I am not lonely. I am in a good company. Me, myself and I.

LoG, 149

Squinty had just landed on her feet when the slap she received brought her back to the ground. The pain made the entire left side of her body tingle. Her cheeks were burning with shame. Squinty wished she could perform her vanishing trick, but she knew she shouldn't Camouflage. Her eyebrows raised, but she continued to stare downward stubbornly.

I won't give Wolfgrik that pleasure. If I know something, it's how to take a punch.nShe didn't even look up when a muscly hand smashed the tunic in her face.

"Get dressed!" Wolfgrik roared. "And you, what are y'all looking at? There's nothing to see here! Everyone, march to The Dining Room!"

The group of The Vigils broke away. The only three who remained before Wolfgrik were Squinty, Orla and Odon. Their dogs lay underneath their legs. Jewel was still snarling.

"You!" cried The Weapon Trainer, pointing his finger at Squinty. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" The spit from his one-toothed lips spurted all over her face. His braids whipped her shoulders.

She grumpily met his white, invisible eye with her defiant pale blue glance.

"Whenever there is trouble somewhere, you show up too! Miss Received-before-time-and-through-connections-with-a-War-Dog-no-one-knows-from-where! Instead of ..." he almost choked, coughing from excitement ..."Instead of behaving as you should ... You're riding on another Vigil's dog! And for no reason too, I'm sure!"

"We ..." Orla addressed him in a weak voice. "The other Vigils went to find you or The Dog Trainer Radan because there was a problem." she swallowed. "Squinty didn't do it for no reason."

Odon scornfully snorted, engaging in conversation. "Bah! The dog is mine! I connected with her. I still haven't got to ride her. Why would she climb on top of my pup? If Acorn were here, he surely would've said the same thing," Odon scoffed.

Wolfgrik smiled in a wicked agreement.

"After all," Odon removed his hair from the face, "this cow dog with a stupid name ... "

"You're the one to talk. Your dog's name is Onyx," Squinty muttered.

"I didn't address you, freak," Odon spat at her. "Her War Dog attacked me," his voice changed to mournful. "He could have seriously hurt me. Onyx defended me."

"Why?" Wolfgrik's scars on his cheeks wrinkled.

Orla approached, whispering and wringing her hands. "I ... I took a long time to get into the swimming pool at The Bathhouse and Odon ... He removed the upper part of my uniform." she blushed, recalling what had happened.

Wolfgrik just laughed heartily. "Well, he did good, kid, to make you move faster. You aren't always going to be so slow, damn it!" Wolfgrik elbowed Odon in a sign of approval.

"She didn't want that." Squinty hissed through clenched teeth.

"What did you say?" The Weapon Trainer's eyes narrowed at her.

Squinty stepped out, emboldened. "I said: she did not want that," she emphasised every sentence, staring The Trainer down.

"She has to learn a little, to adapt," Wolfgrik said in a slightly milder tone. "And this beast," he waved his head towards Jewel. The dog's gums rose a fraction but didn't reveal completely.

"This beast needs a solid hand. Even I know that, and I am the man who thinks The War Dogs are worthless around here."

"Ah, I believe we will never agree on this issue," they heard a calm, quiet voice.

All three hounds squealed gleefully, twisting their tails.

Squinty felt relief. Radan. Where did he come from?

"It's not ... a solid hand as you say, Wolfgrik. This is more about ... The way The War Dog reads the emotions and desires of his Vigil while reacting as his extended will. The War Dog reflects what The Vigil wants to do."

His tiny black eyes stared at Orla, whose face fluttered with a red glow.

Then he looked at Odon.

The boy shrugged and cast his eyes downwards, shuffling the sand with his sandals. He was looking anywhere else except towards Radan.

"I," Orla muttered first. "I felt so angry and humiliated that I ... I thought I wanted to hurt Odon. That's why Jewel must have ..."

"The Dog and The Vigil are one. The will of The Vigil is the commandment of The Dog," Radan concluded, furrowing his webby eyebrows and touching his green hat.

"Well, I'll be damned. So you were the ones who made your War Dogs attack each other!" Wolfgrik shouted. "Do you still think these dogs are good and useful, old man?" he pointed his forefinger towards Radan's chest. "Today, her dog could have hurt another Vigil. They could have slaughtered each other!"

Then Wolfgrik's eyes fell upon Squinty. "And this kid. Nobody knows who she is or where she came from! She has to have a finger in every pie."

"What Squinty did was instinctive and brave," Radan stated with a mild tone of voice. "By the time you and I arrived ... Maybe, for dogs ... It would have been too late ..." his froglike mouth twisted in a grimace. "Still," Radan raised a bony finger, "she shouldn't have ridden Odon's dog. The right way would be to allow your bigger dog to split up the fight between two smaller ones. It was poor judgement on your part, Squinty," Radan addressed her using the teacher's voice.

For some reason, Squinty felt sorry for disappointing him. She blushed and covered her face with her hair as much as she could.

"Not to mention how dangerous it is to be in the middle of it all when two Vigil minds and two War Dogs collide. Maybe it would have been for the best if ... You hadn't reacted in any way." Radan ended his speech.

"It's a question of time when she will fuck something up. We have to keep her under control," Wolfgrik was insistent. "Remember how she got in here in the first place?"

"It's possible." The Dog Trainer stroked his chin. "Still, striking The Apprentice is not the way to control their behaviour."

Squinty thought she saw Wolfgrik sweat under that sharp, rough outward appearance.

"She deserved it. Besides, nothing will happen to her from an occasional slap." the gloomy disdainful giant snorted.

"I'm not sure if Prince Borna will think the same if I tell him what happened here," Radan insisted.

"Fine," Wolfgrik shook his head, realising his back was against the wall. "What are you suggesting?" he said in a more conciliatory tone. "We have to punish them," he grunted.

"More than punishment ... It will be necessary to introduce a precautionary measure today. Their Will is ... in turmoil. Therefore, their War Dogs will be unstable as a reaction to their partners. I'm sorry to say this, but ..." Radan twisted a pointed stick on which he relied for support. "I can not allow you to take part in The Apprentice Chariot race." He acted unusually authoritative despite his size. "It would be a danger for you and for ... all the other participants."

Orla sighed, and her tensed body relaxed. Jewel reacted by yawning and quieting down.

Squinty could see Orla was relieved. Orla never even wanted to participate in The Chariot Race. She's been blabbing for days she was afraid of doing it.

Odon growled furiously. "Oh, come on! I've been preparing for so long with Onyx and now this! It's not my fault that this dumb girl can't understand the joke!"

A red fire blazed in the eyes of a black she-dog.

Radan raised his hand to calm them both. "I'm sorry. But that's my final decision."

"I agree," Wolfgrik said briefly and icily. "And what about her?" he pointed at Squinty, who was still silent.

"Squinty wasn't supposed to participate in the race. Her War Dog is strong and grown up enough to participate in the adult Vigil's chariot race. Still, since she's not the dog's first Choice ... rather his Second Connection ... Squinty is not physically and mentally ready to lead him."

"Then I will set the punishment for her," The Weapon Trainer said maliciously. "She should go to solitary confinement to cool down a bit. And no Meals today for her," Wolfgrik added.

Radan opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he kept quiet. He seemed to have changed his mind. "That's quite all right. If you find it to be the most appropriate," a gentle smile danced around his lips.

Squinty felt betrayed and abandoned. He didn't even lift a finger to protect me from that punishment! I don't care. I don't plan on protesting. Screw them all.

Odon elbowed Squinty as he rushed beside her. His female War Pup, Onyx sent her a long and unusual look.

Then the boy-assistant took all the three dogs to the Kennels.

Orla seemed desperate while they silently walked towards the Dining Room.

She's blaming herself. Squinty thought knowingly.

"I'm sorry. I turned out to be a fool. I don't know why I did it. I just thought about it and ... I didn't think Jewel would react so fast. I could've killed Odon."

"There wouldn't be much harm in that," Squinty snorted.

"You did the best you could to help and ... Look what happened to you now. Not only will you not be able to eat all day but you will also miss the Celebration," Orla seemed to be feeling guiltier by the moment.

"If anything, it's my fault, for getting mixed up in all that," Squinty said.

"Listen," Orla said in a conspiratory tone. "I can ... I can try to get you some food from The Dining Room when I pass next to your solitary."

"You would do that?" Squinty marvelled.

I didn't think she had it in her. Orla, stealing pies and smuggling them?

"I'll try," Orla replied in a trembling voice. It seemed as if she wanted to say something more, but Radan suddenly appeared behind them.

"It's time," he said softly.

Orla waved to her. Squinty gave a short nod and continued her journey with The Dog Trainer.

There was something about him that could calm her down immediately. Radan's strange, herbaceous, insectoid exterior should have seemed alien to her. Still Squinty was comfortable around the acorn man. She slowed her step to walk along with him as he leaned on his walking stick.

After arriving at The Penalty Tower, they climbed the curvy staircase. The duo didn't talk for a while. It was pleasant for Squinty to walk like that alongside The Dog Trainer. She tried not to think a lot about the punishment and the attitude Radan had taken as far as it concerned her.

"Ah, The Geyser," Radan said, stopping for a moment to catch a breath.

Squinty paused as well, looking towards it. The majestic stream of water was now fenced. It still unmistakably flew upwards to The Vault.

"Another creation of The Mind," she muttered sarcastically. "And we all have to admire it because The Mind blessed The City of Lagad. It's not like we use it well. The Queen now gives The Geyser water only to her family and to The Vigils. Ordinary people still buy it. So dumb."

Radan laughed, and his black eyes danced under his cap.

"You know, I don't get one thing," Squinty continued, encouraged by this reaction. "The Mind could have also sent The Fount to make another Geyser in Begi."

"Oh," Radan said thoughtfully. "That's ... an unusually accurate assessment."

"What do you think? Will there be war?" Squinty asked boldly.

"I'd say it's ... It's absolutely certain," he answered after a while, sporting a sad tone of voice. "Something ... Moved. An action started. And we will have to choose the correct and timely reaction," Radan said mysteriously.

"They say one of the princesses will go to Begi. She wants peace and will propose a deal related to water," Squinty shared the latest rumours and then shut up. "I mean, The Vigils are talking."

Radan only waved his hand and then changed the subject. "We're here," he said, pointing to one of the empty solitaries. He merely touched the frame, and the door miraculously opened itself with a joyful jump.

Squinty didn't have time to be surprised by what had transpired. Radan had already gently pushed her inside. Squinty entered obediently, without hesitation. She positioned herself on a wooden bench with a sigh.