Journeyman Cat

by Virginia Ripple

  “I don’t suppose you have any idea what those suggestions are.”

  “I didn’t stay long enough to watch the entire image file, but the few pictures I saw were of some of the most gruesome battles and murders in history. The odd thing was that the perpetrators bodies were out of proportion. To put it simply, they looked like giants, demons from the Books of the One even.”

  “Why would they be showing battle scenes to these kids? And why make the attackers look like demons? What do they hope to accomplish doing that?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  Lorn stroked his chin, then looked sharply at Toby.

  “Wait. How did you manage to see the file? Those boxes weren’t hooked up to any salt water barrels when we were there.”

  The gray tom stared at his feet. His stomach clenched at the memory of walking out the door.

  “They had a little girl in the room when I got there. She was strapped to the chair and the device was running.”

  “By the One! You got her out, right?”

  Toby looked away.

  “Tell me you helped that little girl escape.”

  “I couldn’t,” he said in a strangled whisper.

  Lorn’s silence said volumes. The gray tom could almost feel the temperature in the room drop.

  “I wanted to, but those guards that burst in here were watching the isolation chambers. You saw that hall. There’s only one way in or out.”

  “You could have knocked them out, helped her escape.”

  Toby swung his glare at the human.

  “And then what, erased their memories, maybe? Hope there wasn’t anyone in the hallway as I dragged a child out the front door? And suppose I managed to get her outside? Where would she go?”

  “She could’ve gone to Lars. You didn’t even think of —”

  “I did think about it. She wouldn’t have made it that far by herself even if she hadn’t been drugged. She was just a child! What was I supposed to do? Go with her? They would have noticed I was gone and then where would our investigation be? Think about it.”

  Toby stared hard at the human. He seemed about to protest, but then deflated.

  “You’re right. It’s no different than when you wanted to catnap Father Hanif, is it?”

  The tom took a deep breath, letting his anger slide away. He swiveled his ears toward the hallway, listening for paw steps. The hall was silent. He turned his attention back to his partner.

  “I did want to help her. It was all I could do to keep from ripping that contraption apart.”

  He turned his paw over, imagining he still felt the girl’s salty tears. Lorn laid down in his cot, tossing his arms over his head.

  “This whole thing is so screwed up. Things like this shouldn’t happen to children. They just... shouldn’t.”

  The gray tom couldn’t think of anything to say. He looked toward the window, guessing how long he’d been away from his room.

  “I need to get back to my room. I don’t know how much longer Bartholomew will stay asleep.”

  The boy rolled over. “Before you go. I have some information, too.”

  The young tom’s ears perked up. His partner motioned toward the door.

  “They had me carrying baskets of flowers today. I tripped over some weeds over on the temple side, just before you get to the cemetery, and saw a couple cats disappear into a tunnel. I would have checked it out, but the entrance was too small.”

  “That’s strange. According to the maps we saw, there aren’t any cave systems around this area.”

  “Maybe they’re not natural.”

  “Or maybe someone has been messing with OKG information.”

  “That’s a nasty thought.”

  “No more than what we’ve seen going on here. Someone had to put those barriers over the gardens and we know that someone they call their master has spies working here.”

  “Makes me wonder how far up this goes.”

  “Mmhmm. We need more information before we can get anyone’s attention at the OKG.”

  “What about that she-cat, Father Hanif’s aide? She seemed pretty interested in you.”

  “I think I blew that one when I went traipsing around the cemetery. I think she’s the one who told Hanif where I’d gone.”

  “How about Harold? Think you can get anywhere with him?”

  “Not a chance. If I show up there he’ll probably sending me flying with my tail between his teeth.”

  The boy drummed his fingers on the cot. His fingers stilled and he got a faraway look on his face.

  “What if I play the dumb human and see if I can get any information from that she-cat.”

  Toby lifted his eye whiskers. “Her name is Janelle and if I remember correctly, she doesn’t like you.”

  The boy grinned and made a dumb fop face. “All the more reason she won’t suspect me.”

  The tom shook his head. “I don’t know if it will work, but I’m not coming up with any better solutions.”

  “It’s settled, then. Now, if I want to play dumb, I’ll need some beauty rest.”

  The gray cat snorted and walked toward the closed door.

  “You’ll need more than beauty rest if she figures out what you’re up to.”

  Lorn shifted in his cot. Putting an ear to the door, Toby listened for voices or paw steps. The hall was silent. He flicked his tail, sliding the bolt back and opening the door just wide enough to slip through. He paused and looked back at his partner, who was settling the brown blanket over his shoulders.

  “Stay safe,” he whispered, not sure if he was speaking to the boy or uttering a prayer. Either way, it didn’t matter.

  The brown tabby tossed and turned in his nest. Who were these interlopers, these deceivers? What could he do to rectify the situation? He’d already told the Lord about separating the two, but perhaps he should tell him the reason was because he suspected something strange was going on with them. Yes, that’s it. The tom asked too many questions, wanted to go places he shouldn’t. Thank the Master that Janelle had the intelligence to alert me when that kit started poking around the cemetery.

  Hanif rolled over, squinching his eyes closed as he tried to force himself into a meditative sleep. I can say that I was going to tell him about those two the next time he called. Yes. Yes. I wanted to let him decide what to do with them. Always the humble servant. Yes. That will work.

  Slowly exhaustion overcame the tom, his thoughts giving way to tortured dreams. When the sun rose the next morning, he felt as if he’d run from hungry monsters all night. He forced his tired limbs to trot down the hall toward the throne room, at first ignoring the large tapestries. As he continued down the hall, though, his eyes wandered up the finely woven rugs hung from the rafters. Scenes of humans being dismembered by gigantic golden felines had been stitched with care onto fields of blue and green. A few were of gigantic black cats piercing the necks of terrified humans. The brown tabby shivered.

  He approached the enormous mahogany door with trepidation, his paw held a whisker length from it as he rehearsed again what he planned to say. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled as he scratched the worn wood. One of the Russian blue twins opened the door for him. The brown tabby found it difficult not to slink across the floor. His heart trip hammered as he stared at the floor, feeling the black tom’s piercing green gaze through his fur.

  “My Lord,” he said, prostrating himself before the beast’s throne. “I would like to explain my action regarding the two we spoke of yesterday.”

  “Speak.”

  “I took the two in because they sounded sincere in their desire to follow Your Will. They soon aroused my suspicions and I decided they should be split up. I’ve since been awaiting a call from Your Holiness to tell you of these two unworthy souls so that You may dispen
se Your wrath upon them.”

  The black tom chuckled, making Hanif cringe. He remembered the soft expression his Master had just before sending the gray tabby off to her execution.

  “They flattered you. That is why you allowed them in. You let their pretty words tickle your ears instead of seeing through their disguises.”

  Father Hanif’s ears flattened. He should have known better than try to lie to the Lord.

  “I am a worm,” he cried. “I have tried to deceive You and You have seen my heart. I beg Your mercy once more.”

  The only sound from the throne was the swish of fur as the tom swung his tail in a pendulum arc across the padded chair.

  “How many times shall I show you mercy?”

  The brown tabby trembled in silence, waiting to be dragged away by the twins. He listened in fearful silence to the beast’s tail swish and thump.

  “Return to my temple. Do nothing until you hear from me.”

  Hanif raised moist eyes to stare at his Master. He could hardly believe his ears.

  “Glory and honor unto You, oh Lord Most Exalted. You are most merciful to Your servant. I am not fit to stand in Your shadow. I —”

  “Be gone before I change my mind.”

  The tabby bowed and scurried away, scraping his sides as he forced his way out the door’s narrow opening. There was one thing he needed to do first and the sooner he got back, the sooner he could get it underway.

  Lorn hugged the small basket of catnip to his chest. He wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, but he’d been able to pick the herb from the forest’s edge and weasel his way into presenting it to Father Hanif himself. Of course, he already knew the brown tabby was gone, but he’d had no intention of giving it to the old tom anyway. Lorn’s real target was the cat’s aide, Janelle. He spotted the brown and black mottled cat just outside Father Hanif’s office doors. He lumbered toward her, doing his best to appear non-threatening and stupid.

  “Miss Janelle, I am here to honor His Excellency with a humble basket of cat mint. May I be permitted to give them to him now?”

  He could see the emotions warring on her feline face, alternating between disgust and pity.

  “Does the overseer know you’re here?”

  “Of course, ma’am. When I found this cat mint I went straight to the overseer and asked if His Excellency might not find this a blessing from the master. He wanted to bring it here himself, but I offered to bear this small burden for him and make sure His Excellency knew it was from the overseer himself.”

  The brown and black mottled cat’s whiskers clamped together as she stared at the basket, then looked up at the boy.

  “The overseer sent you with this? He didn’t come with you?”

  Lorn set his face into a mask of simple mindedness.

  “He didn’t trust any of the others in the crew to bring it to His Excellency without getting lost.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The human hoped Janelle’s sense of smell wasn’t as strong as his partner’s. He’d planned for the average feline’s scenting ability, but there was no guarantee there wasn’t another cat around that could scent a dead mouse in the wall from across the length of a ballroom. If Janelle’s nose were like the gray tom’s he’d be caught in his lie in an instant. Toby said he stank of rotten fish when he lied, though half-truths weren’t quite as bad. The she-cat wrinkled her nose.

  “Why do you smell like you’ve been rolling around in horse manure?”

  Lorn wanted to grin. Instead he screwed his face into a pained expression.

  “I had to muck the stables before coming here.”

  “We don’t have any horses here.”

  “I know. It hadn’t been done since our last visitor — what was his name?”

  “Councilman Damon?”

  The human shrugged. “I suppose that was the one. Anyway, his horses left a big mess and no one had been charged with cleaning it up until today.”

  Janelle stepped back, looking as if she wanted to put a paw over her nose. The boy swallowed a laugh.

  “So, can I go give these to His Excellency?”

  The she-cat shook her head. “He’s away right now. I can take them.”

  Lorn drew the basket away, wrapping his arms around it protectively.

  “I’m supposed to deliver this to His Excellency. I can wait.”

  The cat rolled her eyes. “He won’t be back for quite some time. Why don’t you let me put them in his office?”

  The boy gave her a suspicious glare.

  “How do I know you’re not going to keep this for yourself? For all I know His Excellency is right there behind those doors and you’re going to take these and not give them to him at all.”

  Janelle sighed and pushed the button beside the door. “Look for yourself.”

  The door swung open, revealing an empty office. The boy peered in, making a scene of it, even looking under the desk as if Father Hanif would be hiding under it. He turned a glare on the she-cat. She motioned for him to follow her into the room.

  “He’s away visiting the temple’s biggest benefactor. I’m not sure when he’ll return.”

  “What’s a bene... bene...?”

  “Benefactor. He’s a feline who supports our ministries. In fact, this benefactor is the one responsible for our entire existence.”

  She looked the human up and down, wrinkling her nose at his stench.

  “You should have given thanks as you mucked the stables. It’s because of Councilman Damon that this temple is able to give purpose to your life.”

  Lorn widened his eyes. “Is he our — whatever it is?”

  Janelle snorted. “Of course not. He’s a human. As I said earlier, our benefactor is a feline of high esteem, a massive black tom with eyes that pierce to your very soul. In fact, for those who have finally found enlightenment, he is the Lord.”

  The boy pretended to tremble as he reverently placed the basket of cat mint on Father Hanif’s desk and snatched his hands away. He turned back to the black and brown mottled she-cat, eyes still wide. She held her head at a superior tilt and nodded toward the door.

  “You can tell the overseer that His Excellency will be pleased with this gift.”

  Lorn bowed his way out the door. When it was closed behind him, he turned and strolled down the hall toward his room, grinning the entire way.

  Toby sauntered into the cafeteria, looking around at the assembled humans and felines. It had taken some careful observation to figure out when students congregated in the cafeteria for meals. Apparently, new arrivals like Lorn were placed in work groups. After a length of time, which Toby still wasn’t clear on, workers became students, gradually losing their marionette qualities. After they graduated, certain students became teachers. He wondered what happened to the graduates who didn’t become teachers.

  As much as he would have liked to tackle that question, today he had a different one in mind. The room reminded him in many ways of the cafeteria at the academy with students selecting to eat with their friends. The biggest difference was the noise level. If he didn’t have feline hearing, he might have thought the room was silent. As it was, it sounded as if he were approaching a busy hive.

  He stood at the door for a few moments, observing how meals were served, then chose a small table of three humans and a cat to join. He leaped to a stool at the table and acknowledged the quiet nods of greeting. A young girl strode to his side, took his order and left. Toby listened to the hum of conversation at the table.

  “Brother Robert, is it true that the Master will take us all away to New Eden?” asked an older boy.

  “Certainly,” said the young tom, “He has promised to usher us all into His Kingdom, each with a position of authority relative to his or her own ta
lents.”

  “What of those whose hearts are hardened? Where will they go?” asked a girl who looked a couple years younger than the boy.

  The tom shook his head, his ears flattened to half mast.

  “I’m afraid they will be left behind.”

  “But where will they go?” the girl persisted.

  “Don’t be daft, Charlene, they’ll be taken below like all the others around here.”

  “Below?” asked Tobias.

  The group stared at him. The gray tom’s tail fluffed to twice its size and his fur felt too hot. He lowered his eyes to the empty table in front of himself.

  “I’m sorry. I was just released to come here today. Forgive my intrusion.”

  “Nothing to be ashamed of, my son. You’ll learn all the ways of the Master soon enough.”

  Tobias looked at the patched tabby tom, splaying his whiskers in a cat smile. The Brother nodded.

  “To answer your question, Charlene, your classmate is correct, if blunt.”

  The boy lifted his chin at Charlene, looking down his nose at her. She stuck her tongue out at him. Another younger girl’s eyes widened.

  “You mean it’s true? If you don’t do what the Master says the demons will come drag you away into the ground?”

  The patched tabby put a paw over to the child’s hand.

  “Audrey, my daughter, you have nothing to fear. The Master is merciful toward those who do their best to follow His Will. It is only those who choose to disobey, knowing His Grace and His Mercy, that will suffer.”

  The little girl’s eyes remained wide, but she nodded, sucking her lower lip in. Brother Robert patted her hand again, then looked around at the small group.

  “I’m afraid I must leave you all now. The Master requires each of us to do our duties and my class begins shortly.”

  “Thank you, Brother Robert,” said the boy.

  The tom nodded and leaped to the floor. Tobias watched the patched tabby trot away, wondering what the Brother taught. The serving girl arrived with his small plate of food and placed it on the table in front of him, then whisked the Brother’s empty plate and bowl away. The students went back to eating. The gray tom cleared his throat, gaining the humans’ attention. He put on his best worried expression.