“What about cats?” asked Lowrance. “I mean, if the One only cast out humans from a garden created for all creation, then why are cats here and not there?”
“As His Excellency says,” the she-cat said, glaring back at the human, “if you must ask, then you will never know.”
Tobias glanced at the human, who raised an eyebrow. He turned his attention back to the she-cat. She gave him a wide smile and continued her lecture.
“Since the exodus, the world has been lost in a cycle of ever increasing violence and ugliness, most of it caused by the human dependence on magic. Then the Lord chose His Excellency and gave him a purpose: to bring humanity into union with creation and usher us all into a New Eden. Since then we’ve carefully guided our charges into leaning on our Lord’s gifts and miracles for those things we cannot do for ourselves. Life has become so much simpler and more beautiful for everyone, especially the humans living and working here.”
Tobias cast a look over his shoulder at the human lagging behind. The boy made a confused face and shrugged his shoulders. The tom looked back at the she-cat as she stepped toward a button on the wall next to a door.
“This is where our charges begin their journey, working closely with nature to grow everything we need,” she said, pushing the button.
There was the rattle of pulleys in the wall as the door opened onto a lush garden. The gray tom was in awe at the large containers of yellow trumpet shaped flowers bordering an enormous rectangle of crops in various stages of ripeness. Young children moved through the rows, pulling weeds in some places, harvesting crops elsewhere. At the far end he could just make out several fruit trees, which looked to have ladders propped against them. His jaw dropped.
“How do you grow all this? Most of these plants are out of season and the weather is growing colder.”
He turned to see the she-cat’s whiskers splayed wide.
“It’s a gift from our Lord, a miracle, if you will. Only He knows how it was created. Isn’t it wonderful?”
Tobias nodded.
“Because we grow everything we need ourselves we are assured that all students get the basic nutrition they need. We’re even able to mix the supplements they need to aid in their education.”
“Supplements?” asked Lowrance.
Janelle gave the human a pitying look, then turned her attention back to the gray tom.
“Our Lord gave the recipe to His Excellency and instructed him to carefully choose others to mix the ingredients in a prescribed way. Once a batch is complete it is added to the food.”
“Do you know what’s in the supplements?” asked Tobias.
“No,” she said, shaking her head, eyes wide in dismay, “Only the Anointed Ones may touch or know what goes into the elixir.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” said the freckle faced boy. “You wouldn’t want just any schmuck to be throwing ingredients into a bowl.”
The mottled brown and black she-cat glared at the human, who grinned in return. Tobias shifted his position, drawing her attention.
“Those flowers are beautiful. What are they called?”
“They’re called angel’s trumpets. Come and smell them.”
Janelle trotted toward a nearby container and stuck her nose in a yellow blossom. Tobias cast a glare over his shoulder at the human. Lowrance shrugged and they walked over to join the she-cat. The gray tom placed his nose in a bloom, but didn’t inhale. He’d been able to smell the sweet aroma from beyond the door, thanks to inheriting his father’s sensitive nose.
“An appropriate name, wouldn’t you agree?” asked the she-cat.
“Indeed. They are as heavenly to smell as to look upon.”
From the corner of his eyes he saw Lowrance roll his eyes. He wanted to swat the boy.
“Is there more to this unbelievable school?” Tobias asked.
“There is.”
“I can hardly wait to begin serving here.”
“I believe you’ll find your life’s journey has just begun,” the she-cat said, a gleam in her eyes. “Come. There’s still a lot to see.”
The brown and black mottled she-cat led the tom and his human friend back inside and then down a narrow staircase to a dark hallway. Tobias could hear faint crying coming from a couple closed doorways.
“These,” whispered Janelle, “are the isolation chambers.”
“What are they used for?” asked the gray tom.
“Occasionally a student acts out inappropriately, as is human nature,” she said, eyeing the freckle faced boy. “We send those students to these rooms to consider how their actions affect the rest of us.”
“For how long?” growled the boy.
The she-cat’s fur rose and her eyes narrowed to slits. The scrape of her claws on the stone floor as she unsheathed them seemed loud in the quiet hallway.
“Some longer than others. It is up to the student. If he chooses to see the error of his ways, then the stay is but an eye blink.”
Tobias paced between them, sitting in front of the she-cat and looking her in the eye. “Is this another of His Excellency’s innovations?”
Janelle blinked. She smiled at the gray tom as her fur flattened.
“Yes. Although most places still believe in corporal punishment, His Excellency has seen truth in allowing the students to face their baser selves. When they come out of the chambers they are so much better creatures than they were before.”
“So, how does it work? Are the students left to their own devices?”
“Come. Let me show you. There’s an empty room down the hall.”
As she trotted away, the tom gave his friend a warning look. The boy’s lips thinned. Tobias turned and trotted after the she-cat. They entered a small, windowless room with a single worn, wooden chair and a wooden box on a pedestal. The scent of fear had permeated the walls, making it difficult for Tobias to keep from wrinkling his nose. Janelle sat in the middle of the room, between the chair and pedestal, smiling.
“The student sits there,” she said, nodding toward the chair, “and, through another of our Lord’s miracle gifts, he can see the error of his ways from this box.”
“Amazing,” said Tobias, splaying his whiskers and widening his eyes. “Do you know how the box works?”
The she-cat shook her head and chuckled. “Only the Lord knows how His gifts work. We are but the ministers of His Way.”
“May I look closer?”
“Certainly, but do not touch, lest we incur His wrath.”
Tobias nodded and paced toward the box. He heard the shuffle of feet behind him.
“Not you,” Janelle hissed.
The gray tom glanced toward her. Seeing her heated gaze locked on the boy, the tom rolled his eyes and continued toward the box. For all intents, it looked like an ordinary box with a hinged top that latched in front. He lifted his nose and took a surreptitious sniff of the air. Moist salt with a peculiar metallic zing cascaded through his mind.
He peered around the back of the box and pedestal, seeing two small holes. He took another sniff, giving the she-cat a sidelong glance to see if she noticed. She was still glaring at the boy who had chosen to sit in the worn chair. The salty metallic scent was stronger the closer he got to the floor. He glanced down to see a lighter colored ring on the floor just behind the pedestal. The tom turned back toward the others and smiled.
“Truly amazing. I don’t suppose we could see it work?”
Janelle turned a dazzling sharp-toothed smile to him, glancing over her shoulder once at the boy.
“As much as I would like to, only His Excellency and the Annointed Ones know how to make the miracle work.”
“That’s too bad,” Lowrance said, crossing his arms and glaring at the tom.
“Indeed,” replied the she-cat, swiveling h
er gaze toward the boy.
Tobias cleared his throat. They both looked at him, making his skin tingle beneath his fur from their heated expressions. He forced his whiskers into a smile.
“I was wondering if we could continue our tour.”
“Of course,” the she-cat purred. “This way, if you please.”
The small group visited the hallways of several classrooms, though they didn’t get to listen in on any class. Janelle asserted it would be too disruptive. On a couple of occasions, they passed young men and women hurrying away with books in their hands and several times they watched lines of students march toward some unknown destination. The gray tom watched one young man hurrying away, his footsteps echoing back to them as he bounded up the stairs around the corner.
“Might I ask where he is headed? It seems the older students are always in a hurry, while the younger ones march in lines toward their destinations.”
The she-cat chuckled. “He isn’t a student. He’s a teacher. In fact, all the older humans we’ve passed in the hallways are teachers, as are some of the line leaders.”
“You let humans teach?” asked Lowrance with a snort. The brown and black cat glared at him for a moment before turning her full attention on Tobias.
“Are there any older teachers?” the tom asked. “I mean older than those we’ve seen.”
“Sadly, no. As I mentioned earlier, His Excellency found only those of a certain age had the open hearts required to learn the path to New Life. The teachers you’ve seen are graduates from our program who have elected to stay here to continue the ministry of educating the coming generations.”
“So there’s no adults, then,” Lowrance said. Janelle ignored him as they continued walking. Tobias was curious. The boy had a point. Why weren’t there adults?
“I hate to seem dull, but were full grown adults ever allowed in the school before?”
The she-cat sighed and lowered her head as she spoke.
“They were once. We tried to teach them about harmony and peace and show them better ways to live their lives, but they couldn’t accept our teachings. Their hearts were already hardened.”
“You mean there wasn’t a single adult you could teach?” Tobias asked.
“There was one, but we later found out that he fell back into his old ways. We mourned his passing.”
“His passing?”
“She means he died,” Lowrance said flatly. The gray cat looked from the human to the she-cat. Although her whiskers were clamped in disapproval, she didn’t disagree.
“What was his name, if I may ask?”
“It is in poor taste to speak of the dead, especially those who are so far from the Light,” she said, ears flattening to her head.
“Forgive me. I’m still learning.”
“Not to worry,” Janelle said, a smile brightening her face again, “You will learn in time. Come. There’s still more to see.”
The group trotted away to visit the library, stopping at the open doorway. Tobias peered around the large, book-filled room, curious what kind of cat would be head of the cavern-like space. The black and brown she-cat gave a soft trill and sat waiting near the door. A few moments later an old yellow tom poked his head out from behind a shelf of books.
“What?” he growled.
“We have new initiates. I thought you might want to meet them.”
The skinny tom glared at them for a moment, then grunted and returned to whatever he’d been doing. Janelle shrugged and turned to trot down another hallway. A few moments later they saw the cafeteria from the open doorway. The she-cat even led them past the room where remedies were mixed and the hospital wing — past their closed doors, at any rate. Tobias was beginning to wonder why they weren’t being shown the essentials of the school system.
Finally, the she-cat led them to a tiny room with a cot and a large bundle of cloth the gray tom assumed must be a nest. The room was marginally larger than a closet, its sole redeeming feature a being a narrow window at Lowrance’s chest height. He looked at the she-cat.
“This is where you will sleep. I will arrive at sunrise to escort you to your assignments. Pleasant dreams.”
She turned and pushed a button on the wall, setting the door pulleys in motion. The door closed quietly, followed by a click.
“She’s locked us in,” said Lowrance. “Or, more precisely, she’s locked me in. You just happen to be in the same room.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Tobias flicked his tail at the door, testing to see if it would open. It shuddered, but remained closed. “I guess you’re right.”
“I wonder if the other humans are locked into their rooms.”
“Given what we’ve seen so far, that’s a pretty fair assessment. She really didn’t like you, did she?” the gray tom asked, turning to grin at his partner. “Of course, you didn’t give her much reason to like you.”
“I was just playing my part, but I can honestly say the feeling was mutual. The thing is, though, I don’t think it was just me. I’m thinking no cat here likes humans.”
“So other than being hated by all feline kind, what were your first impressions?”
“They’re definitely hiding something. Why else would we be locked out of all the classrooms and other student areas and locked in our room?”
“At the same time, I’m thinking they’re proud of all the so-called miracles their lord is bestowing on them. Did you notice anything about the box in the isolation chamber?”
“I couldn’t see a whole lot of it from where I was sitting, but I did notice the chair was worn in just the right spots for straps to be used for, say, tying a student up so they can’t turn away from whatever the box does.”
“I thought maybe that might be the case. I can’t be certain, but I think there is a contraption in the box, maybe something like the crystal thing-a-ma-jig we used in the file department.”
“Here? That’s odd,” Lowrance said, rubbing his chin. Tobias grinned at the boy.
“Miss the beard, do you?”
Lowrance shrugged. “Old habits. What makes you think it’s a contraption?”
“The box was hinged on the top and had two holes in the back. When I sniffed the air I noticed that same saltwater and metal smell that the charging device on the contraption we used had. It was especially strong around a light-colored ring on the floor.”
“How big was the ring?”
“I’d say you could set a wine barrel on it perfectly.”
“That’s a very big charging device. Why would they need one that big?”
“Beats me,” Tobias said with a yawn. “Listen, we better get some sleep. Tomorrow will come early. If we get a choice, I’d like to start poking around wherever they make these supplements.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see if I can get assigned to the gardens. For a place that doesn’t seem to use magic, that place reeks of it.”
“Agreed. I’m just wondering who this lord is Janelle kept talking about. Do you suppose he stays here?”
Lowrance snorted. “To hear them talk, I’d say he only comes down from the mountains when he has no other alternative or to issue another life changing proclamation. Take your pick.”
“That may not be such a bad thing for us.”
The young man made a noncommittal grunt and rolled over on the cot. Tobias sighed when he heard soft snores coming from the other side of the room. He curled up in the nest, going over everything he’d learned and seen until sleep claimed him.
Clarence hesitated, his hand poised to knock on David’s door. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what the investigation had turned up. Yet, here he was. The old mage let his hand drop to his side, as he thought about the soft black fur and the fierce yellow gaze he missed. He swallowed hard and pushed the memories away, raising his hand again to knock
.
“I was hoping you’d show up,” said David’s voice from behind him.
Master O’dorn turned to see his friend striding toward his office, Aaron, his companion following behind with his long-legged gait. The striped wildcat gave a turtle-dove like coo in greeting as he and his partner slipped past into the office. The old mage hid a smile and followed them inside. It never ceased to amuse him that such a large cat would have such a soft way of saying hello. David tossed a folder on his desk and pointed to a large wall filled with drawings and notes that had strings crisscrossing from one to another.
“This is the mess Adele’s murder has triggered.”
“A mess?”
“What my colleague means,” the wildcat said, his Highland accent pleasantly coloring his words, “is that your companion’s entire life is a mystery and in solving that wee mystery we’ve found more loose ends than solid evidence.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“What do you know about her family?” asked David.
“They were rather poor, typical Middle District, if I remember correctly. She never really talked about them much.”
“Did you ever visit them?”
Clarence blinked in thought. They’d always spent holidays with his family when they were at the academy. He remembered asking her once if she shouldn’t at least spend some time with hers, but she’d said it was complicated and that she didn’t want to discuss it. After that they never talked about her family again. He looked back at David and shook his head. The guardian tapped the drawing of Adele in the middle of a spiderweb of strings, then traced one string to an official looking document.
“This is a declaration of birth. Most of these tell who the parents are and if there are any siblings, even if the kit or child is put up for adoption. This one gives us a birth date and location, but nothing else.”
“Took some time and a wee bit o’ strong magic to discover the document was altered.”
“What did you find out?”
“Apparently her mother was a cat with an unusual gift,” David said, “though what it was we’re not sure. Those documents are missing. That’s odd in itself, but the really strange part is that the mother disappeared and her partner was accused of killing his companion’s mate.”
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