Sometimes, the only way out was to trust your gut, even when it felt like it was playing tricks on you. That constant nagging feeling in the back of your mind was the one that told you something was off, even if you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.

The return walk to my house was a silent one. Jitters padded alongside me. His tail flickered nervously, as if he was as keyed up as I was. He had been better company since I found him than most humans I knew, that was for sure. It seemed like he got it every time I asked him a question. But then again, you had to phrase the question as a yes-or-no type of query. He could mean “meow” for yes and “silence” for no—

Nah! Now I was talking crazy stuff again. No way could animals understand human speech, right? If he could understand me, I would be like that guy. What’s his name? The Chicken Whisperer, isn’t it? Anyway, I would be the first cat whisperer in town, probably in the entire kingdom or the world.

Sad to say, like all the cats who had come to live in the estate, Jitters would see much the same fortune, becoming a present for my sister Alice. I’m sure he will like her. Alice loves cats more than I do, and she will be a better and more caring owner than I am. I wondered what she would choose from her cat’s dress collection to put on Jitters when she was back from Tuvia. The Royal Robe? The Meowtical Unicorn? Hmm… I bet it’s the Fancy Fluffy Dress that fits him best.

An angry hiss.

“Is something bothering you, pal?” I gazed down.

Silence. Jitters continued looking ahead while ambling beside me.

After a right turn onto a short path, my mansion stood out like a lit candle in a dark room. My mind was still discerning the eccentricities about the upcoming dinner later in the evening. Something was off about it. Maybe it was the way Aiden and Catherine had chatted with each other, and those expressions they had on them. It was like they were going to pull a large bunny out of the small hat later in front of the whole family. Or maybe it was just my imagination running wild again. At any rate, I wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Alfred, just make me something quick,” I said, not caring what he put on the plate. I wasn’t hungry, not really. But eating at least felt kind of normal, something to keep my thoughts from spiraling too much.

“Right away, Master Alex.” Alfred nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

I sat down, Jitters watching me with those unblinking eyes, as if he were trying to tell me something, but couldn’t find the words. “What’re you looking at?” I muttered, picking at my food. “You know something I don’t?” Jitters blinked, and I sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m going mental again.”

After lunch, I decided to lie down for a bit, which seemed like a good idea. I was planless for the whole afternoon, so why not? Jitters bounced onto the bed, settling beside me. There’s something oddly soothing in his purring, like he’s trying to hypnotize me into a calm sleep. I shut my eyes, hoping to catch a few hours of rest before tonight’s inevitable charade began. But sleep wouldn’t claim me wholly. Thoughts kept galloping hither and thither to some purposeless parts of my mind until, at last, upon only a slight doze, I was confronted by the most unpleasant dream.

The entire estate was on fire. I stood in the lobby of the main mansion. Eyes watched as flames licked at the walls, devouring everything in their path. I could hear the crackle of wood as it turned to ash. The searing heat pressed against my skin. The portraits of my ancestors, those stern, judgmental faces, melted away. Their eyes scrutinized me as they disappeared into the inferno. Dead bodies were strewn all over. One of them looked like Uncle Ned. That was no surprise to me. If there were going to be any Stormbournes to die in a household disaster, it would be him first. And in the middle of it all, there was Jitters, sitting in the center of the blaze, untouched by the roaring fire, looking directly at me with those green eyes of his.

I woke up with a jolt. Sweat on my forehead. What the hell was that dream? The room was dark, and the sun was setting. Six o’clock. The dream was mint-fresh in my mind. I just couldn’t brush off the feeling that it was trying to tell me something. Jitters was snoozing away beside me. He appeared unbothered, like nothing in the world could disturb him. Lucky cat.

But I was not so lucky. The knot in my gut didn’t seem to loosen. As for the dream? I didn’t like it one bit. So, I made a decision. I was going to skip the dinner. Who needs to sit through another round of tedious conversation and forced smiles? Not me. I was getting out of here. Swinging my legs off the bed, I grabbed my sword and fastened it onto my belt.

“Come on, Jitters,” I urged. The little guy only just yawned and rolled over, perceptibly uninterested. That was strange. He generally followed me everywhere, all the more so when I wanted him to. “Fine, have it your way, pal.”

Before leaving, I went into the kitchen to see if Alfred and Mathilda were preparing something for the evening. “Um, I’m going to town.” I tried to be casual. “I’ll get some dinner there. So you two go on and eat without me.”

A small line appeared between Alfred’s brows. “Master Alex, are you sure—”

“Sure,” not wanting to get into it. “Just… do me a favor and don’t wait up.”

Mathilda looked like she wanted to say something too, but she held back and instead just nodded. “Be careful, Master Alex.”

“Always.” I grinned, the smile not quite reaching my eyes, and left.

I made my way toward the estate’s main entrance. The area seemed too quiet. Unusually quiet. Catherine’s soldiers were among the manor guards. Those Silverlions were dressed for battle. It just didn’t feel right for them to be on high alert all the time. Normally, they would be resting in the quarters set up for them. What in the world were they expecting? Another procession? There, at the gate, were a couple more Silverlions, chatting with our sentries. They all came to attention as I walked by, all except one, who gave me a look that made me feel uneasy. It was a withering, hate-filled glance, as though he begrudged me for stepping off the estate.

What was the dude’s deal? I tried to brush it off, but that look stayed with me. I wasn’t about to let some soldier ruin my evening. Off I went on foot, just sauntering along through the streets of Stormvale. I entered a couple of shops, not actually shopping, just trying to burn some time.

The sun had fully set by seven, and the streets were now nearly deserted. The town always seemed different at night, much quieter and more mysterious. Feeling hungry, I found a café and went in to have dinner. There was nothing special about it, just an ordinary meal.

While eating, my thoughts drifted back to that weird bar, the Chosen One. It had disappeared on me earlier in the day when I’d gone to look for it. It was as though it had never been there at all. Maybe it had some magical reappearing act after dark. Maybe it did. You never know. Weird stuff I couldn’t explain happened at times in my town, and that bar was one of those things I called a supernatural thingy.

Around eight, I was on my way. I hoped this time I would actually find the bar. But as I turned into the supposed alleyway, it was vacant. No sign of the bar. No hint that it ever existed at all. “Figures,” I grumbled, feeling more frustrated than surprised. I turned on my heels and made my way to the Royal Rose instead. It wasn’t my first choice, but it sure beat wandering around aimlessly. I planned to hang out there for a bit, maybe have a drink or two, and see where the night took me. The Drunken Stag was probably still getting cleaned up after last night’s brawl, so that place was out of the question.

I took a wrong turn. Or maybe it was the right one. I ended up in one of those narrow, empty streets where the shadows seemed deeper than usual. That’s when things got weird. Three Silverlions were dashing around, looking like they were on a mission to find something, or more likely, someone.

Wait a minute! Aren’t those the same soldiers I’d seen chatting up our sentries? Now, something definitely wasn’t right.

A little voice in my head suddenly screamed, “Run, Alex! They’re here to kill you!” But of course, I was a step too late. One of them locked eyes with me, his gaze narrowing. “There he is!” he shouted. Before I knew it, all three had their swords drawn, charging at me like they were in some kind of battle. Whatever those Silverlions wanted, it was nothing good. Arrest, torture, or worse. I wasn’t sticking around to find out. Taking on three battle-hardened soldiers was out of the question. Let’s be honest here. This fight was going to be anything but fair.

So I did the only sensible thing that anyone in my situation would do. I turned and ran. I bolted, really. I sprinted down the alley like a madman, with those Silverlions hot on my heels. I had no clue where I was heading, just that I needed to put as much distance between them and me as possible. The night was creeping in, and there was no way I was letting them catch me. Not tonight.