Лейси Дери - Leger's Foe

*****

‘So, basically Joe, our seagull friend is here to mediate,’ Leger told Lily.

He had brought her for backup, although when they spoke about it they didn’t mention the fact that travelling to the loch in pairs was about protecting either one of them. They just said that it would be good to have someone else there for company.

‘Kevin!’ Joe announced. ‘Leger has a plan.’

‘Yes, basically what I want to happen is to give you the title that the human you killed had. His name was Gibby the Cat Killer. If you have this reputation, and you’ve earned that by seeing off someone who was viewed as an enemy of cats, you’re automatically feared by the feline community.’

Kevin looked at Joe, then back at Leger. ‘But he didn’t actually kill any cats. He loved animals.’

‘That doesn’t matter,’ Leger dismissed. ‘The most important thing is reputation. Your son has already sown the seed by telling Massingham, the grey cat with the loose collar, that you killed a human. Now, you’ll inherit his supposed title.’

Kevin appeared to think this over for a moment. He then looked at Joe, who nodded his head up and down to signal that he thought it was a good idea.

‘Alright. Tell your clowder that I am, from this day forward, to be known as Gibby the Cat Killer. My family can still call me Kevin, can’t they?’

‘Oh yes!’ Leger agreed. Lily nodded too.

Kevin spread his wings wide and lifted his beak proudly. ‘Go! And don’t come near this loch again. Unless you’re bringing Iain home. He does like to wander into your garden.’

‘Of course. Thank you, Joe, for mediating. And I think we can have a satisfactory, albeit distant relationship between the cats and the swans now.’

‘Don’t get too carried away. Just go before I change my mind,’ Kevin spat.

‘Let’s go,’ Lily hissed. ‘Don’t want to push our luck.’

‘Indeed,’ Leger said.

As the pair walked away, Leger took one final look at Iain who was sitting in the reeds, adjusting his wings. He seemed to balance rather well despite his disability. Leger couldn’t blame Kevin for wanting to protect his little son. He looked so small and fragile and who knew how his wing would develop as he aged. It was possible he might not be able to fly. To take care of him, without the help of Iain’s mother, must have been difficult and stressful.

Iain noticed Leger looking back at him and waved his wing. Leger smiled and winked back. Even though he had a borderline hostile relationship with the cygnet’s father, Leger suspected that as Iain grew into a cob, the pair of them would be firm friends.

*****

Leger will return in Leger’s Dream

Coming September 2015

First edition

Copyright © Sharon Milligan June 2015

First published as an eBook in June 2015

Cover image copyright © Uniimages

Sharon Milligan, using the pseudonym Lacey Dearie, has asserted her right under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of the work and creator of the characters.

This is a work of fiction. The plot and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons or animals, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Lacey Dearie’s Available Books

Leger – Cat Sleuth #1

Leger’s Curiosity #2

Leger’s Eyes #3

Leger’s Winter #4

Leger’s Gift #5

Leger’s Love #6

Leger’s Sidekick #7

Leger’s Island #8

Leger’s Secret #9

Leger’s City #10

Leger’s Reunion #1

Leger’s Lights #2

Leger’s Miracle #3

Leger’s Clowder #1

Leger’s Son #2

Leger’s Fear #3

Leger’s Foe #4

The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries Vol. 1-3

The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries Vol. 4-6

The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries Vol. 7-9

The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries Vol. 1-5

The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries Vol. 6-10

The Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries Vol. 1-10

The Leger Cat Sleuth Christmas Trilogy

The Tangled Web

Cherry Lips

Baked!

Omelette On The Rampage

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Alex and Luke for support during the creative process,

Thanks to Poseidon and Neptune for helping me chill,

To James Z, as always, for his inspirational tweets.

About The Author

Lacey Dearie is a writer from Ayrshire in Scotland. She lives with her husband, four year old son and small family of pets.

When she’s not writing, she studies perfumery and spends a lot of time taking pictures for her Instagram account or working on her personal blog.

Lacey loves to hear from her readers and can be reached on the following:

Twitter: @laceydearie

Facebook: www.facebook.com/laceydearie

Instagram: Instagram.com/laceydearie

Join the mailing list by sending a blank email to: laceydearieauthor@gmail.com with the subject “Mailing List”