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

by Virginia Ripple

  “It is. I’m readin’ about how we cats have made life better for everyone.”

  “Is that for one of your classes?” asked Toby between a mouthful of food.

  “No. It’s somethin’ Master Chivato thought I might like.”

  “Oh. I’m surprised you have time for extra reading. I figured you’d be as busy as we are running from class to class.”

  “I am,” snapped Terence.

  Toby’s eyes widened. He looked closer at the young cat. Besides having a dull coat, his friend was thinner than he’d been in orientation. A glance at the plate beside the book showed little evidence of being touched.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you aren’t busy.”

  “No,” said Terence. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired. That’s all. There’s so much to learn. I feel like I’m drownin’ in books sometimes. Then I get asked to do extra readin’ and, it’s interestin’ and all, but it’s more readin’. I have to read it ‘cause they’re sponsorin’ me and I gotta do what I can to impress them. You know?”

  “Believe it or not I do. Mother was like that, too. She set regular studies and tasks for me, then she’d ask me to do a lot of extra work on top of it. It was like she was trying to find my breaking point or something.”

  Terence smiled again. Toby relaxed.

  “Actually, I was hoping to take your mind off studying for a little bit.”

  “What do you mean?” Terence asked, eyes narrowed, whiskers suddenly clamped tight.

  “I was wondering if you would show me around the loner-in-training side of campus,” Toby said. “Maybe introduce me to a couple of your teachers?”

  “Why?”

  “My father was a loner, remember? He went to this academy, too. I thought maybe I might learn something about him from walking where he did.”

  Terence stared at Toby. The orange tom began to wonder exactly what Terence had been reading and how many other things Chivato had said to make the little gray and white tom so suspicious.

  “I only remember a little about him from when I was a kitten.”

  “From the way you talked in orientation you remember a lot,” Terence said sharply, still glaring at his old friend.

  “I remember the lessons and the family things, yes, but I want to know what father was like before he and mother were mates. Mother says I’m just like him. I want to know how.”

  Terence glared on in silence. The conversations around them seemed louder as he waited. With a huge sigh, the little cat closed his eyes and relaxed again. He looked down at the open book again.

  “I really should finish this,” he said.

  “We can always do it another time. If you need to study, then I understand.”

  The gray and white tom continued to stare at the open book. Suddenly he snarled at it. Flicking his tail, he slammed the book closed and looked up at Toby.

  “No. I don’t know when we’ll have more time than now. Besides, I miss talkin’ to you.”

  “Me, too.”

  The friends leapt down and floated their plates to the dish washing room. Terence carefully floated his book beside himself. As they left the Commons, Toby glanced sideways. He caught a whisker twitch from Terence.

  “Still moving your leftovers?”

  “Not usually, but I was lookin’ forward to that meal.”

  Together they trotted toward the loner side of campus. As they walked, Terence chattered on about what life was like as a loner-in-training. Toby could almost believe his young friend was still the same little cat he’d met in orientation.

  “Do you know Master Antwan and Master Natsumi? Master Meredith said she thought they were classmates with father.”

  “Yeah. I do. They’re my favorite teachers.”

  “I don’t suppose we could meet them today, could we?”

  “I’m not sure, but we could take a peek into their office. Wanna race?” asked Terence. He catapulted away, his book flying behind him.

  “Wait,” yelled Toby, scrambling to catch up.

  Terence careered around a corner and flew up a set of stone stairs. Toby barely caught sight of the little cat’s tail as it disappeared through a narrow swinging door. The orange tom spared only a moment to wonder where Terence’s book had gone before he barreled through the door and slammed into a charcoal gray shoulder. It felt like running face first into a fur covered suit of armor.

  “Toby,” hissed Terence. “Over here.” Toby righted himself quickly and slunk over to his friend. The large tom eyed them coolly.

  “Explain yourself, trainee,” said the tom.

  “We’re sorry, Master Antwan. I was showin’ Toby around the loner trainee side of campus.”

  The massive tom gave each young cat a hard stare. Terence lowered his head. Toby did the same. He concentrated on the large gray paws a foot away. They reminded him of his father’s.

  “Carry on, but slow down.”

  The massive paws padded toward the door. Toby realized his chance to ask the tom about his father’s disappearance special mission was headed in the opposite direction.

  “Master Meredith said to tell you hello,” called Toby, hoping it was a code to let the loner know he could share his information with the orange tom.

  The master cat swiveled his head in their direction. Terence glanced from the large gray tom to Toby, his whiskers twitching. The little gray and white patched tabby’s ears swiveled outward. Toby ignored his friend’s anxious looks, willing the large tom to return. Master Antwan turned around smoothly. Silently sitting down, he curled his tail around his paws.

  “Master Antwan, did you know my father?” asked the orange tom.

  “Possibly,” said the tom. “Why do you ask?”

  Toby glanced at his friend. He wondered how the little cat would react to knowing the real reason Toby wanted to meet this particular teacher. He wasn’t sure he should let Terence in on the mission, but he couldn’t see any way to avoid it now.

  “He disappeared last spring, just before Master Ribaldy was imprisoned for treason. I’m trying to find out anything I can about the special mission he was on.”

  Terence’s head snapped around toward Toby. The little gray and white tom’s eyes were wide.

  “You said you wanted to find out what your father was like before your folks were mates. You lied to me,” the little cat hissed.

  “I’m sorry, Terence. I was afraid you wouldn’t take me to see Master Antwan if you knew the truth.”

  “But I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t I help you?”

  “Because some of the information I have so far might cast a bad light on your sponsors. I thought you might want to protect them.”

  “Protect them? Why would I need to protect them? They haven’t done nothing wrong.”

  “I don’t know if they have or not. I just know something’s going on in Hielberg County and Lorn and I have been asked to find out what we can about it.”

  “Just ‘cause somethin’s going on in the county doesn’t mean the gravin and Chivato are in on it. It’s a big place and bad ‘un’s are just as likely to be workin’ there as anywhere without some noble’s go ahead.”

  “That’s true, trainee,” interrupted Master Antwan. “Apprentice, what makes you think I have any information about your father’s disappearance?”

  “I’m not sure, sir. Master Meredith suggested speaking to you and Master Natsumi about it. She said you may have been classmates with my father.”

  Master Antwan cocked his head to the side.

  “None of my classmates were bright orange. Loners are chosen for their special abilities, but even the best must look like any ordinary cat. I’m afraid Master Meredith is mistaken.”

  Toby sighed. He felt cursed.

  “I’m ora
nge because my mother was involved in a magical accident. Both she and my father are black.”

  “What’s your father’s name?”

  “Victor.”

  The loner’s eyes narrowed. He looked from Toby to Terence and back.

  “Come with me. Both of you.”

  The two young cats looked at each other. Terence still looked miffed, but he turned to follow the loner instructor anyway. Toby followed along beside the little cat. He stole a glance from time to time at his friend. The tom’s stiff-legged gait reminded him of times he had been angry with his mother. He wondered if his friend would ever forgive him. Master Antwan ushered the two cats into an office about the size of a broom closet and closed the door behind them.

  “What we say here is not to be repeated, is that understood?” barked the loner.

  “Yes, sir,” answered Terence.

  “I can only promise not to tell anyone beyond my mage and the head masters. They need this information as much as I do.”

  “So be it.”

  The loner reclined on a large cushion, tucking his paws under his chest, and motioned the two young cats to do the same. He fixed a steely gaze on Toby.

  “Your father wanted to know if we had someone inside the shadow arts marketers with information on a particular trade going on in Hielberg County. We’ve been tracking the dragon willow trade on the shadow arts market for some time and have a few reliable informants, so we told your father how to contact one. A few weeks later Victor started sending us letters and packages containing valuable information that helped us shut down several major operations. They stopped arriving just before Master Ribaldy was discovered planting explosives beneath the High Council chambers.”

  “How can I contact the person my father talked to?”

  “This is not a game, son. These are dangerous people. They don’t let you walk away just because you’re young and stupid.”

  “I didn’t think they would, sir.”

  Master Antwan licked his ruff. His gaze remained hard when he looked back at Toby.

  “I see you won’t change your mind. Your father was the same way,” said the loner. “You can find the man you need to talk to at the White Dog in the village down the road. Tell the bartender you need ‘a pick me up because you’ve been dragon all day.’ Sounds ridiculous, but crooks aren’t especially bright.”

  “Thank you, Master Antwan,” Toby said, dipping his head as he stood up.

  The two young cats left in silence. The little gray and white cat padded lightly next to the orange tom. Toby considered how he and Lorn were going to sneak off campus to visit a pub on a school night. Going into the village wasn’t prohibited during the weekend, but it was frowned upon on a weekday. Leaving campus at night was grounds for dismissal – if you were caught, that is.

  “I’m comin’ with you,” declared Terence.

  “What? No, Terence, it’s too dangerous.”

  “Oh, please,” snarled the little cat. “I’ve probably seen more danger than you could imagine.”

  “That’s not what I meant. If we get caught you could be dismissed from the academy.”

  “Yeah, well, it’d be worth it if we could get our paws on more stuff to shut down those thugs. Gravin Arturo don’t need that lot makin’ trouble for him.” Terence stalked alongside Toby until they reached the Commons.

  “Let me know when you plan on leavin’.”

  Without a backward glance, the little gray and white patched tabby trotted back toward the loner side of campus.

  The wind rattled the windows as the three bickered over how to execute the night’s escapade.

  “Absolutely not,” argued Toby.

  “But disguisin’ ourselves would keep the nosey’s outta our business,” said Terence.

  “I agree, but I will not let Lorn cast a spell. We could all end up looking like something from Erlgarth’s Book of Mythical Beings, only not as pretty.”

  “Oh come on. That was just an accident and it wasn’t all my fault,” Lorn pointed out.

  Although he knew Lorn was right, he wasn’t about to admit it. They’d been working on one of the basic transforming spells for class. While bringing an ingredient to the young mage, Toby had accidentally tipped a bottle over. The contents oozed into a puddle over his paws, making him dance backward just as Lorn upended another bottle into the potion they were stirring. As a result Toby had to endure having duck feet for the rest of the day. The itch alone made Toby think he would go mad, but it was mild compared to what Lorn suffered.

  The potion exploded, covering his head in brown goo. The young mage panicked, tried to reverse the spell and managed to set his hair on fire mid-transformation. The young boy’s mousy brown hair was beginning to grow back, though it hung in uneven clumps. The elfin points on the lad’s ears had finally disappeared, too. Not even the head master mage could figure out just what the boy had done, so Lorn had been forced to wait for the spell to wear off. That took several days. It was one of the rare times when they had received a score of excellent, as well as a reprimand.

  “Fine,” growled Terence. “Lorn won’t cast the spell. I will.”

  “Can you do that?” asked Lorn.

  “I’m a loner trainee, remember? We have to know how to do it all.”

  “But isn’t that dangerous?” asked Toby. Terence sighed.

  “As dangerous as doin’ any magic alone. ‘Sides seems to me it’s the only way we’re gettin’ outta here tonight and, if you’re tellin’ the truth, it’s gonna be safer than havin’ Lorn do it.”

  The partners looked at each other. Terence was right. This would be safer than having Lorn try to transform them, but it would still be dangerous. It seemed their only choice. Looking back at the little gray and white patched tabby, Toby gave the go ahead. The young cat closed his eyes.

  A moment later Toby felt his skin begin to tingle. The pins and needles feeling grew until it felt like he was being clawed by hundreds of mice. The mice turned into rats and the rats into cats. The orange tom squinched his eyes against the pain. A moment more and a scream would rip itself from behind his clenched teeth. It stopped. The table beneath him jumped. There was a thud, followed by a low moan from the floor. Toby’s eyes flew open. He stared down at a large bearded man and a small brown dog. He looked down at his own paws to see the same brown hair and paws as the dog on the floor.

  “Oh,” groaned the man, holding his head as he sat up. “So this is what it’s supposed to feel like.”

  “Yep. Awful ain’t it?” barked the little dog on the floor.

  “Better than when we tried it,” barked Toby. The man glared at him.

  “At least it worked right,” he said, still glowering at the little brown dog on the table.

  “Okay, so how we gonna get into town?”

  “There’s a coach stop down the road a bit. A coach comes by every couple of hours. The academy teachers come and go at irregular intervals day and night,” said the man.

  “How do you know that?” asked the little dog on the floor.

  “Don’t ask,” answered Toby from the table, thinking about the narrow escapes his mage had experienced with his quick trips into town for necessary supplies, all of which were never teacher approved. He hopped down and joined Terence on the floor. They trotted to the door.

  “Wait,” called Lorn, standing up. “How am I supposed to tell you apart?”

  “Won’t matter. We’re just dogs. Won’t no one expect us to say much ‘cept ‘Bark. Bark.’”

  “I’m afraid Terence is right. I’ve never heard a dog speak, though Master O’dorn has said there are a few who do. I’d rather not be remembered as one of those rare breeds. Lorn this is going to be up to you.”

  Lorn paled. He ran a meaty hand through dark curls and shifted his considera
ble weight from one foot to the other. The boy turned man inhaled. Letting out a loud exhale, he straightened.

  “Let’s go then. We’re wasting time here.”

  To anyone else, Toby knew he looked like an ordinary border terrier, though perhaps a little better groomed than some of the others in the White Dog, human and animal alike. Like trained beasts he and Terence walked on either side of the miniature mountain between them. Lorn had traded his merchant-styled clothes for a pair of grubby breeches and a shirt that Mariam wouldn’t have used for rags. They didn’t ask where Terence had found the clothes when he produced them. The smell of years’ worth of sweat and rotten food was enough to stop any questions.

  The three shuffled to the end of the bar closest to the door. Lorn crammed his shoulders between a little rat-faced man and the wall. He gestured politely toward the bartender. A boisterous shout came from the other end of the room where a game of chance was taking place. The barman thunked several mugs of ale onto a platter and shoved it into the waiting hands of a serving wench.

  “Excuse me,” said Lorn, making another small wave toward the barkeep.

  “That ain’t gonna work,” whispered Terence. “You gotta act like you belong here.”

  “And exactly how do I do that?” Lorn whispered back sharply. Terence peered around. He fixed his gaze on the barman.

  “Hey, ugly, you gonna let a man die a’ thirst?” he shouted.

  The bartender’s head snapped around. He stomped toward the man and his two dogs. Lorn’s hand trembled on the counter.

  “Wadda ya wan’,” growled the barkeep.

  “In-in,” stammered Lorn. He cleared his throat to try again.

  “Information,” he said.

  “We ain’t sellin’.”

  The bartender turned to walk away. Toby’s heart leapt. Terence barked sharply, catching the man’s attention.

  “Yer dogs is noisy,” he said, pointing a finger at the door. “Shut ‘em up ‘r git ‘em out.”