The Ogre Apprentice (10 page)

Yes, but he might not have been,
Fist said and Justan could feel his guilt through the bond, something that Justan well understood. He had felt that same guilt many times since learning that his death would mean the death of his bonded. Fist felt that understanding and took some comfort from it before adding,
Also I found out that your great grandmother is alive
.

Justan nearly lost control of the connection in his surprise.
My great what
?

Fist told him about his encounter with Sarine, pushing through his memories of her face, her voice, and her attitude. Then he proceeded to tell Justan about her powers and her bonded.

Justan absorbed it all in stunned silence and when Fist finished, he said,
Unbelievable. My great grandmother is the famous Mistress Sarine. She was one of the eight companions of the Prophet. Wow. And she’s still alive . .
. Justan felt an excitement rising within him.
I need to tell this to Artemus
.

Do you think he’ll listen
? Fist asked.

I sure hope so. I’ve come so close to reaching him lately. I know he’s somewhere in there behind the Scralag’s eyes.
Justan was eager to tell him. How could he resist the knowledge that his wife lives?
What did Sarine say when she learned that Artemus’ spirit was still . . . around
?

Your mother hasn’t told her yet. She says she will soon.
Fist’s voice grew curious.
You seem so excited about her being one of Big John’s companions
.

Are you kidding?
The Prophet’s companions were some of the biggest heroes of my childhood,
Justan said enthusiastically.
Every kid in Reneul learned about them. The academy had two enormous tapestries describing their battle in the council hall
!

Justan realized that Fist knew very little about the stories, so he went on,
There were eight companions and now that you told me that Sarine is a bonding wizard it makes a lot of sense. The stories never said what her powers were, just that she was a wizardess. She was one of the
Mage
School
representatives along with Master Vlad, the air wizard. Then there were the representatives of the blood magic races; Bill, the Dwarf adventurer, Sir Kyrkon, the elven swordsman, and Cliff, the gnome warrior
.

Kyrkon is named
? Fist was surprised. Evidently his rune had been covered by the riding gloves he wore.

Yes, a named elf. I always thought that was fascinating. It’s even more so now that I know that he and Bill were bonded to Sarine. Let’s see, then there was the two academy-trained named warriors; Sir Blade, the swordmaster, and Sar Haft, the axewoman
.

Sar
? Fist asked.

A female named warrior. There haven’t been many so you don’t hear it very often
. Justan paused.
Uh, where was I? Right, the last member was Lester Muldroomon, the brother of the king
. Justan sighed dreamily.
There are so many stories I could tell you about their battles. I’m not sure how many of them are true, but what am I saying? You don’t need me to tell you. You could ask Sarine herself. Or Bill or Kyrkon
.

That’s a good idea
, Fist said hesitantly.
Maybe I will do that
.

What is it
? Justan could tell that Fist was getting frustrated again.
I’m sorry. I started taking over the conversation again
.

No, I’m interested in what you’re saying. It’s just that . . . There is something else I need to tell you. And it’s a big thing. Probably the biggest thing
. The ogre frowned.
Well, maybe it isn’t the biggest thing. But it’s the most important. Or at least it’s the one that’s the most important right now
.

Go ahead
, Justan didn’t know what could be possibly bigger than the things Fist had already told him, but he listened intently.

Crag came to the
Mage
School
today
. Fist told Justan what had happened with his father and all about the big decision facing him. Then he waited for Justan’s response.

Justan felt numb. Fist had been right. This was big and it scared him.
So my mother is going to let you go
?

She wasn’t clear
, Fist said. His confusion leeched through the bond.
She encouraged me to go, but she also admitted that it wasn’t a good idea
.
She was going to discuss it with the rest of the High Council and tell me what they decided in the morning
.

I see
, Justan said. He had received a similar reaction from Darlan when he’d first told her he was going to Training School.
Do you want to go
?

I-I don’t know
, Fist admitted.
He’s my father, but that doesn’t mean the same thing to ogres that it means to humans
.

It doesn’t matter what it means to other ogres
, Justan said.
What does it mean to you
?

There was a moment of silence while Fist thought about it.
Again, I don’t know. Crag was never nice to me, and we didn’t agree about what was best for the tribe very often. But I made him proud with my accomplishments until the day I defied him in front of the tribe
.

That’s when he called you ‘Toompa’
, Justan said. In ogre culture that was the gravest insult that could be given to a male warrior. It was basically calling him an infant.

Yes. That was the last word he said to me
, Fist said.
I left him bleeding and never thought I would see him again. Then I thought he was dead. But now he’s not and when he looks at me . . . it is like he sees me completely different than he did back then
.

Justan understood the feeling. He had gone through much the same thing during the war. Many of the academy students that had once ridiculed him had started to treat him like a hero.
Do you think they really need you? Is this ‘evil’ as great as he claims
?

I wish it wasn’t. The choice would be easier then. But Crag wouldn’t have left the Thunder People territory and come all this way if he didn’t think I was needed. Those worms . . .
Justan felt the ogre shudder.
When they turned and looked at me it reminded me of the day we fought the Mother of the Moonrats. She was much stronger than these worms were, but they gave me the same kind of feeling
.

Justan swallowed. Then it really was important. What if this had something to do with the Dark Prophet? He thought about what John had told him during the war. He and Artemis would eventually be needed. It had been prophesied.

Maybe I should come with you
, he said.

You
? Fist said in surprise.
But how
?

If we rode Gwyrtha, Deathclaw and I could be back at the Mage School in less than a week
, Justan offered.

But what about Jhonate’s father
? Fist asked.
What about Jhonate? What about the nightbeast
?

Justan chuckled.
Oh I have no problem making Vahn follow me all the way to the
Trafalgan
Mountains
. As for Jhonate and her father, well we came a long way to bring her back home. Jhonate wouldn’t like me leaving, but she would understand. I’m not sure about Xedrion though.

What if you left and Xedrion decided not to let you marry Jhonate
? Fist asked, his thoughts filled with trepidation.
I don’t want you to risk that
.

I would be willing to risk it. For you
, Justan replied.
Jhonate and I would find a way to make things work
.

No
, Fist said. The ogre was touched deeply by Justan’s offer, but he wasn’t willing to put the man in that situation.
At least, not yet. I may not be able to go after all. I will speak with Mistress Sherl in the morning and see what she has decided. I will let you know tomorrow night
.

Alright, Fist
, Justan said.
Just know that whatever you decide, I will support you. I will leave here and rush to your side if you need me
.

Thank you
, Fist said and there was deep feeling of relief in his thoughts.
I will let you sleep, then
.

Good night
, Justan replied.

He withdrew his thoughts from his connection with Fist, but he did not check in with Deathclaw and Gwyrtha. Nor did he go to sleep. He was too troubled by all of the things the ogre had told him. Instead, he floated in the soft whiteness of the bond and pondered the situation.

If Fist went with his father and traveled up to the mountains to face this evil alone, there was no telling how much danger he would be in. What if he died? Justan didn’t know how he would be able to handle such a loss.

Don’t borrow trouble
, he reminded himself. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He had to trust in his mother. Surely Darlan wouldn’t let Fist go into such a perilous situation unprepared. Besides, if need be, he was prepared to do exactly as he had promised and accompany the ogre himself.

Eventually, he pushed his worries aside and focused his attention on something he could impact right away. He moved towards his bond with his great grandfather.

 Justan approached the thick web of elemental and spirit magic that blocked his connection to the Scralag. As usual, he probed the web looking for the small crack near the center of the blockage. It was a tiny place where Justan could feel a chill breeze blowing into the bond. Justan wasn’t sure whether or not he was imagining it, but the crack seemed larger than before.

 He pressed his mind’s eye up to the opening and called out,
Great grandfather! Artemis! This is Justan. It is urgent. I must speak with you
!

He waited. There was silence for a few long moments, but just before he yelled out again, there was a stirring behind the blockage. The chill breeze turned into a stiff wind blowing uncomfortably into Justan’s thoughts.

GO AWAY! I AM NOT NEEDED
! came the Scralag’s dreadful voice.

No. You’re not
! Justan snapped, tired of the Scralag’s incessant rudeness.
You go away. I need to speak with Artemis
.

GO! WE
ARE
RESTING
!

It was the same response the Scralag gave him every time he tried to communicate, which was every night since the war had ended. Justan might have given up if not for the times, few and far between, when Artemis broke free from the power of the Scralag long enough to speak to him.

You rest then, elemental
, Justan replied, his voice firm.
I’m here for Artemis! I want to speak with him about Sarine
.

The stiff breeze that rushed through the crack sputtered and Justan saw a pair of beady red eyes staring back at him.
Sarine
? the Scralag said, only it’s voice wasn’t as terrible as before.

Yes! Mistress Sarine
, Justan said.

Sarine . . .
then its voice grew stronger.
STOP THIS
.

Evidently her name alone wasn’t going to be enough. A thought occurred to him. Sarine was the name the Bowl of Souls had given her.
You might have known her better as Begazzi
.

BEGazziiiiiiiii . . .
The loud voice faded to a whisper. The Scralag’s red eyes slowly lost their color until a pair of clear gray eyes looked back at Justan.

Yes, Artemis, I’m here to speak with you about your wife, Begazzi
, Justan said, frustrated with himself for not thinking to speak of Darlan’s grandmother sooner.
Focus on her
.

Ahh, Begazzi
, said the voice of Justan’s grandfather. It was almost as clear as it had been the time Justan had spoken to him in his little cabin sipping tea.
Sooo beautiful
.

She is alive
, Justan said.
Somehow, whether it was because of her bonds or elven magic, she still lives. She is at the
Mage
School
right now. Fist saw her today
.

Alive? After so long
? There was longing in Artemis’ voice.
Oh to see her again. To hear her voice . .
.

I can help you with that!
Justan said excitedly. He pulled up the memories that Fist had shared with him and pushed them through the bond into Artemis’ mind.
Do you hear her? Do you see her
?

Begazzi
? Artemis said wistfully and there were tears in his gray eyes.
It is her.
So much older now, but it is her. To think that she still lives after all this time. How long has it been
?

Two hundred years
, Justan said.
It’s been two hundred years since she helped to defeat the Dark Prophet
.

There was a sharp intake of breath and the crack in the blockage widened, melting away as if it were ice. Now Justan could see his great grandfather standing there. His arms and legs were still long and pale and skeletal, but his head and torso were that of a man wearing a tattered robe.