“Did that cat just…?” I managed to ask, staring at the cat as it sat on its haunches licking a paw.

Kalli walked over to the cat and scooped it up. “Aw! It’s so cute. It must have been too close and gotten caught up in your teleport. It looks like this kitty needs a home until Alariel can take him back to the castle.”

Taking a closer look at the cat for the first time, I decided to inspect it.

Name

Orpheus Medius

Class

Nekomancer

Level

76

Affection Level

Curious

Kalli’s eyes widened when she saw the menu and she dropped the cat. It landed on its feet and hissed at her before sticking its tail up in the air and turning to strut away.

I knelt in front of the cat. “Can you understand us?”

“Meow.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I carried on talking to the cat. “Are you some sort of spy for the castle that they sent to capture us?”

The cat shook its head. Kalli rolled her eyes and spoke to me through mate chat. You aren’t seriously going to believe a cat, are you?

I smiled at her shocked reaction.

Well, you did just call it cute a couple seconds ago. Besides, if it wanted to capture us, I assume it would have attacked by now.

Kalli huffed, moving a couple more steps away from the cat. I still don’t trust that thing. It’s creepy.

The cat yawned, seeming content waiting for us to come to a decision. I was starting to think it hadn’t gotten caught in my teleport after all. If that was the case then what was it really doing in Wendy’s underwear drawer?

Laughing at the thought, I poked the cat’s nose. “You’re a perverted little kitty, aren’t you?”

The cat responded by biting my finger, causing me to cry out in pain and fall on my butt. I glared at it, wondering if I even stood a chance if it attacked me for real.

Deciding that it wasn’t worth finding out, I dusted myself off and stood up. “We should get out of the street. Someone might see us out here.”

Nobody answered me and I noticed the cat was looking over my shoulder. I turned my head to see what was happening. Wendy was quietly crying and Kalli had gone to comfort the girl.

The atmosphere was heavy with the loss of Stefanie. I took hold of Kalli’s hand to gently guide them back to the safe house. She resisted and asked. Should we go there? What if the cat really is a spy?

I took one final look at it before coming to a decision.

Even if we go hide somewhere else, it’s going to follow us. I don’t think it matters where we go at this point. Besides, it hasn’t done anything bad yet.

Once we managed to calm Wendy down a bit, we walked the rest of the way to the safe house with the cat following a short distance behind us. Wondering why Kalli was alone when me and Wendy teleported in, I stopped to look around for a moment.

What happened to Alariel? I thought she was with you.

Kalli’s eyes widened for a moment as she thought about it. Oh, right. She went back for Kiki. We rushed out of there and didn’t have time to get her.

The thought of leaving Kiki behind reminded me of how Wendy got captured in the first place. My heart raced as I reached out to her in group chat.

Ki? Are you okay?

She sounded much happier than I thought she would be when she answered. I’m fine. Alariel took me to her private quarters. Seriously, it’s like an apartment up here.

I thought about that for a second, asking Kalli,

How long ago did Alariel leave?

The scowl on the girl’s face told me she was thinking the same thing I was. Only a few minutes ago.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I asked a question in a sweet-sounding voice.

Kiki, dearest sister, did you muck out any privies and look for Wendy like the rest of us?

It took her several seconds to answer. Well, I did have an important task to do. Do you remember the contract, baby brother? Well, I’m about to get a copy of it. Besides, I don’t have the skills for cleaning those things as you two do. You wouldn’t force me to get on my hands and knees, would you?

I considered her answer. While it was a good thing that she was focused on Kalli’s contract, she was supposed to help us find Wendy first.

You know, I had to get on my hands and knees. It wasn’t pretty either.

Kalli also complained. Me too. Privy duty is the worst.

Kiki sounded apologetic as she replied. I didn’t know they were going to take me there. I thought I had privy duty too. Alariel even made me wear the brown outfit. Edith found me before I got started and took me here right after that groundsman left.

Since we were approaching the safe house, I decided to let Kiki off the hook.

Just let us know what you find, okay? I was a bit worried we had left you behind.

Kiki made a sound that was a cross between a squeal and a cheer. Aw, you do care.

As I got to the door, I turned back to the cat. “Can we trust you?”

The cat nodded quietly. Realizing that I was taking the silent word of a cat at face value, I sighed and opened the door. Once inside, Kalli helped the stricken Wendy up the stairs and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch.

The cat followed me and jumped on the coffee table. We locked eyes for a minute and I asked, “Do you work for the king?”

The cat shook its head. Realizing that I could communicate with the cat if I asked the right questions, I continued. “Are you on the king’s side?”

Its head shook once again as it yawned. “Are you on our side?”

Again with the head shake. I grumbled. “This would be much easier if you could talk.”

A voice not necessarily coming from the cat but sounding mysteriously like a cat came out of nowhere. “I can speak but that doesn’t mean I am going to make this any easier for you.”

We sat in silence as I tried to process the fact that a cat had just spoken. Even if the words didn’t come out of its mouth, the cat still communicated with words.

It licked its paw as the sound of light chuckling filled the room. “It appears you are at a loss for words. I seem to have this effect on people. Did I break you?”

Since I had more questions to ask, I quickly found my voice. “No. I’m not broken. Are you really a cat?”

The cat looked up at me, a twinkle in its eye. “Perhaps.”

I groaned, staring the cat down. “What does that mean?”

More laughter filled the room. “I did say I was going to be difficult, did I not?”

Continuing my interrogation, I asked, “How are you talking without moving your mouth?”

The cat chose that moment to lick its unmentionables. “Have you ever tried to talk with a cat mouth? I assure you, it’s not designed for human speech.”

Trying to get some kind of useful answer from the cat, I asked, “What made you decide to follow me?”

The cat replied. “I found you interesting. You piqued my curiosity.”

Remembering the old saying, I asked, “Do you know what killed that cat?”

It raised an eyebrow. “Let it try!”

His answer to my taunt made me laugh. Before I could ask another question, Kalli’s voice echoed in my ear. Are you having a conversation with the cat?

Looking up the stairs, I could still sense that Kalli was with Wendy, soothing her. The aeromancer wasn’t taking the loss of Stefanie well.

Yeah. It turns out he talks.

She replied quickly, telling me what I was already thinking. Be careful with that thing. We don’t know where it’s from.

I still wanted to learn what I could, so I asked, “Are you from here? Dabia that is.”

The cat carried on grooming itself as the conversation continued. “No.”

“Where are you from?” I asked, hoping to get a straight answer for once.

The cat considered my question for a short time before answering. “Unlike you, I am from Gaia, but I will answer your question. I hail from the high house of Solitair. We do not get involved in local politics.”

Solitair was yet another new town I knew nothing about. I asked the cat about it. “Is that in another country?”

He nodded and explained, “Another country. Another continent. It might as well be another world as far as the people are concerned. If you wish to return to your world through a portal, you will have to pass through Solitair.”

Before I had a chance to ask him anything else, Crypian wandered in from the kitchen, hefting yet another plate of food. The cat hissed when he arrived, saying, “One word of prophecy out of you, and I will remove your tongue.”

Crypian looked back and forth between the cat and I, choosing a seat as far from the feline as possible. “Melvin, are you trying to make it sound like that cat is talking?”

I shook my head. “Nope. He is talking.”

The cat nodded. “I meant what I said. No prophecies. I’m well aware of the mess you’re in.”

The prophet paused, a yellow sausage halfway to his mouth. “Wait just a second. How do you know of me, cat?”

“If you count watching you get laughed out of the capital, sure I know of you.” The cat said matter-of-factly.

Getting an idea, I asked. “Can you help us, Orpheus?”

The cat turned its attention back to me, a look of surprise marring its features. “Ah, yes. You can pierce the veil. Very well done. I suppose I see why they are interested. You should do yourself a favor and leave this place. I doubt they would pursue you.”

“What about Kalli’s contract? I blurted, standing abruptly. “I can’t run while she’s in danger.”

The cat also stood, beginning to pace. “I was unaware of a contract. What is the manner of this agreement?”

I thought back to what I remembered. “I don’t recall all of the fine print but it’s a marriage contract. Kalli has until her sixteenth birthday to buy her way out of it. We have the gold. We just need to figure out who holds it and get them the money.”

“So you intend to march back to the lion’s den?” The cat asked with a chuckle. “And this time through the front door?”

Something was nagging at me. “Did you teleport on your own or did you somehow come with me when I did?”

“Teleportation is basic travel magic.” The cat explained. “It does take a certain level of aptitude but it is not an uncommon skill."

I opened my mouth to say something else but the cat held up a paw. “I believe that’s enough questions for now. If you please me I may consider answering more in the future.”

I rubbed my chin and suggested, “So that means you want to be scratched behind the ears and fed tuna?”

The cat’s mouth fell open for a second before he replied. “I am not just some common house cat. But well, I am a cat, so those offerings will do for now. You may scratch when you are ready.”

The next thing I knew I had a cat in my lap. I absentmindedly scratched behind his ears while I watched Crypian devour the plate of sausages.

The prophet was boring, so I continued my ministrations on the cat while watching Kalli through our bond who was quietly stroking Wendy’s head while she slept in her lap. My girlfriend smiled at the contact she felt from me.

We both sat in silence until Kiki startled everyone by screaming into group chat. Melvin! You are not going to believe what I just found.

I nearly jumped out of the seat at the sound of my name. The cat hissed and dug its claws into my leg, causing me to curse. I grumbled a reply.

You’re too loud, Ki. What do you want?

Her reply was both a relief and a new problem. The contract has been changed to your name, Melvin. And you’re already sixteen, so you can’t buy your way out.