Chai And Charmcraft – Lynn Strong

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’d hoped for that suggestion to involve more secret-whispers and fewer uninvited touches.” “I don’t mind,” Rahat said, hoping his blushes didn’t put too much of the lie to his words. “They’re adorable, both the children and the kittens.” “Kamil will want my head on a platter if ‘dash up and pat my master for treats’ spreads too far, though.”

“You,” Kamil growled at the bottom of his range, “are absolutely correct about that, ya rafiq.” “Truly, I don’t mind,” Rahat insisted to them both. “Thank you for allowing the little ones their curiosity, Kamil.” Rahat looked up at a sudden scuffling sound, just in time to discover another kitten being pushed towards him by three of her giggling age-mates. The poor darling looked to be on the verge of tears of embarrassment, and he certainly understood that feeling.

“Go on,” one of the others hissed not quite as quietly as they thought. “Ask him, Priye!” She made a tiny mew of distress. “You have to ask him!” another one gloated. “Use your words.” Rahat sighed, because bullies were bullies regardless of their size or species or courtly finery. “Would you like a sweet, my dear?” She nodded a little, trembling. “She has to ask,” the tallest of them declared, tailtip twitching.

“Well, that won’t be a problem! We have certainly established the now- traditional method,” Rahat reminded them, a bit rueful. (He would be hearing Kamil complain about how difficult it was to guard a body that didn’t want to be guarded, for weeks if not months.

And it didn’t take much talent for prophecy to see that coming either, he thought; it just took knowing Kamil. But Rahat was not about to let the bullies win, not when the cost was only one more little hit to his already well-battered dignity, or his lack thereof.) He beckoned her closer with his brightest smile and inviting hands, until she took a couple little steps forward and offered him hers.

Gently, he took her hand and patted his belly just as the other children had. Then he turned her hand over and kissed the palm, before curling her little fingers around one of the rose-sweets. “There, ya habibti. Perfectly well asked.” It was rare for someone to truly startle him. His foresight usually handled that with seething future-shadows and warning-flares at the corner of his eyes. But this little brindle kitten was nothing at all like a threat, and so he had no warning when she flung herself into his arms and rubbed her cheek against his, vibrating with purrs.

Copyright © 2024 by Lynn Strong All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Lynn Strong asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. First edition This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com 1kitap1.com/en Contents A Quick Introduction The Walk of Chance More Tales of the Catsprowl About the Author 1kitap1.com/en T A Quick Introduction his excerpt takes place immediately after the events of “Rahat al- Hulqum,” published by Wyngraf Magazine in their Valentines Special 2024 edition.

For those new to this world, Tel-Bastet is a bustling medieval metropolis something like Cairo, like Agra, like Alexandria with its Great Library still unburned, and like what the actual Tel-Basta/Per-Bast/Bubastis might have been if it had lasted about a thousand years longer, into approximately the 12th to 16th centuries CE. Oh, and also if the ancient Egyptian murals and sculptures of bejeweled and silk-swathed cat-headed people were less “artistic license” and more “local gossip column and/or Instagram reel.”

Magic is real here, at least three cultures and languages mingle on the streets and rooftops, and it never hurts to be extra respectful to any cat you meet. Because you probably can’t tell whether you’re talking to an ordinary alley-cat, a sentient catfolk who might suddenly change into a six-foot-tall cat- headed person, or an actual cat-goddess. Most cats enjoy being worshiped, after all, so a little extra chin-scritching goes a long way.

And so, once upon a time… 1kitap1.com/en H The Walk of Chance is Imperial Highness Nur-ul-Shuruq Faraj al-Nadhir had never previously awakened at the first gleam of dawn with a cat walking across his face and meowing into his ear. “Wha – huh –?

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 52e775b53cf571d9
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,439,196 bytes (1.373 MB)
• Title: –
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• Pages: 32
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 33.43 minutes
• Total Words: 6,686
• Total Characters: 38,443
• Average Words per Page: 208.94
• Average Characters per Page: 1201.34

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