At least he could take Tobi out for a good day-long romp in the woods. Elkan wouldn’t begrudge him that. He’d take the fire-starting kit, and Tobi could catch a rabbit for him to roast. They could stay out until everyone else had gone to bed, so he wouldn’t have to face Kalti’s smugness, or Elkan’s annoyance, or Hadara’s sympathy. Just for today, he could pretend he was really an apprentice wizard, and that come Springtide Tobi would be choosing him to bond with.
And then tomorrow he’d tell her good-bye.
Josiah slipped out of the stable and crept to the front of the inn. He looked around surreptitiously. The shutters were open to catch the sun that was just beginning to drive away the morning chill. Crouching, Josiah snuck up to the window and peeked over the sill. Elkan and Hadara had left, but Kalti was still there. She sat on the hearth next to Tobi. Beside them was a bowl in which a few chunks of raw red meat remained. As Josiah watched, she scooped one up and fed it to Tobi, who eagerly accepted it.
How dare she! Everyone knew feeding Tobi was Josiah’s job. Josiah jumped up, ready to race in and knock the meat from Kalti’s hands. But he sank back down again, hands clenched into fists. Tobi seemed perfectly content. She took another chunk from Kalti and settled it between her paws, gnawing to separate the meat from a bit of bone and gristle. Finishing, she looked up expectantly, but the bowl was empty. Kalti scratched Tobi behind the ears. The mountain cat snuggled closer to Kalti, laid her head in her lap, closed her eyes, and started to purr.
Sick at heart, Josiah slipped away.
He wandered the streets of Shalinthan aimlessly. Vendors called out to him from booths when he passed through the market square, urging him to buy fruits or pastries or trinkets, but he ignored them. He poked through a few displays, but soon lost interest.
Around midday he bought a meat pie and a few honey cakes. Briefly he was distracted by a group of singers weaving beautiful harmonies. He applauded with the rest of the crowd when they finished, and tossed the last of his coins into their waiting coffer. But he drifted away before they started their next piece.
The market was too crowded and noisy. He wanted a quiet, private place where he could be alone for a while in peace. But his own room at the inn was inaccessible, and he didn’t know where else he might go.
The answer occurred to him on his next pass through the main square. There was the Mother’s Hall, serene and solid. It should be deserted. Elkan and Hadara had finished all the healings and judgments; anyone with an emergency would seek them at the inn.
Was it unlocked? Yes, the heavy door swung open, and Josiah slipped inside.
To his surprise, he heard voices. A group of people sat in a ring of chairs drawn up around the hearth at the far end of the large room. Before he could duck out again, a calm male voice said, “Look, it’s his apprentice. Come here, boy. We can send him to fetch the wizard for questioning.”
Josiah approached the circle hesitantly. He recognized the man who had spoken as Master Zelman, who’d been head of the town council before Noadiah. Was this a meeting of the council?
He was surprised to see Meira’s mother in the circle. Retana’s voice was strident. “There’s no need to question him. I saw what happened. I say we lodge the formal complaint with the Wizards’ Guild immediately.”
Josiah came to stand at Zelman’s side. Zelman frowned. “Retana, this is a very serious charge. I’m sure Wizard Elkan must have had good reasons for what he did. He deserves the chance to defend himself. You can’t deny that he’s been an enormous help in this crisis. Without him many more would have died—”
“Without him, it wouldn’t have happened!” Around the circle people murmured and shook their heads, but she stood her ground. “It was the way he flaunted his powers that led Noadiah to conceive the crazy scheme in the first place, against all the established principles of mining—”
“Now, Retana, that’s going too far.” A woman Josiah didn’t recognize spoke. “We all know Noadiah has been experimenting with his explosive powders for years. He asked the wizard for help.”
“So he claims.” Retana sounded bitter. “Who else was there to hear what they said?”
“Your daughter, for one,” Zelman said. “She supports the wizard’s story.”
Retana’s voice dropped. “Meira is… not entirely objective when it comes to the wizard.”
Josiah wondered what she could possibly mean by that. Nothing good. He seethed at her slander of Elkan, but kept silent.
The other woman said, “Be that as it may, there were others present who also corroborate his account. Really, Retana, you seem to have a personal vendetta against this wizard.”
“Because I saw what he did! I saw him leave Noadiah to die, without so much as a word of remorse. After he healed a mere animal!”
“The raccoon is the other wizard’s familiar; of course he had to heal it—”
“Of course. The wizards look out for their own.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. “Noadiah was the leader of this council and a highly respected master. His death is a great loss to us all. We owe it to him to seek justice.”
“I agree. But the wizard must be given a chance to speak.” Zelman turned to Josiah. “Go get your master and bring him back here.”
“Yes, sir.” Josiah forced his voice to meek compliance. He headed for the door.
Behind him, Zelman said, “Bring me paper and pen and I’ll begin drafting the complaint.”
As soon as the door shut behind him, Josiah ran as fast as he could to the inn. “Elkan!” He raced up the stairs to the wizard’s room. “Elkan, you’ve got to come, they’re going to—”
Elkan looked up from the table where he was bent over his record book, writing. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s the town council. They want to talk to you. They’re going to send a complaint about you to the Wizards’ Guild, that you let Master Noadiah die on purpose. You’ve got to come tell them what really happened.”
A frown creased Elkan’s brow. “I’m sure this must be just a misunderstanding. What exactly did they say?”
“There’s no time for that; you’ve got to come right now. They’re in the Mother’s Hall.” Josiah was so agitated he seized Elkan’s arm, sending a splatter of ink droplets from the quill onto the record book.
Elkan blotted the spots, annoyed, but consented to set down the quill and follow Josiah.
Josiah shoved open the heavy door of the Mother’s Hall and stood aside for Elkan to pass. All eyes turned to the wizard as he made his way to the circle.
Elkan smiled pleasantly. “Josiah says you wish to speak with me?”
Zelman nodded. “We have a few questions about events the day of the cave-in we’d like to have you clarify for us, if you’re not too busy.”
“Not at all.” Elkan walked through the middle of the circle, seated himself in an empty chair at the far side, and gestured for Josiah to take his place in another beside it. “I’m happy to tell you anything you wish to know.” He looked around, poised and expectant.
The council members shot uncomfortable looks at each other and shifted in their seats. Finally, Zelman spoke. “There have been questions raised in the matter of your… conduct… in the aftermath of the cave-in, particularly in regards to your decisions concerning the… ah, priority… of who received the benefit of your powers.”
Elkan nodded. His manner stayed relaxed and polite, but Josiah noticed his fingers worrying at a loose thread in the hem of his tunic. “The Mother’s Law has clear guidelines that govern our actions in such emergencies. I followed them to the best of my ability. What in particular did you have a question about?”
Retana sat up straighter in her chair. “I saw myself how you passed over Noadiah, choosing instead to heal your fellow wizard’s familiar. You admitted to me you knew he would die. It’s unconscionable that you should choose the life of an animal over that of a person. We intend to file a formal complaint with your superiors at the Wizards’ Guild; Zelman has already
drafted it.”
Josiah saw Elkan’s hand clutch the edge of his tunic briefly, but he gave no other outward sign that Retana’s blunt words had affected him. “It’s your right, of course, to make a complaint. But my master will confirm I acted properly. The first step must always be to secure the lives of any wizards and familiars present, so they can use the Mother’s power to aid the rest of those in danger.”
“Yet even after Master Hadara and her familiar were healed, you passed over Master Noadiah in favor of others.” Zelman looked at Elkan keenly.
After only the briefest hesitation, Elkan answered. “In our judgment, Master Noadiah’s injuries were so severe the amount of energy and time necessary to stabilize him would have put other lives in jeopardy.”
“But you hadn’t even looked at anyone else! And I saw that raccoon, it was nearly dead. You must have spent twice the energy healing it.”
Zelman waved at Retana to be quiet. “You admit, then, that it was a judgment call? Is there no possibility you might have been mistaken?”
Elkan inclined his head. “There’s always that possibility.” His voice was rough. “I believe, however, it was the correct decision. By the time we stabilized everyone else whose lives were endangered, Sar and I, and Hadara and Whiskers also, were nearly drained of energy. I have no doubt that had either of us expended the energy needed to save Noadiah’s life, at least two others, probably many more, would have died. The principles of triage are laid out in the Law. Wizards are bound to follow them.”
He hesitated a moment, biting his lip. “Words can’t express how much I regret that I—we—couldn’t save Noadiah. We did have a bit of energy left at the end. We used it to ease Meira’s pain, but if Noadiah hadn’t already died, we would have tried to help him instead. Even though the effort would most likely have been in vain.” He fell silent, eyes downcast, hands clenched together in his lap.
Zelman looked at Retana. She remained silent, refusing to meet his eyes or look at Elkan. After a moment, Zelman nodded and addressed Elkan. “Thank you for your testimony. I don’t think we have any further questions for you at this time.”
Elkan rose, and Josiah jumped to his feet. “If anyone would like to witness for themselves exactly what happened, I’d be happy to fetch Sar and open a window for you. The distance is too great from here, but we could go out to the mine—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Zelman shook his head vehemently. “I think we’ve all heard enough to make up our minds.”
“If you have any further need of me, I’ll be at the inn for the rest of the day. Come, Josiah.” Elkan swept from the building.
They walked slowly back to the inn, Elkan lost in pensive silence. Finally, Josiah had to ask a question that had been troubling him. “Elkan, I was thinking about what happened. When you healed Master Hadara, you didn’t know Whiskers was still alive, did you? Because you asked her…”
“Not until she woke and was able to feel him. Why do you ask?”
“I was just wondering. Because if you hadn’t needed to heal Master Hadara, I mean, not all the way, just so she didn’t die, maybe you would have had enough energy left… but then I guess you would have had to take care of all those people Master Hadara and Whiskers healed. But if you’d healed her all the way, and found out Whiskers was dead after all, it would have been a waste.” He hunched his shoulders and looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. I guess it doesn’t matter now, anyway.”
“No, it’s all right. I don’t mind your asking. That was a gamble. We thought it very likely Whiskers was dead. But we couldn’t know for sure, and the Law is clear…” Elkan sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
“I’m glad I don’t have to make decisions like that.” Josiah couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to have to decide who lived and who died. And if you were wrong… “I don’t think I could. Although I guess you’ve done it lots of times, so it’s not such a big deal.”
“Actually, I haven’t. Not like this. I’ve helped with emergencies before, but it was always other wizards, masters, making the decisions.” Elkan rubbed at his eyes. “You’re much too young to worry about it. But I’m sure if someday a situation arises where you have to make choices in a crisis, you’ll do fine. Here, come up to my room. I’ve been writing an account of the cave-in, and I want you to fill in anything you remember.”
* * *
After the evening meal Josiah spent a good while trying to fit all his belongings into his pack. He seemed to have accumulated enough during their stay in Shalinthan to overflow the available space. Finally he crammed it all in and sat on it until he could fasten the buckles.
He yawned and stretched. He needed to use the privy. He could skip it and go to bed, but he’d hate to rouse in the middle of the night and have to make the trip then.
He shut the door on Tobi’s heavy breathing. All was quiet; everyone else was probably asleep already. At least the inn had its own privy, so he wouldn’t have to trek all the way down to the public ones. He tiptoed out the door and eased it shut.
Finished, he headed back, eager for his warm bed, even though he’d have to shove Tobi out of the way to enjoy it. He gulped, remembering that after tonight he’d no longer have her warm length beside him at night, crowding him out of his blankets.
Maybe he’d wake her and brush her one more time; she always loved that. He detoured by the stable to pick up one of Sar’s brushes. To his surprise, dim lantern light shone inside. He entered, ready to greet the innkeeper’s apprentice or whoever else was there.
The lantern was hung at Sar’s stall. Josiah peered inside.
Elkan sat on a low stool at his familiar’s side. A brush lay abandoned on the floor. Elkan’s arms were folded on Sar’s back; his head was bowed, forehead pressing into the donkey’s grey fur. Sar bent his neck and gently nuzzled the wizard’s shoulder.
Josiah backed away, unwilling to disturb them. But what if Elkan had fallen asleep? Tentatively, he stepped forward. “Elkan? Are you awake?”
Elkan jerked upright. He pushed hair from his face and reached for Sar’s brush. “We’re fine. Go to bed; we’re getting an early start in the morning.”
“Yes, sir. Good night.” Josiah paused on his way out to scoop up another brush. He glanced back. Elkan had begun brushing Sar, but stopped, brush motionless against the donkey’s neck, staring with unseeing eyes off into the distance.
Concerned, Josiah almost turned back, but stopped himself. He had no business interfering if Elkan wanted privacy. He headed toward the inn.
As he reached the front door, a softly cleared voice made him look around. “Meira?”
“I’d like to speak to Elkan, if he’s still awake.” For a moment Josiah couldn’t place why she looked strange, but then he realized she was wearing her hair down, out of its usual thick braid. She tucked a strand behind an ear. “Could you send him down?”
“He’s not in his room; he’s out in the stable with Sar.”
“Oh.” She shifted uncertainly, looking toward the stable and back at the inn. “I could wait for him, I guess. Or maybe I should go…”
“No, I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you.” Josiah thought of Elkan, alone with his thoughts, only Sar for company. “Why don’t you go by the stable?”
Meira hesitated a moment. “I think I will. Thank you, Josiah.”
Josiah nodded at her and pushed through the inn door, yawning. Maybe he wouldn’t wake Tobi after all, but just go right to sleep. He paused by the ashes of the fire, which though banked for the night still radiated heat. Tired as he was, he couldn’t help feeling curious. What could Meira want to talk to Elkan about?
Josiah glanced at the shuttered window, beyond which the stable lay. He wouldn’t be any more sleepy in the morning than he was going to be anyway if he took a few minutes to listen in on their conversation.
He ducked outside, keeping to the shadows. The stable had several open windows. Leaning against the outside wall, carefully out of the pool of
lantern light by the door, he was able to hear clearly.
“Hello, Meira.” Elkan’s voice was startled, but pleased. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Josiah told me you were out here with Sar. Do you mind if I come in?”
“Not at all. There’s another stool around here somewhere; have a seat.” Josiah heard a rustle and scrape. “How’s the leg?”
“Good as new. You’d never know it was broken.”
“And Ravid? No unusual fussiness, or excessive sleepiness?”
“No, no, he’s fine. Although… he startles more now, at loud noises. And he’s clingy, wants to be with me all the time. I’d have come earlier, but he took forever to fall asleep tonight. Giva’s over at my house, watching him.”
“It’s not surprising, considering what he’s been through. How are you managing that, with your work?”
“I haven’t started back at the mine yet. Master Sakel says to take as long as I need. He’s taken me on as journeyman until Springtide, though since Master Noadiah already signed the papers it’s just a formality.”
“That’s good. There’s no rush. But don’t wait too long, either. Sometimes people can be afraid to go back to what they were doing when disaster struck, and waiting generally makes it worse, not better. Gives the fear time to grow.”
“I know. We see that pretty often in the Miners’ Guild after something like this. I did go back down, a few days ago, just to check on the progress of the clean up. I’ll be all right.”
“Good.” They were both silent for a while. Josiah shifted, uncomfortable and bored. He was about ready to give up on them saying anything interesting and go to bed when Elkan spoke again, his voice so hushed Josiah had to strain to hear. “I’m sorry for my part in it, Meira. As far as Sar and I could tell, the rock was stable. Though the Mother’s power doesn’t let us feel into the earth the way we can into a living body. Maybe we shouldn’t have agreed to help with the blasting powder.”
The Fuller's Apprentice (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 1) Page 28
