Journeyman Cat

by Virginia Ripple

  “I give you my word that whoever has done this deed shall pay with his life.”

  They stared at each other a moment more, the hair along the young tom’s spine standing up in a ridge, then the black beast turned and sauntered away.

  The room felt stuffy, too many people. Toby wished he could tell them all to go away. He didn’t need the constant reminder that his mother was dead. He just wanted to be left alone for awhile.

  “Wanna get outta here?” asked a familiar voice.

  The young tom turned to see his old friend pacing toward him. The tabby tom hadn’t changed much from the academy, except he now had a tonsured head. Toby couldn’t help grinning.

  “Get in an argument with a razor?” he asked.

  Terence pretended to swat him, then returned his grin.

  “You’re just jealous. Come on. You look like you could use some fresh air.”

  The two cats trotted out the back door of the small temple kitchen and into the crisp autumn air of the garden. Terence nosed a winter rose.

  “Needs prunin’,” he said.

  “I see you haven’t forgotten about being a garden cat.”

  The gray and white tabby smiled and continued walking down the short path.

  “Still think it’s a good idea. I just gotta new partner in it, s’all.”

  “Whose your partner?” asked Toby, surprised.

  Terence had dropped out of the academy’s loner training program after discovering his mentor, Chivato, had been responsible for near genocide. He’d chosen a life of service in the Brotherhood instead of a life as a magic wielding cat. As far as the orange tom knew, Brother cats didn’t partner up, though Brother Jason and Brother Yannis had. The gray and white cat looked up. Toby followed his gaze, seeing a few puffy white clouds race against a clear blue sky. He looked back at his friend.

  “The sun?”

  Terence’s whiskers splayed wide. “Some call Him that. Most of us just call Him the One.”

  Toby’s whiskers twitched. He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about that subject just now. They walked on in silence. The orange tom’s mind kept returning to what Terence had alluded to. He couldn’t keep it in anymore.

  “How can you serve a deity who allows things like this to happen?”

  Terence sat down, staring at his friend for several moments. He cocked his head to the side.

  “I know where you are,” the tabby said, softly. “I’ve been there, asked the same questions. You’re wondering how a benevolent, all-powerful being could let your mother die in such a horrible way. Where was the One while she was suffering. And what about everyone else? You’ve probably seen some awful things during your journeyman missions, am I right?”

  The tom glared at the ground, then looked away in the distance. How many ragged children had he seen in the various outlying areas of the provinces? How many abandoned houses, a large red X staining the front door to announce it a house of plague victims? Adele had just been one victim among many. He turned a heated gaze back on his friend.

  “There isn’t a simple answer, I’m afraid,” said Terence. “It begins with freedom of choice for all the One’s creations and ends with the One’s desire for our hearts and not a sense of duty.”

  “That’s no answer,” Toby growled.

  “No it’s not. It’s a beginnin’, not an end.”

  “You sound like Brother Yannis. He told me a story last time instead of helping me figure out if I should use mother as a test subject for the plague remedy.”

  Toby glared at the gray and white tom. Terence smiled.

  “Did you come to a decision?”

  “Yeah, no thanks to him.”

  The young tabby shook his head, still smiling. “Toby, the answers we seek don’t always come in brilliant flashes or tied up in pretty Solstice packages. If I’ve learned anythin’ from Brother Yannis it’s that the answers come when we turn a corner or start a new chapter in life and sometimes we won’t see the answers we seek until this journey has ended.”

  “That’s rather bleak.”

  Terence shrugged. “That’s life. Just ‘cause it’s short doesn’t mean we have to be gloomy, though. We have a lot to be thankful for.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, like for right now, you still have Master O’dorn and your partner to help you weather this time.”

  Toby stared at his paws. Try as he might, he couldn’t disagree with the tabby. He glanced up through his eye whiskers.

  “Does that mean you’re backing out of being my friend?”

  Terence frowned at the orange tom. “That depends.”

  Toby looked up in surprise. “On what?”

  “You gonna come visit me sometime?”

  The orange tom grinned. “The first chance I get.”

  “So that’ll be sometime during the Beloved’s Second Arrival. It’s a date.”

  Toby swatted at his friend, who ducked and raced away.

  The next morning weak morning light filtered in through the window, leaving most of the room in shadows. Toby looked up from Master O’dorn’s worn-out, overstuffed chair and yawned as the old mage shuffled into his workroom with a steaming mug of spiced tea.

  “Good morning,” said Toby, arching his back in a spine-popping stretch.

  Master O’dorn jumped, slopping some tea onto the floor. The young cat licked his ruff to hide his amusement. It was a rare thing for him to be able to startle his old friend. The man turned to stare at him, raising an eyebrow.

  “I couldn’t sleep in there.”

  “Not surprising,” the mage said, nodding and placing his cup on the enormous work table. He looked toward the fireplace, added one more log, and said the incantation to set them to a cheery blaze.

  “You may have a fine winter coat, young friend, but these old bones need something a bit more to warm them.”

  The orange tom smiled and jumped to the hearth. He didn’t mind having a fire to curl up by either. The old mage lowered himself into his chair and looked at his empty hands. He looked up toward where he had left his teacup and then back at Toby.

  “Seems I’m getting forgetful in my old age,” he said with a rueful smile. The man squinted at the cup and quirked a finger at it. The cup rose from the table and floated into his hands. He wrapped his thin fingers around it and brought it to his nose, breathing in the steam rising from the hot liquid. A moment later he took a cautious sip. It was a morning ritual Toby had seen many times growing up, the master’s way of gradually becoming one with the day. The old mage gazed at the young tom for several moments.

  “Actually, it’s quite fortuitous that you happen to be here. I wanted to talk to you about something that may have to do with your mother’s death.”

  The young tom’s ears swiveled forward, alert to every whisper his old friend might make.

  “I know you’ve been told she was murdered, but has anyone told you how?”

  Toby shook his head, hardly daring to breath. He wanted to know, but was afraid of what he would be told. Master O’dorn stared into his teacup.

  “Someone came here while I was away for a council meeting. Your mother stayed home because she was ill. I thought it would be better for her to recuperate here rather than endure the relative hardship of traveling.”

  The mage stared out the window, averting his face from the young cat’s gaze. “I should have let her come with me,” he whispered.

  Toby padded forward, rose on his hindquarters and placed a soft paw on the old man’s knee. The mage looked down at him, a sad smile on his face. He reached down a trembling hand to stroke the tom’s head. When he placed his thin fingers around his cup again, Toby sat back down.

  “I was in my friend’s office when Yedidah came to tell me she’d been murdered. Thank the One t
hat David is a no-nonsense guardian. It was his idea to come back straight away to investigate. What we found was… she was….”

  A tear trickled down Master O’dorn’s cheek, splashing into his tea. Toby’s heart ached. He had lost his mother, but Terence was right. He had his friends. He chirped, his voice catching at the end. The old man smiled down at him again.

  “Your mother taught you that little trick. She always did that when my mind would wander in the middle of telling her something,” he said with a chuckle. He looked down into his tea again, nodding to himself. The mage straightened and looked back at the young tom, his expression hardening.

  “She fought well. If her contraption hadn’t been overturned somehow, I imagine she might have even won. But that isn’t the reason I wanted to talk to you, Toby. The assailant left behind a message I think means as much to you as to anyone.”

  Master O’dorn set his cup floating in the air and reached into a pocket in his dressing gown. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

  “It’s not the original,” he said, flattening the paper on his knee. “I let David keep that to enter into evidence. He doesn’t know how successful he’ll be in getting permission to investigate Adele’s murder further. As I’m sure you’ve figured out, things at the OKG aren’t always as they seem.”

  Toby wanted to hiss. He’d guessed something was going on, but he could never be sure. All their pointless missions and their recent reprimand leaped to mind. He stared at the paper Master O’dorn was holding out for him to read. He raised his eyes to the old mage.

  “This is from Moriel, but what does it mean?”

  “David and I think that, while you were doing your “routine follow-up,” you rattled someone’s cage.”

  The young cat’s ears flattened in dismay. “You mean I got mother killed?”

  The old man shook his head. “No, Toby. We’re not placing the blame on you. Adele and I have been the loudest voices against shutting down the public schools in favor of using the temple schools. No, more likely we started the fire and your actions inadvertently fanned the flames.”

  The young tom’s whiskers drooped. He had no idea his mother would pay for his questions. It wasn’t right. If they wanted him to stop searching for the truth about his father, they should have come after him. But what did his search have to do with closing the public schools? An idea formed in his thoughts.

  “Maybe that school in the hills is hiding more than I thought. This all seems to center around it. One of our interviewees told us about a little boy he believed was abused at the school and that he had seen a large black tom being taken in a cage to the same school. Do you think that Father Hanif hired an assassin to scare me away?”

  Master O’dorn sat back in his chair, sending his cup floating back toward the work table.

  “I’m not convinced it was him. I think he’s a pawn in a much larger game.”

  “You mean like Chivato? All this time we’ve been trying to track down terrorist activities as if he was the leader. We’ve been trying to eradicate all the little groups he supposedly set in motion. What if he was just a lieutenant? What if the real terrorist is still out there making plans? Is that what you’re getting at?”

  “Brilliant deduction, my boy. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  Toby thought back to his last conversation with his mother. He could still see the fear in her eyes.

  “I think mother knew who it is. I think that was the big secret she was so afraid to share.”

  The mage nodded his head. “That’s what I’ve been thinking, too. Unfortunately, we may never know.”

  “So what do we do now?”

  The old mage smiled and narrowed his eyes. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

  Chapter 5

  A few days later a skinny, freckle-faced boy and a fluffy gray tom cat knocked on the New Life temple door. A mottled brown and black she-cat opened the door, and greeted the two with a smile.

  “Welcome, brothers. How may we assist you in your life journey?”

  The gray tom’s whiskers twitched. “We were told there were opportunities to serve the One here at the school. My friend and I have traveled a great distance on a pilgrimage to find our purpose and we heard the master of this temple knows of an enduring path that changes lives. We’ve come to serve and to learn at the master’s feet.”

  The she-cat smiled and nodded. “Wait here,” the she said, then disappeared behind the door. The freckled boy leaned down toward the tom.

  “Laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?” he whispered.

  The cat’s tail jumped and was still. “If it gets us in, I’ll jump around and sing hallelujah at the top of my lungs. Besides you should hear Hanif talk about his lord.”

  “Something tells me its a good thing we did the transformation spell instead of a simple illusion. You may just have to do that.”

  The large temple door opened again to reveal the mottled brown and black cat with a larger brown tabby tom. The boy leaped to his feet, smiling awkwardly at the tabby’s frown.

  “Greetings. We are Father Hanif. Our servant, Janelle, has told Us that you wish to be a part of Our mission. We regret that all Our teaching positions are filled at present—”

  The gray cat made a deep bow, casting a sidelong glance at the human beside him. The boy’s eyebrows shot up for a moment, but then he lowered himself to his knees, mimicking the tom.

  “Your Excellency, it is an honor to finally meet you. We have heard nothing but praise for your works with the children of this school. It humbles us that you would deign come to this door to speak to lowly creatures such as ourselves. Please do not send us out of your light. We would gladly sweep the crumbs from beneath your table and feast upon them if only to stay within your most glorious presence.”

  The tom chanced a quick look at the tabby. Hanif puffed his chest out and raised his chin, enjoying the praise the young cat was slathering on. He forced his whiskers to keep from twitching in amusement, though he wanted to laugh.

  “My son, We are but a Servant to His Lord. It is clear you have a heart desiring His changes upon your life. We cannot turn one away who truly desires to serve Him above all else. Arise, my son.”

  Jackpot. The gray cat sat up, keeping his eyes on the tabby’s paws. He held his breath for a moment, wondering if the human would stand up, too. When he didn’t, the tom exhaled silently. He watched Hanif’s paws turn to walk away.

  “Janelle, please give Our new aides the general tour and help them settle into their sleeping chambers.”

  The young cat looked at Janelle. She smiled and flicked her tail for them to follow, then turned away. He nudged the human, motioning him to grabbed the rumpled bag beside him and hurried after the she-cat.

  “I’m Tobias,” he said. “This is Lowrance.”

  “Blessings upon you and your friend. Welcome to the New Life Temple and School. I’m sure you’ll find fulfillment here amongst our various programs.”

  “We were told this is a wonderful school, but not much about the specific programs. What do you do here that’s so different from the other schools?”

  “It’s not so much the programs themselves,” Janelle said, “as the driving theology behind everything. His Excellency is a visionary.”

  “How so?”

  They paused at a cross hall as a line of young humans marched down it. Tobias craned his neck to see where they were going. They disappeared into a room on the left, the door snapping shut behind them. He turned to ask the she-cat what class they had been heading to and discovered she was already trotting away in the opposite direction. The tom raced to catch up, Lowrance on his heels. She was still talking, though he couldn’t understand what she was saying.

  “I’m sorry I missed that bit. You were saying?”

  The she-cat stopped and
frowned at him. “It’s best not to dawdle.”

  “My apologies. I’m just so overwhelmed at being allowed to serve His Excellency I want to take it all in at once.”

  Tobias held his tail as still as he could. It was the one thing that always gave away his lies. The she-cat continued to frown, then sighed.

  “I can see where that would be true, but you really must keep up,” she said, casting a disapproving glance at Lowrance. She turned and smiled at the gray cat, flicking her tail again for them to follow. Tobias looked up at the human, who frowned. Together they continued to walk with Janelle, the gray tom keeping pace beside her while Lowrance walked a step behind.

  “As I was saying, His Excellency is a visionary. It was his vision that brought this school up from the failure it had become.”

  “What made it a failure?”

  “We were trying to reach every soul instead of those whose hearts were fertile for the Lord’s teachings. Once His Excellency took control, under our Lord’s guidance, of course, we began to see marked improvement among the students.”

  They passed several silent doorways as Father Hanif’s aide spoke. Tobias was surprised not to hear more than the occasional scratching of pen upon paper. He wondered if these rooms were for the teachers.

  “How are students selected for the school?”

  The she-cat stopped and stared at the gray tom, blinking. “One’s heart must be fertile to receive instruction.”

  “Of course,” said Tobias, “Forgive me. I’m not always clear in what I mean. What I meant to ask is, is there an interview process or some other means His Excellency has to see into a potential’s heart?”

  Janelle nodded and smiled. “Indeed there was, but he has since discovered that only those under a certain age have a heart open enough to understand what it will mean to be a part of the New Eden.”

  “New Eden?”

  “Oh yes. In the ancient texts of the Book of the One, it is written that humans were created by the One, but they chose to be wicked and, with great sadness, the One had to cast them out of the beautiful garden prepared for all creation.”