“Come in,” the Chief said when someone knocked on his office doors. Aizen slipped in and stood in front of the desk. “Good morning, Aizen.”846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQPXPJrLwl
Aizen replied curtly.
“Rough night?”
Aizen said, “Not as rough as some others who aren’t even here yet.”
There was another knock on the door. “Ah, well, here’s our late riser, I suppose.”
“Begging your pardon, I’m not the rat, sir,” the Chief’s secretary rubbed her nose as she said this. “No whiskers.”
“Oh. Well.” The Chief looked startled for a moment. “Where is he?”
“On his way. I must speak with you for a moment.”
“Ah. I’ll be right there. Aizen, while you are waiting, why don’t you read the profile I created? Feel free to ask any questions.”
Aizen shrugged. “All right.” He took the scroll from the Chief’s hand and skimmed through it lazily as the doors closed behind him. With just a quick glance, he knew that he was going to hate this errand. He was supposed to disguise himself as a servant. He hated espionage errands. Still, he needed the money.846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxGGZeeE9C
He tensed and re-read the profiles. “How the hell is this supposed to work?!” he shouted in outrage.846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZofQgOzrP
Rooster was supposed to be his fourteen year old brother. A human brother.846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDnjLPOpQc
“Where’s the Chief?”
Aizen whirled around, about to demand the same thing but stopped and furrowed his brows at the sight of a boy. Why didn’t he hear him?846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpGhhMG0oi
A boy about a hand or two shorter than himself was standing just inside the doorway. He had blond and fluffy hair that was cut short to the nape of his neck with slightly tanned skin like someone with Enzlan blood. He held himself oddly and kept sniffing while rubbing his nose.846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdRXnyb1KA
Noticing Aizen’s stare, the boy straightened, stopped scrunching up his nose, and shoved both hands into his brown trouser’s pockets. “Yes?” the boy said.
Aizen frowned and examined the boy with his eyes from head to toe again, to look for anything strange. “Who are you?”
The boy stared back at him before grinning. “You don’t recognise me?”
“No, am I supposed to?”
The boy sighed. “Secrets are wonderful to keep. But I suppose I will have to tell you this one, at least. You’ve met me when I was under the name of Rooster.”
“You mean Rooster the rat? But you’re human!”
“Actually I’m a rat who can shift to human form,” Rooster corrected. His nose twitched. “I’m someone who you’d call a shifter, I believe.”
Aizen sputtered. “But that doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m sure it will once the Chief comes in to explain.”
Aizen shook his head slowly. “I don’t understand this. A rat can’t just turn into a human.”
“We live in a magical world,” Rooster stated. “Why is it impossible?”
Aizen had no answer to that question. Rooster shrugged and sat down on one of the two seats facing the desk.
The Chief walked in and shut the door while keeping his eyes on his two guests.
“Rooster, I presume?”
The shifter was impressed by how the Chief didn’t bat an eyelash. “I am Akun when in human form.”
“My apologies, I thought that was only for the cover.”
“I use the name whenever I’m human, so you’re not entirely wrong.”
The Chief nodded. “Very well. We can start our meeting. Aizen, sit down and shut your mouth before you swallow a fly.”
Aizen snapped his mouth shut and gave the two of them a narrow-eyed look. He sat down and waited for the Chief to speak.
“Akun is a shape shifting rat. He is possibly the only one alive at the moment. You’ve heard of shape shifting humans before, Aizen, so you shouldn’t be so surprised.”
“But not rats!”
“You’re looking at one now. I hope that you will work with him.”
Aizen looked lost for a moment. “Very well. I’ll work with him. But tell me why I haven’t been told of this before.”
“We thought that it would be best to keep it a secret,” the Chief said. “No one knows what or who would be listening to our conversation. Akun, before you ask—I trust Aizen fully with this secret.”
Akun closed his mouth and nodded. The Chief handed him a copy of the profile he gave Aizen.
“I don’t give away secrets.” Aizen sat stiffly in his chair.
“I want the two of you to go in as servants in a noble’s house to find the spy who was planted there by Icia. Someone has been giving the Ician spy information. It’s a possibility that the spy is Enzlan. A traitor.”
Ician borders were in the northern region, where it was dark and cold. Enzla lay to the south, with Tronix to the east. The western lands kept to themselves and only ventured out occasionally, so not much was known about them.
It was easy to find someone of Ician origin because the people who originated from the land of snow and swordcraft were born with silver or white hair. To have one of their own citizens betray them to those people was horrifying.
The Chief continued. “I need you to find the correspondence between the spy and Icia. I also want to know exactly who is responsible for passing the messages. Then you are to report back what they are planning. The schedule of the errand has been changed.”
“What do you mean?” Aizen said. “Once set, the dates don’t change even if the world’s ending.”
Akun had to agree. “Chief, our schedules are strict and don’t change because we’re so interwoven. If one slight change happens, it might create many conflicts with all of our schedules.”
The Chief sighed. It hadn’t been long since errands were run. They were only founded a few generations ago and they didn’t have many members, so the few members that they had were required to work on a tight schedule and share resources.
“You are to be back in two days’ time.”
Aizen thought for a moment and then shrugged. “That doesn’t sound too drastic.” He turned to Akun, with a gleam in his eyes. “Are you up for it, rat?”
Rooster paused to think. The errand was supposed to be a week, but it could be done in two or three. And these assignments were usually quite simple; he could finish them alone within four days. “I could handle it perfectly fine. What household is it?”
“You will have to tread carefully for this errand,” the Chief said slowly.
This put the two agents on alert. “What do you mean?”
“It is the Vanson household.”
Akun shot out of his seat. “One of the Vansons is the spy?”
Aizen looked confused. “The Vansons have been here since the formation of Enzla. They are one of the foundations Enzla was built on so why would they betray it?”
The Chief’s eyes sharpened. “Careful with your words. It is most likely a servant, not one of the nobles of the house.”
Aizen exhaled and raised both hands in defence. "Sorry."
Akun tapped his elbows, thinking. “We have to keep an open mind, Chief.” It might be one of the household nobles.
Looking at Aizen, he knew that he was thinking the same. It seemed like spies were trained the same no matter what they were: don’t miss anything.
“Akun, you will be Aizen’s younger brother. You are both from Houndsdale, which is a long way from here. You are borrowing identities this time.”
“Interesting,” Akun said with a slow smile. “I haven’t borrowed an identity before.” Borrowing identities meant that ‘Akun’ was an actual boy, who lived a similar life to the one that was being described to him now. He apparently had a sick mother and an an elder brother. The two brothers ventured out of their peaceful village two islands away. They arrived by water to the biggest Northern island to look for work.
“You better not cause any trouble that I’ll be responsible for,” Aizen said.
Akun raised an eyebrow. “Me? Oh, I cause a lot of trouble, don’t you worry. Just play the big brother and you’ll do fine.”
Aizen looked like he wanted to bite Akun’s head off, so the Chief dismissed them.
“Two days. Remember that. And change out of those clothes, would you? A room is prepared a floor below.”
“Yes, sir.”
After changing into the clothes given to them, they left the building and examined each other in the sunshine. Rooster was wearing a faded and crumpled shirt that was too big for him with pants that had to be rolled up. Aizen was wearing a pair of trousers that only reached his ankles, with a similar shirt to Rooster's. While Rooster didn't bother to braid his hair, Aizen did so, braiding his bangs into the rest of his hair so that it wouldn't get into his eyes.
Being a rat, Rooster probably didn't have to worry about his essence escaping his unbraided hair. Aizen, however, wasn't going to chance his human essence leaving him before his death.
“Why do you get the long trousers?” Aizen frowned at his own trousers and then at Rooster’s.
“Because I picked first.”
“I can’t believe I’m working with a rat,” Aizen grumbled and walked off.
Akun paused for a moment before following. “Aizen, I know we have our differences…but please get it in your head that I am Akun when not a rat. There’s a difference and it’s rather important that there continues to be one.”
Aizen was surprised at the sudden serious tone in the rat’s voice and nodded hesitantly. “Fine.”
Just then, Akun’s foot tripped over someone’s cart and made a few items drop to the ground. Aizen stared at him in shock before he regained control of his limbs and voice. “You idiot! How are you this clumsy, after all the—” Aizen stopped his exclamation just before he mentioned the word training.
“Look afta your brother more carefully!” the stall owner shouted in front of the face of a very bewildered Aizen. “I would’a made the two of you pay for all of it but you don't look like you have a penny on you!”
“Hey, it’s not my fault he’s so clumsy,” Aizen tried to defend himself. Instead, he got another face full of the man.
“You say it ain’t your fault! Imagine that! Where’s your ma? I dun see her, so it better be your fault and you ah responsible for ‘im!”
“What?” Aizen was astonished by the trouble he could get in just for Akun not paying attention. Well, he’ll be damned if he took all the blame. He grabbed for Akun’s arm, which was surprisingly easy.
Akun almost fell over when he was grabbed. Apparently he was still unsteady in human form. The trip just now was not done on purpose, although it did seem to help annoy his new partner. “Akun, you’re apologizing for the mess!”
“Sorry,” Akun said sheepishly. The stall owner grumbled under his breath and waved them off. Akun turned to Aizen and shrugged. “Sorry.”
They moved out of earshot before Aizen hissed at him. “Don’t make me responsible for everything you do!”
“Sadly, it seems like you are responsible for everything I do,” Akun said and stopped in front of a store with a few books in the tiny display case. “These look interesting…”
“Are you even listening to me? I don’t even want you as my partner, let alone my brother. And here you are, browsing—what is this—History for 'ster's sake. You read history?” Aizen wrinkled his nose.
“Look ahead,” Rooster said suddenly when he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Aizen bared his teeth and turned.
“What? I don’t see anything.”
“I’m talking about the wagon over there that seems out of control. Not the one we just bumped into. There. That one. Watch the man. Look at what he’s wearing,” Rooster murmured. “I think that wagon belongs to the Vansons’. The green and yellow stripes are the colours of their crest. Also, the back wheel’s coming loose. My guess is that it’s going to come crashing downhill.”
Aizen stared at the wagon coming toward them. How did the rat see so much detail in one glance? He looked at Akun. It didn’t look like the rat-turned-human was capable of noticing such things. But maybe that was what caused him to pay so close attention to detail.
“Watch out!” The man trying to control the wagon was waving one of his hands in a poor attempt to get people to clear the road.
When the wagon neared, Akun stayed put for a second longer before Aizen pulled him aside.
“Whoa, what happened, old man?” Akun shouted at the driver when he fell. “You almost killed me!”
“No he didn’t,” Aizen said impatiently as they approached the broken wagon. Another of the wheels fell off and the front was splintered. “Now get down here and help.”
They carried the boxes back onto the wagon before giving the man a good once over. He actually wasn’t as old as they first thought. At most, he was forty. He wore his long black hair in a single braid. Akun crouched by the cart as though examining what could have made the wheel come undone.
“Akun, what are you doing? There’s nothing to find down there for your collection.”
Akun straightened with a scowl. “I wasn’t going to.” He nodded his head when the man bent over to pick up an object they missed. Aizen nodded as well. He had spotted the emblem of the Vanson family on the cuffs of the uniform.
“My thanks to you,” the man said. “I’m sorry for almost crashing into you, lad. Are you alright? Do you have any injuries?”
Akun patted himself on the arms and legs. “I’m alright, except for where my brother hit my head just now.” The man chuckled when Aizen made a grab to pound Akun’s head in.
“I think you need help with the wagon. Maybe we could help you bring these crates home. We’re also new here and would like to see more of this place.”
The man smiled at the older boy. “New here, eh? Well, I suppose there’s no harm in showing you around on my way back. Do you have a place to stay?”
“Ah—yes, yes we do…” Aizen was starting to say slowly, hoping that the rat would catch on.
He did. “What are you talking about?” Akun frowned at Aizen. “We do not have a place to stay. You’re the one who said that we’ll find jobs and we could get shelter there! But we still don’t have messages to run for people, or dishes to wash, or horses to brush, or people to serve.”
“Perhaps you can find some work with the Vansons. I work there as a servant. I’m sure they could use two more lads.”
“If it’s not a bother,” Aizen said and smiled.
“It is perfectly alright. Come along. What are your names?”
Aizen gave the man a friendly smile. “I’m Aizen and this is Akun.”
“Everyone calls me Luda. I’m sure you two lads will get along with everyone else perfectly fine,” Luda said cheerfully and began their walk to the Vanson’s estates.846Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWXkrBO4r2
