Cicero heard Polo chattering all the way down the hall. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble. I don’t know why he’s so grumpy, though. Why is he so grumpy, Marco?”
Cicero jumped down from the chair and poked his head out the door. “Marco! After you take him outside, come back in here. I need to talk to you.”
Cicero curled up on a chair and put his head down, weighed by the decision he needed to make. He had to be sure.
The room filled with the radiance only Alaniah could make.
“Ahhh, Alaniah. I need your light right now.”
“Why so glum, Cicero-ero-o?”
“I am feeling the days,” said Cicero.
“There is something more, I think.”
“Yes, Alaniah. So long I’ve been waiting, I’d almost given up. I was too careless before; overlooked too many obvious signs. I fear making a wrong decision again and that’s not like me. I’ve never been a fearful cat.”
“This is true.”
“I must have no reservations.”
“Yes, but you cannot know everything ahead of time. Wherein lies your uncertainty?”
“Marco seems… I don’t know… too young.” He sighed and closed his eyes.
“Weren’t you but a kit when you set foot on this path? Can you not remember your own impetuous youth?”
“It was so many lifetimes ago."
“Then what will you do?”
“I need to look to the Code to see if Marco is up to the challenge. Why do I not remember these things?” said Cicero worriedly. “So first, does he pass the test for courage?”
“Did he not do battle with three others who were much larger?
“Yes, that might be courage. Yet it might be foolishness.”
“What is foolishness?”
“I often wonder what the difference is… between courage and foolishness. If we knew what we were getting ourselves into, we probably wouldn’t do much but sleep. It takes a bit of madness to jump into the middle of things which might turn out badly. Marco shows a remarkable aptitude for this reckless kind of courage we talk about.”
“Isn’t that what you’re looking for?”
“Yes… and honor, compassion, humility, self-sacrifice. Many things it takes to make a Guardian. Marco did not hesitate to help save Lily when the raccoons had her. That’s the kind of thing I mean. He does jump in when things need to happen. He is good that way.”
They sat in silence for while, Cicero pondering and Alaniah quietly hovering.
“He’s intelligent and I believe he has the other qualities, but I wonder about his judgment,” Cicero finally said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… it’s his friendship with that ferret. Why does Marco waste his time with him? Polo is such a foolish and undignified creature.”
Alaniah flew up in a swoop and came down to face Cicero. “This is how you measure his wisdom? Dear Cicero, are you not lacking in tolerance? Polo is not an intelligent creature, but he is a pure soul.”
“Oh, my dear Alaniah. Am I being too harsh? I don’t mean to be, but I must look at everything. How can I know he will have the wisdom to be successful?”
“Wisdom, understanding? Where does it come from, Cicero? Why are you asking me? You know the answer. He will make mistakes, like you. Earthlings seem to learn everything the hard way-ay.”
“So true, Alaniah. So true.”
“You are forgetting something else.”
Cicero looked to her to continue.
“Marco hears. He hears the frequency. He hears the music of the Book and he hears me, something that never happened with Bait.”
Cicero nodded. Marco did have all the signs he’d been looking for. Even the one he didn’t mention now, but held as a touchstone, the highest criterion he needed to make his final decision… and that was the connection Marco had made with Akeel.
Chapter 33: Guardian-in-training
Marco knew he was in trouble, but Cicero was being unfair. Like Polo, he wondered why the old cat was in such a foul temper.
Outside Cicero's door, he peeked around the edge and took a quick sniff to test the atmosphere inside.
Cicero spotted him and called out in a spirited voice. "Marco! What took you so long? Come in!"
Marco’s eyes widened and he stepped in the room. “I'm… not in trouble?"
"On the contrary!" exclaimed Cicero. "My displeasure was not with you, but due to grave matters at hand. Decisions, calling on clear judgment and needing certitude cause vexation to the spirit.”
Marco wondered if Cicero might be apologizing. It was hard to tell.
“Today is a most auspicious day.”
"It is?" Marco asked. ‘Auspicious’ sounded like something to worry about, but Cicero was too light hearted.
“Most assuredly. I will tell you now that these past weeks you have been on trial. Not for any crime committed, but to measure your worthiness. Careful observation and analysis of your actions have revealed crucial characteristics required for this post. Being a Guardian Cat demands a high level of integrity.”
Marco had no clue what Cicero was talking about, so he remained silent.
“To put it more simply,” Cicero continued, “when you have reached the end of your journey, how will you view it? Will you be able to say you led an honorable life? Or to paraphrase someone, ‘I have suffered, it is true, as few men… uh… cats… are ever called upon to suffer, but I have been weighed in the balances by a jury of my peers and found not wanting?’”
As usual, Cicero’s long-winded explanations, punctured with quotes, confused Marco even more. Cicero finally noticed his bewilderment.
"Alaniah, would you please convey the nature of this momentous event to our young friend?"
Alaniah floated down from a high corner to join them. “It would be my honor-or," she sang. “Marco, what Cicero is trying to say is that he has chosen you to be his successor."
Marco’s breath caught in his throat. Whatever he’d been expecting, it certainly wasn’t this. "I don't know what… to say," he stammered.
"You may say yes,'" teased Alaniah. "That would please Cicero most."
"Yes," he consented. Then he repeated it with vigor as the realization sunk in.
"Good. I am most pleased." said Cicero. "Let us proceed to the hidden chamber."
Marco followed Cicero downstairs to the mirror, thinking about his dream come true. Even though it came as a surprise, it did seem like his destiny. He was feeling nobler already and could hardly wait to tell someone.
As they waited for Alaniah to open the mirror portal for them, Cicero sat looking forward, “You can’t tell anyone!”
Marco jumped. How did Cicero know what he was thinking? It was beginning to spook him. They descended down the dark, dungeon-like stairs once again. This time though, he knew what awaited him at the bottom.
When they reached the door of the underground chamber, Alaniah floated through and disappeared, leaving them in utter darkness. Marco bumped into Cicero.
“Hang on. Sometimes she gets distracted. She also likes to mess with us.”
The door opened and the chamber glowed with light swirling in a rainbow of colors. “I prepared the room especially for this occasion. You may enter now,” said Alaniah.
Cicero allowed Marco to enter first. He felt a ripple of excitement. When he came here before, he’d been so naïve. Not anymore, he thought.
"Very well, Marco," said Cicero. "We have no time to waste. Please come and sit in front of me."
Marco stepped in closer to Cicero. Cicero raised his paw and placed it on Marco's head. "Marco, as of this moment, you are officially a Guardian-in-training."
Cicero removed his paw and jumped up to the table.
"Is that it?" asked Marco thoughtlessly. In books, ceremonies were always very elaborate, especially for knighthood, which was how he thought of his new position.
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Something… more…" Marco felt foolish putting it into words.
"A celestial being who deems to talk to you, a time traveling journey back to the most magnificent library ever created, a meeting with the original human Guardian, witnessing a major historical event and being here in the presence of the most powerful and magical book in existence…” Cicero said sternly. “What more do you want?”