Journeyman Cat

by Virginia Ripple

  “What happened to him?”

  “Killed on his way to trial.”

  “How?”

  “Official account is mob mentality.”

  “Unofficially?”

  “Story is that someone, most likely the mother, charged up the crowd somehow,” the guardian said. “They rushed the guards, beat them senseless, then tore the partner limb from limb.”

  “Poor laddie didn’t have a chance.”

  Clarence grimaced at the mental image, staring at the wall of unanswered questions. He thought he knew his partner well, but now he wondered just how much of her life she kept from him. He stared at the drawing of his friend.

  “So with Adele’s father dead, her mother on the run and her mother’s companion also dead, who raised her?”

  “Like all bairn’s with no living relatives,” Aaron said, “she was sent to an orphanage.”

  “But not alone.”

  “I always thought she was an only kit,” the old mage said, raising an eyebrow.

  David shook his head and pointed to a drawing of a cat’s silhouette. “She had a sibling, but we don’t know who that was.”

  “Was?”

  The guardian traced another string from the silhouette to another sheet of paper. “This is a death certificate for that unknown cat.”

  “Also altered.”

  “In fact,” David said, waving a hand to encompass the entire wall and its numerous papers, “just about every document we’ve found relating to Adele has been altered.”

  “Who would do that?”

  “A very good question,” the wildcat said. “And on the heels of that is why?”

  “At this point we’re assuming it wasn’t Adele, which leaves the mysterious sibling. Whoever this cat is, he or she has some pull in some pretty high places. Not just anyone can access these records.”

  “How does this all tie into the murder?”

  “We’re not sure. It’s all conjecture right now, but it’s probable that whoever killed your companion is pretty high up on the food chain.”

  Clarence’s gaze strayed to a drawing of a bright orange tom. Goosebumps crawled over his skin, raising the hair on the back of his neck.

  “And Toby is in his sights.”

  Chapter 6

  Lowrance groaned and tried to roll away from the stick prodding his side. Something furry smacked his face and a buzzing assaulted his ears. He shoved the furry mass sitting on his chest, but it didn’t budge. Slowly the buzzing turned into words as his mind woke up.

  “Wake up. She’s gonna be here any minute.”

  She? Who she? His memory cleared. His eyes flew open as he sat up on the cot, dislodging Tobias from his chest.

  “About time you woke up,” said the gray tom.

  “Sorry. Been a long time since we had a real assignment.”

  A moment later, there was a click at the door as the lock was disengaged. The door swung open to reveal the she-cat and another, older female cat. The older cat’s fur was so short it looked non-existent, giving her a skeletal appearance. The hair on the back of the boy’s neck rose as the feline turned her blue gaze on him.

  “He’ll do,” she said in a raspy voice.

  The she-cat turned and walked away. When he didn’t follow, she looked over her shoulder and hissed. Lowrance glanced at his partner and pushed himself off the cot, stumbling out the door. He opened his mouth to ask where she was taking him, then thought better of it. Wherever it was, he’d know soon enough. He kept his head down, sneaking glances to the right and left as he walked. They stopped at a junction of hallways near a classroom. The door was open for a change. The boy glanced at his escort, seeing that she was watching a group of students march down the hall, then leaned back to look into the room. Several rows of children sat at attention in straight backed chairs, facing an older youth and a cat. He could just hear the cat’s voice, and could tell by the strident tones that the older youth was receiving a dressing down. The youth stood ramrod straight, staring out the door. Lowrance gave him a sympathetic smile. The boy made no response.

  “This way,” growled the she-cat at Lowrance’s feet.

  He looked into her narrowed eyes and then cast his gaze to the floor. Down a flight of stairs and through several more hallways, they walked, stopping at a set of double doors Lowrance recognized. The she-cat pushed the button to open the way to the gardens and the freckled boy heaved a sigh of relief. He wanted to know what was going on in the isolation chambers, true enough, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to face it strapped to a chair. He had a feeling he could scream all he wanted, but no one would come to his aid.

  “Ah, Mother Hazel,” said a burly yellow tom sauntering up to them, “bringing us a new recruit?”

  “Janelle says this one’s feisty.”

  The yellow tom paced around the boy, sniffing the air.

  “He smells a bit odd, but no matter. If he’s got some fight in him, he’ll soon work it out here. Thank you, Mother.”

  The old she-cat nodded and left. Lowrance stared at the yellow tom sitting in front of him. The cat gave him a feral grin.

  “So, let me tell you what I see. I see a young boy whose mother coddled him while his father tried to make a man out of him. You’re angry that you’ve been sent here and you’ll do just about anything to get out.”

  “You’re half right,” he muttered.

  The cat’s whiskers splayed wider. His eyes narrowed.

  “You got some meat on your bones, boy, so I know you can handle a bit ‘o work. Let’s see how you do at the trough.”

  “What’s that?” Lowrance asked suspiciously.

  “You see that wheel?” The tom pointed into the distance with his tail. The boy shaded his eyes and peered toward a large wooden wheel that was turning. He looked back at the yellow tom, as he continued his explanation. “It brings water up from the well and dumps it into a large trough. From there lads such as yourself carry it in buckets to the various gardens.”

  “Sounds easy enough.”

  The tom chuckled. “Oh it’s simple, but I’ll let you decide tonight when you fall onto your cot if it’s easy.”

  Several hours later a bell announced lunch time. Lowrance placed his buckets down next to the others and massaged his shoulders. He straightened when the yellow tom walked by, sneering.

  “Take your seats,” bellowed the tom.

  The other students dropped where they were without a word, each sitting as ramrod straight as the students he’d seen earlier in the classroom. Lowrance did his best to sit up, but found his back muscles screamed in protest. A young girl carried a tray of bread toward them followed by another with a tray of mugs. The students took one of each and proceeded to eat methodically.

  A bird twittered somewhere high above the garden area. The freckled boy smiled at the girls carrying the trays and took his lunch and drink from them. They stared through him, moving on to the next person once he had his food and drink in hand.

  He looked closely at the bread. It was speckled with green herbs. He bit into it. It tasted just like the bread the cooks back home made. Lowrance shrugged and gulped the liquid in the mug. If he hadn’t seen the yellow tom’s eyes on him at that moment he would have spit it out. While it wasn’t unpleasant, it had a distinct grass-like flavor to it. He ate another bite of bread to rid himself of the aftertaste.

  He watched the tom for a moment more, lifting the mug to his closed lips and smelling the contents. There was a hint of flowers. Placing the mug on the grass beside himself, he considered the possibility that it was just cold herbal tea, something he’d heard some farmers used to refresh themselves after a hard day’s work. He couldn’t be sure where they put the drug, in the food or the drink, though the grass-flavored liquid would be his guess.

  He looked
back at the bread. He’d need to keep his strength up, but he didn’t dare eat all of it. As he took another bite of the bread, he pondered what to do with the rest. Bits of it crumbled away in his hand, giving him an idea. He would eat half and drop the rest in small bits around the garden. If anyone questioned him he could say he was a messy eater.

  The end of lunch bell clanged and the students stood, mugs in hand. Lowrance glanced toward the yellow tom, then reached to grab his mug, purposely knocking it over and spilling the rest of the liquid. He quickly picked it up and stood like the others to place the mug on the young girl’s tray as she walked past. As soon as his hands were free, he bent down and picked up his buckets again to start hauling water to the other gardens. The work was mind numbing.

  As he dumped his water in the smaller troughs running along the rows of plants, Lowrance glanced around at his fellow workers. There were no smiles, but neither were there frowns, or even grimaces of pain. It was odd. So many young people and not a word spoken between them.

  He looked to where the yellow tom was walking between two smaller garden plots. Beyond him there were several other cats stationed equal distance from each other outside the garden proper. The boy wondered what they would do if the students led an uprising. He’d yet to see any cat here use magic. He looked up at the sky. Still, there was a magical shield keeping this garden at a perfect growing temperature.

  “No rain falls from this sky, boy, and the plants won’t water themselves. Better get back to work,” the yellow tom shouted from where he stood two plots away. Lowrance glared at him, picking up his buckets to return to the watering trough. The cat grinned back, his tail twitching.

  As the day wore on, the boy continued to watch his fellow workers and the surrounding cats. Finally, the end of day bell rang. Lowrance set his buckets down with a groan and stretched his back. He followed the other workers toward the line forming at the double door entrance. Another young boy fell into step beside him. Lowrance glanced around, seeing that none of the cats were paying him any mind. He decided to take a chance.

  “Hey,” he whispered.

  The boy stared straight ahead. Lowrance glanced around again, then dipped his head a little closer to the boy’s ear.

  “Hey. What’s your name?”

  The boy turned a blank stare at him. He blinked twice, then a smile crept across his lips.

  “I am Adam.”

  The freckled boy smiled in return, considered offering his hand to shake, then thought better of it. It might draw the unwanted attention of the cats.

  “I’m Lowrance.”

  The younger boy stared and smiled, still walking toward the line, reminding him of a marionette he’d seen in a carnival show. Goosebumps crawled down Lowrance’s arms.

  “What do you think of all this work? Pretty exhausting, isn’t it?”

  “We work for the glory of our Lord. May His blessings shine down on us and His wrath be forever turned away.”

  With that, the young boy turned his head to stare straight ahead, the smile still plastered to his face, as they marched out the double doors. Lowrance glanced at the yellow tom, sitting by the doors, as he marched by. The cat’s feral grin burned itself into his memory.

  Tobias watched his friend be led away by the strange hairless looking she-cat. He looked at Janelle and waited.

  “Don’t worry. He’ll be with his own kind, as it should be.”

  The brown and black mottled she-cat motioned for him to follow her. They trotted away in the opposite direction. She smiled at him.

  “His Excellency has chosen a fine ministry for you,” she chirped.

  “May I ask what it is?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “You may.”

  He glanced at her when she said nothing else. Her whiskers were splayed wide, her tail straight and vibrating. He almost laughed at her playfulness as they continued to trot down another hallway.

  “Okay, what is it?”

  “The same ministry I had when I first came here,” she said, grinning.

  “And that was?”

  They rounded another corner. The doors to the library loomed in front of them. Tobias stopped in the doorway as Janelle trotted on in. She stopped and looked back at him, a confused look on her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Tobias made a show of looking around as if searching for a trap.

  “Is he in there?” he whispered.

  “Who?”

  “The librarian. Is he in there?”

  “Harold? Of course he is. Why?”

  The tom slunk forward, eyes darting around.

  “He seemed rather unfriendly the last time we came by.”

  The she-cat’s eyes widened, her whiskers spreading into a cat grin again. She ducked her head and licked her ruff. When she looked back at the tom, compassion shown in her eyes.

  “He’s not as bad as all that. He’s a bit grumpy, but otherwise he’s harmless. I think you’ll like him. Come on. Lets go see him together.”

  The young tom nodded slowly. He stayed close to her, their fur brushing against each other, as they wandered through the book stacks looking for Harold. When they found him, he was tail deep in open books. The two young cats sat and waited quietly. The librarian ignored them. Janelle cleared her throat. The library cat put his paw on a page of one of the books and looked up to glare at them.

  “Yes? What is it?”

  “I’ve brought you a new helper.”

  The querulous old tom swiveled his glare to Tobias, who tried to shrink down as small as a kitten.

  “Won’t do,” he said, returning to his reading.

  “But he’s bright.”

  The old tom looked up from his book again. Janelle leaned forward.

  “He asked many intelligent questions during our tour yesterday.”

  The old cat’s golden gaze snapped to the young tom.

  “Did he now?”

  His eyes narrowed further as he stared at the gray cat. Tobias sat as still as he could, his mind flashing to another cat, a queen, who had been able to pierce him with the same golden stare. For a moment he felt like a kit again, trying to please the queen and failing miserably. He blinked and the memory was gone. Janelle shifted from foot to foot beside him.

  “Yes. I think he could be a real asset to our ministry.”

  The old tom’s tail tip thumped against an open book.

  “And what does His Excellency think?”

  The she-cat glanced from Tobias and back to Harold. Her whiskers twitched and stilled.

  “He has chosen this as a suitable ministry for him.”

  “I see,” said the old tom, still pinning the gray cat with his stare. “It appears I have no choice.”

  The two toms stared at each other, the silence stretching between them. The cantankerous old cat growled and bared his teeth, making Tobias think he was about to spring over the books at him.

  “Go make yourself useful. Grab a duster and dust the books in the back.”

  “Thanks, Harold,” chirped Janelle.

  The old tom grunted and went back to his reading. The she-cat turned and led the way toward the back, Tobias trotting low behind her.

  “Is he always like that?” he whispered.

  “Grumpy?”

  “I thought he was going to tear my ears off.”

  Janelle chuckled and shook her head, pointing with her tail at a rack of feather dusters.

  “Just do what he says and you’ll be fine. He’ll warm up to you eventually.”

  Tobias gave her a disbelieving look.

  “You’ll have to trust me on this. I’ve known Harold for some time.”

  “I guess I’ll have to.”

  The she-cat smiled at him.

  “Someone w
ill come by with a lunch tray when the lunch bell rings. A final bell will ring this evening to let you know when the day’s work is done. Think you can find your way back to your room from here?”

  The young cat nodded. Janelle blinked at him, her whiskers wide, then trotted away. Tobias stared at the feather dusters, considering what Janelle had said during their tour about magic being the root of the world’s evil. They hadn’t seen anyone using magic and every door they’d come to used a pulley system instead of being opened with the flick of a tail.

  Deciding not to chance drawing attention to himself he picked up a duster in his mouth and headed to the back of the library to begin dusting. He gazed at the towering bookshelves, wondering what would be the best way to tackle this job. Top to bottom, he decided. He peered down the aisle, locating the cat-sized stairway leading to the top shelf.

  He swung his head from side to side, applying the duster to the layers of accumulation. The dust rose in a small cloud around his face. His sneeze echoed through the silent library. His gaze darted around, looking for the surly old tom, waiting for a shouted warning to be quiet. Nothing happened. He perked his ears forward, listening intently. He heard the turn of a page and nothing else.

  Tobias sighed and looked toward the floor. There, looking like a tiny bird, was the feather duster. The young tom growled and bounded down the stairs to retrieve it. He was on his way to climb back up when he noticed the condition of the books on the lowest shelf were the same as those he’d begun dusting. He turned to inspect them closer, dropping the feather duster in the process. He rubbed a paw across the top of the books, coming away with a thick layer of dust. He peered into the dark recesses behind the books, expecting them to be chained to the shelf like all but the ones at the High Temple Library and the library at the academy were. Nothing. Not a chain, not a clasp.

  He heard Harold cough and glanced toward the end of the aisle. The old tom was glaring at him. Tobias snatched up the duster and raced up the stairs to get back to work. He felt the old cat’s gaze on him for some time as he continued swinging the duster back and forth, holding his breath as he dusted. He gasped for air as he walked further down the shelf to start on the next section. Still thinking about the unchained books below, he peered behind the ones he was about to clean. No chains there either. Lots of dust, but no chains.