Snippet #2010456

"Blast it!" Gregory griped, barely giving the feline a backward glance as they turned down the last stretch of road into the outskirts of town. "That's 'Mr. Snuffles', he said mockingly. "The old hag Gertrude's cat got out again. I don't know why she lets that thing run amok. She thinks he's some master magic-sniffer. Well, I'll tell you something, all it does is wreak havoc and make trouble. You can't even get near it without sneezing your head off!"

Mr. Snuffles shook his head, and with a noise that sounded very like a sneeze, wriggled out of Felix's hold using the mage's lap as a launchpad to propel himself into one of the open crates. He poked his head out and glared evilly at the pair before slinking down out of sight, where he remained until at long last, just after nightfall, they pulled into town.

When the errand-runner finally brought the cart to a stop by a group of mages standing near the sundial, the town's local landmark, a tall, white-haired woman clad in a belted slate blue robe met the arrival with a stern face. Several of the younger men and women stopped talking amongst themselves and looked up as the duo stepped off the rickety cart.

"Well, well, would you look what the cat dragged in?" someone hollered in the crowd.

No one noticed the black feline creep out of the box and slip to the ground, disappearing into an alleyway, silent as a ghost.

Archmage Tess gave Felix the slightest of nods, whether in approval or acceptance, it was impossible to tell, but her clasped hands twitched in the slightest, as though she wanted to open her arms in that matronly way, but as ever, due to her station, she had her reservations and as such, remained placid.

"Phoenix," one of the guys called, waving him over. "Hey, Phoenix! Man, it's been too long. Where've you been?"