The Ogre Apprentice (The Bowl of Souls Book 8), page 22
“But . . .” Her eyes widened. “Yntri’s funeral. It’s set for three weeks from now and it’s going to be a big event. The most ancient of the elves will be in attendance. The leaders of all the Roo-Tan families will be there.”
“You’re probably right,” Justan said with a wince. “If Vahn killed me there, it would make quite a wave.” Justan’s hand went to his right wrist where the stiff band of dead Jharro wood still clung. A wave of remorse rolled over him at the thought of the elf’s funeral being disrupted.
“I notice you’re still wearing that wristband,” Beth said.
“Yntri formed it perfectly to my arm and I can’t remove it without cutting it off. I . . .” He grimaced. “I can’t make myself do that.”
A sad look of understanding came over Beth’s face and she placed a hand on his arm. “I know how you feel, but you can’t keep it on forever.”
“It’s a reminder,” he said, his jaw tightening. “If I let my guard down people close to me will be killed.”
“You’re so much like your mother. Sherl always burdened herself like that. Everyone’s problem was her problem.” Beth let go of his arm and reached up to cup his jaw line. “You know this isn’t your fault, don’t you?”
Justan stepped back, pulling away from her hand. He didn’t want to be comforted. “Fault or not, Beth, it’s my responsibility.”
She nodded slowly, letting her hand fall back to her side. “I think it’s about time you met Yntri’s family.”
“His family?” Justan said.
“They need to know of the nightbeast’s plans and Tolynn will want to see that wristband. They have odd customs about dead Jharro wood,” Beth said.
“Tolynn?” he asked.
“Yntri’s wife,” Beth said. “She shares your tree.”
Justan nodded somberly. “Alright. I’ll bring it up with Jhonate later today. I’d talk to her about it through the ring, but she’s in a meeting with her father and they are too far away for me to reach her.”
“This is too important to wait. You should go now,” Beth said. “Come on, I’ll take you.”
“To the grove?” Justan said.
“Yeah.”
“I’m not supposed to leave the palace,” Justan replied. “I’ve been asking for permission to visit the grove, but Xedrion hasn’t allowed it yet. He says he wants to ‘interview’ me first, whatever that means.”
In fact, Justan wasn’t allowed to go anywhere in the city without an escort. He hadn’t seen much more than the palace grounds and the local marketplace. Jhonate said that Xedrion had made the order as a precaution because of the nightbeast, but Justan was beginning to feel more like a prisoner than a guest.
“You’re kidding,” Beth said with a roll of her eyes. “And it’s been how long?”
“A week. And believe me, I want nothing more than to get out of here. It’s been driving me crazy waiting here at the palace while Xedrion plans for war with the Roo-Dan. He won’t even let me help.” Justan sighed. “But Jhonate says I should be patient. She’ll get me permission when she can.”
Beth snorted. “By the gods, Edge. Grow some rocks. You’re a named warrior and wizard and she’s not even your wife yet.”
“What?” Justan let out an incredulous laugh. “You’re saying I should just go? Defy Xedrion’s order?”
“Yes!” She pointed at him. “Xedrion isn’t your ruler. He can’t keep you from going. You have been chosen by one of the trees. You have every right to visit the grove.”
“This is true,” Deathclaw said. Sherl-Ann had settled down. She wasn’t asleep but she was resting her head on the raptoid’s shoulder, watching Justan with serious eyes. “Xedrion bin Leeths is not your leader. There is no need to follow him.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you,” Beth said. “The Roo-Tan won’t try to stop you if you’re with me. I’m the ‘savior of the grove’ after all.”
Justan had no doubt she was right. Beth was held in high esteem here. Everywhere she went, people greeted her with wide smiles. Many of the local women had even adopted her style choices, wearing embroidered blouses and wide baggy pants gathered at the ankles.
“I’m tempted. Really, I am. But I should talk to Jhonate about it first. Xedrion barely tolerates me as it is. If I go against his wishes now-.”
“Oh, for the love of hell.” Beth reached out, grabbed Justan’s earlobe, and twisted.
“Ow! Hey!” he said as she jerked him towards the gate of the archery range.
“Now you can say I twisted your ear and made you go,” Beth snapped. She let go of him. “Xedrion’s strategy meeting won’t be over for at least a couple more hours and I’m not gonna wait around for him to finish just so that he can say no. Come on.”
Justan scowled at her and rubbed his ear. Why were all the women he respected in his life so mean? And why did he always do what they said? Was there something wrong with him? He could sense Deathclaw’s amusement at the situation.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked Beth as he followed her out of the range, Deathclaw and Gwyrtha trailing behind him. “I’m not your responsibility.”
“Maybe not, but I owe your mother,” she replied. “Besides, I like you. You’re a good man, Edge. I knew that the first time I listened to you.”
Beth led them to the green inlaid doors of the palace proper, but they did not go inside. Instead, she turned and took them along a stone walkway that skirted the outside of the grounds. It was a picturesque route. Manicured shrubberies and colorful swamp flowers were planted at every turn in the path. At one point the path came out from between two buildings, opening up into a breathtaking view of the city and the forest beyond.
Beth stopped to point out at the horizon. “You can actually see the grove from here.”
“Where?” Justan asked, looking out at the forest. The prophet had once shown him a vision of the place and the picture in his mind was immense. The Jharro trees would have to stick up out of the rest of the forest like an apple tree rising above shrubs
“It starts not too far into the forest. The grove is pretty well camouflaged from a distance, but if you look closely, the wind gives it away,” she said. “Look at the treetops and you’ll see flashes of blue.”
While she spoke a gust of wind hit and Justan saw what she was talking about. Little flecks of blue flickered across the treetops like a thousand tiny lights among the sea of green. Jharro trees were leafy evergreens and their large waxy leaves were green on top, but had a light blue underside.
“I see. I guess I thought they would stand out more,” Justan said.
I can smell them, Gwyrtha said, inhaling deeply. They smell of music.
Justan didn’t catch the scent, but Beth breathed in deeply, closing her eyes for a moment as if she had heard what Gwyrtha said and agreed. “You’re actually looking out over a valley, believe it or not. But that’s only part of it. The reason they don’t stand out is that the shape of the trees is . . . Well, you’ll understand when we get there.”
They continued down the path until it connected with one of the main palace walkways. When they arrived at the gates, the guards didn’t want to let Justan and his bonded pass, but Beth assured them that she would act as their escort. There wasn’t much the men could say to this and they acquiesced, letting them through.
They entered the city proper, heading in the general direction of the marketplace where Justan had been before. He turned to Beth. “I’m curious. Why is it that you feel you owe my mother?”
She smiled. “I didn’t have the best example of a mother growing up. When the wizards brought me to the Mage School I was happy to be there, but I wasn’t very talented and, to tell you the truth, I was a bit of a brat. Wizardess Sherl was one of my teachers and she didn’t put up with my attitude. I hated her for it at first, but eventually I figured out that she was looking out for me.
“When I made apprentice, she became my master and she was great. She took me under her wing and taught me so much. It was more than just magic. She taught me how to be tough.”
Justan chuckled. “You’re not the first person to tell me that. When I was growing up, she was always taking the other kids under her wing. Even the kids that were mean to me respected her.”
“Yes, but she was more than that to me,” Beth said. “In many ways Sherl is more of a mother to me than my real mother.”
Justan shook his head. “Now I find out that I have an older sister. It seems like every time I talk to someone who knows my mother I learn something new.”
“I’d be honored if that were the case,” she replied. “You know, when I wanted to leave the Mage School to marry my boyfriend, your mother tried to talk me out of it. She told me to be patient and wait until I was a mage. We argued and I defied her. But when the council decided to quell me, she fought them. She lost that battle and it wasn’t until years later that I learned that she’d resigned from the Mage School because of it. Over me.”
“I see. I . . . guess I never thought of it that way before,” Justan said.
“Now you can see why I can never repay her for everything she’s done.” Beth’s said, her voice laden with emotion. “I still can’t believe that all those years I spent in Pinewood, she was living in Reneul. I even went there to see Testing Week a few times and I never knew she was there. I would have visited with her for sure, if just to let her know that I was okay.”
“Don’t feel bad about that,” Justan said. “Not many people knew. Heck, even I didn’t know that my mother was a wizardess.”
“I’m actually surprised by that,” she replied. “The way that woman used her magic, anyone with mage sight would have seen it. She put wards on everything. Even my schoolwork. She knew before I came to class whether I had completed it or not.”
Justan pursed his lips. “Yeah, well evidently I was dense growing up.”
“Hold on a second.” Beth slowed down as the market area came into view. It was getting close to noontime and the streets were bustling. “I think we’ll take a different route.”
She took a turn and headed down a side street, leading them into a section of the city that Justan hadn’t been shown on his previous excursions. It was a poorer area. The people here lived in tall buildings that looked like small squat houses stacked on top of each other. Justan could tell that the buildings were not made of the same white brick as the rest of the city, but were instead made of rougher brick or wood and then painted white. Smaller slower moving canals passed through the area in a web-like pattern, separating each building.
They traveled through the area by a series of unadorned wooden bridges that connected each of the buildings. The people in this area wore clothes that were a bit more worn and drab than the Roo-Tan in the rest of the city. Justan noted that most of them wore brown ribbons in their hair.
The people stared at Justan and his bonded as they passed by. They had obviously heard of the visiting strangers and were curious but friendly. Most of them knew Beth on sight and greeted her with smiles and waves.
“Do you come this way often, Beth?” he asked.
“It is the quickest way to my house from the palace,” she explained.
“You live out here?” Justan was surprised. He had never seen their place, but he had assumed that they lived close to the palace.
“No. We have a nice little home that’s not surrounded by canals. It’s just outside the city,” she clarified. “Between here and the grove. When I first came here, Hilt was living at the palace as Xedrion’s guest. I grew tired of it. Having all those servants around? My parents would have loved that, but a woman wants her privacy. That’s one of the reasons why I choose to travel through this part of the city.”
Justan wasn’t sure how this section of the city meant privacy. A group of excited children started following behind them, chatting and pointing at Gwyrtha and Deathclaw. All the attention made Deathclaw uncomfortable.
“I do not like this,” the raptoid grumbled. “All these humans staring. Must we go this way?”
“Oh calm down, Deathclaw,” Beth replied. “I’m taking you this way specifically to avoid extra attention. There is a small gateway out of the city not far away from here. I know most of the guards who are posted there. They won’t give us any trouble.”
“Very well, but can you at least take your child now?” The raptoid complained. The child was clutching tightly to his hand and had one of his knuckles tucked into her mouth. Drool was running down the scales of his arm and dripping off his elbow in a long string.
“Sorry. Sherl-Ann is much happier this way. If I took her, she would just cry,” Beth said, a small smile curling the corners of her mouth.
Justan shared her amusement. “Besides, Deathclaw, carrying a baby makes you much less frightening to the locals. With her in your arms you look nearly as cuddly as Fist.”
Deathclaw hissed, knowing he was being teased and not happy with the comparison. “Must she gnaw on me like this?”
“Yes,” said Beth. “She’s a baby. That’s what they do. Don’t raptoid babies do the same?”
Deathclaw’s brow ridges tightened. “I never had a successful brood of my own. I mated many times but something happened to the clutches of eggs . . . my memory . . .” He shook his head. “There is much lost to my mind.”
Beth gave him a sympathetic look and said, “I’m sure you would have made an excellent father.”
Deathclaw smiled in agreement. “With an adult pack of my offspring I could have conquered the desert.”
The statement sounded quite arrogant, but Justan didn’t disagree. If Deathclaw’s children had been gifted with the same amount of intelligence and control over their bodies that Deathclaw had, they would have been a force indeed.
They soon reached the outskirts of the city. Roo-Tan’lan did not have a city wall on the forest side. The likelihood of invaders coming from within the forest was a small one. The wide canal that ran across the city’s edge sufficed as the borderline. The small gateway Beth had spoken of was only a city gate in the loosest sense. It was basically a set of pillars on either side of the bridge that led into the forest. The two guards that were stationed there were a surprise.
“Sir Edge!” said Poz. The academy graduate stood suddenly from the ground where he had been lounging, his back to one of the pillars.
Jhexin didn’t bother to stand, but looked up at him with a frown. “What are you doing out this way? I did not think father wanted you wandering the city without an escort.”
“I’m with Beth,” Justan replied. He raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you two doing here? You seem pretty relaxed for guard duty.”
Poz’s freckled cheeks reddened, but Jhexin wasn’t cowed. “Father wants the academy warriors to experience all the responsibilities that we Roo-Tan warriors have. He has placed me in charge of Poz’s responsibilities.”
“And you chose this post because you knew it would be easy work,” Beth surmised.
“I was-uh, just listening to my trainer, sir,” Poz said to Justan. “You know, doing things the Roo-Tan way.”
“Right,” Justan said, shaking his head in amusement. He was pretty sure that Faldon would not have approved of an academy representative taking such a lax attitude on guard duty, but it wasn’t his place to reprimand him. Justan wasn’t officially part of the academy yet. “Well, keep at it.”
They made as if to step through the gateway, but Jhexin leapt to his feet and stood in front of them, raising his arms. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“I am taking Sir Edge to the grove,” Beth said. “Now kindly step aside.”
Jhexin frowned. “I am sorry, Listener Beth, but I heard father say that he wished to speak to Sir Edge before he went to the grove.”
“Is that so?” she said. “Well, things have changed. He needs to go there now. Tolynn wishes to speak with him.”
“She does?” Jhexin started to lower his arms, then thought better of it and firmed his stance. “Still, you must wait. I will not let you leave until I hear from father.”
“We’re leaving,” Beth said firmly, her hands balled into fists.
Deathclaw held Sherl-Ann out towards her. “If you will take your child, I will clear the path.”
Jhexin’s hand went to the Jharro sword at his waist. Poz reluctantly grabbed the hilt of his own sword and gave Justan a pained look.
“That won’t be necessary,” Justan said, raising his own hand to stop things from escalating further. “Jhexin, did Xedrion specifically give the guards instructions to keep me from leaving the city?”
“No,” Jhexin admitted. “But like I said, I heard him tell you-,”
“Then get the hell out of our way,” Beth snapped.
