In the Open Cage

Chapter 9

When Torren finally came to get Misa, she had finished cleaning half the mess hall. He whistled as he dragged a finger across a table.

"I haven't seen the tables this clean in a long while. I probably should have told you that you didn't have to work that hard. The most we do is gather all the crumbs to feed the pigs and wipe away the rest. No need for soap."

Misa groaned when she straightened. Something cracked, and she felt a dull ache throbbing on her lower back.

"Ah, well, it's all right." Torren gestured to the doorway. "Let's go. Royle wants to see you."

"About time." Misa tossed the rag on the table and followed Torren back out to the officers' room. The captain's office was past another room filled with officers. Misa surmised they were the higher ranks, taking note of the different colours marking their shoulders. Torren's own were green.

A small hallway separated the captain's room from his subordinates. Torren rapped his knuckle on the door. He didn't wait for a reply to open it. He allowed Misa to enter, then instead of following her in, he shut the door behind her.

Misa swallowed. She stood at the entrance and observed her surroundings as best as she could without moving. The captain was at his desk, flicking through several papers. His brows were knitted and his lips pursed in contemplation. A bookshelf filled with large books and files sat behind him like a guard. The room was lit by a single window on the wall next to him. A grandfather's clock ticked loudly from a corner near Misa.

"Don't just stand there," the captain said. He flicked his pen at the space between two couches. "Let's have a chat."

Nodding, Misa ambled her way to the front of the captain's desk. He was busy writing on the paperwork. The tube connecting the back of the pen to an ink pump bounced like a springy black snake. The scratching of the nib accompanied the beat of the clock.

Misa had no idea why she was being so submissive towards the captain. She tried to recall the annoyance she felt the night before. His endless list of personal preferences, his obvious amusement at her humiliation, his insistence to take her report and talk to her parents, his enthusiasm for food.

Gradually, her confidence returned. She wasn't a cadet. She was someone the captain needed to purge an evil witch.

"Have you been working hard?" the captain asked. Misa jumped at the sudden question.

She swallowed before she spoke, "At the mess hall? Yes, I have."

He stopped writing to regard her. "I'm assuming you're wondering why I've brought you here to train."

Misa blinked in surprise. "You said it was to keep an eye on me. To make sure I didn't run away."

For a moment, the captain remained silent. The grandfather clock ticked. "I see." He twirled the pen between his fingers. "You're a lot duller than I thought."

A flare of anger spread across Misa's cheeks.

"Excuse me?" she snapped. "Dull? Well, I'm sorry I believed you! You gave me a good enough reason for bringing me here. Why should I suspect you had ulterior motives?"

The captain raised a brow. "I'm sorry. It seems I was mistaken. You're not dull, you're naïve. I suspect that if it weren't for your magic, you would have died on the streets a long time ago."

"I didn't even know I had magic!" Misa struggled to keep her voice low. "And I survived well enough. I don't know why you're insulting me, Captain, but if this is how you're going to ask me for help, I'm leaving."

"Don't be hasty now, Miss Carpenter." The captain's calm, cool tone stoked her blazing fury. "I don't mean any offence, but your sheltered life seems to have dulled your intuition. As for your magic, you have been unconsciously using it for years."