“It would be our pleasure,” Yushir commented as he drew two more chairs beside where Pampir sat.

  Eastwei took a seat upon one and Yushir the other, and I happily sat in the fire lord’s lap. I watched Leiren pour out two bowls which he handed first to the prince and then he turned to the lord. His eyes dropped to me and his eyes twinkled. “Perhaps the Lady Cat would prefer the floor to sitting where her master’s soup bowl should go?”

  My tail and ears drooped but he had a point. Eastwei set me on the floor at his side and accepted the bowl. Leiren still had two more bowls and he poured one out and set it on the floor in front of me.

  “A hearty meal to mend those wounds on your legs. We would not wish for you to be forced to walk on two legs,” Leiren told me with a wink.

  Some of the blood drained from my head as he turned away and poured a bowl for himself. This man knew who, or at least what, I truly was. I leaned down and lapped up some of the delicious broth, but I kept one eye on our host as he took a seat in line with the others.

  It was pretty hard to focus on anything other than the food. The soup was a delicious and perfect blend of herbs and spices with potatoes and meat I dared not ask its origins. Judging from the pelts outside, I had to guess it was a fresh catch.

  “You will be headed back to the heaven realm tomorrow?” Leiren inquired.

  Yushir sipped up his spoonful of food before he nodded. “Yes. I would suggest a trip into the mire but that would be as foolhardy as inviting my uncle to dine with the king of the demons.”

  My ears perked up at the mention of demons. Then again, I was currently in the company of gods, so why not demons in this world, as well?

  “Thus we must report your words to my uncle as soon as possible,” Yushir finished.

  A pensive expression slipped onto our host’s face as he stared into the fire. “I see. Well, I will not keep you then.” He resumed his eating but his tone left a vacuum of curiosity from our group.

  Pampir spoke the question the rest of us were asking ourselves. “Is there something that is needed of us, Lord Leiren?”

  Leiren continued staring at and stirring his bowl as he shook his head. “I would not wish to delay your return.”

  “I may be able to remain and the others return in my stead if it is something with which I can help,” Yushir offered.

  Our host sipped a spoonful of his soup and licked his lips. “I was just curious if you might use your incredible magic to blow some rocks away from a cave entrance on the Shroud Mountains.”

  Pampir shot up and even the prince’s eyes widened. The lower-tier lord sputtered and spat out some soup. “Not that cave entrance, I hope!”

  Leiren laughed and shook his head. “Not at all. There is another cave miles down the range where I fetch some special mushrooms.” He held aloft his bowl. “They are wonderful at healing wounds, but I used the last of them in this soup and need more. However, a recent tremor caused the entrance to the cave to partially collapse and I find my strength is not what it used to be.”

  “I will perform the task,” Eastwei spoke up.

  Pampir lifted an eyebrow. “Are you sure? It sounds rather menial for you, My Emperor.”

  “I have been neglectful of my duties regarding the mountains. Now is a chance to remedy that.”

  Leiren smiled and bowed his head. “I will appreciate the company and the help, My Lord. Thank you.”

  “And we appreciate the food,” Yushir answered as he held up his empty bowl. “This is quite nourishing, as well.”

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  Pampir flexed his arm on the side that had been injured and cauterized by Eastwei. “I feel as if nothing had happened today. This is quite miraculous, even for you, Lord Leiren.”

  “It is merely an old family recipe,” he mused as he cast his shining eyes down on me. “The herbs also work to hearten the hearts of animals, as well.” The tip of my tail twitched and I turned my face away.

  Yushir chuckled. “You seem to have done the impossible, Lord Leiren. You have shamed a spiritual cat.”

  “A very odd occurrence indeed,” Leiren replied as he took Yushir’s bowl and refilled it. “But eat and rest. I am sure you will have an early journey ahead of you and the best time to pick the mushrooms is when the dew is still on the ground.”

  Sleeping proved to be a quandary. I finished my delicious bowl and sauntered about the room taking in the sights, and I discovered there was only one small bed in the adjoining room. It was large enough to fit the small Leiren but not large enough for anyone else. The other guests appeared unperturbed by the sparse accommodations.

  Yushir was the first to rise and he stretched his arms above his head. “I believe I shall turn in early. If you gentlemen will excuse me.”

  He bowed his head to the others and sauntered over to the far side of the room. The table was the only bit of furniture along that wall, but he ignored that for the bare corner. Yushir swept his arm out in front of him and his blue magic flakes floated out. They twinkled and formed a lush bed with a thick mattress and blankets.

  I plopped my butt down close beside him and my mouth fell open. He noticed my appearance and chuckled. “Surprised to see creation magic, cat? It is a rare sight indeed in the land realm but not so in the heavens.” He lay down and settled himself in for a long sleep.

  I flattened my ears against my head at the gentle teasing by the god. He adjusted the sheets and one of the corners dropped low over the mattress. That’s when a devilish idea slipped into my mind.

  I strolled over to the edge of the bed and stretched my legs out so my front paws pressed against the corner of the mattress. My claws instinctively slid out and I began my sweet music.

  Which was clawing viciously at the cushion.

  Yushir shot up and the others turned to me. I continued my exuberant exercise even as I twisted my head around and meowed at the men in front of the fire. The glow from the flames reflected a faint smile on Eastwei’s lips even as the prince scurried to my corner.

  “Shoo, you evil creature! Shoo!” he scolded me as he waved his hand in my direction.

  I plopped my paws on the floor and turned away with my tail held high. He frowned at my back end as I sauntered back to the fire and sat in front of the hearth.

  Pampir likewise conjured a bed on the same wall as Yushir but in the other corner. They were both soon in peaceful slumber and the only sound was the crackling fire in the hearth. The light faded in the room as night took its hold. I lifted my head and watched the dark rays of twilight stretch themselves through the windows only to be swallowed by a cloudy night.

  Leiren stirred the fire with a poker and kept his eyes focused on his task as he spoke to his stoic companion. “You seem different than when we last met.”

  Eastwei’s eyebrow barely lifted. “Am I?”

  Our host paused in his work and smiled at him before he nodded at me. “For one, I have never known you to have a pet.”

  Eastwei dropped his gaze to me. I cocked my head to one side. “She saved my life. The least I could do was tend to her wounds.”

  Leiren’s eyes twinkled as he set his gaze on me. “Is that so? This one certainly is full of surprises.”

  I nonchalantly began to groom myself but the bandages kept me from getting at my paw to use as a wet rag. When that failed, I merely set my head down and closed my eyes.

  “Has anything disturbed the mountains of late?” Eastwei inquired.

  The tips of my ears twitched. They’d mentioned something before about caretaking a mountain.

  “Not at all. Everything has been as quiet as the moon.” He set aside the poker and tossed a log onto the fire. The flames eagerly welcomed the food with a burst of light and a crackle of glee. A pensive expression slipped onto his face as he leaned back. “What did you find in that village where the creature lived?”

  “Nothing,” Eastwei replied.

  Leiren lifted an eyebrow. “No life at all?”

  “None. Even the animals were killed.”

  The old man folded his arms over his chest and a dark cloud settled on his brow. “I see. This makes the sixth one in as many months, does it not?”

  “Yes.”

  Leiren stared hard at the dancing flames as the glowing light deepened the lines on his face. “I wonder if your coming here was less to ask of the creature and more to inquire of the mountains. That is why you offered to help me tomorrow, is it not?” Eastwei didn’t reply but the corners of his lips twitched. Our host chuckled. “You pretend to be a closed book, old friend, but you are still as readable as the day we discovered you.”

  Eastwei stood. “I will get some sleep.”

  The lord turned and strode to the center of the room where he magicked a handsome but plain flat bed. He settled himself in, leaving me alone with our host.

  There was a twinkle in Leiren’s eyes as he stood. He caught my eye and winked at me before he walked past, his feet completely silent on the creaky old wooden boards. Our host slipped out the door but didn’t latch it behind him.

  I was a cat. Of course my curiosity was going to force me to follow him.