Malo backtracks to Mammatus City to buy supplies for his trip through the mountains and to spend one more night indoors. Entering the first caravan supply store he sees; he picks up as much food as he can carry and looks over the assortment of camping supplies.

He’s a little worried about his inu Chloe. She’s been eating less lately and is insistent on him sharing his food. He doesn’t mind sharing, he can always buy more food, but he’s been told that an inu’s stomach can’t handle big variations in diet. She’ll get sick this way if he doesn’t get her eating right. Settling on a middle ground has him buying a lot more jerked cavi than usual, with a plan of keeping her people-food restricted to the one item. Of course, that will only last if he can keep from eating the jerky too.

There won’t be any hostels along the way, he’ll need a portable shelter. The single person tents are too short so he bought one meant for a family. The available camping supplies are a confusing jumble of lanterns, mess kits, ropes, hammocks, knives, spark-strikers, and packs. Not knowing what he will need, he picks up one of everything.

The next morning, he goes to say bye to the headmaster and let him know where Master Gale has sent him. The lobby outside the headmaster’s office is attended by a page girl he’s not met before.

She looks familiar though, “Have we met, I don’t recall your name?”

“I look familiar because you knew my sister. She used to sit in this same chair. My name is Roos and you must be Malo, on account you’re a head taller than you’re supposed to be.”

“Nice to meet you Roos… um… Don’t take this the wrong way, but aren’t you a little young to be a page?”

“Headmaster Robles decided that older students should be working in classrooms and not wandering the halls. There are now two dozen pages with shorter shifts. None of us work after lights-out time anymore. Sanne will be insane with jealousy when she returns from her practicum.”

She is a lot like her sister, think Malo before asking, “Is he in and is he taking visitors?”

Roos knocks on the door and hollers, “Headmaster, would you like me to send in estudient de defens Malo?”

Malo looks at her confusingly and says, “estudeent duh defend”?

Roos snickers, “Close enough for a runt. Sanne tried to prepare me for dealing with your ignorance. That was French for ‘Student of Defense’, he’s forcing us use a mix of French and Trade to make us sound more cultured or something.”

The door swings open from the inside where a delighted Paras eagerly greets Malo before addressing his page.

“Roos, no language ever spoken will make you sound cultured. I’m going to settle for making you sound intelligent.”

Roos laughs, “Good luck with that grampa.”

“Why don’t you take off early. I won’t need anything urgent before the next shift begins in an hour.”

Roos, is in the hallway before he finishes the sentence.

Malo wonders aloud, “Are you two related?”

“Hmm? Oh, she called me grampa. No, no relation. She likes to remind me that I’m old. And I like hearing her laugh so I let her.”

Changing the subject Malo asks, “Headmaster, will you be visiting Greta soon?”

“Yes, in a month. Why do you ask?”

“I was just there as I told you the other day, but I feel like I forget to tell her a bunch of things.”

“If you want to write a letter, I can deliver it to her next month.”

“No that’s ok. I’m not much at writing my thoughts down. I’ll make sure to visit her again soon.”

“That sounds wise of you. Now, tell me where my predecessor is sending you for your practicum?”

Malo recites the list of locations and tutors he’s to seek, and the headmaster patiently waits for him to conclude.

“That sounds more like a quest than a practicum. The last student he sent into North Cenoka was Terius and before that only me. You’ll find Master Copa to be an interesting man.”

“If I can find him. There’s a lot of Mountains in North Cenoka. Does anyone know which one is the tallest?”

“You’ll find some handwritten notes on the North Cenoka atlas in our library. It took me the better part of a year to figure out which peak to search. I’d still be looking if I didn’t hear the hermit laughing at me as I was flying in circles.”

“Fly? I thought I could climb up there. Is someone going to teach me flying? I can barely fast travel. I’ve only left the ground once, on accident and came down hard enough to not want to do it again.”

Paras has a good chuckle as he imagines Malo smashing into the ground. Probably more concerned over damaging his food than the resulting broken limbs.

“Don’t laugh, I smashed the sandwich I had in my pocket when I crashed.”

This fuels more laughter, he pulls Malo in and hugs him, “Oh, thank you for being you. I’ve not had a good laugh in months.”

Malo is used to this from the headmaster. He stays reserved around the students and most of the faculty but gets all emotional when they are alone. They share a connection, both of them have true-spirits. Greta and Luscin are the only other two in the world. He can’t imagine how Luscin is handling the new flood of emotions. Greta breaks down and cries, Master Robles Laughs at little stupid things, and I was born with a true-spirit, so it’s just who I’ve always been.

“There’s not a rule about me coming back here before I finish is there?”

“No not at all.”

“Good, then I can come back and check your notes in the atlas when I finish the other tests.”

“Please visit anytime estudient de defens Malo Feltman Brust.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“That does sound sophisticated, how should I address you?”

Smiling he responds haughtily, “Le chef d’établissement Paras Robles.”

“I like that, Lee Chef duh establishment Paras Robles.”

Paras, now faking a smile, “Headmaster Robles is also fine.”

Malo doesn’t let it go, “No, I like it. You’re the Chef Master of Mammatus, cooking the defenders of the future… or Master Chef Robles, the head of defender baking… le Robles le Chef of duh Mammatus establishment…”

“Malo please stop before you make my ears bleed. Promise me you will never utter a syllable of French again. It’s the language of…of… strange, that phrase is missing a word or two in my inheritance. No matter, promise me you will never speak French where I may hear you… promise!”

Reigning in his merriment, “I promise to never speak another word of français in the presence of Le chef d’etablissement Paras Robles ever again.”

No longer faking his smile, “I hate when you do that, but don’t ever change. I should have known your auntie would have taught you proper diction.”

“Give Greta one of those hugs for me when you see her.”

The next morning Malo has his camping gear laid out on a tarp and is trying to figure out how to pack everything.

Chloe is sitting impatiently watching him try to figure out what to do with the oil lamp he bought; not sure, he sets it off to the side and moves on to the huge tent. Its cumbersome for even him, made of thick canvas with two sectional steel poles. Now unboxed, it only looks bigger.

A sound he wasn’t expecting catches his attention, turning he sees Chloe peeing on the oil lamp.

“Stop that!”

Chloe finishes before returning to his previous place of observation.

“What has gotten into you?

After a brief pause, “I guess I should thank you, I don’t know what kind of oil that lamp uses after all. I think it was for use in mining or something… and I don’t need light to see in the dark. What was I thinking?”

The inu, predictably doesn’t answer.

“Chloe, stay… While I go get someone who knows how to travel.”

Twenty minutes later Malo comes back alone. Now armed with advice from Master Black Hill and a couple of the younger classmates, Pieter, and Rik.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Chloe has torn up his tent and has been chewing on half his supplies.

Chloe looks at him playfully and drops to a crouch like he wants to be chased.

“This is on me. I left a restless animal with a bunch of expensive chew toys. I’m surprised you didn’t go through the food provisions and eat all my cavi.”

Resigned to still get moving today Malo starts to make two piles. The stuff his inu destroyed and the stuff that was overlooked.

Surprisingly, the overlooked pile was made up of items he was advised to keep. A sleeping bag, personal mess kit, a tarp, water sacks, backpack, rope, and spare clothes.

The destroyed items comprised of the family-sized tent, lantern, family-sized mess kit, two types of fire strikers, a broom, a shovel, a hand saw, a compass with a magnifying glass, and an over stocked first aid kit.

He was told he should carry some medical supplies, picking through the trashed first aid kit he found the essentials were in good shape.

Seeing the mangled handles of the saw, shovel, and saw made a good reminder not to anger an inu. If a riding inu can do this in such a short time, imagine what a War Inu is capable of doing.

Malo hauls the broken gear to the dumpster by the kennel and affixes everything else to Chloe’s harness. The last preparation is to fill the water sacks, which he handily accomplishes using the kennel’s water trough spicket.

“Let’s go Chloe, before you destroy something important this time.”

Since flying is out of the question, Malo decides the easiest way to reach Bearupper will be to follow the train tracks until he comes to the switch, where the Bearupper line begins and follow it.

The Mammatus station is empty and won’t fill up until an hour before the train is due. The station is little more than a covered loading platform that extends 400-yards in either direction from the tiny ticket booth. He’s tempted to buy a ticket and ride, but that would rob him and Chloe of a chance to run.

Without another glance the two begin their journey along the West-East Transcontinental Railway.

On the far west end of the railway in a diner in the seedy warehouse district of El Hat, a pair of Mammatus Study students are having a serious discussion.

“Luscin, are you sure nobody can hear us?”

“Yes, this is the same distortion field that Milnor used whenever he met with me.”

Teum is nervous, what he’s about to share could get them both in trouble, “I know it’s been three years since… you know… the thing you did and the word I said, and in all that time there’s been no sign of corruption at the study here in El Hat. I think I found the proof we need; I just need your help bringing in guy that has it and getting him safely to Mammatus.”

“Sure, you carry him on your back and we’ll fly him there today.”

“That’s not as easy as you think and he doesn’t want to fly. The idea terrifies him and he said he won’t testify if I force him.”

“Oh, do you want me to knock him out… tie him up… erase his memory?”

“No, no, and no. I want you to ride with us on the train. I’ll need your help so I don’t have to stay awake the whole trip.”

“That doesn’t sound like much fun, but you know I can’t say no to my Teum-yum.”

Blushing, “Thanks love.”

“So, who is this guy and what is he going to testify?”

“What he can testify, is having seen you and Milnor meeting in the Study with Master Ta Raha.”

Luscin feeling insecure when confronted with the reality of her years away from Mammatus, “I wish I could remember those days. It would be a lot easier if I could.”

“That’s why it’s so important we get Doug safely out of here.”

“Doug? Is that his whole name?”

“No, that’s just what we’re going to call him.”

“Who is he, do I know him?”

“His real name is Headmaster Horatio Nguyen of El Hat Study.”

Luscin is gob smacked by this revelation, “No way! Wait, their headmaster can’t fly himself?”

“He couldn’t if he wanted to. He’s the weakest Defender at that study and can barely fast travel.”

“How can someone that weak become a Defender and a headmaster?”

“He told me he never wanted the job but was coerced to take it. He’s a headmaster in name only with no real power or authority.”

Not liking this last bit of news at all Luscin asks, “That was a wild ride of information, is there anything else you want to add?”

“Yeah, there is. You’re not going to like this last part one bit.”

Concerned, she leans in closer to make sure she hears what Teum has to say.

“Headmaster Nguyen is a secret fan of Professional Dueling and is especially fond of Fighter-Fox.”

Master Elora Remon of the Study of El Hat, learned her lesson when spying on Teum in the past, uses her more subtle abilities combined with a practical disguise to keep a watch on the two. She appears as a corner merchant selling trinkets from a cart she’s pushing. The cart and clothes are real, the trinkets are real, she’s using an affect mask to make herself untrustworthy and a few hundred prisms to alter her hair color and style. Her black hair no longer sports a silver stripe and her orange eyes now appear silver.

Frustrated by the sudden loss of sound, it must be the girl she theorizes. The technique is a perfect copy of the one employed by that foreign agent they were forced to obey. The girl Luscin was his willing accomplice to whatever mission he was executing. Master Remon and her team were never informed of the girl’s status. Is she now working directly for him or was she assigned another handler?

Their appearance is that of two happy diners, talking and laughing at something only they can hear.

The unruly boy is still her responsibility, until told otherwise. He has been sniffing around the study for two years now, posing as a guest student, sitting in on lessons, and reading old papers from the library. Their spy in Mammatus says Teum is not on official business and hasn’t even started his practicum. Unless it’s true about him enjoying those fake fights the two participate in, there has to be something Elora is missing.

The two are scheming something, perhaps Luscin is a free agent and this boy has recruited her. If she can prove the two are working against his interests, perhaps she can earn the first sacrament.