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Sharif caught my eyes and used a hand to gesture to the cat. “Millie, this is Qita. He is the charm of our household.”
“As in luck, not personality,” Ben chimed in.
The cat swiped a clawed paw at Ben who stood far out of reach. “I am both, you heathen!”
I leaned back and lifted an eyebrow. “He’s a charm? Against what?”
“Against evil!” Qita insisted.
My eyes wandered up to the ceiling in the direction of Lila’s room. “Against evil, huh?”
The feline lowered his paw and the tip of his tail twitched. “I cannot block all the evil in the world, and this magic is powerful.Verypowerful.”
Ben still looked bemused as he turned to his cousin. “We’ll return before sundown, and should we discover anything we’ll send a crow.”
Sharif bowed his head. “I still do not know how to thank you enough.”
Ben grinned. “It’s enough to know we’re helping out family, and I’d like to see little Lila’s bright smile again.”
“Then I will go with you,” Qita announced as he hopped down from his perch and sauntered over toward the door with his tail held high. “I have my reputation at stake.”
I folded my arms over my chest as I watched the cat reach the open doors and turn toward us. “What can you do?”
The cat’s whiskers twitched. “You would be surprised how few people notice a cat in their presence, and my stealth abilities are legendary.”
I opened my mouth for a retort, but Ben set a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll be glad for the company,” he replied to the feline.
Qita puffed out his chest. “I am more than just handsome company. After living for seven lives, I am the best guide you could find in the whole of the city, as well.”
I cast a curious look at Ben, but he nodded at the door. “We can talk on our way through the city.”
“Then follow me, humans!” Qita commanded as he sauntered through the door.
Ben offered me his arm which I accepted with a smile, and together we followed our furry guide out into the streets. The residential area was only sparsely populated, though the few people whom we did come across cast a curious look at the cat in the lead.
“You might do better at stealth by riding atop our shoulders,” Ben suggested.
Qita scoffed. “And look like nothing more than a fancy rug? Hardly.”
I caught Ben’s bemused attention. “So what’s this about cat lives? Do they have nine in this world, too?”
He nodded. “Felines are known for their longevity and many, barring accident or illness, live well over five hundred years.”
My jaw dropped to the dusty ground. “Come again?”
He lifted an eyebrow at me. “Do your cats not live the full length of a human’s life?”
I shook my head. “I wish. We’re lucky if we can get them to fifteen.”
“Fifteen?” Qita scoffed as he looked over his shoulder at us. “One is hardly out their kitten years in that time.”
“So how old are you?” I asked our furry guide.
Qita lifted his chin slightly and I swore I saw him grin. “I am nearly six hundred years old.”
I lifted my wide eyes to Ben. “Is he telling the truth?”
“Of course I am!” Qita snapped.
