Unite and Conquer: A Royal Academy at Osyth Story

11,000-word novella. Everyone suspected Magister Baristes was abusing his graduate student, but only the cats saw what she did about it... it takes just one person to cause a problem, but a whole department to resolve it in this story of curses, contracts, and middle management.

Cover painting: 'The Cat Jury' by Chris Hadley.
Previously published in Tales of the Unanticipated 24 (2003); Honorable Mention in Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror