The Apprentice to Zdrell

by David K Bennett

  A cheer went up from the crowd.

  “So you want to play rough, do you?” Flask said, all traces of good humor gone.

  He began an involved incantation that Jonny had not seen before, but he could see the force lines moving strongly so he decided it was time to act. Jonny reached out again and started moving as many bits of rock and dirt as he could at once and poured them over the top of Flask’s shield. This had two effects. The first was that it temporarily made Jonny invisible to Flask. The second was that at least some of the dirt got through Flask’s shield. The shield spell had to allow air to pass through or the wizard would die if he used it for any length of time. Dust and dirt that mixed with the air were able to pass through. This was the one thing Jonny had been able to test since the duel challenge had been issued.

  Flask roared with rage and was soon coughing and choking. His incantation disrupted, and curses were clearly heard between his coughs. The crowd roared with laughter and even Jonny smiled a little. He felt like he might have a chance, but now he had a new worry because a side effect of throwing the dirt was that Jonny had been unable to maintain the shield spell. He was now very vulnerable and knew it. Jonny took advantage of Flask’s continuing partial blindness to run around behind him. Jonny could see Flask was now livid with rage and he worried about The Master’s ability to stop him if he tried to kill Jonny.

  “Running won’t save you now, you little offspring of a dung beetle,” Flask screamed, and threw two more magic missiles at Jonny. Jonny was ready, and intercepted the missiles with rocks that exploded with their impact. Bits and pieces of the rocks did reach him, stinging his face.

  Jonny’s nerves sang. Either of those could have killed him. He wanted nothing more than to fly right out of there, but knew he could not. Could The Master save him from Flask’s wrath? He doubted Flask would even let him surrender.

  Then something even scarier happened. Jonny was again throwing dirt and rocks at Flask and running to be behind him when he heard Flask’s voice call out in the demon tongue. Jonny was not sure, but it sounded like part of a summoning.

  Jonny immediately grabbed his amulet to be able to see where the demon was coming from, but no demon came. This puzzled Jonny, he had stopped running to scan the sky in all directions. It appeared to puzzle Flask even more. He obviously expected something to happen that clearly was not happening. Then he began to curse, ignoring Jonny.

  Jonny decided it was time to try the best thing he had thought of the night before. He knew he could not let Flask see him fly, but there was nothing that said he could not make Flask fly, just a little.

  Jonny reached out into the force lines and felt Flask’s body. The shield kept material and magical objects out, but it could not keep out the natural lines of force. Jonny bent the lines so Flask began to float free of the ground. When that happened, Flask panicked.

  At just the moment when Flask was flailing about the most, though he was only inches off the ground, Jonny brought him back down, hard. He landed flat on his back with a resounding thud. His head hit the ground and he lay there dazed, nearly unconscious.

  The crowd erupted with cheers. The Master stood up and declared the duel over and Jonny the winner. Several journeymen went forward at The Master’s direction, helped Flask to his feet, and escorted him through the surging crowd.

  Jonny was instantly surrounded. Before he knew what was happening, he was hoisted up on the shoulders of the jubilant crowd and carried in triumph back to the castle.

  Chapter 50

  A celebration the likes of which Jonny had never witnessed overcame the castle. Jonny was shocked because he was the cause of it. It seemed that everyone had to touch him, to congratulate him, to tell him how great he was. It could have gone easily to his head, except that Jonny did not feel like he was really awake. It was more like he was in a dream and at any moment he would wake up to find he was the one knocked unconscious in the duel.

  He kept waiting for the moment when he would wake up; it never came. His face hurt from the smile that had not left it since he had heard The Master declare him the winner. He only wished Roald could have been there to share in the celebration.

  Uncharacteristically, The Master allowed the celebration to continue the rest of the day and into the night. The party and good feelings continued on, but not Jonny. He was too tired. Jonny found that between his previous sleepless night and the sheer letdown of the duel being over, he felt like a wrung out floor rag. He managed to last until dark, but then crawled up to his room and was instantly asleep.

  The next morning, Jonny found that the surprises had not stopped. The previous afternoon The Master had quietly, while the celebration went on, found out the full details of what had happened in the duel.

  The Master had suspected that Flask might do something outside the rules laid down for the duel. He had instructed one of the other journeymen to watch Scarflag, the journeyman who had been preparing with Flask for the duel. Flask had been much more impressed with Jonny’s coin trick than he admitted to anyone. He knew he could win against Jonny if he could use a demon, but he also knew that there was no way Master Silurian would allow him to perform a summoning. So he had arranged to have Scarflag perform an open summoning with an apprentice already under the knife and then pass control of the demon over to Flask if the duel appeared to be going against him. Scarflag had already waylaid an apprentice and begun the summoning when Feldor had appeared to stop the attempt and confine Scarflag. When Flask spoke the command that he assumed would bring the previously summoned demon to him, nothing happened and Jonny was able to use the moment of surprise to bring Flask down.

  At noon, just one day after Flask’s defeat, The Master had all the apprentices and journeymen assemble in the castle courtyard. Flask and Scarflag were standing next to Master Silurian and Feldor. The Master called Jonny up to stand with them though he had not told Jonny what was going on. The news of Flask’s attempted cheat in the duel had turned the mood ugly in the castle.

  The Master began speaking, going over the rules that had been set for the duel, how Flask and Scarflag had attempted to cheat, and how they had been foiled. He then went on to explain the gravity of violating the rules of a formal duel; that a master could lose his mastership if judged guilty, and that a journeyman could be broken back to apprentice. He allowed the implication hang for several moments, and then he turned to face Flask and Scarflag and announced that he would not be renouncing either of their journeymanships. There was an angry grumble from the crowd, but The Master held up his hand and the crowd quieted.

  “I have not finished decreeing my judgment,” The Master said, his voice echoing over the silent crowd. “Flask and Scarflag are to leave this castle and my kingdom immediately, and while I will not mention this matter to the council of elders, all of you bear witness to the facts of this case. These men have dishonored themselves, and you all are witnesses.”

  “There is one more thing. Both Flask and Scarflag have agreed to publicly apologize to Jonny and admit their guilt to him, and that he is, even now, a greater wizard than either of them.”

  The crowd was thunderstruck. Jonny was stunned beyond words. First Scarflag came to stand before Jonny, asked his forgiveness and told him that he was the greatest wizard he knew besides Master Silurian. This was embarrassing for Jonny, but it did not prepare him for what came next. Flask, looking much less proud, strode before Jonny with a little of his former grace and then went down on one knee with his head bowed. Jonny’s mouth dropped open at the incredible sign of respect.

  “Jonny, I have wronged you,” Flask began, not looking up. “I have wronged you greatly and it is only because of the great mercies of Master Silurian that I am not now an apprentice. In truth I would gladly be your apprentice, but I am not worthy.”

  Jonny could not believe what he was hearing. In his wildest fantasies, he had never dreamed of something like this happening. He almost started to speak, to deny what Flask was saying but The Master laid
a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

  “I truly am not worthy, Jonny,” Flask continued. “You have taught me a great lesson in humility. I haven’t slept since last night, and I now see the fool I’ve been. I have been arrogant and proud. I can only hope that you can forgive me and that someday I can meet you again when we have both put this far behind us.”

  Flask stayed with head bowed on one knee, waiting. Jonny wondered what he was waiting for then he realized that Flask was waiting for him, as was everyone else.

  “I f-forgive you, Flask,” Jonny said, his voice breaking. He could not think of anything else to say.

  “Thank you, Jonny,” Flask said, still not looking up. “You are already more a man than I.”

  With that, Flask got up, picked up his traveling case and began to walk out of the castle. The crowd parted and no one said anything until he had left the castle.

  Something was bothering Jonny about the way Flask left, but he could not figure it out, then it came to him.

  “What happened to Flask’s horse, Master?”

  “He left it for you,” The Master replied. “That was not one of my conditions to him, but he said he felt he needed to give you something more than just an apology. I am still not sure how much of that apology was an act, but he seems to be truly penitent. It is hard to know what he really thinks, but I do believe, Jonny, that you have given him the greatest shock of his life. If he actually learns from it, he will be a much better man for it.”

  The crowd broke up with everyone talking quietly. It seemed that no one talked of anything else for weeks afterwards.

  § § §

  Jonny went back to his previous routine, but he could tell things had changed. He felt isolated again. He had proven to everyone that he was beyond them. They could not treat him as one of their own, yet he was still an apprentice.

  Two weeks after the duel, The Master called him into his main study.

  “Jonny,” he began, “after the duel, it is a pure farce on my part to call you an apprentice, and everyone here knows it. However, I have a problem; you are not yet fourteen years old. If I make you a journeyman, you will become nothing but a target, and I do not think you or I want that. I also think it is time that you studied with someone else. Therefore, I have come up with a plan, and I want to see what you think of it. The decision is yours. Whatever you decide I will abide by your choice.”

  “Yes, Master,” Jonny said with some fear. “What is your plan?”

  “Jonny, you showed real talent in the creation of your amulet. I told you of this earlier. I have since thought that it would be valuable for you to gain more experience in the fashioning of similar artifacts. Unfortunately, there is no one within a reasonable distance who has any greater expertise than I in the fashioning of amulets. Frankly, my talents only slightly exceed yours at this point. I feel with only minor training you will easily surpass me in this area as well.”

  “So,” The Master continued, holding up a hand to forestall Jonny’s protest, “I propose that you be apprenticed to Kason, the master jeweler and armorer in Alavar. He knows nothing of magic, but there is little known in the working of metal in weapons and jewelry that he does not know. He can teach you the things that can be done with metal, and you can take what you already know in magic and combine them. Not only that, but a little hard physical work will do you good, put some muscle on you,” he laughed and smiled.

  Jonny sat and considered. He did not say anything for several moments and Master Silurian started to look impatient.

  “So, what do you think, boy? Will you do it?”

  Jonny still said nothing for several more moments then slowly replied, “If you think it is best, Master, I’ll do it.”

  “What’s the matter? I thought you would be excited to get out of here where everyone treats you like some holy thing?”

  “It’s just, Master, that, I thought I was your apprentice,” Jonny answered not willing to meet his master’s gaze.

  “And you will continue to be my apprentice, my boy, at least as far as you and I are concerned. I am not turning you out, if that’s what you are thinking. No, I am giving you a rare opportunity to explore some new areas. If this works out you should become a journeyman in both magic and jewel craft, a combination I do not think I have heard of in more than a thousand years.

  “The only thing I am waiting on is for you to complete that invisibility amulet. Once that is fully activated I think it will be time for you to go.”

  “But, Master, I’ve cast the spell into it so many times I think I must do it in my sleep. Will it ever be done?”

  “Yes, Jonny, sooner than you think.”

  As usual, Master Silurian was right. Two days after Jonny had his conversation with The Master, the amulet was done. When Jonny cast the spell into the amulet the final time, there was no doubt it had taken.

  As Jonny finished casting the spell for the one hundred and eighty third time, it happened. The amulet, which up to this time had only glowed briefly as he finished the spell, began to glow like a burning ember. The glow increased and the force line etchings in its surface blazed with light. When Jonny looked using his sight, he could see that there were force lines tightly concentrated in the center of the amulet and branching out like some sort of spider web away from the amulet.

  The effect did not last long, only moments, but there was no question that something within the amulet had changed. Jonny thought about going to get Master Silurian to verify that this was not another false alarm, but he was sure it was not. And besides, he wanted to cast the binding spell before the amulet changed again.

  Jonny had practiced the binding spell and it, too, went quickly. After he finished the spell, the amulet now appeared as it had before he had done any magic on it, but now when he picked it up, he felt the weight of the spell. All he had to do was think and the spell activated. This, though, was different from casting the spell. He did not have to exert any effort to maintain the spell. In fact, he had to deliberately think again in order deactivate it.

  Jonny was elated. He ran to show The Master, who was suitably impressed. He was even more impressed when Jonny told him it had taken him only 183 casts in order for it to take. Only then did he tell Jonny that his first amulet had required him nearly 400 casts before his spell had taken. Now it was Jonny’s turn to be impressed by his own accomplishment.

  § § §

  “He did it again, Alira,” Master Silurian said as he walked into his wife’s greenhouse, where she was tending her herbs.

  “Who did what, Silurian? Did Gorlick not shoe the black mare properly? I keep telling you we need a real farrier up here, not some old, broken-down—“

  “No, Dearest. This has nothing to do with Gorlick. It is Jonny,” he said, coming to stand by her side as she fussed with her plants. She still hadn’t looked up from them.

  “What did he do?” she asked, extracting a weed.

  “He finished his amulet,” Master Silurian said with glowing pride in his voice.

  “Weren’t you expecting that?” she asked distractedly, examining the leaves of one of the plants with a scowl.

  “Yes, yes, I was, but he finished it in under two hundred casts,” he enthused, pacing.

  “Is that really significant?” she asked, scraping at the bottom of a leaf. “I never understand you wizards. When I make an amulet, well, if I have to cast the spell more than once, I’ve done something wrong, haven’t I?”

  “That’s something completely different, and you know it,” he said, waggling his finger at her. Her head was still down, but a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “A weidge’s amulet is made of living things, the magic is already in them. Your ‘spell’ only preserves them beyond their normal life. It is nothing like storing magic in an inanimate object.”

  “I’ll never understand why wizards are so bound to working with ‘dead’ objects,” she said, still grinning. This was an old and well-worn argument, but there was no rancor in it.

&
nbsp; “You know our magic is different, dearest, and you know exactly how difficult it is to create an amulet. You’ve lived here too long for it to be otherwise, so don’t pretend to misunderstand how great Jonny’s achievement is.”