The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [117]
Looking around for something to stand on, James finds an old unused crate sitting in a nearby alley. He goes over and brings it back where he sets it on the ground beneath the beam whereupon Furball lies. He then climbs carefully up onto the crate, hoping that it will hold his weight. By this time, a small crowd has gathered to see what’s going on. He looks around at the people staring at him as he attempts to get Furball down.
Reaching up, he tries to grab her off the crossbeam, but Furball lays her ears back against her head and emits a deep, warning growl. When his hand comes too close, she swipes at it with her claws and scores two long scratches along the back of his hand.
“Furball, stop it!” Inius yells up at the cat.
Pulling his hand back, James mutters a curse as he sees the two long scratches beginning to well blood. He can hear the people around him chuckling at his misfortune. He even hears some of the observers making wagers as to the outcome of whether or not he’ll be able to get the cat down.
Realizing that the number of onlookers is growing, he again turns his attention to Furball and very slowly starts to reach up to get her. When the cat again starts a deep growling in her throat and lays the ears back on the head, he withdraws his hand and the growling stops.
A muttering grows from the crowd and James notices several of the bystanders exchanging coins, obviously some had bet he wouldn’t get the cat on that try.
“Just knock it down with a stick!” a bystander yells.
“No!” counters Inius. “Don’t hurt her.”
James turns and sees the innkeeper’s concern for Furball. “Don’t worry,” James assures him, “I’m certain that we can get her down without hurting her.”
Turning his attention once again back to the cat, he silently begins the casting of a spell. A spell of soothing, of trust, and when he is ready, he releases the power and slowly reaches up to Furball. This time she doesn’t start the growling, simply looks at him as he reaches up and gently takes hold of her around the middle. Lifting ever so gently, he removes her from the crossbeam.
He maintains the spell as he strokes Furball’s back and listens to the contented purr coming from her. As he hands Furball down to Inius, the crowd breaks into a cheer and more money changes hands.
“Here you go,” he tells Inius as he takes Furball from him.
“Thank you so much,” he says to James. Then to Furball he says in a firm tone, “You’ve been a bad kitty,” as he strokes her back.
“Maybe you should put a tag on her so people will know she’s yours should she run away again,” James suggests.
“A tag?” Inius asks.
“Yes,” he replies. “It’s a little metal disk attached to a leather collar around her neck with the sign of the Dancing Squirrel on it. So if she runs off again, people will know where to bring her back, or at the very least notify you as to where she was last seen.”
“A good idea,” he says, considering it. “I may just do that.”
“Goodbye Inius,” James says. Then scratches Furball between the ears saying, “You too Furball.”
“We are both very thankful to you. Next time you are in town, you may stay with us free for a few nights,” offers Inius.
“Thank you, I may take you up on that,” he says, then takes the reins from Miko as they once more head down the street to Lufer’s.
The remainder of their trek through Cardri is uneventful and pass through the outer gate without any further delays. Taking a side street through the outlying buildings in the general direction of the river, they find three buildings set together with a corral containing several horses and mules in the back.
“This must be the place,” Miko says.
“What was your first clue?” James jokes as they approach the hitching post by the front door.
“Clue?” Miko asks not understanding.
Amused, James replies, “Never mind.” Securing their horse to the post, the two of them enter through the door to the front office which is currently unoccupied. Voices coming from out back lead them to two men standing near the corral, an older gentleman and a younger