Pout! Josh couldn’t help but think that the entire situation wasn’t fair. Not even a week in Kit’s own, personal bedroom and Josh hadn’t been able to find a single clue. “I’d like to lodge a formal complaint,” Josh grumbled. “It is absolutely cruel for you to ship me off to be some random barn cat. Think of how long it will take me to get back here! Even if I use another anti-ward spell I don’t think I’ll be back before you leave again. Wuuuuu,” he cried. Such a promising opportunity wasted!

“Why can’t innocent creatures just wander free,” he grumbled as Kit began ascending the stairs to the North Wing.

“What are you grumbling about?” came the laugh from up above. Josh huffed in silent protest. His words might only come out as meowing, but he had serious grievances to address! It wasn’t funny! “Don’t worry, little one. We’re just going to track down your previous owner.”

“There’s no one to find,” Josh grumbled. Then his nose twitched. “Is that fish?”

The slight smell of fish wasn’t strong enough to be a meal. At best it was a snack, or something that had been around the animal long enough to take on some of the scent.

If they removed him from Kit’s care then Josh wouldn’t get more fish unless he hunted them on his own. “I guess the Duke’s stables wouldn’t be too bad.” There weren’t many pests there so the need for barn cats would be low, but Josh would be cared for. He certainly wouldn’t starve. “I draw the line at leaving the estate though. There’s wa~y too many wards to get through. Oh, hi mister gargoyle!” Josh chirruped a greeting to the inanimate statue that had been his napping spot once. It wasn’t the same one that caught him - they were on the second floor now - but Josh wasn’t silly enough to name each one.

Josh licked his lips as Kit knocked on one of the doors. “I swear I smell fish,” he grumbled with his mouth watering.

“Father?” Kit called out. “I brought him.”

“Come in, come in,” the duke called. Kit opened up the door himself, and Josh wondered at the lack of secretary or butler to do such mundane things. He scratched at an ear as he wondered; weren’t nobility usually super snobby about those things? Maybe Josh could get a job as an apprentice butler! That had to be better than barn cat.

But - ugh - what if he was shipped off somewhere? Not only would he have to make his way back but he would have to worry about making ripples in the flow of time! That was too complicated. It was better for him to stay put. At least he knew a bit about the history of the duchy. And being a butler couldn’t be that hard, right?

“I’m just a little kitty,” Josh told the Duke as Kit walked in and sat down. The duke was fiddling with a display of sandwiches and scones the maids had left while smiling at a man who had to be an Imperial Knight. The uniform was a dead giveaway. “Promise,” Josh said, redirecting his pleas to the knight. “I’m not important enough for you to worry about.”

The collar was, however. It was dangerous illegal magic. The Imperial Knight would be determined to track it down.

“Good afternoon,” Kit said politely to the knight.

“This is Knight Henri Brown, from the Imperial Order,” the duke greeted. “He’s an old classmate, you could say. Henri, this is my son Kit Morrison.”

The knight seemed friendly enough as they exchanged greetings. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the knight said. He waved some papers he’d been holding. “I was just reading over the report we had. I’m assuming this little guy here was the invisible infiltrator?”

It was fish. Josh recognized that scent now. “Yes,” Kit said as he gave Josh a soft scratch behind the ears. “Got himself caught on a gargoyle guardian and nearly died of starvation because of that thing. We were unable to track down an owner.”

There was a slight pudge to the man that said he’d spent more of his recent months behind a desk rather than wielding his sword. “That’s a tricky situation to find himself in. You’re one lucky little kitten.” The knight reached out and found that spot between Josh’s shoulders that felt so good. Purr, purr, purr. What worries? “Do you know how he got in?”

“We don’t keep any mirrors in the house,” the Duke admitted. Mirrors were a common method of transportation for thieves, spies, and other disreputable types. “And the wards on the estate are designed to keep out intruders, pests, and the like.”

“Maybe one of your estate mousecatchers had a litter?” Henri asked. Cats were often ‘employed’ to keep the mice population under control and it wasn’t unusual for them to have a litter of kittens every few years.

Kit shook his head. “Let’s sit down and discuss, shall we? I’m less worried about the origin of the kitten than I am of the collar. The worst this little one has done is try to eat my shoelaces.”

Hmph! What right did Kit have to sound that fond of him? Josh was trying to do important work, much more important than shoelaces!

Ohhhhh. That smell was coming through clearly now, and it was coming from Kit’s pocket! Josh could tell. Red Snapper!