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Chapter Two

T he Black Rogue lashed his tail nervously as he opened his eyes. Where was he? Indoors in a rather formless place that didn't seem quite real.

"Soooo…" a sibilant voice hissed. "You're awake now."

The Rogue blinked and realized that he was being scrutinized by Lady Fluff, the countess's elegant silver-gray cat. But she was glowing!

"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked.

He tried to recall. "I think I was chasing a pigeon on the battlements. And…and then…I forget."

Lady Fluff snorted in disgust. "What you forgot was to keep track of the number of lives you had left! Which is why you're here in the Between Place at a ridiculously young age." She shook her head mournfully. "We had such high hopes for you."

"I was sure I had two or three more lives left," the Rogue whimpered. "I was considering becoming less reckless. Soon ."

"But you didn't," she said flatly. "And now you're here."

Horrified, the Rogue exclaimed, "Does that mean that I'm…I'm dead and must wait until I can be born again as a kitten?"

The tip of Lady Fluff's lavish tail twitched. "Ordinarily that would be the case, but the Council of Cats Who Walk Through Walls is considering inducting you into our order."

"Really?" the Rogue breathed, unable to believe such good fortune. "You're a handmaiden of the Council?"

With a a flash of light, Lady Fluff expanded to a dozen times her normal size. Her eyes blazing with golden chaos, she filled most of the Between Space—and she was transparent as she glared down at the Rogue. "I am no handmaiden, but the Warrior Queen of the Council !"

With one ghostly paw, she swatted him. He tumbled across the Between Space, ending on his back, terrified and with a new respect for Lady Fluff, whom he'd always considered a demure lady. Shaken, he rolled back onto his stomach and bowed his head submissively. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness! I didn't mean to be rude! This is all so new to me."

"Of course it is." Lady Fluff condensed to her usual size, density, and demureness. "The final decision on your fate has yet to be made. On the plus side, you are a master of mischief and your claw work is outstanding. There is scarcely a woman in the castle who hasn't had reason to complain of you snagging and damaging her favorite garments."

"I've done my best," he said, trying to sound humble when in fact he was quite proud of the damage he'd wrought.

"But there's more to becoming a Cat Walker than the ability to cause damage." Lady Fluff scowled at him. "Your appearance leaves much to be desired. It would be better if you were solid black, but those white whiskers! The little white mittens on your paws! You look…" she wriggled her whiskers with disgust, "you look positively cute! "

He whimpered and bowed his head again. "I'm so sorry, Lady Fluff, but there is nothing I can do about that." He thought a moment. "Perhaps if I found a pot of black ink, I could cover the white?"

She shook her head. "That would be only a temporary solution. Instead, the Council has decided that you must prove yourself by successfully completing a mission."

The Rogue had always been ingenious in his troublemaking, so this sounded promising. "What is the mission, my lady?"

"You must drive a human to his doom," she said crisply.

The Rogue's ears flattened nervously. "I have to kill a man?"

Lady Fluff shook her head. "There are many kinds of doom. You must frighten a man into facing his greatest fear. His doom."

"Any particular man?" the Rogue asked warily.

"Lord Carroll, the newly arrived master of the castle. Have you seen him?"

"Just a brief glimpse. He was scarred like a champion tomcat. Very impressive," the Rogue said admiringly.

"He's a soldier and a hero of Waterloo, so he'll not be frightened easily." Lady Fluff's tail twitched thoughtfully. "I can give you some suggestions. Your ability to close doors and shut people in closets is excellent, and it can be made even better."

The Rogue didn't like humbling himself, but his mama hadn't raised any stupid kittens. "To join the Order of Cats Who Walk Through Walls has always been my highest ambition! I will be deeply grateful for any aid you can give me.'"

Lady Fluff smiled. "Then let us adjourn to the kitchen and discuss this over some scraps of ham that the cook has set aside for me."

Ham? The Black Rogue arched his back in a stretch. "Lead on, my lady!"

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