Felix finished signing his name. “Read the other contract I gave you.”
He grabbed the corner of the paper between his teeth and leapt into the flames of the node. He moved before I realized what he intended, and I missed my chance to touch the node and read the truth of the words. It might have told me something about how much Felix genuinely regretted what he had done, and how much was just a ploy to win me over.
After a moment, the paper dissolved. A new scroll, bound by the magic of the node, had been added to the archives. The node could now only tug at me to break the curse during limited hours.
I picked up the second contract Felix had called in earlier. This was a fresh contract. While it related to the one that kept me trapped in Rose Castle, the terms were all independent of that original contract.
“A gold per week?” I dropped the paper, staring at Felix, who had jumped back to the floor. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“I’m serious. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write a contract when you are a cat? I didn’t go to that much effort just to mess with you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You started messing with me at our very first meeting. You’d enjoy it even if it took considerable effort.”
His ear twitched. “I find arguing with you to be a pleasant diversion. That isn’t the same as literally scratching out a contract solely to tease you.”
“Changing only the amount wouldn’t be much effort. I find it hard to believe you mean to offer me a gold per week. When I suggested that I might have added a payment clause to the addendum, I thought I was being ridiculous by saying half a gold per week. I only make a single gold per month working for the constables.”
Felix cocked his head to the side. “Did you put that in the addendum, by the way? I figured a separate contract was safer, but you are right, it might have worked.”
“What would you do if I had? Shred this contract with your claws?”
“No. But it would be good to know how much I owe you, so I don’t accidentally short-change you. The node does not make things pleasant if someone tries to break the terms of their contracts.”
“You’d pay me a gold and a half per week without complaint?”
“It seems like you are the one who likes to argue for the pleasure of it.” He grabbed the paper from where it had fallen and leapt onto the arm of my chair, setting it in my lap. Then he leapt—or perhaps fell—back to the floor. “You can’t possibly object. I owe you more than gold. I can’t reverse my mistakes, and you are the one paying the price. Offering you a bit of gold in return is the least I can do.”
So that was his game.
A part of me wanted to rip up the contract. I’d shout that he couldn’t buy my forgiveness and storm off in righteous fury. Then I remembered that I might not have a job when I returned home. Felix should pay me for my time. Also, I probably wouldn’t be able to storm off in a huff because the node power would keep me here until Felix no longer needed me.
I signed the contract. Dropping it on the floor in front of the duke, I crossed my arms. “This doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
He dipped a claw in ink. “I wouldn’t dream otherwise.”
I waited until this contract, too, had faded away, the node’s power making it impossible to break. I glared at the duke. “Is that all?”
Felix laughed. “I didn’t expect you to forgive me, but are you really madder at me now than yesterday?”
No, I wasn’t. And that was what made me angry. I should hate Felix. Even if I sympathized with the horrible situation he had been in, that didn’t mean I approved of his choices. But the more time I spent with him, the more I saw that he wasn’t a bad person. He hadfaced the possibility of his actions leading to wars that could tear apart the world and done what he thought he needed to do.
I couldn’t bring myself to deny Felix’s claim, but the truth-telling enchantment wouldn’t let me confirm it, either. “You said you had a few reasons to summon me. What else, besides the contracts?”
Felix watched me for a moment, then shook his whole body and jumped back onto the chair. “I need your help to understand the colors I see when I truth-read.”
“You want to know how much I meant it when I signed that I would work reasonable hours and accept money for my efforts?”
“I want to understand what I sense. You can determine so much with your power, but I don’t even understand what the colors I see mean.”
“The colors are created by your mind interpreting the magic. I can’t tell you what the colors mean. You need to listen to your instincts.”
“All my instincts say is if a color is a good sign or not. I need more specifics.”
“And how am I supposed to help you? Even if I saw the truth as colors, they wouldn’t be the same as what you see.”
“No, but you already know how to interpret the sounds you hear. We can cross reference what I see with what you hear.” He swatted at the air, and a dozen pieces of paper landed in my lap. “I already wrote out several statements to test. You can hold them to the node and tell me what the sounds you hear mean, so I know what the colors I see mean.”
I looked at the first paper. “You don’t need me for this. You already know how true these statements are.”
