Protector Of The Grove (Book 2) (3 page)

“I don’t understand,” Justan said to Jhonate. “If he wants you home so badly, why did he send you here in the first place?”  

“You have not told him?” Jhonate looked down sheepishly and Pelgroth laughed. “Father did not send her here. She stole off in the night and came on her own.”

Jhonate ran away
? Fist asked in surprise. Though the ogre was over a weeks’ travel away lying in his oversized bed at the Mage School, his thoughts were clear in Justan’s mind. Their bond had a long range when they were both able to fully concentrate on the connection. It also helped that Justan’s magic was particularly strong.
That doesn’t seem like her
.

No it doesn’t. She was offended when her brother put it that way
, Justan sent as he lay in his cot in the warehouse at the edge of Reneul’s ruins. The building was used mainly to store equipment and rations, but the council allowed him a little corner to use as his own.

Justan had been offered a bunk in the officer’s quarters, but he had refused it. He didn’t feel comfortable there. He had never really been a student at the academy, much less an officer. Besides, Jhonate slept there and with the way she tended to listen to his thoughts, what if she listened to his dreams? Justan found the possibility shudder-inducing.

But Jhonate is good at running
, Gwyrtha commented from her spot at the side of his cot. That was another benefit to sleeping in this place. The rogue horse could stay by him instead of sleeping in the stables with the horses. The more intelligent she became, the less she liked being housed with the animals.

Not like that, Gwyrtha
, Fist said. The ogre could hear her from his side of the connection, though her thoughts were faint.

Ohh. You mean running in fear
, Gwyrtha said.
No, Jhonate doesn’t run like that
.

Jhonate didn’t see it as running away at the time
, Justan explained. At least that’s what she told herself.
The way she explains it, she was just taking advantage of an opportunity. Sir Hilt had regaled her family with tales of the
Battle
Academy
for years. So when she overheard her father and Sir Hilt talking about the possibility of sending one of his children to the academy, she decided to volunteer
.

She ‘volunteered’?
Fist said, his amusement rolling through the bond.
By sneaking off into the night and pretending to be an envoy from her father?

Pretending? Why didn’t she ask her father first
? Gwyrtha wondered.

She knew he never would have let her go
, Justan replied.

Oh. Then she was running
, she said matter-of-factly. Justan couldn’t refute the rogue horse’s logic.

What was so bad there that she wanted to leave
? Fist wondered.

I don’t know
, Justan said.
I’ve gotten the picture that her father is overbearing but, knowing her, there has to be more to it than that
. He shrugged.
I’m sure I’ll find out more as we go
.

When do you leave
? Fist asked.

Justan could feel a hint of unease coming from the ogre.
The day after tomorrow. I haven’t asked Hilt which route we’re taking yet, but I’m assuming we’ll stop by the
Mage
School
on the way. That way you can join us
. Fist’s anxiety rose and Justan paused.
That is, if you want to come
.

I do
! The ogre said.
It’s just . . . I have a lot to learn here right now and . . . Mistress Sherl might not let me
.

Justan frowned.
Do you have to refer to her as ‘Mistress Sherl’
?

She says I have to
, Fist said emphatically.
She may be Darlan to you, but she’s Wizardess Sherl to the wizards and she says since the other apprentices have to address their masters properly, I do too
.

Justan’s mother had taken Fist on as an apprentice when it was found out that he had elemental magic. Justan understood the logic, but it still felt strange.

Alright, but I think I can convince mother to let you come with me.
Justan said and he could sense the ogre’s wince.
Wait, you’re just making excuses, aren’t you? You must be having a good time there
.

I am. See, Mistress Sherl made the other wizards let me bring Squirrel to class. Also . . . I have some good friends here now
.
We sit at lunch together every day and they even study with me at the library
.

That’s good
, Justan said, trying to sound enthusiastic, though he felt a sense of unease rising within him. Why did he feel that way? It was good for Fist to have friends.
Who are they
?

There’s Antyni
. Fist pushed an image of the elf girl through to Justan’s mind. She looked odd wearing a student robe instead of her normal forest garb.
They made her apprentice real fast. Somehow she remembers a lot of what Qyxal learned while he was here and her elemental magic’s real close to his too
.

Justan nodded, remembering Qyxal’s funeral and the way the elf’s twin sister had linked with him before his spirit had passed on.
That’s good for her. I’m glad you two are friends
.

There’s also Neau
. The ogre sent Justan an image of a portly young man wearing a blue robe with red trim.
And Jezzer
. This one was a thin older man wearing spectacles. His robe was gray.
He’s new. He came here to learn how to use his spirit magic. The wizards say he’s good at blessing and binding magic.

That’s great for you, Fist
, Justan said, pushing his unease away.
You know, you really don’t need to feel bad if you don’t want to come with me to Malaroo. I understand
.

No! It’s not like that
, the ogre replied
. I do want to come. I just . . . I’m not sure what to do. If you needed me to fight at your side I wouldn’t hesitate
.

I know
.
And that shouldn’t be necessary
, Justan said.
I mean, it won’t be necessary. No fighting this trip
.

You don’t sound sure
, the ogre replied.

No. I’m sure. It’s-. It’s okay.
Justan sighed.
Look, we won’t make it down to the
Mage
School
for another week yet. Think about it. Talk to my mother about it. See what she thinks. I’d love to have you with us, but I understand if you can’t. Do what’s best for you.
Justan paused. This was the most awkward he had ever felt during a conversation with Fist.
So, um, is there anything else interesting going on
?

The new fire wizard on the High Council came today
, Fist replied, glad for the change of subject.
He’s named
.

Really? Who is it
?

The Mage School High Council had lost five of its seven members during the war. A staggering loss, but while the Academy had replaced its fallen council members within days, the wizards were still dragging their feet.

Master Barthas. He came from the Mage School in Alberri
.
Mistress Sherl knows him. She says his fire magic is just as strong as hers
.

Barthas
. The name sounded slightly familiar to him, but Justan couldn’t recall anything about the man. There were many named wizards he hadn’t met. The wizards he’d known were Mage School professors and most wizards didn’t stick around the school for long once they’d been named.

Oh! And there’s something else. Something big happened
, Fist said excitedly.

Something big
? Justan’s curiosity perked up.

But it’s a secret
, Fist said mischievously.

Justan chuckled.
So you’re going to bring it up and then not tell me
?

I can’t. I promised
, the ogre replied.
But I can tell you that it’s good news
.

A good-news-type secret. You’re going to leave it like that
?

Yes
, Fist said.
You can see when you get here
.

Justan sighed.
All right. Well, good night. I’ll contact you again tomorrow and tell you what Sir Hilt says about our plans
.

Good night, Justan. I . . . good night
.

With that, their contact ended. The bond between them thinned until all that was left in Justan’s mind was a general knowledge of the direction the ogre was in. Justan put his hands behind his head and laid there in the darkness of the warehouse, his mind digesting the conversation he’d just had with Fist.

Of all the people in his life, Justan found Fist the easiest to talk to. Yet this time he hadn’t been able to put his thoughts together. Why had he been so unhappy with Fist’s good news? They were the things he’d wanted for Fist all along, weren’t they?

When he’d first bonded with Fist in Ewzad Vriil’s foul dungeon, the large ogre had been almost childlike in the ways of humans. Justan had wanted nothing more than to share everything with him and it had torn at him whenever Fist had faced adversity because of his race. Now Fist was finally gaining acceptance for who he was. Why had Justan’s first reaction to the news been to dislike it? Was it because these new friendships were keeping the ogre away from him?

A pang of guilt struck him. How petty and selfish his emotions had been. To make things worse, he knew that Fist had felt his reaction through the bond. The ogre was probably feeling terrible about wanting to stay at the school. Justan promised himself that he would apologize to Fist the next time they spoke.

He should be with us
, Gwyrtha said. The rogue horse was, as usual, listening in.

I would prefer that too, Gwyrtha. But what’s important is Fist’s happiness. He needs to do what’s best for him
.

But we are his tribe
, Gwyrtha replied in confusion.
He said so
.

And we are,
Justan sent. They were more than a tribe. Their bond gave them a closeness that couldn’t be found elsewhere in life.
That doesn’t change no matter how far apart we might be. But we can’t force him to stay by our side
.

The last four months being apart from Fist had been hard. Justan hadn’t realized how much he’d depended on his friend. Despite his relative newness to life among the goodly races, Fist had a surprising amount of insight. Justan knew that when he went to Fist with his problems the ogre would somehow help him find the answer. Now there was only a short amount of time during the day that they could talk and long-distance communication just wasn’t the same as speaking in person.

It had gotten even harder two months prior when Deathclaw had left with Hugh the Shadow on a mission for the academy. If Fist was Justan’s moral compass, Deathclaw was his best strategic advisor. Justan closed his eyes again and reached into the bond to find that bundle of awareness that was his connection with the raptoid.

Deathclaw was far away, farther than Fist, yet their link was nearly as strong. Justan fed his thoughts through the bond.
Deathclaw. Can you speak with me
?

Justan received a faint acknowledgement, telling him that Deathclaw had heard his request. He waited for the raptoid to be in a situation where they could speak. Hugh the Shadow was head of the assassin’s guild at the Battle Academy and he had his men do much of their work during the night. This made finding a good time to communicate a difficult prospect. Sometimes it would take hours before Deathclaw was in a position to reply.

Luckily, this time was an exception. Justan only had to wait for a few minutes before he felt the raptoid reaching towards him through the bond. Justan joined the raptoid’s thought with his own and their connection strengthened. The bond opened up until Justan could feel it solidify like a thick cord, bridging the hundreds of miles between them.

It has been a week since you contacted me
, Deathclaw began and, though the raptoid tried to keep his thoughts free of emotion, there was a reproachful tone in his voice.
I was beginning to wonder if you were well
.

Justan was surprised at the disapproving note
. The bond would tell you if something happened to me.

True. If you died, I would fall to the ground helpless,
Deathclaw replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Other than that, you could be in harm’s way and I would remain unaware and unable to help.

 I’m sorry. We’ve been quite busy around here and you haven’t been easy to reach lately.

Hugh the Shadow’s current mission was to hunt down the various remnants of Ewzad Vriil’s army that had become roaming bands of brigands. It was a task requested by the current leader of Dremaldria, Lord Commander Demetrius himself. They already had at least two other groups out doing similar missions.

Nevertheless, I ask that you try harder,
Deathclaw replied.
We have many periods of rest between raids. We could communicate then
.

You’re right
, Justan said.
I promise to try harder. How are the raids going
?