With time slipping away, saving the universe takes bravery...and cats.

Learning to intermix her regular life with her new, destined life as a guardian of universal knowledge, Erica Randal studies hard, trains hard, and manages the two distinctly different parts of her day-to-day. She's even getting used to her new cohort of cats, though the tension between her and the leader of her cats, Galahad, leaves her edgy. Getting used to the fact that Galahad has a human form, and that she finds that human form...compelling, makes their new living situation fraught.

But even with that, Erica has accepted her new life, her new family. Accepted her fate. Even enjoys the training. What she really craves now, though... Her first chance to retrieve one of the books she and her aunt are fated to protect.

So when the opportunity finally arises, Erica jumps at the chance. A retrieval that leads her and her cats into a dangerous desert adventure. A confrontation with deadly magic. And time running out for all of them...

Author's Note: This story is also published in the collection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND JESTERS BELLS.