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

by Virginia Ripple

  “I’m confused. What does this note have to do with the poem?”

  Lorn tapped the note.

  “Uncle Hecktor copied this person’s handwriting to show us who is responsible for creating the weapon. If we can identify it —”

  “We’ll have our assassin,” said Master O’dorn, smiling.

  “Can you identify the writing?” asked Brother Yannis.

  “If it was written by a master mage or cat, then it will have his magical signature. Now that we’ve narrowed the search to Heilberg House, I’ll be able to check the High Council Records for any matches. Finding a match shouldn’t be too difficult from there.”

  Toby couldn’t help purring. He took a step toward the old mage.

  “And I bet whoever wrote that note has the same magical signature as the blood mage’s on the medallion.”

  The mage leaned toward the young cat, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  “Then let’s not wait.”

  They’d arrived at the academy yesterday, just in time to debrief their findings with the head masters and crawl into bed before exhaustion claimed them. The meeting hadn’t gone well, considering the number of secrets they’d been keeping, but the end result wasn’t as bad as they feared.

  Other than being ordered to keep silent on what they knew, they were to cease digging into the matter. Master Jalen assured them they would work with Master O’dorn and the High Council to uncover the assassin’s identity. Toby wondered if alerting the High Council was the wisest course of action, considering someone there seemed to be leaking information, but he’d had no say in the matter. In the mean time they had been restricted to their rooms until after the hearing two days hence.

  That was yesterday. Today Toby was determined to convince Terence that his mentors were devious master minds. Unfortunately, Lorn was standing between him and the entryway.

  “There’s nothing you can say that’ll change his mind,” said Lorn, blocking the door.

  “I have to try.”

  “Why? Hasn’t he made it clear he doesn’t believe you?”

  “He’s just repeating Chivato. Deep down I know he has to feel that something’s not right.”

  “Maybe he does, but do you honestly think pointing it out again is going to make him agree with you?”

  Toby lashed his tail and growled.

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Listen,” said the young mage, holding his hands out in placation, “how would you feel if your best friend kept reminding you that you’re going against your gut instinct?”

  “I’d be grateful.”

  “Would you? Even if you were jealous of how your friend was chosen and you weren’t?”

  “Why would Terence be jealous? He’s a loner in training.”

  “Yeah, but you were chosen. Being chosen is about as close to becoming noble as many of us get. Terence is from the Lower District, so Chivato’s message probably sounds pretty good. What you’re telling him is that he’s always going to be what he’s always been, a nobody.”

  “But that’s not what I’m saying at all.”

  “I know that, but that’s not what it’s going to sound like to him.”

  Toby drew his claws across the wooden floor. He hated to admit that Lorn had a point. The orange tom thought back to when he and the little patched tabby were hopefuls. Terence had been in awe of everyone and everything, though he had plenty of experience with the more practical applications of magic like dampening fields.

  Toby flattened his ears and hissed at the mage. Lorn didn’t budge. He crossed his arms, staring down at the orange tom. The cat lashed his tail once, then turned and stalked away.

  There was a knock at the door. Toby ignored it. He stared into the fireplace, wishing the human and cat behind everything were roasting on a spit somewhere in the hell some of the Followers of the One spoke of.

  “It’s a letter from Master O’dorn,” said Lorn, closing the door. He walked over and sat beside the tom.

  Toby was afraid to ask. When they’d left, the master mage had gone to search through the signature records. He had promised to be quick so he could return to combing Master Ribaldy’s documents and his books on blood magic diseases.

  The strengthening remedy had stopped working for Adele. Toby knew there were only a few days left before she would die, but he had to return to the academy with the information they’d uncovered. They couldn’t risk a special messenger being intercepted. Dragons were formidable, but not invulnerable.

  The orange tom waited, listening to the crackle of the fire. His body felt numb. He wanted to know. He didn’t want to know. Lorn laid the letter down.

  “What does it say?”

  “She’s holding on, but still no cure. He’s created a mixture that slowed the sickness down again. It’s working for your mother and the other humans they were treating. Master O’dorn is sure he’ll find the cure any day now.”

  “How many days does she have left?” asked the young tom, still staring into the fire.

  His mind replayed each argument they’d had since his father disappeared. Try as he might he couldn’t remember any words of love or kindness passing between them. She’d told Master O’dorn she loved him. Why couldn’t she have said it to him? Why couldn’t he have tried harder, done better, proven he had what it takes? Why did he always have to argue with her? Why couldn’t he have kept his tongue behind his teeth?

  “She’s strong, Toby. She’s a survivor.”

  The cat said nothing. Lorn laid a gentle hand on the young tom’s back. They watched the fire burn to embers. Let her live, he prayed. He wondered if the One would hear his prayer. He wasn’t a Follower. Let her live and I will follow. He listened for an answer, but the only sound was the shifting of a few charred sticks as they fell through the fire grate.

  Toby and Lorn sat on their stools, waiting for the hearing to begin. Toby’s tail twitched as he stared around the conference room at the gathered teachers, surprised Gravin Arturo and Chivato were also in attendance. It was all the tom could do to keep his fur flat when he saw them.

  Unlike their first hearing, this time he and Lorn were part of the proceedings. Sitting on one side of the conference table was a balding man in navy blue master’s robes, the lines on his face giving the impression of permanent disapproval. On the other side sat a young brunette in dove gray master’s robes, her dark eyes reminding Toby of the picture in Master O’dorn’s sitting room of a deer nuzzling her fawn. The rustling of cloth and papers quieted as Head Master Jalen rapped the table with his gavel.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here to discuss the veracity of the claim of Apprentices Lorn and Toby that the explosion in their room was perpetrated by someone other than themselves. We have asked Master Leta to represent the students’ case and Master Orde to represent the opposing side. Let us begin.”

  Master Jalen rapped the gavel once more. The balding mage turned in the students’ direction.

  “What evidence is there that someone other than you had access to your rooms?”

  “We found a burnt stick of incense under a large bureau. It wasn’t there before,” answered Lorn.

  “A burnt stick of incense under a large bureau, you say? How do you know it wasn’t there before?”

  “If it had been, Toby would have smelled it when we moved in.”

  “And how can you prove that you smelled it? Perhaps you were only looking for anything that could shift the blame to someone else and pretended to find this stick to do just that.”

  Lorn grabbed his stool as he leaned forward.

  “That’s not true. Toby’s nose is very sensitive. Ask anyone who knows him.”

  “Friends can be persuaded to lie simply because they are friends.”

  Master Jalen bang
ed his gavel on the table before Lorn could say more. The young human’s face was becoming red. Toby could feel the heat coming off him in waves. The fur between the orange tom’s toes prickled. It was all he could do to keep his claws sheathed. The young female mage raised her hand.

  “The head master recognizes Master Leta.”

  “Apprentices, have you been bullied at any time while at the academy?”

  There was a rustle of cloth and murmuring. Toby glanced around the room. Several of the teachers from the Houses glared at them. Toby looked straight at Master Leta.

  “Yes.”

  “And what have you done in retaliation?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “No.”

  “You chose not to defend yourself in any way?”

  Toby cocked his head. He looked up at Lorn, who raised an eyebrow. They both turned back to the woman. She sighed.

  “Did you or did you not keep your rooms secure at all times?”

  “Yes. We put a dampening field on both the work room and the bedroom to keep anyone from using magic against us.”

  The woman’s lips curved in a small smile.

  “Head masters, all of us who are gathered here today know that a dampening field is good at keeping magic from being used within the field if the magicians are also within the field. We also know that objects can be moved within that field if one is outside of it.”

  Master Orde leaned forward, glaring at the young woman.

  “Are you suggesting an apprentice knew how to manipulate a dampening field? That’s preposterous.”

  Muttering broke out amongst the gathered teachers, making Master Jalen need to bang his gavel on the table. Master Antwan raised his paw.

  “The head master recognizes Master Antwan.”

  “Actually, we have a trainee who is quite adept at moving items from an area within a dampening field to an area outside of it. It would not be difficult to imagine an apprentice who could do the opposite.”

  The old mage waved his hands in dismissal. Master Meredith looked from the man to the charcoal gray tom.

  “Let us go back to the stick of incense the students claimed to have found. I think we should interview the head housekeeper to verify if the apprentices’ rooms were swept clean prior to the incident.”

  “Agreed.”

  Master Jalen motioned to an awaiting dragon. Moments later there was a loud pop as the head housekeeper appeared. The medium-sized blue dragon bowed to the head masters.

  “How may I serve you?”

  “Mistress, we are in need of details regarding the cleaning of these apprentices’ rooms.”

  The dragon turned golden eyes on the partners. She gave a toothy smile to them, then turned toward the head masters again.

  “Their rooms were scrubbed from ceiling to floor before they moved in. Since then we have cleaned them daily top to bottom as is custom. We’ve also kept a close eye on their special needs.”

  She turned and winked at them.

  “Special needs?”

  “Oh yes. These two sometimes need an extra broom or rag on occasion to sweep up their experiments gone wrong. Nothing too demanding. They always clean up their messes best fleshlings can and that’s much appreciated.”

  The old mage leaned toward the dragon.

  “So the explosion in their room was nothing out of the ordinary?”

  “Oh Dragora bless. That was nothing like ordinary. We’re still scrubbing the stench from the walls.”

  “Mistress,” said Master Jalen, drawing her attention back to him. “You said you scrubbed their rooms before they moved in and have cleaned them daily since. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, sir.” The blue dragon held her head high.

  “Would it be possible that a stick of incense could have been trapped under a bureau and been missed in any of that time?”

  The head housekeeper glared at the head master. She drew her lips back from her formidable teeth and snapped at the air.

  “If one of my helpers missed even a speck of dust I would have her tail as my belt.”

  Master Jalen nodded, smiling.

  “Thank you, Mistress.”

  The blue dragon nodded, turned to wink at the students again, then disappeared. The head master mage looked around the room.

  “I think we can safely assume that had the incense been in the apprentices’ rooms prior to the explosion, the head housekeeper would know.”

  “It also seems that someone might have a reason to cause harm to these students,” said Master Meredith.

  “Only if you accept their claim that they were being bullied,” said Master Orde, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the table.

  “I believe their claims are justified given what we know of class rivalries between students,” said Master Leta.

  “That still does not prove that young Toby sniffed out the stick, rather than planting it there just after the explosion as a means to shift responsibility. We’ve all had the displeasure of walking past that building since the incident. How could anyone smell anything beyond that stench?”

  Master Jalen raised a sheet of paper from the table and cleared his throat.

  “If I may, we have documentation from a previous interview with an acquaintance of Toby’s stating that the apprentice was able to smell precisely what was being cooked for breakfast during orientation while both hopefuls were on the first landing of the Commons stairway.”

  “Hearsay,” said the old mage.

  “Proof.” The young woman pounded a fist on the table.

  Master Meredith looked from one mage to the other. She stared at Toby, narrowing her eyes.

  “Can we not test this?”

  Both mages looked at the head master cat. The old mage narrowed his eyes at the tortoiseshell.

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Choose three humans to select one item each with distinct smells. Hide those items in a large room, say the banquet hall. If Toby can find and identify each item, then we must accept that he is indeed capable of smelling a stick of incense beneath the stench of the explosion. If he cannot, we have no alternative than to expel both students. What say you?”

  Toby’s eyes widened. He looked first at Master Orde’s sneering face, then to Master Leta’s wan expression. They both nodded.

  “Agreed.”

  Toby paced outside the doors to the banquet hall. Lorn poked him in the side, motioning to the small group gathering at the door. Gravin Arturo was standing with the head masters and the arbitrators. The young tom wished he could have heard what Chivato had said to Master Orde to convince the older mage that the gravin should be included as an observer to the test.

  The partners watched as the head master opened the door to the hall and waved the others in. Gravin Arturo bumped into Master Leta as they tried to go through the door at the same time.

  “Excuse me,” he said.

  “Not at all. Go ahead.”

  The gravin motioned toward the opening.

  “Ladies first.”

  Master Leta gave him a bright smile and walked past the door. The man turned, glancing at the apprentices, then entered the room. Toby went back to pacing as soon as the door closed. Lorn shook his head and wrinkled his nose, turning to watch the young cat.

  “Nervous?” The young cat stared at his companion. Lorn shrugged.

  “Stupid question.”

  Toby went back to pacing.

  “Look. It’s not like this is a test over something you learned in class. You were born with this. You can’t fail.”

  “But what if someone does something to one of the objects, makes it so it doesn’t have a smell?”

  “That would be cheating. The
head masters won’t allow that.”

  “How would they know? They don’t have super smellers.”

  “True, but they trust your abilities. If you fail to find an object I bet they’ll check it out and then they’d find the cheat.”

  “I suppose.”

  The doors opened. Master Meredith stood in the doorway.

  “Toby, we’re ready for you.”

  Toby glanced back at Lorn. The young human wasn’t allowed in the room. Lifting his chin high, the tom followed the tortoiseshell cat into the banquet hall. They stopped at the top of the stairs. He turned to Master Meredith for instruction.

  “There are three objects hidden in this room, each with a unique smell. As you search for them you are to tell us what you smell.”

  “How will I know I’ve found them?”

  “You will know.”

  Toby wrinkled his forehead.

  “How much time do I have?”

  “Thirty minutes, starting now.”

  The young tom’s whiskers clamped tight. He sniffed the air. The stale scent of food hung faintly. He started down the stairs. A whiff of exotic flowers caught his attention. He stopped. Closing his eyes he searched the air around him for its direction. Behind him. He turned, took a step. The smell grew stronger. He opened his mouth to let the scent flow over his glands.

  “What do you smell?”

  “Flowers. I think they’re flowers. I’ve never smelled it before. It’s…” Toby took another step toward the banister. “It’s coming from…”

  He opened his eyes and stared down at the floor. He cocked his head, looking at the sparkling object. Rats. Just a pin some lady lost at the last festival. He batted at it. The object began screaming. Toby’s eyes flew wide, his ears flattened to his head. As he tried to back away, his paws skid on the polished wood floor. Master Meredith picked the screaming pin up and placed it on a small table just inside the doors. The screaming stopped.