The Wildcat's Claw

by Varian Johnson

  “Perhaps,” Meilin said. “But you should have trusted us to make that decision together. With all the information.”

  Conor wished he could disappear. He was no longer a servant to the Trunswicks, but he was still getting into trouble because of them.

  “We have to remember, we’re all fighting for the same thing,” Abeke said. “So from now on, no more secrets. Agreed? Unified until the end.”

  They all nodded. Conor expected Rollan to crack a joke or two, but he remained silent, instead rubbing his brown cloak between his fingers.

  “Dawson, were you able to save anything else from the castle?” Worthy asked. “Down in the lower levels, there were some records on old parchment. I looked through them once, when father was away. I thought I saw something about a powerful sword there. The Wildcat’s Claw. Our family sword was modeled after it.”

  “A lot of those records were damaged by the water used to put out the fire,” Dawson said. “We took everything we could salvage and moved it to the Howling House. That’s probably where you should start.”

  “The Howling House!” Rollan yelled. “I have to go back to that place?”

  “What’s the Howling House?” Anka asked. Conor looked around until he noticed the blurry shape leaning against the door.

  “It’s a prison where they keep innocent people,” Rollan said. “Cat-boy over there threw me and Conor into it the first time I visited this place.”

  “Sorry about that,” Worthy said. “To be fair, I really did hate Greencloaks at the time. You guys were just so … smug. It wasn’t fair.”

  “The Howling House was where we kept people affected by bonding sickness,” Dawson said. “But we don’t use it that way anymore. We have no need for it, since there’s no more bonding sickness. Plus, we don’t exactly have the funds for its upkeep.” He turned to his brother. “Have you heard about father?”

  The air seemed to escape from the room. “What’s wrong?” Worthy asked quietly. “Is he … dead?”

  Dawson shook his head. “No, but after you hear this, you might wish he was. He abandoned the town—and our family—taking every coin, gem, and valuable he could find with him. The town is broke, but we are rebuilding … slowly. Our military is gone, now replaced by a militia made up of farmers and other townsfolk. Mother and Daphne have decided not to return, and with you off helping the Redcloaks, the citizens chose me as the new Earl of Trunswick.” Dawson sighed, looking older and wearier than Conor had ever believed he could. “At this point I’m mostly a figurehead, but I’ll do everything in my power to help our people.”

  Dawson had always been the kindest member of his family. He had treated Conor with respect, even when Conor was just a lowly servant boy. Dawson was young, but of all the Trunswicks, he was the right person to lead the town.

  “Why you?” Worthy asked. “With the way father disgraced our family and fled the town, why would they pick any Trunswick to serve as earl? I mean, I’m sure you’ll do the best you can, but you don’t know the first thing about running a city. You’re just a kid.”

  Dawson stood taller as he crossed his arms. “You’re a kid, too. You all are. But that doesn’t stop you from doing your duty, does it?” He relaxed a little as Rumfuss hoofed over to him. “And to be honest, I think it has more to do with Rumfuss than my amazing leadership skills. His name carries way more weight than ours right now.”

  Beside Dawson, the Great Boar snuffled proudly.

  “But there’s one other problem,” Dawson said, sinking into the other chair in the room. “You’re all wanted criminals. According to the rumors, you assassinated the Emperor of Zhong.”

  “We didn’t kill him,” Conor said. “He was murdered by people pretending to be Greencloaks.”

  “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what the public perception of Greencloaks is right now.” Dawson’s gaze became sharp. In a moment, he looked as shrewd as his father. “There’s word that the queen wants to dismantle your order. She says the Marked would be of better use in service to their respective lands.”

  “And what do you think?” Conor asked.

  Dawson leaned over and patted Rumfuss on the back. The boar grunted, then rolled over on his back so the boy could reach his stomach. “I’ve seen firsthand what the Wyrm did. I also saw how you Greencloaks fought against it. I stand with you. You have my full support.”

  Worthy pulled his cloak around him. “Don’t forget, me and the Redcloaks were there, too.”

  Dawson laughed. “Of course. The Wyrm wouldn’t have been defeated without the Redcloaks.”

  Worthy sat up in his chair. “Do the townsfolk know that I’m a Redcloak?” There was an air of hope in his voice. “Do they know what I did to help save the world?”

  Dawson rubbed the back of his head as he sighed. “Devin, I’ll always see you as a hero. But I can’t speak for the rest of the town. You were cruel to a lot of people. You became even more of a bully when you obtained that fake spirit animal. And then, when you finally returned home with your tail between your legs—no pun intended—you started a riot right in the middle of the square.”

  “I had a good reason,” Worthy said. “I was trying to save a defenseless woman.”

  Abeke had picked up Kunaya and was now stroking the cat again. “You don’t have to lie to us anymore, Worthy,” she said. “You’ve proven yourself. You don’t have to boast about your deeds.”

  “Yeah,” Rollan said. “Everyone makes mistakes. Even me, every once in a while.”

  “I’m not lying!” Worthy yelled. “I really was trying to save a woman! She was in the stocks in the square.” He turned to his brother. “Tell them, Dawson.”

  His brother shrugged. “The way I heard it, the people began to riot because you were boasting about father’s wealth.”

  “No, it wasn’t like that,” Worthy said. “I mean, yes, it was, but I was saying all that on purpose. I was trying to free the woman—”

  “As interesting as this sounds, we should probably head to the Howling House,” Meilin said. “We’ve already wasted enough time.”

  “It’s too late to go now,” Dawson said. “The sun will be rising in less than an hour. The militia will start their first patrol soon.” He rose and opened the closer of two doors. A cramped bedroom waited within. “You all can stay here for now. It’ll be a tight fit, but it should serve you well enough. Tomorrow night, you can sneak to the Howling House to find what you need.”

  Conor looked out of the window. The darkness was fading away. In another hour, his parents would be awake, tending to their animals.

  “Hey, Worthy, can I talk to you for a second?” Rollan asked, walking toward the bedroom. He was carrying his large pack. “I want to get your, um, opinion on something really quick.”

  Meilin and Abeke looked at each other as the two boys disappeared into the room. “I don’t even want to know what that’s about,” Meilin said.

  Conor crossed the room then knelt beside Dawson. Rumfuss huffed as Conor entered their space. “Do you think it’s safe enough for me to visit my family?” Conor asked.

  Dawson shook his head. “Sorry, Conor. That would be too risky. But I just saw them last week. They’re doing well. Your brothers are good shepherds.” Dawson tilted his head. “You favor your oldest brother quite a bit. His face is a little rounder, though.” Dawson looked at the ground for a moment, then back up. “I try to look out for your family as much as I can. It’s the least I can do.” He suddenly grabbed Conor’s hand. “Conor, can you ever forgive me for deceiving you like that?”

  Conor frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “The letter,” he said softly. “Remember the letter about your mother? And the Iron Boar?”

  As soon as Dawson mentioned the Iron Boar, Conor knew exactly what he meant. Conor and his friends had successfully located Rumfuss’s Iron Boar talisman, a mystic item that granted the wearer an almost impenetrable armor-like skin. It was a power similar to the gila monster’s amulet, Co
nor thought. But then the Earl of Trunswick threatened Conor’s mother, forcing him to turn over the Iron Boar for her safety. Dawson had been the one to deliver his father’s demands.

  Conor had never been more ashamed of himself as he turned over the talisman for his mother’s safety. He’d betrayed his friends, and the green cloak he was so proud to wear.

  “There isn’t a day that’s passed where I didn’t wish I could go back and change things,” Dawson said. “I should have tried to help you. I should have pushed back against my father.”

  “We’ve both made mistakes,” Conor said. “But now’s our chance for us to redeem ourselves.”

  Dawson seemed comforted by this. Surprisingly, so was Conor.

  A BEKE AND THE OTHERS SPENT MOST OF THE DAY trying to rest. Conor, Worthy, and Rollan had bunked in the room with Dawson, leaving Abeke, Meilin, and Anka to share the other small room. They had allowed Anka to take the bed and had used Dawson’s extra quilts to cushion the wooden floor. It wasn’t the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements, but it was much better than the cold, unforgiving ground along Eura’s country roads.

  The sun had set an hour ago. Now they were just waiting for the last of the shops to close in the market. They wanted the streets as empty as possible before they started the trek to the Howling House.

  Abeke counted and organized the arrows in her remaining quiver while Meilin finished her training lesson with Anka. They had been working on punching techniques. Meilin was trying to get Anka to step forward while delivering her punch, as a way to maximize her power. Anka kept doing the opposite, however, punching while rocking backward on her heels. As they trained, Abeke realized this was one of the few times she’d had a chance to study Anka—she was always so hard to see with her chameleon powers. She wasn’t the best warrior by a long shot, but Meilin seemed determined to train her. However, what Anka lacked in fighting skills she more than made up for with stealth. Even with the help of Uraza’s heightened senses, it often took Abeke a few moments to locate Anka when she was invisible.

  There was a soft knock on the door, and a moment later, Rollan pushed it open. “You all should come out and hear this for yourselves,” he said. “It’s important.”

  Anka and Meilin bowed toward each other, finishing their sparring. In a flash, Anka’s chameleon appeared on her shoulder. The green animal blinked his wide, bulging eyes a few times as he took in his surroundings. Then, as he scampered along Anka’s collarbone, the animal slowly faded to green and brown, matching the wall behind them. A few seconds later, Anka faded away into a similar wavy haze.

  They entered the main room to see Dawson and the others standing around the table. A brown parchment stretched out across the tabletop.

  “We’ve got trouble,” Dawson said. “According to some of the shopkeepers, soldiers in black uniforms were in the city, looking for five renegade Greencloaks and a mysterious warrior in red.”

  “The Oathbound caught up with us sooner than I thought,” Worthy said. He read the parchment again and stroked his chin. “At least they called me a warrior.”

  “The woman in charge was offering a hefty reward,” Dawson continued. “Enough to feed some families for half a year, if not longer.”

  “Did they leave?” Meilin asked.

  “About an hour ago,” Dawson said. “They were heading west, along the river. But I’d bet all the bristles on Rumfuss’s back that they’ll return tomorrow. Probably with more soldiers.” Rumfuss burrowed between Dawson’s legs and settled underneath the table. “Understandably, the captain of the militia is worried. She’s requested more militiamen to patrol the streets tonight. I could try to talk her out of it, but that would cause more suspicion.”

  Abeke ran her finger along the edge of her bow. “So either we remain in hiding for a few days until things calm down, or we take our chances and go now.”

  “I think we should go,” Meilin said. “We can’t afford to wait. The risk for failure is too great.”

  The others nodded in agreement.

  “It’ll be difficult to hide all six of us,” Anka said. “Especially if we’re moving.”

  “Then we should split up,” Abeke said. “Anka will hide as many as she can, and the rest of us will follow.”

  “But what about all that talk about being united?” Worthy asked.

  “United in our duty to one another and to the Greencloaks.” Abeke paused as she noticed Worthy’s arms were crossed peevishly. “I mean, Greencloaks and Redcloaks.” Seeing him relax, she continued. “United in our mission … but not necessarily in how we execute that mission.”

  “Conor and Worthy, you should go with Anka,” Meilin said. “We can’t risk anyone recognizing you.”

  Conor rolled up his sleeve and stretched out his bare arm. “Come on, Briggan. Best go into passive.” The wolf glanced at Conor and gave a soft whimper. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. I’ll let you back out as soon as we get to the Howling House.” The wolf stood up, shaking fur across everyone. The room flashed, and Briggan disappeared onto Conor’s arm.

  Uraza paused from cleaning her paws with her tongue to look at Abeke. She blinked her purple eyes at her inquisitively. “Don’t worry; you don’t have to go into passive state. At least, not yet,” Abeke said.

  Conor slipped on the coat he’d borrowed from Dawson. It was a little snug, but would have to do. “Rollan, you’d better come with us, too, just to be on the safe side. People may remember you from the last time that you were here with me.”

  Rollan’s shoulders sagged, but he nodded. Everyone knew he’d rather travel with Meilin. He picked up his brown cloak—now covered with Briggan’s excess fur—and fastened it around his neck. “You don’t ever hear anyone complaining about a falcon shedding,” he mumbled.

  “We’ll meet you as soon as we can,” Meilin said. She picked up her quarterstaff and offered it to Anka. “You should carry a weapon. Just remember our training and you’ll be fine.”

  “Thank you.” As Anka took it, the wooden staff turned invisible. “You guys ready?” she asked.

  Rollan, Conor, and Worthy nodded. A few seconds later, they disappeared before Abeke’s eyes.

  “Whoa!” Dawson looked at Rumfuss. “We’ve got to get some cool tricks like that.”

  “You’ll discover even more powers, in time,” Abeke said. “If you joined the Greencloaks, we could help you with your training.”

  Dawson hesitated, then said, “Thank you for the offer, but my place is here in Trunswick.”

  “Yeah, and if he joins anything, it’ll be the Redcloaks!” Worthy said.

  “Okay, enough talking,” Anka said. The door slowly opened. “See you soon.”

  They listened as four sets of footsteps exited the house. Then the door closed shut.

  Dawson stood in the middle of the room shaking his head. “How do you guys get used to that? That was awesome.”

  “Believe me, we’ve seen stranger.” Meilin slid the falchion out of its scabbard and inspected the blade. “What’s the best way to get to the Howling House?”

  “The most direct way is straight through town. It’s right past the castle. Or what’s left of the castle.” Dawson opened the door again and peeked out. “Okay, the coast is clear. You can go.”

  “We should take the rooftops,” Meilin said. “It’ll be easier to avoid the militia.”

  Abeke and Meilin quickly slipped out of the cottage and stepped into an empty alleyway. Meilin looked up and measured the distance. “I could make it up there on my own, but a little help never hurt.” Moments later, Jhi appeared by Meilin’s side. She nuzzled the animal’s snout. “How about it, Jhi? Care to give me a little power boost?”

  Both Meilin and Jhi closed their eyes, almost as if they were in a trance. Seconds later, Meilin exploded into a run. She leaped against the wall of the first building, letting her foot hit the side of the fading brick, then pivoted and launched herself toward the other building. She went like this back and forth until she reached
the top.

  She leaned over the edge, then curtsied for Abeke.

  Abeke walked over to the Great Panda as she sat there, looking up at Meilin. “Are you jumping up there as well, Jhi?”

  Meilin laughed as she stretched out her arms. “She would much rather take the easy way up,” she said, calling back Jhi.

  Abeke let her fingers run along the back of Uraza’s lush fur. “Come on, Uraza. We can do better than that, right?” And then, as the leopard’s power coursed between them, they took off up the wall.

  Abeke loved running across the rooftops with Uraza on her heels. It wasn’t the plains of the savannah outside of her village in Nilo, but she was still having a blast. The wind stirred around them, making it almost feel like they were in an empty field instead of a walled city. After so much fighting and seriousness, it was good to just let loose and run.

  Even without her spirit animal aiding her, Meilin was doing an excellent job of keeping up. The girl even did a couple of flips as she jumped across some alleyways—probably just to show off, like Worthy had done in the forest. Abeke hadn’t minded then, and she didn’t mind now. After so much fighting, they could all use a little fun.

  Eventually, Abeke and Meilin traveled as far as they could above the city. In the distance, past the charred, crumbling remains of Trunswick Castle, stood the Howling House.

  “We won’t have any cover until we get to the castle,” Abeke said.

  Meilin nodded as she surveyed the area around them. “I don’t see any militia. I think we should chance it.”

  They shinnied down the side of the building, then took off across the open street. They had almost reached the castle grounds when Abeke heard footsteps behind them.

  “Hey! Stop there!” a man yelled. He held a lantern in one hand and a sword in the other. Two other men chased behind him. Their blue tunics matched the colors of the city crest.

  “Almost made it,” Meilin said. “Now what?”