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And now to continue with the story: 

Alek tightened his grip on his sword, making sure to keep it under his cloak. Bailie would never approve, Alek thought, nor would Malcom Ace – Alek sniffed; he refused to refer to him as father.

Up ahead there was a slave master driving a crowd of slaves. All the men wore no shirts, and Alek could see marks of beating on their knotted backs.

Alek sniffed again, trying not to think of pity. He couldn’t free these people, and he couldn’t try, or he would be giving himself up.

But was Malcom Ace here? This didn’t seem like his type of place. But then again, no where seemed like his type of place, except for an insane asylum. Alek laughed, but he also hurt somewhat, thinking of how horrified Bailie would have been at such a remark.

He slipped to the back of the slave crowd. He had to walk past the guards at the gate into the next courtyard without a hassle. That was his goal right now. He was almost there.

Suddenly a slave women screamed up ahead, and three others joined her in a medley of flat schreeches, that to Alek’s ears was no different than a discordant opera. Soon all the women in the front were screaming.

This was not going according to plan. Aleck broke into a run, and pushed through the crowd. The guard was closing the gates. Aleck pushed through two screeching slaves and rammed quite accidentally right into a shocked guard. Aleck mumbled apologies and ducked under a group of legs and into the next courtyard. The doors were being kept from closing by the huge crowd in the way.

Aleck then saw what the commotion was. The wolf dashed circles through the crowd, attacking slaves with his tongue. People were scattering everywhere.

The wolf rushed at Aleck, and Aleck dropped to one knee and grabbed him roughly by the neck fur.

Gradgrind halted, and Aleck caressed his dirty fur.

“You need a bath,” Aleck teased.

Bad idea. Gradgrind jumped at him, eyes blaring, and he proceeded to lick Aleck’s face so hard that the boy was sure he had rubbed a layer of skin off.

“Ycch. Germs.” Aleck said, rubbing his face on a corner of his cape.

Gradgrind snarled and looked offended.

“Come on Gradgrind, where’s Malcom Ace? Bring me to him, ok?”

Gradgrind dashed ahead into the hall, still in the wolf form, and then paused at the corner, waiting for Aleck to catch up. Aleck didn’t bother running. Gradgrind would, no doubt, lead him the longest way possible, and Aleck would need to save his energy.

As soon as he reached the corner, Gradgrind dashed off to the next, and waited once again.

Aleck laughed. Sure Gradgrind was scary. After all, he was a werewolf. But, compared to Mustafa, Malcom Ace’s former werewolf associate, well, Gradgrind was practically his best friend. Mustafa had been bad. He had tried to kill him and Bailie multiple times. So Malcom Ace had killed him. Now he had gotten Gradgrind instead, and he hardly was similar except that they both were werewolves.