, he hopped to his feet.

“Yes! I do remember! It was yesterday!” he exclaimed. “He had a whole bag filled with shifting papers that smelled like the stuff the stable boy uses to draw me.” Then he frowned again. “What am I getting for all this?”

Ah, a wise cat indeed to ask for payment. I had to hand it to Mewse, he clearly got the brains of the litter.

“I have, with me, the Lord of the Keep,” I said, gesturing to Erik with my tail. He was still waiting patiently for me to finish discussing with the kittens. “If you help, then he will bring you a delicious meal.”

Mewse Not Muse considered this deeply. “I want one more thing if you want my last detail.”

“Oh?” A negotiator. Excellent. Mewse would make an excellent hench-cat.

“I want a meal for myself and for the stable boy who draws me,” Mewse announced. “The boy is too skinny, and I don’t think he has good hunting skills.”

I nodded and turned to Erik.

Mewse Not Muse wants a meal for him and the stable boy for information.

“Consider it done,” Erik confirmed. “I’ll speak with Tenshi as to what he wants.”

I was mildly impressed that Erik knew the stable boy’s name off the top of his head, but then again, he also spent most afternoons talking with the people of the town. He was a man of the people and it showed.

I confirmed with Mewse that his demands were met. He nodded, copying my actions, before turning and diving into a pile of straw. The tabby emerged a moment later with a folded piece of paper between his teeth.

My ears shot forward as my interest piqued. Mewse set the paper on the ground between us, and I carefully unfolded it. Erik laid down on his stomach to read over my shoulder, which was a bit strange for a human to do, but I appreciated it all the same.

“It’s a bill of sale,” Erik said, confirming my own suspicions. It seemed to be a bill of sale between someone named Nerik and a merchant named Qillian. Aside from the rather obvious alias for Kiren, the document seemed legitimate, indicating the sale of an antique spell book. “But, why would Kiren sell his spell book?”

In truth, I doubted it was his. No, I had a sinking suspicion that it was Elana’s spellbook, but without proof, that was just as great an accusation as the one I’d made against Kiren earlier. No, if I was going to nail Kiren for his crimes, I needed to have the book in paw. I would not let him pull the evidence out from under me like before. I would keep this close to my chest until I had solid, irrefutable proof.

Can I keep this?

Erik nodded. “I’ll have a copy made for my own investigation, but you may keep the original for yours.”

Thank you.

“Now, I believe I owe Mister Mewse and Miss Mouse a few meals, as well as one for Tenshi,” he said. “I’ll go see that they’re arranged.”

I bid my thanks and farewell to Mewse and followed Erik out. Just as we were about to cross to the main building, a young girl in acolyte’s robes rushed up to us.

“Lord Erik! Lord Erik! Matron Wilhemina sent me! She says that your patient is awake!”

Erik’s reaction was immediate. He scooped me off the ground before practically running out the gate. I crawled onto his shoulders as he walked to the temple. Several people tried to waylay him along the way, but he ignored them all. His focus was entirely on reaching Raina, and I appreciated that.

When we arrived, she was already sitting up. Aelisra held her hand as they chatted. Raina smiled at Lord Erik as we approached.

“My Lord, thank you for keeping Malzy while I was asleep,” she said politely. “I apologize for any trouble he’s caused.”

Erik shook his head. “He’s hardly been any trouble. In fact, he makes a delightful conversation partner.”

“He…does?” Raina frowned. I spun my chalk in the air around my head.

“Yes, in fact, I think there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, him, and the Matron if your friends wouldn’t mind leaving for just a moment.”

I chirped a small question, but it was ignored by everyone. What did he want to talk about? Did it have to do with the attack?

The details of the corruption had been kept secret between Erik, the Matron, and Lizzie while Raina recovered, since they all knew that she did not advertise being an absorption caster. But, the corruption was done? The damage was minimal, but it was permanent. What more was there to say?

Besides, it was only a matter of time before the others would become aware of Raina anyway. Cithrael and Terrowin had been there. They’d seen me transform into a demon and I’d all but said the mana was corrupting her specifically. If they couldn’t put the pieces together from that, then they weren’t worth the effort I’d put into training them as good servants.

For a small blessing, though, Aelisra had not been there. If she had, there’s no telling what she’d have done, filled with hatred as she was for our kind. All I could do was hope that she got the chance to change her mind before she found out the depth of our deception.

The rest of the party stood. Aelisra squeezed Raina’s hand before following the boys out of the room. Once we were all alone, Erik sat down on the bed next to Raina. I hopped down and sat on her lap.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “Now, I just wanted to make sure you knew. Wilhemina knows, but I wanted to tell you myself. You should not have survived the attack.” I twitched my whiskers and stared at him. “The blades were halted by a section of skin on your back that has turned partially to wood. Are you aware of this?”

I looked at Raina, trying to put together my questions from the jumbled thoughts that sprang to life inside me. Had I failed? When had that happened?! Why hadn’t she told me?!

“It’s from Malzy’s summoning,” Raina explained.

“I knew I should have insisted you stay here at the temple,” Wilhemina muttered. “Then, I could have stopped your wild ideas before they got out of hand.”

“It was my decision, Willa,” my witch answered. “I just couldn’t stand the idea of letting her down. We were only a few months away from doing the ritual together, and I…,” Raina’s voice cracked. “I couldn’t stand the idea of waiting…of being alone without her.”

“The corruption is fairly severe, but it’s only affected your body,” Erik said. “Which is lucky, because the assassin had some kind of poison I’ve not seen before that allowed mana to enter you directly without Malzy’s filter. It’s only thanks to his quick thinking that you didn’t come out worse.”

“You should give this up now, while you can still turn back,” the Matron urged.

Raina was quiet for a long moment. I could feel the tension in her body as she balled her fists at her sides. I crouched on her lap and kneaded my claws in a comforting rhythm. Tears began to well up in her eyes, though she clearly fought to keep her voice calm.

“It was my mistake, my decision, and my burden to bear,” she said with a trembling voice. “I thank you for your concern, but I am a witch. Mana flows through my blood.”

I purred. It would be a shame if she’d given up.