The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 52: When in Doubt, Pick the Cat

Meanwhile, from Boot's perspective, she was permitted to stay in the Claymouth Barony only on Master Gravitas' sufferance. If he ever concluded that she posed a threat, he could muster his cats to run her out of town. That might be enough to make her feel obligated to cooperate with him...but not enough for me to rely on.

In addition, I wasn't sure how much I trusted Master Gravitas himself. Not in a matter as sensitive as this.

But even after I explained all of this to Bobo – at length, repeatedly, using different words and different phrasings to get the point across – she kept insisting that we at least try to talk to Boot before we kidnapped and tortured the information out of her.

At last, Stripey cast the tiebreaking vote. "All right. We'll try Bobo's idea first, and if it doesn't work, we'll try Rosie's."

I didn't like it, but at least Bobo stopped bothering me.

Shadowed by Stripey, with me riding in a pouch strapped to his back and a couple duck demons nearby in case things went catastrophically (haha) wrong, Bobo went to the carpentry workshop on her afternoon off. There, she found Master Gravitas carving curlicues onto the legs of a writing desk. While he worked, she explained that her employers, the Jeks, were very stressed because they felt as if Floridiana and Boot were spying on them, but they couldn't for the lives of them figure out why and for whom.

"They're jussst farmers," she told him, all earnestness and disingenuousness. "They don't want trouble. They jussst want to be left alone."

For his part, Master Gravitas was all politeness and sympathy. "I'm sure it's nothing," he purred, "but if it'll set their minds at ease, I'll poke around. See if I can learn anything."

Not with that attitude, he won't, I fumed to Stripey, who insisted, "Give him a chance. Let's see what he says before we decide on our next step."

Luckily, the duck demons were too smart to let the cat spirits speak unsupervised. After some rapid (and unprofitable) negotiations with the barony's rat spirits, Stripey secured several sets of extra eyes and feet for shadowing Master Gravitas. When the carpenter finally summoned Boot to his workshop, the rats sent a runner to Stripey, who flew to Bobo's bamboo stand to fetch me.

By the time we arrived, Master Gravitas had already ushered Boot into the side room where he entertained important customers. Through the window, we could see a teapot and two cups set out on a polished table. Boot sat on a high, cushioned chair, lapping her tea with a dainty pink tongue. Stripey glided onto the roof, and the two of us crouched there, eavesdropping.

" – been asking questions," Master Gravitas' voice was saying. "They're getting suspicious."

"Are they now?" remarked a light female voice that contained a hint of a "meow." It was the first time I'd heard Boot speak in anything above a whisper.

"Yes, ma'am," he confirmed. "Their hired help, the bamboo viper spirit Bobo, paid me a visit yesterday afternoon. She said that the Jeks think you and Mage Floridiana are spying on them. They wanted me to talk to you, cat-to-cat, to find out who hired you."

More delicate lapping sounds. "Mmm, I see. It is interesting that they think that. Do you know who or what might have put that idea into their heads?"

Next to me, Stripey furrowed his brow and whispered, "He sounds like he's giving a report to a superior."

I told you going to him was a bad idea.

There wasn't much Stripey could say to that, so he didn't. Side by side, we kept listening.

"As I reported when you arrived, I have not detected any signs of demonic possession in my interactions with the Jeks. I assume you haven't noticed anything while staying with them either?"