At last it was Josiah’s turn. Master Dabiel beckoned to him. He went to her, and she put her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face the crowd.
His family hooted and waved from their place off to one side. The messages had traveled quickly, allowing them just enough time to make the long trip from Korisan. They’d arrived the day before, bearing the papers from Master Sef that made his transfer from the Fullers’ Guild to the Wizards’ Guild permanent.
Kefira sat with them, holding Yered’s hand. The loss of her ship had been a great blow to her, along with all the other sailors whose plans had been disrupted. A smaller ship was being readied to make the journey in its place, for the outpost could not be left unserved. But in the meantime, she and Yered had decided to go along with the wedding while his whole family was in the city. That would take place next Restday, a week hence.
Master Dabiel’s voice carried to the far corners of the hall. “And finally, I’m pleased to present to you a very special apprentice. Though Josiah comes to the Wizards’ Guild by an unusual path, we’re very lucky to have him. His heroic actions during the flood saved many lives. Including that of our own Elkan, who will be receiving his mastery tonight and has agreed to take Josiah as his apprentice.”
Josiah’s face grew hot as applause burst out. Master Dabiel knew very well it wasn’t that simple. He didn’t deserve that sort of unqualified praise. Elkan grinned wryly at him from beyond Dabiel.
“The Mother chose him and bonded him with one of those she has touched, the donkey Sardonyx.” Sar swished his tail and flicked an ear forward in response to the renewed applause. “Please join me in welcoming to the guild Apprentice Josiah Potterkin Wizard.”
The crowd’s noisy response thoroughly embarrassed Josiah. He blushed and looked at his feet.
Elkan stepped forward, arms full of familiar brown cloth. He settled the new cloak around Josiah’s shoulders. Josiah fingered a fold, tracing the path of the blue and gold threads. He looked sideways at Elkan, who met his glance with a quirked eyebrow.
Elkan put a hand on Josiah’s shoulder and squeezed gently. The two of them made their way down from the dais, toward the place reserved for them with the other new apprentices and their masters. But before they could take their seats, a waving hand at the back of the hall caught their attention.
Elkan looked at the stage, where Dabiel was presenting the first of those being promoted from apprentice to journeyman. “Sit down, Josiah. I’ll be right back.”
“That was Savir, wasn’t it?” Josiah and Dabiel had told Elkan all about the bandits’ escape and Savir’s mission. “Do you think he caught Ozor and the rest? Please, I want to find out, too.”
“All right. Just try not to disturb anyone.”
Josiah did his best to be quiet as they made their way past the rows of chairs to the rear. His footsteps were soft enough, but Sar’s hooves clattered.
Savir pulled them back by the far wall. He spoke in a low voice. “Our ship just got back to the dock. I’m glad I didn’t miss the whole ceremony. And especially not the party afterwards!” He grinned, but Josiah could tell his cheerfulness was forced.
“Any luck?” Elkan tried to keep his voice dispassionate, but a trace of urgency leaked through.
Savir’s shoulders slumped. “I’m afraid not. Ozor used all sorts of tricks to throw us off their track. We kept losing the trail and wasting time finding it again. For a while we were sure they’d turned north. By the time we realized they’d cut south again, it was too late.” He ran a hand over his forehead and stroked the dog at his side. “I’m sorry. They were a full day ahead of us when they passed the boundary stones and left Tevenar. I tried to persuade Music to set aside the Law of Isolation so we could keep pursuing them, but he refused.”
Elkan shook his head. “You did your best. Sit down and rest. I’ve got to get back to my seat; they’ll be calling me for the mastery ceremony in a minute.”
“Tell Dabiel I’m back. I can give her a full report whenever she’s ready.” He clasped Elkan’s hand. “I wish the news could have been better.” Savir slipped into a seat in the back row. Music settled at his feet.
Josiah was about to ply Elkan with questions when Dabiel’s voice rose, calling the new masters to the dais. Elkan shook his head and went to take his place with the others.
When it was his turn, Elkan accepted the signed and sealed document from Master Dabiel without any trace of hesitation, his voice calm and confident as he repeated the ritual words. He inclined his head in acknowledgment of the crowd’s applause. Josiah clapped until his hands stung, and Sar added a echoing bray that sent the assembly into gales of laughter.
“Was that really necessary?” Elkan asked Sar as he took his seat again. He was grinning, but Josiah could detect an undercurrent of strain in his expression.
Sar tossed his head and swiveled an ear forward and back. Elkan scratched his forehead and stroked the soft fur of his neck. Josiah was glad the donkey hadn’t made a remark for him to pass on to Elkan. Such exchanges still seemed to make Elkan acutely aware of the silence that now reigned between him and his former familiar.
Josiah turned his attention back to the dais. A ripple of anticipation ran through the crowd. The apprentices who were beginning their fourth year made their way up to the stage. From an area off to the side where they’d been waiting and watching, a wildly varied group of animals approached. They ranged in size from a squirrel, a sparrow, and the tiny lamb Amia, up to a cow, two horses, and a bear. Tobi waited in the midst of them, relaxed and confident, bright eyes never leaving the activities on the dais.
The first apprentice stepped up, trembling with nerves and excitement. The cow mounted the dais steps and came to face him. The boy’s master stood behind them and laid a reassuring hand on his apprentice’s shoulder.
Master Dabiel spoke a few words of introduction. The master took out a slender knife, much like the one Elkan bore. The apprentice put out his hand. With a quick motion the master cut a shallow slice across his palm. The cow put her head down and offered her cheek. The knife laid open a matching cut there. Blood welled out, dark in the lamplight.
The master nodded and stepped back. The apprentice put up his hand, shaking just a little, and laid it against the cow’s cheek.
As their blood mingled, boy and animal went very still. A look of joy and wonder passed over the apprentice’s face. All around the room, wizards reached out to touch their familiars. Master Dabiel’s hand went down to stroke Buttons’s head. Josiah reached for Sar, remembering the moment when he’d stood before the Mother, just as this boy was doing now. Elkan’s hand fell away from the donkey’s head as Sar turned to accept Josiah’s caress.
The silence lasted a long moment. Then the boy opened his eyes. A sphere of gold light bloomed around his hand on the cow’s cheek. When it vanished, their wounds were healed. Everyone applauded. The boy and his new familiar went to take their seats together, and the next apprentice and Mother-touched animal moved up to take their place.
Josiah applauded enthusiastically when Braon was bonded to an orange tabby cat. He responded with more restraint when Kalti and Amia took their turn. But in the moment of their bonding Kalti’s haughty face transformed, becoming so flushed and vulnerable that Josiah resolved to give her another chance. They were guildmates now, after all, both bound to serve the Mother. The least they could do was learn to get along.
Elkan gave Sar a final pat. The donkey nosed him with a low whicker. Elkan closed his eyes a moment, then rose and made his way to the dais.
Tobi was the only animal left. She leaped onto the dais to meet him. Master Dabiel stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
“There’s one more bonding to be performed tonight. I’m sure you’ve all heard by now the story of what happened during the flood. How, in order to save many lives, Elkan freely offered his own. Though the Mother in her mercy spared him, in the process his bond was broken. Those of us in the Wizards’ Guild understand that this was
just as great a sacrifice, and we honor him for it.”
She paused to let the applause die down. “So it gives me great joy tonight to conduct the bonding ceremony between my former apprentice and journeyman, Master Elkan Farmerkin Wizard, and the mountain cat Tobi.”
She drew a knife from its sheath at her belt. Tobi offered her great paw to Master Dabiel. She nicked one of the pads, just enough for a single drop of blood to ooze out. Then she took Elkan’s hand in hers. He met her smile with a grave nod as her knife opened a delicate slice in his palm.
Dabiel stepped back. Elkan knelt, putting his face on a level with Tobi’s. He met her eyes as she raised her paw and pressed it into his hand.
Josiah gulped and wrapped his arms around Sar’s neck. He could almost see the Mother’s face reflected in Elkan’s eyes. Surely even the breaking of a bond would be worth it, to get to stand in her presence again.
He could hear her words to him, as he knew she was repeating them to Elkan now. Are you willing?
I am, he silently affirmed.
Sar flicked an ear at him. He knew that the donkey, and through him the Mother, had heard.
Golden light bloomed between Elkan and Tobi and washed their hurts away. Tobi’s ears pricked forward and her tongue lolled. Elkan laughed and ruffled her head.
They came down to take their places beside Josiah and Sar while Master Dabiel invited everyone to join them in the dining hall for the party that would follow the ceremony. A group from the Singers’ Guild took the stage to close the ceremony with a joyful Springtide song.
Elkan leaned over to Josiah. “Tobi says she’s hungry, and when do we get to work? She’s says she’s tired of just watching and impatient to start using the Mother’s power herself.”
Josiah grinned. He paused as Sar spoke in his mind, then relayed his words. “Sar says she should wait and see if she feels the same tomorrow, after a long morning patching up the sore heads of all the people who’re going to celebrate too hard tonight.”
Elkan grinned, nearly normally. It still wasn’t easy for him, Josiah knew, not hearing Sar’s voice directly. But it was going to be all right. “He’s not joking, you know,” Elkan said. “Mornings after a festival are always rough. We should take it easy at the party and get to bed before too late.” He frowned. “At least, you should. I’ll need to meet with Dabiel and Savir first.”
Josiah lowered his voice. “What’s going to happen? Do you really think there’s a chance the bandits might run into people from beyond Tevenar? Could they bring them here?”
“It’s not likely. The land our ancestors came from is a very long way away, across a wide ocean.” Elkan pointed at Josiah in playful admonishment. “As you’d know if you’d finished the reading in the First History I assigned you.”
Josiah made a face. He was much more interested in working with Elkan and Sar in the Hall, learning to use the Mother’s power, than in deciphering the tiny script and old-fashioned language of the Histories. But maybe he should make the effort. The information might be important someday. “But there’s a chance, right? That’s why the Mother made the Law of Isolation and had Gurion Thricebound build the boundary stones.”
“To keep us safe.” Elkan glanced to the southeast, where beyond the walls of the Mother’s Hall and the buildings of Elathir the ocean stretched to the horizon. His voice was grim. “Pray that she continues to protect us.”
“Yeah.” Josiah knew Elkan was right, and that it would be far better if Tevenar remained isolated, safe from whatever dangers existed elsewhere in the world. But he couldn’t help but be curious about what might be out there, and disappointed that he’d probably never get the chance to find out. He almost envied Nirel. If he’d stayed with the bandits, right now he, too, would be going places nobody from Tevenar had been in a thousand years. “I hope Nirel is all right. And Gan, too,” he added hastily.
“I hope so.” Elkan looked somber for another moment, then shook his head, grinned, and threw an arm around Josiah’s shoulder. “Come on, apprentice. There’s no point in worrying. The future is in the Mother’s hands. And right now there’s food and drink and music and dancing waiting. We have a lot to celebrate tonight.”
* * * * *
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to the people of Nanowrimo, without whom this book would not have been written. I never expected the fun, light, throwaway story I planned for my first attempt to write 50,000 words in a month to take root and grow the way it did. Special thanks to whoever posted the dare that started it all: Write an animal wizard with a human familiar.
Thanks to Michelle, my terrific beta reader, whose enthusiasm for these stories never stops her from telling me how to make them better.
Thanks to Lou, who made the beautiful cover.
Thanks to Norman Kennedy for leading a waulking at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft which I was lucky enough to get to participate in. It's always a privilege to learn from a true master.
Thanks to Emily and her mom Jill for letting me borrow her name.
Thanks to my family, who support my writing career even when supper is late and I can’t write words as fast as they want to read them.
And finally, many thanks to all the people I know who dedicate their lives to the service of others. People like you aren’t portrayed in fiction very often, and I hope I’ve done you justice.
About the Author
Angela Holder lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband of twenty-four years. She has three children: one starting high school, one starting college, and one grown, married, and out on her own. She spends a lot of time in Starbucks, drinking vanilla lattes and flat whites and telling stories about her imaginary friends. She enjoys dabbling in many hobbies, including spinning, knitting, weaving, costuming, hot air ballooning, singing in her church choir, and performing in amateur musicals. This is her second published book. For news about future releases, visit her website at www.angelaholder.com and join her mailing list, or like her Facebook page at facebook.com/angelaholderauthor.
Here’s an excerpt from Book 2 of The Chronicles of Tevenar:
The Law Of Isolation: Chapter 1
The lens glittered as Gevan held it up to the sunlight. Much better than the last one. Only a few tiny bubbles, and just the faintest tinge of green. Gevan lowered the lens and nodded at the spectacle maker. “Wonderful, Arlen. Wherever did you find glass so clear?”
“I have my sources.” Arlen grinned at him. “I take it you find it suitable?”
“Oh, yes.” Gevan tilted the lens so the morning light slanting from the window shone through the curved glass. He adjusted it until the small yellow circle cast on the spectacle shop counter shrank to a single point. Within seconds, a wisp of smoke curled up. Gevan moved the lens lest he burn too much of a mark, though the countertop was marred by many similar black dots. If it were a common burning glass he sought, he could have spared a great deal of effort and expense. “It’s just as I asked.”
He wouldn’t be able to tell if the clarity was sufficient and the shape true to his precise specifications until he got back to his workshop and tested it. But it wouldn’t hurt to flatter Arlen. If Gevan’s theories proved correct, Arlen might find his work in great demand.
“Good, good.” Arlen accepted the lens back and slipped i
t into a small velvet pouch. “And the other?”
The smaller lens could tolerate greater imperfections. But Gevan dutifully examined the disk. This one was concave, its thick rim scooping in to a beautifully thin center. If anything, it was clearer than the other. “Well worth the exorbitant prices you charge.”
“A man must stay in business.” Arlen tucked the small lens into its own pouch and accepted the coins Gevan passed him.
Now that he had his prize, Gevan was eager to be off. He watched impatiently as Arlen rummaged through his money box for the correct change. “I expect you do well enough, with all the squint-eyed old men from the University. Which is where I must be headed.”
But Arlen was in a talkative mood. “Truth to tell, I’m surprised to see you this morning. I thought you’d be down at the docks with everyone else in Ramunna, seeing the expedition off.”
Gevan bit back an angry reply. He could only dream of what he might accomplish if the Matriarch saw fit to devote a tiny fraction of the gold she’d spent on this ridiculous expedition to his research. And she would see real results, not more treasure wasted chasing a fantasy. “I’ve more important things to do than cheer on fools sailing to their deaths.”
“What? Don’t you think they’re well provisioned for their journey? It’s not that much farther than the trade route to Giroda.”
“I’m sure they are. I just think there’s nothing there for them to find.”
“But there must be. Didn’t you hear about the bizarre creatures the Yodarre expedition brought back?”
Gevan had seen them, in fact, when the preserved remains had been brought to the University. The trading vessel’s captain claimed a storm had come up while they were skirting Marvanna’s hostile waters, blowing them far into the Eastern Ocean. That was believable enough. Vessels were lost every year to the unpredictable eastern storms. But Yodarre maintained that his ship had been cast ashore on a remote island, far beyond where folk of Ravanetha had ever roamed before, save in legend.
The Fuller's Apprentice (The Chronicles of Tevenar Book 1) Page 44