The combatants leaned on each other for support as they waited for the mages. There was no animosity between them, just true respect. They were met by healers with water, which both drank lustily. Once their many small wounds had been healed, they went before the scorers’ table. They bowed to the judges, and to their surprise, the judges bowed back.
The moment was almost broken for Justan, though. The man in the white robe sat right beside the Judge’s table staring at him, shock in his eyes.
Jhonate waited for him underneath the arena, beaming. She reached out to clasp his shoulder, but he leaned in and embraced her instead. Tears streamed from his eyes. She returned his embrace. When they broke apart, both were laughing.
Justan knew he had done it. All of his work had finally paid off. He would be accepted to the Battle Academy. It was one of the happiest moments of his life.
Chapter Eleven
Justan and Jhonate left the arena for the kitchen. Justan was physically tired, but still mentally energized from the high that his battle had left him in.
“Ma’ . . . er, Jhonate?”
“Yes, oh mighty warrior Justan,” she replied with mock gravity.
“There is something I don’t understand,” he began, but stopped to think for a second. They got in line for the food and he continued, “Something happened in the arena today that should have been impossible. We both know I’m not that good. This afternoon, it was like . . . I could do anything! Time seemed to slow down for me . . .”
He shook his head with embarrassment. “I am having a hard time describing it. It was as if I borrowed the strength from everybody in the arena and used it in the fight.”
Jhonate nodded. “You fought today as I have never seen a man fight before. You may have battled beyond your ability today, but this is not so strange. Men have been known to do that on the battlefield.”
Justan smiled. “Perhaps you're right. But even so, I still think that there is more to what happened today than that.”
“I believe that what we saw today was a glimpse of your potential, Justan. You have it in you to be a great warrior. I have known this from the very beginning. Lately you have begun removing the blocks within you that have been holding you back.”
They got their plates and as they went to sit down, realized that all of the trainees in the room were staring at them. Someone started clapping. Soon, everyone had joined in.
Justan’s face went red. He had come from a crowd of thousands calling his name, but somehow this was more personal. For years he had felt like he didn’t belong with the other trainees. Now they were treating him like he was a hero.
He thanked them and tried to smile, but after a few minutes he had to get out of there. He couldn’t eat with all of those people watching him. Justan and Jhonate left, leaving their plates mostly untouched.
As they walked away from the kitchen, an academy guard ran up to them. He spoke to Justan.
“Here you are. I have been looking for you all over the training grounds. The council wishes to speak with you.”
“Uh . . . alright,” Justan said in surprise. “But would it be okay if my trainer came along?”
The guard looked at her and nodded, but as Justan and Jhonate started toward the council tent, the guard stopped them again.
“Not the Training School Council.” He pointed towards the towering walls of the academy. “Come, this way.”
Justan was taken aback. He had expected the Academy council to want to see him sooner or later because of his contract, but not this soon.
As they walked, Justan developed a frightening theory. Somehow they might have found out that he had gone into the city while looking for Jhonate. Since his contract was with the Academy and not the Training School, his discipline would be under their jurisdiction. His heart went cold in his chest.
Jhonate seemed to know what he was thinking. She put her hand on his shoulder. “All may not be as it seems. Do not worry. The council will explain when we get there.” For all of the comfort in her voice, her eyes looked worried, too.
They crossed through the barracks and classrooms. People shouted to Justan and he waived back politely, but he wasn’t enjoying the attention. They navigated the bustle of the Training Market in the fading daylight and Justan stopped at the city line. They would have to pass through the city to enter the main entrance of the Academy.
“Wait, I can’t leave the Training School grounds until the final scores are announced. It's part of my contract.”
The guard knew this was coming, for he handed Justan a note. “The council is making an exception.”
Justan glanced at the note. It was indeed authority for him to pass. He handed it to Jhonate, but she declined to read it. He knew that it was silly, but he had hoped for a second that he would be able to stall for a while. He was enjoying being able to savor his victory and wanted to hold on to that feeling for a while longer. When they reached the gates, his father was waiting for him.
As always, Faldon the Fierce was a striking figure. He stood at about the same height as Justan and his hair was the same dark color, though there were some streaks of gray. Faldon was superbly muscled. This night he wore a blue vest over a short-sleeved chain mail shirt. Strapped over his back was the famous two-handed sword that he had named The Monarch. Faldon's deeds with that blade were at the center of many legends, but he had never explained how he had come to possess it.
Justan had not seen Faldon since he had signed his third-year contract a year ago. He hadn’t realized how long that year had been until he saw his father's welcome smile. Justan felt a lump in his throat. For all of his bitterness about his father’s influence in his training, he truly loved the man.
“Father,” he said stiffly. His father embraced him. To his surprise, Faldon the Fierce, the most respected man in the Academy, began to cry.
He pulled back. “My son. I was there today. It was magnificent. You were everything I knew you could be!” Justan was staggered. He had never seen his father this proud of him. He started to tear up, too.
“Where is mother?”
“When I told her you were coming home tonight, she was so excited that she rushed home to get your room ready. Don’t worry. We will go see her right after the meeting.”
Jhonate took this emotional scene as her cue to leave, but Faldon stopped her. “Please, Jhonate. Come with us. You are his teacher. You have earned the right to be here.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said and smiled at Justan. He grinned back. It looked like this summons to the council wasn’t a thing to be feared after all.
As always, the inside of the Battle Academy was a stirring sight. In the light of the fading sunset, the exquisite craftsmanship on every building glowed with an orange hue. The atmosphere was completed by the students moving from place to place with purpose, each one with a warrior’s stride.
But the grandness of the surroundings did not reach Justan’s thoughts that evening any more than it had the last time he was there. His father’s presence, though comforting, puzzled Justan.
“Father, why did you meet me at the entrance rather than waiting for me in the council hall?”
Faldon looked uncomfortable answering the question. “The rest of the council voted me out on this one. They said I am too biased to be a good judge in your case.”
Jhonate broke in, “Why was Justan told to come here tonight? The test results have not even been announced yet. The new students won't be able to enter the Academy until next week.” Justan looked at his father expectantly, but Faldon shrugged.
“I don’t know. I have my suspicions, but I was asked to leave before it became clear. Tonight I am here as Justan’s father, not as a council member. I will learn what is going on when you do.”
This didn’t sound good to Justan, but he straightened his back and stood proud. If he was going to be rejected from any chance of entering the Academy, this was the way to go. He had the most brilliant fight of his life at his back and good fri
ends at his side. Whatever the council wanted to tell him, Justan was determined to accept it bravely.
Chapter Twelve
Justan entered the Council Hall with his chin up, but his jaw dropped as he saw the man in the white robe standing on the raised dais with the Battle Academy Council.
“Father,” he whispered. “Who is that man? I have been seeing him everywhere.”
“That is Ambassador Valtrek from the Mage School,” Faldon explained, a slight tremor in his voice. His face was filled with anger. “I don’t like this.”
Tad the Cunning stood. “Justan, son of Faldon the Fierce, step forward.”
Justan complied.
“As dictated by your contract, we meet tonight to discuss the direction your life is to take.” Tad lifted up a familiar stack of papers.
“But sir,” Justan said. “The test results have not been posted yet.”
Tad shook his head. “We know the results, Justan. We were all there. Each of us was amazed by your improvement. Believe me, all of us wish that he could have shown that kind of skill at your age.” The official tone of his voice slipped for a moment. But it returned. “Justan, there is no doubt in our minds that you deserved five points today, though your official total will be four.”
Justan’s heart leaped in his chest. He was going to be accepted into the Battle Academy!
“However, since you have been in the Training School longer than any trainee in recent memory, we are holding you to higher standards than usual. I am afraid that fifteen points is not going to be enough for us to let you enter the Academy at this time.”
Justan’s heart dropped to his feet.
Faldon let out an angry shout. “This is an outrage!”
“Faldon, do not interrupt me again, or I will have you removed!” Tad said, though he knew making Faldon leave against his will would be a hard task indeed. “Please do not make this harder than it needs to be.”
Faldon glared at the other members of the council but none of them would look him in the eye. Justan swayed with the shattering revelation.
Tad cleared his throat. “Once again, your contract states unequivocally that when your third year in the training school is completed your life will take the direction the council sees fit. So, even though we will announce your graduation from Training School with flying colors, you will not be allowed to enter the Academy . . . yet.” The entire council looked uncomfortable with the announcement.
Tad was quick to add, “Justan, don’t misunderstand me. You are indeed being accepted into the Battle Academy. But you must wait for two years.”
“Two years, sir?” Justan wondered through a shocked haze. “Why? What must I do for those two years?”
“Tomorrow morning you will leave the Training School with Ambassador Valtrek. For the next two years, you are to train at the Mage School.”
This was a blow he had not seen coming. “Mage School?” Justan’s head was spinning.
“A wizard came on a tour of our school some time ago. He watched you in the strategy midterms your first year and, after seeing your performance, decided that you had great magical potential. Ambassador Valtrek attended the final exams today, and he too agreed. They believe you have it in you to become a powerful wizard.”
Jhonate gasped and put both hands to her mouth.
Tad continued, “The Mage School came to us and asked for us to let you go. Your father didn’t think that you would go willingly, so we struck a deal. We decided to let you try again for a third year. If you did not pass the exams to our satisfaction, we would bind you by contract to the Mage School.” Tad saw the devastation on Justan’s face and had to add. “Justan, you must understand. We are doing this for you. We are helping you to reach your highest potential.”
Justan’s father could sit idle no more. “At what price? Tell him what the Academy is getting in return.”
“That’s enough from you Faldon! Guards, escort him out of here.”
Faldon looked at the two bulking guards that took hesitant steps forward. “Don’t make me break you.” The guards stopped and looked at Tad pleadingly.
“Tell him, Tad!” Faldon demanded. “He deserves to know!”
Tad sighed. “As part of a contract, we will exchange teachers. The Mage School will send scholars to help teach our students history and moral philosophy and the like, and we will send some instructors to teach self-defense to their students.” Faldon stared at him and he finally said, “Alright, it’s a very large contract. But that is not the main reason we are sending you there. Justan, we really do feel it is what’s best for you.”
Faldon threw his hands up in disgust and started pacing.
Justan felt some strength returning to him. “But this is unfair. I passed the tests! I would have passed with an even higher number of points if Kenn Dollie and Benjo Plunk had not waylaid me! I put my heart and soul into this year. I worked harder than ever before and I did it!”
“I was afraid it would come to this,” Tad said. “Ambassador Valtrek would you tell him what you told us earlier?” Silence ensued as the ambassador stepped forward.
The ambassador smiled down at him. Justan wanted to punch the smile right off his face. “Justan, you don’t know me, but I have been watching you on and off for a while now.”
“I’ve seen you,” Justan said with a glare.
“I was there in the arena today. What happened was no fluke. I can’t explain how you did it, but you were pulling magical energy from the crowd until you glowed like a beacon.” Justan and his father were stunned. Jhonate nodded.
Valtrek continued, “Think about it, Justan. You know as well as anyone that you fought beyond your ability today. It wasn’t a miracle of skill. It was a miracle of magic. You need to develop this. If you don’t, not only will you fall short of what you could become, but it is possible that you could hurt yourself or others by wielding this power unaided. What you are now is a child playing on a catapult loaded with burning pitch.”
The man had such authority in his voice that even though Justan didn’t like what was being said, he found himself listening.
“I have seen your work ethic and dedication. You have vast abilities. If you develop them, you could become something great!”
Justan was over his initial shock now. He thought over what he had been told. He remembered the feeling in the arena, and even further back during the distance weapons test. What the man in the white robe said explained a lot. But this was not what he wanted for himself. They were trying to force him into becoming something he did not want to be. Justan fought to control his anger.
He looked Tad the Cunning in the eye and forced his voice to remain calm. “Is there any other way?”
Tad shook his head.
“Very well,” Justan pronounced. “I see that I have no choice. I will go to the Mage School and I will learn whatever it is I have to know to get out of there. But mark my words, I will come back two years from now and enter the Academy. This is but one more stepping stone on my way.”
Faldon gripped Justan’s shoulders. “Are you sure about this, son?”
“After everything that I have gone through, what’s another two years?”
The rest of the night flew by. Ambassador Valtrek already had the two year contract with him, and Justan signed it right there. At his father’s request, Justan was allowed to spend the night with his parents. He would meet Jhonate at the Training School in the morning to pick up his things and then he would go.
Faldon invited Jhonate to dinner with them. She declined the invitation at first, but Justan pleaded with her until she acquiesced. During the trip home, none of them spoke. Justan had things he wanted to say to Jhonate, but not while his father was listening. Instead, Justan found himself thinking of one person he had not allowed himself to think of in a long time. Darlan Begazzi, his mother.
While Faldon the Fierce was the master on the battlefield, Darlan was the master in the home. Justan had heard his father call her ‘Darla
n the Fierce’ behind her back.
She had never liked the life that Faldon had chosen to live. She resented the fact that Faldon had been off to war so much throughout the years. She hated the months of worry, knowing that at any moment, someone could show up at her door to tell her that her husband was dead. Things were much better since Faldon joined the Academy Council and was gone less. But when Justan chose the warrior path as well, it nearly destroyed her.
Darlan had aged very quickly in the past few years as Justan went through Training School. Part of him was afraid to see her now. During the last year, he had not been able to make any contact with her at all, and he almost expected to open the door and see an old woman, prematurely aged and bent down with worry.
Eye of the Moonrat (The Bowl of Souls: Book One) Page 12