Apprentice Cat: Toby's Tale Book 1 (Master Cat Series)

by Virginia Ripple

  “That’s true. And we all know they have no discerning tastes,” another tom said.

  Reginald cut his eyes at the orange tom, a sneer on his lips. Without another word, he lead his chortling group away. Lorn crammed the paper into his pocket and finished picking up the rest of the books.

  He stomped to the corner table, dropped the books on it and slumped into a chair facing the rest of the library. Toby let his books settle onto the table. Irritated he may be, but he didn’t want to face the librarian because he damaged one of her precious books.

  “That cat burns my hide.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Ever met his human?”

  Toby shook his head. Lorn glared at the white cat’s retreating back.

  “Two of a kind.”

  “Not surprising.”

  The friends stared out a window past the librarian’s desk. Lanterns lit the paths to the other campus buildings.

  “Shall we keep going?” asked the orange tom.

  “What’s the use? We’re never going to find anything.”

  “We won’t if we stop trying.”

  Lorn glanced at Toby, then went back to staring out the window.

  “You know, Toby, times like this make me wonder about whose really in charge. If the Temple guys are to be believed, then this all-knowing, all-powerful, loving Being must be asleep or something.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well, look at what’s going on. Why would a loving Being let manure chewers like him have a golden life and let decent people live in poverty and die a horrible death? It just doesn’t make sense. I mean, Brother Yannis talked about that thing being our guide—”

  “The Priceless Measure.”

  “Yeah. That. So what about it? Do you see anyone helping someone in need just because that’s what we should do?”

  “The Brothers are.”

  “Yeah, but they have to. They take vows about that kind of thing.”

  “What about Master O’dorn? He doesn’t have to help anyone with the great sickness. He could turn them away.”

  “I guess. It just seems to me the only way to get anywhere in this world is to look out for yourself.”

  Toby was silent. He joined Lorn in staring out the window. Leaves scurried across the paths. The wind moaned. Students wrapped in scarves hurried past, clutching hats over ears, looking only at the path in front of their feet. The orange tom’s whiskers drooped as he pondered what Lorn had said.

  “Let’s go back to our room.”

  Lorn nodded. Toby leaped to the boy’s shoulders and fluffed his fur in anticipation of the cold beyond the door. The wind buffeted the cat, who clung to his companion’s shoulder, trying not to pierce the soft flesh under the boy’s clothes. His companion shielded his eyes with one hand and kept his head down. Although the tom would have liked to close his eyes against the debris blown about he feared losing his balance if Lorn ducked or made a sharp turn, so he kept them narrowed to mere slits.

  Neither noticed the shadow looming in front of them. The young man ran head-long into it. The shadow staggered a couple paces, then darted into the surrounding hedges, disappearing from sight. Lorn bounced back and landed with a thud. Toby was thrown to the ground with the sound of tearing cloth as his claws stuck into the human’s clothing.

  “Who was that?”

  “Don’t know, but it felt like a bony wall.”

  Toby pulled at the bits of string caught in his claws. He looked up at Lorn who was pressing his fingers to the shoulder Toby had been riding on.

  “Sorry about that.”

  “Not your fault. That guy should have watched where he was going.”

  “He could say the same to us.”

  Lorn scowled at the orange tom. Toby blinked in return. The young man sighed and shrugged, wincing as he raised his injured shoulder.

  “Do you think it was a teacher?”

  “Doubt it. Only desperate students would be out on a night like this.”

  “You mean like us?”

  Toby blinked again. He turned his gaze toward where the shadow had disappeared. A flutter of something white caught his eye. He flattened himself to the path and crept toward it. A twig snapped nearby. He paused, ears swiveling to catch any sound. The wind moaned through the trees.

  He crept closer. A rustle of cloth. He stopped, listening. Nothing. Another step. He paused, adjusted his weight. The thing fluttered again. Toby sprung onto it. The scent of parchment and ink flooded his nose as he bit down on it. The young tom sat back, staring at the scrap of paper he had just captured.

  “What is it?”

  “Looks like a note.” Toby picked it up and carried it back to Lorn. The mage opened it, flattening it over his knee. Lorn gasped. He thrust the piece of paper under Toby’s nose.

  “This is a note to Reginald. It says he should carry on his duties to the House and look at the handwriting.”

  The flowing handwriting meant less to Toby than the faint smell coming from the paper. He drew the scent over his glands. The image of a field of bloody marigolds unrolled. He sneezed. The young cat’s eyes widened as he looked at his friend, a grin spreading across the young man’s face.

  “I bet whoever wrote this is the same person who bought the dragon willow and Reginald is somehow involved.”

  “I knew there was something about him I didn’t like.”

  “You mean other than he’s a bully and a snob?” asked Lorn, shoving the note into his pocket. The young cat’s whiskers splayed.

  Suddenly they heard a rustle of cloth, followed by footsteps running away. The partners stared into the cold night. Friend or foe, the shadow was gone.

  “What do you mean you have new information? I thought I made it clear you were not to investigate this any further without our express permission,” Master Meredith said. She clamped her whiskers and flattened her ears to her head.

  It had been several days since they’d received Master O’dorn’s letter and the package containing Master Ribaldy’s notes. They’d looked through every library book on poetry and symbols they could find with nothing to show for it except a better respect for those who could write a good poem. Toby suggested they ask the head masters for help.

  “Yes, Master Meredith, you did, but we didn’t think it would do any harm to see if someone at the High Council had any information and Master O’dorn volunteered the letter from Toby’s father.”

  “You asked someone at the High Council for classified documents?” The calico’s neck fur bristled, her eyes wide. She looked toward her companion who was frowning and tapping an index finger on the desk. Toby shifted from foot to foot on his stool.

  “Not exactly.”

  “What exactly did you do, then?” asked Master Jalen.

  “We asked an acquaintance if they had heard or seen anything about Uncle Hecktor’s case.”

  “An acquaintance,” repeated the head master mage.

  “A friend,” said Toby. His fur was beginning to feel too thick, his skin prickling under the head masters’ stern gazes.

  “And did you tell your friend why you wanted this information?” asked Master Jalen.

  Toby’s ears flattened to half-mast. Lorn grimaced.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. You do realize that was a foolish risk.”

  The young apprentices looked at the floor. Toby sucked in a breath and wondered if they’d just jeopardized the thin cord keeping them in the academy. It would be fair. After all, Master Meredith had been very specific about what they should and shouldn’t do after their infraction. He could hear his mother’s growls already.

  “Still,” said Master Meredith, “they did manage to get more information than we have. Perhaps it would behoove us to look at it.”
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  Toby let out the breath he’d been holding as Lorn reached into his robe to extract the copies they had made of all Master Ribaldy’s documents and Victor’s letter.

  “Have you shown this to anyone else?” asked Master Jalen, taking the package and untying the string.

  “No, sir,” said Lorn.

  “I did mention my father’s letter to Master Natsumi, but at the time we were still waiting for it to be delivered.”

  “How did she react?” asked Master Meredith, eyes narrowed.

  “She seemed very interested. She wanted to see it right away.”

  “Naturally,” said Master Jalen, glancing at the she-cat from the corner of his eye.

  The apprentices sat still as the head masters spread the papers across their desk and studied them. The crackling fire had burned low by the time the older partners looked up. Master Jalen sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with the fingers of his right hand. The she-cat stood on her toes and arched her back, stretching muscles held still while studying the documents. Toby clenched his jaw shut. Although he was perched on the edge of his stool, he didn’t want to interrupt whatever conclusions the head masters were mulling over.

  “I can see why you had no luck with your research,” said Master Jalen.

  “Both your father and your uncle were very clever. The poem in your uncle’s documents appears to be a dire warning, but of what I have no idea,” said Master Meredith.

  “Nor do I. You’re correct in believing there is a code hidden within the documents. In fact, it appears there are several, which must be broken in a particular order, before we can understand the real message Master Ribaldy and Victor were sending us.”

  “Can you figure it out?” asked Lorn.

  “No. Even with as much information as you have here, there are pieces missing. Without those pieces we have no way of deciphering any of it,” said the head master mage. He turned to Master Meredith, letting his hand drop to the arm of his chair.

  “I think we must include Master Natsumi in this.”

  “Is that wise?”

  “What other option is there?” asked Master Jalen, lifting his hands, palms up. “She is the best decoder we know. She’s also familiar with the case.”

  The she-cat closed her eyes, head drooping onto her chest. Toby glanced at Lorn. The young human quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. The tom returned his gaze to the head master cat. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at her companion.

  “What about the Temple? They have a library that dates back centuries. Some of these quatrains remind me of old prophecies I read as a kit.”

  “That may work,” mused Master Jalen. He stared into space, eyes unfocused.

  “The question is, how do we go about getting the information we need?” he continued. “We can’t ask the Brothers to search their library for vague references. I hesitate to share any of this information with even them.”

  “One of us could go,” said the head master cat.

  “That may call too much attention to what we’re trying to find out. Neither of us can claim to be going on sabbatical nor are either of us involved in a class that would necessitate a trip to the Temple library.”

  “What if we went?” asked Toby, fur standing on end. He kneaded the stool, trying not to overbalance and fall.

  “Yeah. We’d have a good idea what to look for and nobody else would have to know why.”

  “The problem with that is you are both restricted to the grounds,” said Master Meredith.

  “Not to mention that it would appear odd for two apprentices to go on a field trip to the Temple by themselves for no apparent reason.”

  Toby’s whiskers clamped together. They were right. Their jaunt to the White Dog had looked like a couple of younglings out on a dare. This would make no sense outside of the head masters’ office.

  “Wait a minute,” said Master Meredith. “I have an idea. Toby and Lorn are correct. They are the best candidates for finding the information we need from the Temple and I think I know how to get them there without raising suspicions.”

  “How?” asked Toby and Lorn together.

  “Leave that to Master Jalen and I. The less you know, the safer it will be. In the meantime, keep thinking about possible ways to get at this puzzle and be ready to go.”

  Chapter 9

  Reginald gazed around at the plush velvet chairs and couches. He kneaded the soft purple dyed rug under his paws, a purr rumbling in his chest. Someday this would be his. He’d been promised.

  “I see you like the rug.”

  The white tom spun around, catching a claw in the ornamental rug. Chivato scowled at the young tom as he tried to tug his paw loose.

  “What news do you have?”

  Reginald eyed Arturo as he entered with a tray with bowls of milk and treats. The man laid the tray on an ornately carved table near a couch, then placed a bowl of milk beside each cat on the floor. The white cat’s fur bristled along his spine.

  “How dare you insult me, human.”

  A gray paw slammed into his head, making his ears ring.

  “Idiot. Do you think I want milk stains on my furniture?”

  The young cat lowered his eyes, giving his ruff a quick lick, watching the human from the corner of his eye. Arturo acted as if he hadn’t heard anything. He laid a white linen cloth on the floor in front of the gray tom and turned to dish the cat’s meal. Chivato’s tail twitched, recapturing the young tom’s attention.

  “What news?”

  “The partners are still digging into your affairs, Master. They were in the library doing research on a poem Master Ribaldy wrote.”

  “How do you know he wrote it?”

  “I recognized the handwriting as yours and assumed you would never allow either of those two to make a copy of something you wrote. The poem seemed like something he would write, as well.”

  The human placed the gray cat’s meal upon the floor on porcelain plates Reginald could almost see through and then turned to begin dishing out another plate of the same treats for the young tom. Chivato bent to take a dainty bite of meat.

  “Do you remember what it said?”

  Reginald sat tall, gazing over the gray tom’s head.

  “So dark the time of man doth come;

  That blood be cold and change be done.

  Should will define, the day be bleak

  And hell upon mankind doth wreak.”

  “Are you certain that is the entire poem?”

  The white tom returned his gaze to his master. Chivato’s yellow eyes stared intently at him. Reginald could feel his gaze burning into him even when Arturo leaned between them to place another white linen cloth on the floor in front of the him.

  “Yes, master.”

  The gray tom looked toward a fireplace large enough to roast a whole deer.

  “Not much to go on. Doubtful they can figure out the old man’s nonsense. Still…” Chivato turned back to the young tom in front of him, watching him shift from paw to paw. The gray cat’s whiskers splayed wide.

  “It seems you are taking my missive seriously. Well done.”

  “Missive, sir?” Reginald cocked his head, blinking in confusion. He glanced at the human as the man finished placing the white cat’s meal on the floor and backed away. Arturo bowed his head toward the master cat.

  “Will there be anything else?”

  The gray tom waved his tail in dismissal. Reginald watched the human turn to gather the tray and leave, his lips quirked in a sly smile. The young cat turned his attention back to Chivato. The master cat’s eyes were narrowed.

  “I sent you a message regarding what to do about our spies. You must have received it.”

  “No, sir. I didn’t.”

  Chivato
turned toward the human.

  “Arturo, did you deliver my communique to young Reginald here?”

  “As you commanded, I took it to the academy and delivered it to the appropriate party.”

  The master cat looked back at the white tom, ears laid back. Reginald felt his fur begin to rise. He stared wide-eyed at his master.

  “I swear I never got it.”

  “It is beneath a cat of your breeding to lie. If my human says he delivered it, then you must have received it. I can only assume from your adamant denial that you somehow lost it and are trying to cover that fact up. An unfortunate thing.”

  Reginald lashed his tail, glaring at the human and growling. Arturo stood, looking down his nose at the white tom. Chivato hissed, swiping a paw through the air.

  “That will be enough. It seems you are still too young to comprehend the burden of this mission. I will have to call upon another to send a stronger message to our spies.”

  “I can do it. I’ve been making things difficult for them since they moved into their quarters. I know how to get past their shield. Just tell me what you want done.”

  Chivato narrowed his eyes at the young tom and shook his head.

  “This is not a job for a novice. Arturo, please show our young guest to the door.”

  Toby dug his claws into Lorn’s shoulders, shifting his balance as the young mage was jostled by classmates in the small entry of the Temple library. The smell of musty old books and wood polish tickled the orange tom’s nose. He opened his eyes wide to catch every bit of light as he strained to see the end of the bookshelves marching down the hallway.

  “Master Meredith wasn’t kidding. This place is huge,” he whispered in Lorn’s ear.

  “Shhh,” said a striped cat who didn’t seem to have any ears. Toby looked at the she-cat, wondering how she could have heard his whisper until he realized her ears folded forward toward her face. The tom turned his attention back to their history instructor.