Randall was the first one to speak among the group, with his usual skeptic attitude spilling forth, "It all smells fishy to me. That performance is all well and good for the other children, but what will any of these people want with a group of tainted cripples?" Lacey elbowed the frowning boy and replied with a gentle smile, "Stop being so negative, Randy. You always say the same thing when families come for adoption day as well, but didn't Suzy get adopted in the end?" Randall gave the hunched girl a lopsided smile and shrugged his shoulders in response. "Those people were odd too." Lacey rolled her eyes, and Randall began to chide him in a soft voice. Jonesy had walked over to the group while they had started chatting and placed his large, calloused hand on Loch's shoulder, breaking his eavesdropping on Lacey and Randall's quarrel. "Wasn't that awesome? How lucky are you guys? If I hadn't already accepted my apprenticeship, I would've been tempted to try my luck with a couple of them."
Loch looked up to Jonesy's smiling face and couldn't help but tease the older boy, "Of course, you would have to check with 'Mummy' first, though, right?" Jonesy cuffed Loch in the back of his head playfully, before doing the same to the silent Squirt whose shoulders were shaking up and down in his own representation of laughter at the older boy. Randall, who had been sullenly arguing with Lacey, started to get a little more heat in his voice and caused the other boys to turn their attention back onto him. He was convinced that the whole recruitment drive was some scam, and the adults just wanted them for free labor. He even said that the way the woman called Daniella looked at Lacey appeared like she might want them for some kind of evil experiment. Jonesy rolled his eyes at the statement, while Loch couldn't help but interject when he saw Lacey's smiling face dim, "That's not how Sorceress work, Randall. They use the harvested parts of Fiends to conduct their sorcery, not other humans. Granny told me that they make the most amazing things with their sorcery. She said that the streets would be covered in crap if it wasn't for their enchantments purifying the waste dumps."
Jonesy also spoke up in a more scolding tone, as he looked around the hall with a worried face, "Don't say such things so loud, Randall. Not just because it's rude, but those are people we can't afford to offend either."
Randall looked affronted at what looked to him as an unfair gang up when he thought he was just thinking in their group's best interest. He replied in a fluster, "How could you know any of that is true, Loch? And I'm not stupid,d Jonesy. I made sure no one was close enough to hear. Plus, I've also heard stories about sorcerers, too. Mr. Kyles from the tavern told me before that he saw a Sorcerer pull someone's skeleton right out of their body. And then, after using the blood of the person, the sorceress reanimated the skeleton and sent it out to kill more folks. The whole tavern agreed with his words, and some of the people even said they had witnessed it happen. You can't trust them guys; you just can't. They sit in their tower all day long doing the Earth knows what and rarely ever coming out. If one of us follows that woman, we'll probably never see them again." Loch gave Randall a curious look, as the other boy's words took on a more frantic tone by the end. 'Maybe he is still a little on edge after hearing about Jonesy leaving, but now, with another opportunity suddenly presenting itself, another one of us might leave. And going by that woman's look, it very well might be Lacey.' Loch thought, as he looked over to the hunched girl, who Randall was still supporting with one of his hands.
Before Jonesy could reprimand Randall for badmouthing the sorceress again, a strict woman's voice rang out from behind the group. Causing all of them to freeze. "And what were you doing at Kyle's Tavern Randall?" Randall, who was facing Lacey, turned his head as if it was on a rusty cog and broke out in nervous sweat at the sight of Mother Leanne looming behind Jonesy and facing him directly. "Umm, I was simply passing by... when... Mr. Kyle was cleaning the windows and overheard the story." Randall replied with a weak smile. Mother Leanne raised one of her imperious eyebrows and lamely replied, "The day that lazy oaf cleans anything but the mugs in his hovel is the day sun rises in the east and sets in the north. If I find out you've been slipping drinks there, Randall, you'll have more to fear than just losing a layer of skin on your bottom. I have also told you many a time not to take the words of such small-minded people as the truth. Always verify, then believe. Nothing ever good comes from blind faith. Am I Understood?"
Loch, who had his back to Mother Leanne, couldn't help but pull an evil grin at his now pale-faced friend while also sticking his tongue out in mockery. Randall became even more flustered as he couldn't gather a response to his scolding while being distracted by his friend's teasing. All he could do was mouth a warning that he would beat Loch up when they were alone later.
"Put that tongue back in your mouth, Loch, before you lose it." Mother Leanne's voice snapped out, making Loch also break out in a cold sweat, 'Randall's right, the woman's a bloody witch, a witch I say!' Loch wailed in his mind, but he still wiped the smile off his face and put his wagging tongue away. Mother Leanne's stern face broke into a small smile and her voice even held a gentler quality to it as she addressed Lacey, making all the boys' glance at the hunched girl with envy. "Lacey, dear. I'm so glad to see you are feeling better and just in time to attend to today's affairs, too. If you missed such a great opportunity, it would have broken my heart." Lacey dipped her head shyly and replied, "Thank you, Mother Leanne. I... am also glad I didn't miss today."
Mother Leanne nodded, and the girl's words and then looked the girl right in the eyes. The feeling in the air changed and Loch felt each boy tense, as the casual atmosphere suddenly became much more serious. "Now, Lacey, this is very important, and I need your honest answer. Sorceress Daniella has requested your presence upstairs. She told me that besides Nick and Nadine, you are the only one who has the potential to follow her and accept the teachings of her Glintstone Tower. Would you like to speak to her, Lacey? It's not agreeing to anything just to talk to her and if you don't feel comfortable at any point, you can just let me know."
The four boys snapped their heads towards the hunched girl after Mother Leanne's words. Each boy holding a unique expression than the other. Loch didn't look surprised but more curious about why his friend was chosen over others. Jonesy looked at the little girl with a face radiating encouragement and support. Squirt was flicking his hands in a gesture towards Lacey, that Loch read as, 'Ask the lady if she has any shortcakes.' Which confused Loch further. At the same time, Randall had a face, as if someone had punched him in the gut. He stared at the girl with watery eyes. Lacey, who appeared worried and guilty after hearing Mother Leanne's question, looked away from Randall. He looked over to the boys he called brothers and saw them all nod their heads in his direction, all showing caring but expectant looks towards Randall.
With shoulders slumped, Randall gazed at the side of Lacey's face for several more seconds before taking his arm off her own and placing it gently on her lower back. With a light push, Randall muttered in a soft voice, "Go, Lacey. You should see what the lady wants. No, you must see what the lady wants. I've always known you were special, and it appears others have too."
Lacey finally matched gazes with Randall after hearing his choked words. As if they were having a silent conversation, the two didn't speak and just locked eyes, with both of them going through several facial expressions over the next minute. Mother Leanne patiently waited, while the other boys tactfully looked away and discussed in hushed voices about what they thought some of the other children might try their chances at. The silent conversation appeared to end when Lacey's face took on a determined gaze, and Randall was left with a resigned look. Randall, unwilling to look at the girl or his friends, turned and walked to a bench by the wall. His back to the group. Lacey's face cracked for a moment after seeing the bald boy's lonely-looking figure, but she straightened her hunched shoulders the best she could and replied in a calm voice to the waiting Mother Leanne. "Let's go see Sorceress Daniella, Mother."
Mother Leanne, with a deft hand, took Lacey's frail arm and began to lead her towards the stairs. Loch could just hear the stately woman whisper to his friend, "It's for the best, Lacey. Randall doesn't understand right now, but someday soon, he will." The boys left behind looked at each other, sharing unspoken thoughts for a moment before heading over to the hunched-over Randall. Loch and Jonesy sat on either side of their hairless friend, while Squirt stood behind Randall, his gaze wandering. They just sat there in companionable silence for a few minutes while Randall shed silent tears, which he wiped with his sleeve. Several of the children behind them had started to ascend the stairs in ones and twos. Some of the kids appeared eager, while others looked nervous, constantly wringing their hands.
Mother Leanne had come back down the stairs after dropping off Lacey and was swarmed by several of the children. Their questions all came in a rush. Mother Leanne handled them with grace and calm, assuaging some fears and clearing up doubts. Loch peered behind him at the commotion and couldn't help wondering on how a simple master of an Orphanage in the Shambles could be so knowledgeable. 'I feel like there's so much I don't know. It's as if someone has put up a layer of fog around me half my life, and I can't see through it.' While Loch was lost in his own thoughts, Jonesy had begun to talk to Randall in a hushed voice, his calm tone settling the inner turmoil rolling around Loch's friend's mind. With even Squirt now leaning on Randall's back in a sort of half hug, adding his own brand of silent support, Randall appeared to be rousing slightly. Even though Loch thought it was more likely that his youngest friend was just tired from standing and using Randall as something to lean on. Regardless, after several more minutes, Randall appeared to be slightly mollified and raised his head.
Loch tuned back in on his friends when he saw Randall's more composed face. Even though the boy's eyes still had a light puffiness to them, he had at least stopped shedding tears. "So, Randall, what do you think about what those people have offered? Does any of them interest you? You shouldn't give up this opportunity. Change isn't always a bad thing.' Jonesy asked. Randall shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know. I never really thought about it. Even when the adults were talking, I just felt like they were addressing the other kids, not me. I honestly always assumed that once I come of age in a couple of years, I'd just get a job in the mines. My talent has only ever been in lugging heavy things. I don't really have any skills I'm good at. Unlike you, Jonesy, I'm not good with my hands. I'm not smart like Lacey and Loch. I'm also not agile like Squirt. Why would any of them want me for?"
With a loud tsk at his friend's downtrodden words, Loch slapped his friend on his arm and refuted, "Don't be stupid, Randall. I know for a fact you have something one of those guys said he appreciated above all else. I would even say it is a quality you have in spades." Randall looked to Loch with a confused face, with even Jonesy leaning past Randall to stare at him with a pondering expression. Loch sported a large grin as he said, "Stubbornness. Lots and lots of stubbornness." Randall's confused face couldn't help breaking into a small smile as he playfully shoved Loch, "Now you're being stupid. Who in the soil said they were looking for a child with stubbornness?"
Loch put on a smug smile and explained while he pretended to stroke a long beard as if he was a wise old man, "The Knight Captain, of course, you dunce. However, he didn't say the word stubborn. The way he described looking for people who get knocked down but don't stay down and are not afraid of hard work. He was basically outlining you. Mother Leanne may think you go to Kyle's tavern to sneak drinks like some of the other older boys, but we know you go there in the early mornings to clean the whole place for barely a couple of bits." Randall had a look of chagrin and surprise as he looked to Loch who continued, "You don't think we haven't noticed the fact that whenever Lacey fills up one of her notebooks, breaks a quill or finishes reading one of her books cover to cover, that a new one is miraculously placed on her bedside table the next day? We're not stupid or blind. Randall and Lacey's not stupid either. If we hadn't covered for you and told her those things were from Mother Leanne when she asked, she would have found out ages ago."
Jonesy couldn't help laughing at Randall's surprised and embarrassed expression when Loch finished. Squirt, who was now leaning over Randall's shoulder, was asking with his hands why he didn't get any presents. And that he'd forgive Randall if he brought him a new hat. All the boys couldn't help but laugh at the indignant, smiling Squirt. Only after Randall promised he would buy the boy, a new hat on Solstice Day at the end of the year did Squirt's sunny smile come back, and he was able to focus back on Loch. "What does all that have to do with what the Knight-Captain wants, anyway?"
"You might not see it, Randall, but we do. Your stubbornness is a weakness, yes, but it is definitely one of your strongest points. You say you're not talented, but the Knight Captain does not want talent. He is looking for people who can put in the hard yards and never surrender. I can't think of a better candidate than you." Jonesy filled in for Loch and explained. Randall's furrowed brow locked together as he began to ponder. After several seconds, he looked up to Loch and said, "I see what you're trying to say, but if that goes for me, then I can say you have the exact same qualities, Loch. So does Squirt." Before Loch could reply, Mother Leanne's voice once again sprung up out of nowhere, causing all the boys to turn around on their stools. Squirt was the only one who didn't appear to be surprised by the woman's sudden silent approach.
"Jonesy is correct, Randall. Randall is also correct in saying you share the same qualities as Loch and Squirt. But I would say that everyone in your dorm shares the same unyielding quality. You don't know how many people give up every year living with the taint. The flare-ups are painful enough, but the crippling in this already difficult world makes it even harder to push on, especially without the support of a family." Mother Leanne said, her gaze stern but warm. "But I do agree that the opportunity to join the Bullhorn Brotherhood suits you immensely, Randall, and not just due to the luck of your tainting not effecting you physically besides a lack of teeth and hair. And just like your friends and myself, the Knight Captain had apparently seen something in you, too. He has already met with a few of the children and has personally asked for you to see him. Would you like to meet with him?"
Randall was left stupefied by Mother Leanne at that moment. She was a woman that he had always accused of being an evil witch. He would never expect that she would agree with his friend's assessments of the good qualities within him. He was doubly shocked when he heard the Knight captain had asked for him, as far as he was aware, the serious-looking giant of a man had not looked at him once. Almost as if in a daze, Randall nodded to the air and, with a gentle pushing from his friends, he stood up and began to walk towards the stairs, accompanied by Mother Leanne. He paused halfway across the hall, though; his brain had finally caught up to his body, and he turned back to his friends with a confused look. They in turn looked back at Randall, with Loch even questioning, "What?" Randall then questioned with a frown, "Aren't you coming, Loch? Squirt?" Loch gave his friend a shake of the head and lifted his lifeless left arm before dropping it again. "There is no way he's taking a one-armed boy buddy," Loch said.
The casual response from Loch brought a sad frown to mar Jonesy and Randall's faces. They both pondered which one of the adults would accept Loch with his disability. Jonesy looked at Loch and said, "Well, what about Mr. Cromen? You can read and write better than most of us, and you might even be able to branch into learning more about medicine through his work as a merchant." Loch had also been pondering over the situation after the adults had finished their spiels, but none of what they described or the organizations they represented called out to him.
Loch also knew the Brotherhood and the city guard would not take someone with only one working arm. Loch was thinking that maybe joining the Cleric Hall and learning the healing arts from them could be a good idea, but he had shut that thought down after sensing the disgust radiating from Mother Jessene when she looked towards them. There was also something deep within him that felt utter repulsion when thinking of joining the church of the Earth. It wasn't something he hadn't felt about the church in the past, but he trusted his instincts and decided to give up on any of the choices presented by the adults. Much like Randall had, he felt that the recruitment was more for the others than him. Loch had then tried not to think about it since the adults had gone upstairs and the children had been filing in and out of the hall. Instead, choosing to focus on his friend's possible chances instead.
"Loch doesn't need to worry about being recruited by any of the organizations upstairs. Someone has already claimed the right to talk to appeal to him first. And they should be here soon. Squirt is also not suited for the Brotherhood or Mr. Cromen's chamber of commerce; I've also made arrangements for this little troublemaker already. So, you don't need to worry." Mother Leanne's words had broken the boy's silent contemplations. All of them, even Squirt, were staring at the woman with confused, surprised, and, in Loch's and Squirt's case, slightly nervous expressions. Without letting the boy's time to question her, Mother Leanne addressed Randall, "Come Randall, it would be rude to leave the Knight Captain waiting, and some of the other children are still waiting to meet the others as well." The woman strode towards the stairs again, half dragging the dazed Randall along with her.
Jonesy and Loch shared furrowed expressions when the sound of a pair of boots entering the hall made them both look up. Due to the children all being equipped with the same soft shoes, the sound of heavy-heeled boots let them know it was probably one of the adults entering the room. Jonesy appeared confused at the new guest striding towards them, though, as to him, it was a complete stranger, while Loch looked visibly shocked and, after several seconds, frozen in place. What could only be described as a sense of overwhelming excitement seemed to take over his body, causing him to leap up from the bench and call out, "Mr. Tobias!"
The mustachioed Hunter strode right up to Loch, with one side of his lip curled in a charming smile. Tobias was in much better condition than he had been the previous night. Half of the reason Loch was so surprised at the sight of the man in the first place was because Tobias appeared to be in perfect health. With not a scratch or mark from their deadly encounter the night before on him. Loch had seen the Hunter with deep lacerations all over his body and face. Even though the man was now in a clean suit with a knee length furred jacket, so Loch couldn't see the state of the wounds on Tobias's body, but he could clearly see the man's face. And there was not a mark on it. 'What in the dirty soil is going on? Was he faking being wounded? The Hunter took in the boy's inspecting look and couldn't help letting out a small laugh, as if he could read what was on the Loch's mind. He arrived before the wide-eyed Loch and his equally surprised friends.
The surrounding children who had yet to go meet the adults upstairs or who had already done so and returned to tell their friends had all stopped talking to focus on the strange guest. Each was wondering if this was another person looking for new recruits and had arrived late. What the dapperly dressed man said next shocked the children and especially Loch's roommates. "We meet again, my little Savior," Tobias said solemnly and then, with a serious expression, swept off the top hat from his head and performed a graceful bow right in front of Loch.