After the dance, the floor was covered in scratches. Apparently, the claws on the princesss feet had left marks on the parquet.
«You werent as surprised as my other guests,» said Rachelina. «Have you seen anyone like me before?»
«Ive seen a lot of things in my life,» Brendan brushed them aside.
«Youre too young to be a seasoned traveler. Youve been a vagabond since you were a boy, havent you?»
Well, the cat princess had caught him in a lie. What should he do now? He could not tell her that he had only seen the world through Ephigenias crystal ball, but that he had been locked up in his uncles castle.
«To be honest, I adore cats,» Brendan twisted. «And your feline beauty is beyond all praise.»
«You are flatterer!» Of course, she didnt blush like a human, but she looked embarrassed.
«Im not a ladies man,» Brendan hastened to object. «Ive never been a ladies man, but cats, in my opinion, are the loveliest creatures on earth. And you are the most extraordinary and delightful cat I have ever met.»
What other words to describe that he was struck by the sight of a cat in a gorgeous ladys dress and with a tiara between its pointy ears.
«Was that a compliment?» Rashelina guessed.
«It is indeed!»
The cat princess looked strangely at the empty rows of chairs at the banquet table, as if she were waiting for approval from someone. But from whom is it? After all, there were no guests at the table. At least, there were none in sight. Brendan felt sick at the thought that there might be ghosts in the hall. One goblet suddenly tumbled and rolled between the dishes, as if someone had pushed it. And it wasnt a mouse at all!
«Nearly all the mice in the place must have been captured,» Brendan suggested, just to say something.
«Youre right! There used to be lots of them, but now there are hardly any left. You can never have too many mice.»
She touched Brendans fingers inadvertently with her claw.
«Oh, I am sorry!»
«Its all right.»
Really, its nothing. It wasnt the scratch that bothered Brendan, but the way the princess licked her face predatorily at the mention of mice. She might one day set her sights on the minstrel, too. She is, after all, a cat in human size. So she must have bigger game, too. Now it was clear who had scratched Rebecca. It was no werewolf suitor, by all accounts, and no sign of him. But there was a Mistress with claws. It must be hard to serve under a mistress like that. Anything at all, shell scratch you.
«So you said you liked me a lot?» purred or uttered the cat lady.
Is he just hearing things? Or is she asking for more compliments?
«I dont think so!» Brendan confessed honestly. «Rendezvous with a cat is the nicest thing thats happened to me in days.»
«Is it with the princess,» said Rashelina, with a matter-of-fact tone.
«Youre the sweetest thing thats happened to me in days.»
«And you think Im the loveliest creature youve ever seen in your life?»
Yes, it was except for the girl in the dream and the beautiful lady in charge of the cavalcade of elves. But Brendan didnt want to upset the kitty. She might cut him with her claws, like poor Rebecca.
«Yes!» he nodded. He thought to himself how hard it was for Rebecca to be with such a mistress. She has every claw the size of a knife. No wonder Rebecca was all twitchy and nervous, always on pins and needles.
But the waltz with the cat princess was like a sweet dream. Not counting the claws, Rashelina was so gentle and fluffy. And her muzzle, covered with white-golden wool, was so pleasant to look at. And her eyes were multi-colored, as if some wizard had sharpened a rainbow inside her pupils.
«Youre the prettiest cat in the universe,» Brendan flattered her once again.
«Would you like to stay here with me forever?»
Rashelinas tone became mellifluous. Brendan had no idea her question was a tricky one.
«Of course there was!»
The lute was instantly silenced, as if a ghost playing the strings had stopped upon hearing his answer. Suddenly laughter erupted at the table, as if dozens of guests had been seated there. Brendan turned around. No one was there. All the chairs were empty. And there seemed to be more candles in the room. And some of them are floating right up above the dance floor.
«The round has begun!» Rashelina proclaimed.
«Do you mean the next dance?»
«No, it is not at all.»
Theres something not quite right. Rashelina looked at him with slightly squinting eyes, as if shed snatched a bird.
«Is there something I dont understand?»
«Its all right,» the feline princess winked at him. «You must wait until the tournament begins.»
«What tournament is it? Is it the music tournament?»
Rashelina laughed a pleasant purr.
«You have a beautiful voice,» Brendan remarked. «I can play for you and you can sing along with my lute, if you like. Or Ill sing for you.»
«Sing for them,» she turned him toward the empty table.
Whos there to sing for? Not one chair is occupied. But if the princess wants to fool around, why not play along. Brendan has become accustomed to the Bastards caprices: give him a sleeve ribbon, bring him a ball of wool, part with a pearl button he wants to roll across the floor like a ball.
Rashelina has so far behaved far more decently than the Aluar cats. So why not please her?
Brendan picked up his lute and began to recall the notes of one rhapsody. As he tried to sit down in his chair, he was shaken by ice and pushed from his seat. Brendan was taken aback. There really was someone in the empty chair. He seemed to make out vague translucent silhouettes at the table in all the seats except the chair at the head of the table.
«Play the lute!» Rachelina spurred him on. «Everyone here loves music.»
Now Brendan didnt ask who everyone was. They were there, he just couldnt see them.
«Your eyesight is poor,» said Rachelina as he peered around the corner of the table, but you have a good ear.
Brendan heard the clinking of glasses before he noticed that the goblets and cups were indeed hovering a millimeter above the table, as if someone invisible were lifting them.
There was nowhere to go. Brendan played just to keep from going crazy. Music always cheered him up.
The invisible guests of Rachelinas continued to feast, moving dishes around the table. Was there a whole crowd of them or just a few? He could hear them laughing, but he could not see them. He did not see them until he heard the rustling of their clothes. Some of the guests had evidently begun to dance. Brendan realized how difficult it was to play blind. Someone had elbowed him, and he couldnt even see who it was. The invisibles started pinching and teasing him.
«Play it cool!» Rashelina noticed that the minstrel was nervous.
«How is it? They turn me on?» Brendan snapped when someone shoved him so he couldnt stand on his feet.
«Theyre just jealous,» the cat princess explained. «They sense competition.»
Brendan didnt understand her again.
«Dinner costs too much here if I have to play for those who want to torture me.»
«It is all right!» Rashelina clapped her hands together. The guests seemed to be gone in a flash. Only the sighs were audible.
«So you can get them out of here?» Brendan opened his mouth in amazement. «I mean, isnt anyone capable of controlling invisible people?»
«I am, after all, a princess!» The little pussycat lady said.
«And I have to play every night for the invisible?»
«No, after the wedding, you yourself will be the prince here, and you no longer have to earn your bread playing.»
«Is it a wedding?» Clement had a cold sweat on his forehead. Whose wedding is it?»
It was not without reason that he suspected something amiss. Rashelinas feline face was already a smiling face, but she looked sly all of a sudden.
«You asked me to marry you,» she explained, «because you wished to remain here forever, and by the rules of the realm you proposed to me.»