Discovered

"This is... shut up." Janette grumbled, giving the book a light shake before opening it again. Several ink blobs floated around the yellow surface of the pages, slowing down until they began to take shape into letters.

Say please.

"What's going on with her?" One of the Nekomata's asked, everyone was beginning to stare at Janette as her eyes stared at the book. "And what is that odd smell?"

"Felix, what did you ask it before? What did Felix ask you?" Janette frowned, with Felix raising his brow. Janette bit her tongue and watched as the book slowly began to respond in a deliberately tedious pace.

He did not ask me anything today.

Sweat landed beside the ink when Syri leaned over her.

"You're being silly again, lots of people are beginning to stare."

Glancing around, Janette wiped her forehead and cleared her throat, closing the book and passing it to Felix. She closed her eyes, pressing her chest as a pair of Nekomata tails squeezed her arm. A lick to the cheek made her blush and look over to find her mate smiling back at her.

Looking over the book, Felix stood up to pass it to Dimyri. Just as he stretched his hand out, Alma intercepted and grabbed hold of the object first, parting it open and looking back at him. "This is empty."

"Ask it a question." Janette explained, squeezing Syri's paw. "Once you touch it, it knows what you know. Just be nice."

"Be nice, does it have feelings?" Alma glanced down, her eyes growing as the pages somehow began go write themselves.

Only for you.

Dimyri poked her head in and giggled as Alma groaned. "Interesting, this object contains personality. Where did you get this?"

"It was a familial gift, but you see how with this we have the advantage of inside knowledge?" Janette asked.

"She's right, with that we can ask it tons of things that Raz knows about." Dimyri added. "It's our hidden play, I believe with that kind of information we can check for weaknesses, hidden entrances, where the guards are and when they sleep. We can do this with small risk."

"Minimal risk." Alma corrected her, "And I don't feel confident about this. Raz, as you put it, could be a low rank lackey with useless intel."

"Not true." Said Felix, "I don't know what he is in rank, but he's important. Everywhere that Priest is, he follows."

Dimyri nodded. "He would give orders and held his own authority, look let's find out and ask."

Looking around, all eyes were on her now, awaiting for Alma to test this novel of their's. None of the others have interacted with magic before, needless to say the girls were most curious to know if this works or not. The elders and mothers, they remained where they stand however the younger cat girls were crawling in close with wide eyes watching her. Fine, she decided, no harm in testing this.

"Mm, who is Raz to Perdilius?" Alma asked, keeping the book open before turning it to face the others. Ears shot up and gasps were drawn, that was when Alma knew this book worked. Dimyri felt herself jump inside with satisfaction, the possibility that this can work kept her giddy with excitement.

Turning the book around, Alma peeked in to find its answer.

"What's that say?" Felix asked.

Nukka sighed with relief. "Goody goody, she didn't have to ask this time. Now she looks smart!"

Nyitzcha scoffed, looking up at Felix. "Ye tellin' me ye can't read?"

"It reads, Raz is Perdilius' son and second in command." Alma answered, looking up with wide eyes directed at Dimyri. "You are sure this works?"

Janette cleared her throat, grabbing Alma's attention. "I'm sure, and it's my book just to be clear."

I am nobody's book but my own.

"This certainly seems to have an attitude." Alma commented.

Nyitzcha leaned over to Felix and whispered, "Pot callin' de kettle black."

"So does this mean we are going to fight?" Asked the younger Nekomata. Alma once again felt all eyes were on her, no one would interject this time.

"Is this enough to change your minds?" She asked, looking around from mother to elder to even her son Spi'Reto who simply shrugged in return. It seems even he was unable to decide for the others, she wondered how he would react should he be their voice.

"It's... questioning. Knowledge is power." Admitted one of the more stubborn elders, much to Dimyri's relief.

"This changes things, can knowledge get us so far now? We don't have the strength of many as we once did."

"Not many, just few." Zimi spoke.

"Just a few can work, if we take the right action." Dimyri walked over to Felix. "You're creative with your tools, what can you do with that crate?"

Felix blinked as Nyitzcha tilted her head. Dimyri shook her head and kneeled down to face the dwarf. "I'm sorry, I forget your name. What is it?"

"Eh? Is Nyitzcha, n' ye say it like Neez-cha." Nyitzcha muttered. "What's n' yer mind?"

"Nekomata's have good ears, and I could hear the excitement in your voice when you were digging through some things."

"The crate. The gunpowder." Felix blinked as he began to catch on. "You want her t-"

"Ye wan' me as bomb maker?" Nyitzcha grinned as the cursed kitty smiled. "Ye wants me as specialist? It would be my pleasure haha!"

Nyitzcha hugged Felix's arm. "Guess what lad, yer gunna be helpin' yer misses in makin' bombs!"

"Bombs?" Felix looked nervous, pleading for help as Dimyri pointed at Alma and Spi'Reto.

"You two are trained archers so thats a plus, now we have range and explosives. We can break through and rescue our clutter, then tear the place down!"

"Sis! Not to be a downer in your moment but the thingy is sort of also a mountain. I don't think bombs can break that." Syri reminded her.

"Well, maybe not break it down but we can surely find a weakpoint and go through."

Zimi turned around, noticing Nukka rub her nose and sneeze. "Did you rub flowers on your face again? I told you I like the way you smell alr-"

Nukka pressed a paw over Zimi's face, her nose twitching before she sneezed. "Choo! Funny."

"What?"

"Smell, smell funny. Hurts nose." She whined, sneezing again. Zimi began to sniff the air.

"What, I smell it too."

The other Nekomata's began to follow, pointing their noses to the sky and catching an odd chemical smell.

"Yuck!" Syri groaned, making a face. "That makes my nose itch."

Janette looked puzzled, locking eyes with Felix. His yellow cat-like eyes reminded her as she too sniffed the air, wondering what she would catch. "Wait, I smell... it smells familiar. This smell is... "

Alma, Spi'Reto, Nyitzcha and the other non-Monsters were left wondering what was going on. Felix suddenly sneezed.

"Whoa, gesundheit." Nyitzcha helped Felix back up. "Wha's itchin' ya?"

"It's that smell, it's a weird smell around us." Felix groaned. "It's hurting my nose somehow."

Janette shot up on her feet, rushing over and grabbing the book away from Alma. Ignoring her reaction, Janette felt inclined to ask. It was on her mind for the past few minutes after all. "Where is Raz??"

Everyone stood quiet, even Nukka. Janette and Alma held their breathes, staring at the pages to respond. One by one, a letter fell into place until at last it answered.

"We've been discovered, this meeting has been discarded. Grab the children, Nukka!" Nukka stood up straight. "Guide them to the waterfall. Wait for me, if I am not back in thirty minutes then move on. Spi'Reto, you're in command, go with them!"

"Mother-"

"Go!" Alma snapped.

Syri reached Janette, holding her arm. "What's going on?"

"We're not safe." Janette rushed back to Felix and the others, open book in hand.