MASTER ORWELL

"I looked into the fallen night

My eyes were scarred by a knight so bright"

~The great behemoth: Chronicles of the wandering knight~

*****

Grimshake and Coraa, followed Ella down a corridor to their left, all the while listening to her chatter on about something or the other. The guards stayed behind with the horses. Grimshake looked increasingly disturbed as the girl, Ella, went on talking with that strange smile pasted on her face. It seemed like she was saying something about the school from the few words Coraa was able to understand.

They walked down a wide endlessly-curved corridor, until they stopped before a large wooden double door with brass knobs. The dimensions of this place were impossible. Ella knocked once and then led them through to find a man in a bowler hat, seated behind the desk, hunched over what appeared to be a game board with delicately molded clay pieces, some of which seemed to have facial expressions on their miniature faces. He didn't immediately show any sign of having noticed their entry.

"Master Angus, the people you were expecting are here", Ella announced.

"He is not around", the man replied still not looking up. "Master Orwell, I mean. He is not around"

"I was reliably informed that he would refrain from any other business until our arrival", Grimshake said with a sickening kind of politeness. The kind that lets you know that you would be in terrible trouble if you failed to comply. Coraa had seen him use this tone of voice before and the results were never good. "Would you be so kind as to check again, young man?" he added.

The young man finally looked up from his game board, "Master Grimshake! It's you! I told my assistant to let me know as soon as you arrived. I am sorry for the delay. Forgive Angus. He is still a young man. Please, please take your seats."

He said excitedly indicating the uncomfortable looking wooden chairs. "Ella you can wait outside the door. I will let you know when we are done here."

"Yes Master", she replied slowly backing out of the room, curiosity clearly stamped all over her face.

The man did not utter another word until the door was finally closed behind Ella. His manner was now more elderly and was in direct opposition to the youthful arrogance that he had exhibited a scant few minutes earlier.

"I am sorry I am not present in form to speak with you. I had rather hoped that my assistant would let me know as soon as you appeared at the school boundaries but it seems he was rather engrossed in this horrible game of his to notice your arrival", he said gesturing apologetically at the game board. "Once again I ask that you forgive this inconvenience"

"Orwell huh? How do I really tell?" Grimshake coolly asked.

"Just look into these eyes for a moment", was all he replied.

The two men were silent for about a minute. Grimshake's cool assessing gaze betraying nothing as he stared into the eyes of the young handsome face of Master Angus now claiming to be the Master Orwell.

"Satisfied?" the other man finally asked.

"Maybe", Grimshake replied. "And you are sure that this young man Angus is actually asleep?"

"Yes, I am certain. You remember that I am not a novice when it comes to harnessing Kohza"

"I remember. But caution is never unwise", Grimshake replied sagely still staring deeply into the man's eyes.

"Well then. Down to business. So, this is the Coraa", Master Orwell said turning his attention to Coraa and switching from the common tongue to Pahazhar speech (the language of kohze`). "You seem to have caused quite a stir among some particular circles. Would you lean in a little young lady? Let me have a look at you", he said raking his eyes over her from head to toe and indicating that she takes a seat directly across his.

"Very well", he finally said after staring into her eyes for a long silent moment. "I see the reports were not exaggerated. What we shall do with you, I wonder" he murmured.

"There is a message here from the you-know-whos. A letter actually. I was told to deliver this to you in person", Grimshake broke in.

"A letter you say. Let's have a look at it then", Master Orwell in Angus' body replied stretching out his hand.

"You are sure about this?" Grimshake said showing signs of discomfiture.

"Yes I am sure! Do you think me a child?" mildly shaking his head. "This boy won't even know I was here when we are through. Just give me the letter."

Grimshake silently handed over an empty piece of ordinary-looking pink paper. "Here you go".

Master Orwell whispered something indecipherable while holding up the piece of paper and Coraa watched as the color leeched out of the paper until it appeared to be a white piece of paper with words written it a brownish colored ink. Master Orwell mouthed the words silently while reading off the paper. When he was through, he whispered something that set the paper ablaze with a smokeless fire.

"Very well then. I will get in touch with the relevant Masters and we shall set up a suitable schedule for Coraa. Grimshake, you must inform Genghis that I will be in touch as soon as I am able. I am leaving instructions on what will be done to help Coraa settle in with young Angus. I already chose Ella as a mentor for her. She is one of the best students of her year. The lessons in the common tongues she was already undertaking will continue. I will be back in a few weeks and I will need to meet her then. For now settle in."

"Coraa might you have any questions for him? Anything that's not clear?" Grimshake asked finally paying attention to the girl who was still standing timidly a little way to the door.

"No. But thank you Sir", she said. "A lot of things were already explained to me by Master Genghis and Mistress Lorma", she added in a stilted voice.

"Very well. I will be leaving now. And Grimshake, don't be a stranger", the man said smiling good naturedly. He rubbed his hands over his eyes as if to shake off something and then the Master Angus' body which had been inhabited grew completely still for a few seconds. Grimshake and Coraa patiently watched the young man's body tremble in way that looked mostly painful.

"So, you are the Master Grimshake and Coraa, huh? The Master just communicated something. Said to have Ella settle you in", The Master Orwell's assistant finally said picking up the conversation from where he had seemingly left off, hunching over his game board. "Master Grimshake and his men can stay for the night in one of our guests' lodgings. Let Ella see you to your place of residence."

"Out you go now Miss. A good journey to you Grimshake" he added dismissively as he raised his hand to make a move on his game board without even glancing up at the room's occupants.

"Very well then," Master Grimshake replied, shaking his head, a dispassionate expression etched on his face. "Coraa, come one", he said indicating that she leave the room ahead of him.

Coraa looked around the room with one last sweeping glance before moving to open the closed door.