The Apprentice to Zdrell

by David K Bennett

  “Now you are right to be awed by this power, zdrell gnat. I will tell you just enough so that you will appreciate your dying all the more. Zdrell was not the only magic lost in the Great War. This amulet and its magic was old before the Great War. The demons would kill me if they knew I possessed this, but they don’t and never will, unless they try to attack me. It is good to have something that can cause the demons to fear. It is the most powerful magic that there is, but sadly it is too powerful for most things, it has no finesse and is difficult to control. But I am master of it, and now no more talking. Time for you to die!”

  Jonny could see the power gathering for the bolt of energy that would kill him. The time Boregond had been talking had given Jonny a handle on the flaw. He just hoped it would be enough. He reached out and began to pull at it with the master ring. He felt the power building as Boregond prepared to release the bolt. Jonny pushed and pulled frantically at the fabric of the spell but still it held.

  Just as Boregond pointed to release the energy at him, Jonny felt the spell give. When it gave, it went all at once. Boregond no longer had anything holding the energy in check and no way to control it.

  The bolt meant for Jonny detonated at the end of Boregond’s arm, vaporizing it and much of his head and shoulder. It was a nearly silent explosion coming from inside the center of the vortex. Boregond’s body fell to the ground, as did all the debris that had been contained in the cyclone. Rocks and dust pelted Jonny, but within a few seconds, the air was undisturbed as if the cyclone had never been.

  Chapter 66

  For several minutes, Jonny could do nothing but lie there. His left side still hurt abominably. He almost blacked out again, but willed himself to stay conscious. Slowly he got up and walked over to where Boregond’s body lay. It was a terrible mess. If Jonny had not already been suffering from shock, he would have been sick. As it was, Jonny felt a strange curiosity looking at the wreck of the man who had nearly killed him.

  Jonny figured that between the explosions and magical cyclone someone would be sure to investigate fairly soon, and he did not want to be around when they arrived.

  Jonny was about to turn and leave when he remembered he had to retrieve the line-cutter. That made him think of the magical items Boregond had been wearing. The ring on the wizard’s right hand had vaporized along with the rest of that arm, but the ring on his other hand and the amulets were still there.

  Jonny felt somewhat squeamish about taking them, but he was certain that was how Boregond must have acquired them in the first place. Jonny quickly bent and took the items and put them in his belt pouch and left at as quick a walk as he could manage. He then remembered the invisibility amulet, which was still active, and slowed. Walking was still painful, but he made sure he walked just off the path.

  Within five minutes, Jonny saw a large group of curious townspeople and a detachment of the town guard coming down the path. Jonny moved off to the side and waited for them to pass. As soon as they passed, he saw there were more coming behind them. Even with the invisibility spell, Jonny did not think that he could get back into town without running into someone, and there were sure to be questions, as beat up as he was. He was also really feeling the pain of his injuries. He had to fly.

  After resting for a moment, Jonny took to the air. Following the initial effort, he found it was actually much easier to fly than it had been to walk. He started out flying to Kason’s shop, but the more he thought about it, the better he thought it would be to just go back to the castle. If he had been walking, he could not have gotten there in his present condition.

  As it was, he was barely able to make it far enough land in the castle courtyard. No one saw him land with the invisibility spell in place, so he just seemed to appear out of the air when he dropped his invisibility spell.

  He found that while flying his whole side had stiffened up so he could barely stand. He knew he looked mangled, so when a startled apprentice saw him appear, he almost laughed. Jonny could feel his consciousness fading again so he croaked, “Get The Master,” then slumped to the ground.

  § § §

  It was dark outside when Jonny woke up. He was in a bed. A candle burned at a table beside it. He recognized the room as one of the rooms where sick boys were kept at the castle. The Master’s wife, Alira, sat in a rocking chair beside the bed, weaving with a finger loom. She had not seen him wake.

  He tried to sit up and found that his whole left side felt on fire when he moved.

  “Hush, don’t try to move,” Alira said. “Silurian will want to know you’re awake.”

  Jonny was confused, then he remembered how he had gotten there. He also found that he was wearing nothing but a nightshirt. All his clothes, rings, and amulets had been removed. This realization shocked him, but even as he tried to move, the pain rose up again and he passed out.

  § § §

  There was sun shining in the window when Jonny next woke. The Master was sitting in a chair by the bedside reading. He put down the book as soon as he saw Jonny was awake.

  “So, Boregond finally bit off more than he could chew,” the wizard said, smiling.

  Jonny was confused. How could Master Silurian know what had happened?

  “No, I used no magic,” The Master said to Jonny’s unspoken question. “The news is all over Alavar. Everyone knows that there was a deadly wizard’s duel outside of town. What they do not know is that I was not involved, and they do not know the identity of the loser. Only you and Kason knew who he really was, and I want to keep it that way for a bit longer.

  “There will be trouble enough when the news of his demise gets back to his masters. I have no desire for them to find out any faster than need be. As things are, I think it will be at least two weeks before anyone suspects anything, and hopefully, it will take even longer before they send anyone to investigate. There should be plenty of time for you to heal and get away.”

  Now Jonny was even more confused. “Why do I need to get away, Master? Almost until the very end, Boregond didn’t believe that I could be a zdrell wizard?”

  “Yes, that was a good thing you did by allowing him to think your zdrell enhanced blades came from some ancient cache. No, you need to leave so that when they do come looking for Boregond’s killer, I will be able to say under oath that I did not do it, and have no idea where the wizard in question might be. Besides, you are a journeyman now and it is high time you started on your journeys.”

  Jonny was stunned. “How can I be a journeyman, you’ve never given me my license.”

  The Master laughed. “Truth be told, Jonny, I was within a day or two of doing just that when you took matters into your own hands.”

  It seemed like the more The Master talked, the less Jonny understood. “How did I take matters into my own hands, Master?” he asked, hoping that he would finally figure out some of what Master Silurian was saying.

  “Jonny, I know you are still recovering from your wounds, but surely you remember that there are two ways you can be awarded master status. First, by passing the tests by the board of elders, or second, by defeating an acknowledged master in single combat.”

  “Now this second way is not very common, but every year there are certain journeymen who become masters that way, primarily war mages. I do not think I have ever heard of an apprentice being advanced to master that way, but technically, it should be possible. So, in a way, I could say you have qualified as not just a journeyman, but a master wizard.”

  Jonny did not know what to say, did not know what to think. How could he be a master?

  His master took pity on him. “Don’t fret, Jonny. Even though technically you could claim to be a master now, that would make even less sense than if I had made you a journeyman two years ago. No, I have already prepared your journeyman’s license with no mention of this incident. No one needs to know about this other than the two of us. Now, tell me from the beginning to the end all that happened.”

  Jonny told The Master exactly what had h
appened from the time Boregond had shown up at the metal shop until Jonny landed in the castle. When he was finished, The Master looked very thoughtful.

  “I will have to think on this. I would not have thought Boregond capable of this kind of subtlety. I will also want to look closer at the rings and amulets you took from him. That was very wise of you to do, and your just spoils from the duel. Now put on these clothes, go, and get yourself something to eat and come and talk to me when you are rested and ready to talk more. You have been asleep for nearly two days.”

  Until he started to eat Jonny had not realized just how hungry he was. His side was still tender but it felt much better than it had the last time he had been awake. He took his time eating. Occasionally one of the other journeymen would come into the room, but none of them did more than glance at him. After he finished eating, he went back to his room intending to rest for just a few minutes before talking to The Master. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep. The Master had to wait until the next day to talk to Jonny.

  Chapter 67

  Jonny woke the next morning a little ashamed that his nap had once again gone on all night, but he felt much better. He was hungry again so went back to the journeyman’s mess for breakfast.

  As soon as he came in the door, the previously noisy room went silent. There were twelve other journeymen at the tables and all of them were looking at Jonny. Jonny stood there wondering at their reactions. He did not know these journeymen, but somehow they knew him. Finally, one of the journeymen started clapping. Within seconds, all of them were clapping. Jonny just stood there until they stopped and then went to get his food.

  As he sat down to eat, the journeyman who had started the clapping came over to sit by him.

  “You probably don’t remember me, Jonny, but I’m called Carth. I came to work with Master Silurian just two weeks before you left to apprentice with master Kason. I’m the only journeyman still here from before you left, but we all know about you. We all know, or at least we think we know what you did to that demon master Boregond.”

  “How do you know about that?” Jonny asked.

  “Well, all The Master will say is that Boregond was killed in a duel, and that he had nothing to do with it. We figure you are the only other wizard around here that could possibly have taken on Boregond and lived to tell about it. Did you know that he killed more than thirty wizards in duels and wars?”

  Jonny just shook his head. He was glad he had not known.

  “I’ll let you eat now,” Carth said. “I just wanted to let you know that we’re all behind you. We think it’s great that one of The Master’s students would be the one to take out Boregond.”

  “Thanks – I guess,” was all Jonny could say.

  Jonny ate in silence for a time, but he could see that everyone was still watching him, though not directly.

  Apparently, Carth could not contain his enthusiasm and had to keep talking to Jonny.

  “So have you picked out your new journeyman name yet? Or is it a master name since you defeated a master?”

  “Ah, no, I mean, I’ll just be picking out a journeyman name, I’m no master, and I haven’t really thought of one yet,” Jonny answered hesitantly.

  Actually, this was not entirely true. In the time Jonny had worked his journeyman projects, he had thought of dozens of names. He had listened to the names of travelers from distant lands. He had played with combining sounds; he had tried many names on for size. What was true was that he had come to no final determination and he had not thought about names at all for the last several days. Carth’s question now reminded Jonny that he would have to decide, soon.

  Jonny finished eating. He could tell that the journeymen in the room all wanted to ask him questions, but they were uncertain how to approach Jonny, so they just waited. Jonny did not want to talk right then, so even though he felt bad about it, he just waved and left the room.

  § § §

  The castle still felt like home, even if many of the faces had changed. Jonny went to Feldor’s office to find out where The Master was only to find that he was in the study where he had told Jonny to meet him the night previous.

  When Jonny entered the study, The Master looked up in his usual distracted way and said, “So what name do I put down on this journeyman license?”

  Jonny laughed, thinking that The Master had asked the same thing that the journeymen had wanted to know. “I’m not sure yet, Master.”

  Master Silurian waved his hand impatiently. “Come on, boy, we do not have time for this. You have had months to choose a new name. What will it be?”

  “Well, I’ve been considering Cheklith or Eril.”

  “So which is it? Do you want me to pick?”

  “I’d like to know which you think is better,” Jonny said hopefully.

  “Well, I don’t much like either, but I don’t like Checklith at all. So if you are asking me, then my answer would have to be Eril; why did you like it?”

  “It is Klathar for the verb ‘to seek.’”

  “So it is. Though it is also a girl’s name in the kingdom of Espilona, if I recall correctly.

  “That’s why I was hesitant to take it. What do you think, Master, is it still a good name?”

  “Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter at all what I think, boy,” The Master said while writing on a parchment. “There it is: your journeyman license, Eril.”

  “But, but, you just said.”

  The Master cut him off. “I said I did not care for either of them. You asked which one I liked, I told you, and you must like them, otherwise you would never have told them to me. Therefore, I have written it down, and now it is official. You are now a journeyman. Congratulations, Eril,” he said standing up and giving the still drying parchment to Jonny.

  Jonny was bewildered. This was happening too fast. For years, he had dreamt of being a journeyman, and now he was one. But there had been no ceremony, no formal presentation as he had seen with the few other apprentices he had seen advanced. Again, The Master seemed to be reading his thoughts.

  “Sorry about the lack of ceremony and all, Jonny, I mean Eril, but there is no time to waste. I have received news that someone has already figured out that the dead wizard was Boregond. I doubt you have even a week before some of his people come looking for you. I need you to be back in town tonight and on the road in no more than three days.”

  “I have Feldor working on arranging things with Kason. Here,” he said handing Jonny a heavy pouch of coins, “is enough money for you to be able to travel and get any of the things you will need along the way. And here are your rings and amulets back,” he said giving Jonny back his belt pouch.

  “The shield spell amulet should be most useful. I would keep it on all the time if I were you. I’m also very impressed with that new ring, though I’m not sure what it does, I gather it is some sort of zdrell device.”

  “Yes, Master. I call it the master ring. It was what finally allowed me to defeat master Boregond.”

  “Yes, I’d rather thought that from what you said. The amulet that Boregond used to conjure the cyclone is in there too, though it looks to me like you fairly well destroyed it. I would like to study it sometime, but for now, I think you should take it with you and study it yourself. I am most interested in what Boregond said about the magic it used. I have only heard the barest hints of something like this before. I had always assumed that they were only rumors. Now I wonder how many of the things I dismissed over the years were real.”

  “Thank you, Master. I don’t know how I can repay you.”

  “Jonny, I mean Eril, it is I who will be forever in your debt. The money is nothing. If we had more time I would do much more, but we do not. You need to know that you will have to travel in disguise. The people searching for Boregond’s killer will be looking for a master wizard, they might even suspect an unusually talented journeyman wizard, but they most certainly will not look twice at a journeyman jeweler.”