Protector Of The Grove (Book 2) (20 page)

“I would find it easier to concentrate if he wasn’t standing up there on that tiny branch,” Justan replied. He knew the elf was unnaturally agile, but he still kept expecting him to fall. “Can’t you come down here to talk to us?”

The elf clicked.

“He can see much better from up there and he says the rest of us should be watching the night as we talk. Basilisks can take any form,” Jhonate translated.

“We know this,” Qurl said.

Aldie shivered. “I didn’t think I’d be facing assassins and monsters of legend on my first assignment.”

“Don’t worry. They’re not after you,” said Justan. “You don’t need to worry unless you’re standing between them and me.”

“Which all of us are,” Jhexin pointed out.

Yntri clicked again, giving them instructions on how to tell a nightbeast from a friend. The things he told them to look for were subtle; cadences of speech, odd changes of mood, someone appearing somewhere they were not expected to be. The most dangerous thing about the creatures was their high intelligence. Nightbeasts were well versed in the use of weapons in combat and had even been known to use ranged weapons. This was the worst part from Justan’s perspective.

He could handle a beast coming at him head on, even if the beast was able to change its shape. But the idea that such a creature could fire a bow at him from the darkness was a frightening one. How did you defend against something like that?

Hilt and Poz showed up a short time later with news from the town. Evidently the magic barrier was still not up on the road through the Tinny Woods. With the mother of the moonrats dead and the dark heart of the forest destroyed, the wizards were balking at the task. They were right that the trip was much safer now, but there were still remnants from the enemy army about.

Hilt told Justan that he would not be on a watch shift since he was the target.  Hilt, Yntri, and Poz took the first watch instead. Justan felt guilty as he laid out his bedroll. He knew why Hilt felt it necessary, but taking him out of the watch would slow them down. With only half of the group able to sleep at any given time, they had to spend an extra hour or two in camp each morning so that everyone would get the rest they needed.

 Justan laid in his bedroll and reached out to his bonded. Fist was understandably alarmed about the developments and Justan had to make the ogre promise not to tell Darlan about it. Deathclaw was more pragmatic, simply saying that he would increase his speed if possible. Gwyrtha was the most difficult to deal with. She wanted to turn around and come right back to him. It took him a full fifteen minutes to persuade her that retrieving Deathclaw was still the best way she could help.

He finished his conversations feeling mentally exhausted. Justan turned onto his side and opened his eyes to see Jhonate’s vibrant green eyes staring back at him. She had moved her bedroll until it was just a few feet away from his. This was new. She hadn’t done that before because of her brother’s ideas of propriety.

Hello
, he sent.
I didn’t hear you move over here
.

She gave him a reproachful look.
With the enhanced senses you get from Deathclaw that should not have been the case. When you are communicating with your bonded you are oblivious to everything else. If I had been a basilisk I could have killed you. You need to train your abilities
.

He smiled. That was the Jhonate he knew, ever the trainer. “You do know I love you, don’t you?”

“Shh!”
Not aloud,
she sent, a smile spreading on her lips. But the expression quickly faded.
I need to apologize to you, my betrothed, and this is a discussion I would like to keep silent
.

He raised an eyebrow.
Have you been cheating on me with Yntri? Because I would be very angry
.

This is not funny, Justan. I have wronged you
, she insisted.

How is that
? he asked, his own smile vanishing.

Jhonate bit her lip.
I have withheld information that you need to know regarding my people. There is much you need to know and understand before you meet my father and I have not prepared you
.

I have known this for a while
, he replied.
Why
?

Jhonate looked pained.
There were multiple reasons. My people have a sacred trust. We are the Jharro Grove’s defenders. As such, we do not share much with outsiders. The more we tell, the more we might let slip something which could help an enemy to break through our defenses and harm the grove.

I understand that
, Justan replied through the ring.
But I am the man you’re going to marry. Can’t you trust me
?

Of course
, she said reaching out of her bedroll to grab his hand.
Once our betrothal was official I wanted more than anything to tell you, to finally have someone to confide in.
Can you not see how difficult it has been for me these last few years living at the academy and telling everyone nothing about me
?

Justan hadn’t thought of that. Keeping her past a secret had just seemed like a part of who she was.
Then what stopped you
?

She looked down and he could feel shame emanating from her.
It was a misunderstanding. When the bow chose you, Yntri told me that I could not teach you to use the bow. That you should come to understand it on your own if you were to reach your full potential. I took that to mean I should tell you nothing
.

Justan frowned. How shortsighted. But then, knowing Jhonate like he did, it made an odd kind of sense.
What do you mean when you say the bow chose me
?

The bow was not meant for you to begin with. Yntri didn’t bring it all the way to the academy from Malaroo to give to a boy I was training. Jharro wood is sacred and not given lightly.

I guess I can see that
, Justan said. The logistics of that had never made sense to him. He had assumed that Yntri had just carried extra wood around and made the bow after they met.
Then who was it for
?

It was for me
, she replied.
The reason Weaponmaster Yntri and Sir Hilt came to the academy back then was because my father sent them to convince me to return home. The bow was a bribe. You must understand. Among my people the amount of Jharro wood one has is a sign of the respect the trees have for you
.

I already had a staff, which was comprised of more wood than most of my siblings had, but with a bow I would have more than any but my two oldest brothers
. Jhonate’s brow was furrowed and Justan sensed the deep seated conflict within her.
Father was trying to lure me back by promising me the respect I had always wanted. My other siblings have always resented me for the attention father gave me, but that would have changed. How could they complain when the grove itself agreed with him
.

And then my bonding magic took that opportunity away from you
, Justan surmised.

My father might see it that way, but no
, Jhonate said.
Yntri says that the link between you and your bow came from the grove itself. It happened when he listened to you that day in the archery range. I did not know about the bow at the time and it was not until later when he presented it to me that we discovered that our tree had already linked itself with you
.

Justan reached his thoughts out to his bond with the bow. It was full of the same eagerness as always, but other than that, there was little difference between it and his other bonds.
Jhonate, why did you call it ‘our tree’
?

You, Weaponmaster Yntri, and I share the same tree
. Jhonate smiled.
And many others of the Roo-Tan, of course. There are many trees in the grove, but many more Roo-Tan than there are trees to go around. Nevertheless, this is another connection that you and I share
.

Justan digested the things he had learned for a moment.
If the trees choose who the weapons go to . . . Does this mean that the trees are sentient
?

Of course
, Jhonate replied.
They are ancient and wise beings and they are grateful to us for watching over them. That is why they gift us with their living wood
.

Then your people worship these trees
? Justan asked.

Jhonate laughed out loud.
Do not be silly, Justan. They are not gods. They are trees. Nevertheless, they are sacred, tied to the life of this world. I believe that the prophet’s master planted them himself, but that is my own belief and not one taught by my people
.

“Hey you two,” said Hilt, interrupting them as he walked past the fire. “Stop staring into one another’s eyes and get some sleep. Jhonate has watch in four hours.”

“Yes, sir,” Justan replied. His mind was a whir anyway.
He’s right, you should sleep
. They dutifully closed their eyes, but didn’t let go of each other’s hand despite the chill air.

No,
Jhonate said defiantly after just a few minutes
. I have been holding this information back for too long and there is too much you need to know. Father will not accept you unless he believes that you can be one of us. I can forego some sleep to make sure that you are ready when you meet him
.

Alright, then. I don’t know if I could fall asleep now anyway
. His mind was awhirl with more questions.
There is something I have wondered many times before. The warriors of your people are skilled and dedicated. Why don’t they come to stand before the Bowl of Souls? You know of it. You respect it. Why don’t you seek it out? Is it because you so dislike wizards
?

She seemed surprised by the question.
It is true that many of my people hold by the old traditions and would balk at entering the school, but that is not the reason we avoid the Bowl of Souls. It is because we are the Roo-Tan. To seek the bowl is to seek a calling. We have already been given ours
.

A calling
? He asked.

Yes
, she said.
When the bowl gives you your new name, it marks you as one of its agents. One of the Roo-Tan cannot become an agent of the Bowl of Souls. Our calling is to defend the grove. It is the sacred promise our ancestors made centuries ago and we are bound by it
.

Justan had never thought of his naming as a contract before. The prophet said it came with responsibilities, but so far it hadn’t been a burden. The named warriors and wizards he’d met seemed to be able to go about their own business.

Then something else occurred to him.
What happens after we are married
?

What do you mean
? she asked.

Your sacred calling is to defend the grove. What are you planning on doing? There will be no reason for you to return since your contract with the academy is over. Your father certainly won’t want us to leave
.

I have not given it much thought
, she replied, but he sensed a lie behind her words. Now that he thought about it, every time he had spoke to people about coming back after the wedding, she had been strangely silent.

He let go of her hand and got up on one elbow.
Do you want us to stay in Malaroo
?

I-I
, her thoughts were hesitant.
I do not know what I want. I do not know what will happen once we get there. I have been avoiding the question until I could come home and speak with my mother
.

What about what I want
? he asked. The thought that she might want them to stay in Malaroo so far from his home filled him with anxiety.

We will decide together, of course
, she said. Jhonate could feel his anxiety too and it bothered her.
Now lie back down. It is not something we need to worry about now.

Justan did so, rolling onto his back.
Alright then. We’ll talk about it later. What else do you want to tell me about tonight
?

Actually I am feeling tired. Perhaps Sir Hilt is right. We can talk more in the morning
, she said and Justan could tell through the ring that she was really bothered.

Are you sure
?

Yes
. She turned on her other side, facing away from him.
You should sleep too
.

Justan tried, but neither of them got much sleep that night.

The next morning Justan awoke to the smell of roasting rabbit. Yntri was crouched by the fire, whistling as he turned two spits, each one with three rabbits on it. Justan had no idea how he’d managed to bag so many at this time of year. As usual, the elf had spent his portion of the watch hunting while the others stayed closer to the campfire. Were it anyone else Hilt would have berated them, but the ancient elf was above everyone else’s rules.

Yntri had also become the unofficial cook for the journey. He had a good sense for herbs and always seemed to cook the meat just right. Justan envied him the skill. Lenny had once called a rabbit Justan had cooked, ‘dag-gum jerky on a stick’.

“How do you do it, Yntri?” Justan asked while he put on his boots. “I’ve never been able to cook. My meat is usually either raw or overdone.”

Yntri clicked something in response.

“He says anyone would pick up cooking if they lived to be two thousand years old,” said Jhonate, stifling a yawn. Her shift had just ended and by her dreary eyes it was obvious that she was tired. She approached the fire and leaned in to smell the bubbling meat. “Oh that is going to taste good.”

Jhexin approached the fire behind her. He had just finished his watch as well. He looked at Justan and snickered. “I see you’re up, Sir Edge. When I saw you two kissy fishes holding hands and staring at each other last night, I half expected to wake up and find you two sharing the same bedroll.”

Jhonate turned on him, her staff a blur. The blow caught Jhexin across the side of the face, sending him stumbling. She pointed a finger at him, her eyes in a tight glare. “I will not have you disrespect my betrothed like that, Jhexin!”

“Witch-daughter,” he spat. He twisted around, his Jharro sword at the ready.

“We share the same mother,” she growled, spinning her staff.

Jhexin snorted. “But you got all the witch.”

“Hey, calm down,” Justan said, coming to his feet.

“No. Let them have it out,” said Sir Hilt. The warrior was still in his bedroll blinking the sleep out of his eyes. “This has been building for awhile.” He raised his voice. “You two, take it away from the fire. I don’t want you spoiling our breakfast.”

“Come,” said Jhonate jerking her head towards an open spot at the edge of the camp. It was just where the trees opened up to meet the plains and a swirl of chill wind was spinning the leaves about in a small dust devil. “I shall teach you your lesson now.”

Jhexin scowled and followed her. Justan could see a long red welt rising where Jhonate had struck him. “Much has changed since you left. You do not know my skills.”

“Hmph, well your sword has not become any longer,” she replied and they went at each other, weapons a blur.

“Blunt only!” Hilt shouted. “I don’t have any wizards around to heal you.” With a grunt, he sat up, perturbed at being wakened. He swung his legs out from his bedroll and stood, never having taken his boots off the night before.

Hilt didn’t bother to watch the fight as he approached the fire. He bent and picked up one of the water skins that had been set near the fire the night before so that it wouldn’t freeze and took a long swig. “What do you have there, Yntri? Rabbits? No snow birds this morning?”

“Aren’t you going to watch?” Poz asked from his own bedroll. His eyes were fixed on Jhonate and Jhexin’s athletic display. The two warriors floated about each other, their Jharro weapons changing shape and form fluidly as the leaves danced around them.

“Why?” Hilt asked, glancing at them briefly. “Jhexin doesn’t have a chance.”

“You treat him unfairly,” said Qurl his sharp eyes following the combatant’s every movement. “He has trained hard.”

Just as Qurl said that, Justan saw Jhexin execute a splendid move. He ducked under a swipe of Jhonate’s staff and sliced out, his wood sword thinning and extending to hit Jhonate’s leather breastplate. Jhonate spun out of the way, causing the strike to be little more than a graze, and swung down with her staff in a blow low enough that Jhexin had to drop to the ground to avoid being hit.

“You all train hard,” Hilt replied. “Jhonate is just better.” He nodded at Justan. “She had to be. With the way Xedrion praised her, she had to measure up. Jhexin has a hard time with her because, though he is a year older and shares her same mother, Xedrion doesn’t dote on him.”

“It never has made sense,” Qurl said, shaking his head. “She is the sixth daughter. The sixteenth born overall and he treats her like his second born. All we have heard from father the last three years is talk of Jhonate. It would not be so bad if she was not such a mean sow all the time.”

Hilt chuckled and took another long draw from the waterskin. “Maybe that’s what he loves so much about her. Like father like daughter.” Qurl frowned but he didn’t disagree.

The fight was over moments later as Jhonate knocked Jhexin’s sword wide. Then with three quick taps she struck him in abdomen, chest, and side of the face again, sending her brother to the ground. Jhexin laid there, gasping, another welt swelling to match the one on the other side of his face, and let out a yell of frustration.

Jhonate stood over him, breathing heavily and held out her hand. “Come, brother. You were right. You are much better.” He gave her a sour expression, but let her pull him to his feet. “In fact, I would say that you are very good. Had I been a fraction off on some of my blocks, you may have won.”

“I was training with Brother Hubrin’s squad before father sent them looking for Brother Xeldryn,” Jhexin said, the anger draining from his voice. “I would have gone with them had father not sent Qurl and I after you.”

Jhonate put an arm around his shoulder as they walked back towards the fire and said with a quieter voice. “Please do not speak of our mother like that again. You know it is not fair.”

He pursed his lips, but gave her a tight nod. “It is not always easy.
She
is not always easy.”

“This I know,” she said, patting his back and Justan found himself smiling to see her connecting with her brother. She raised an eyebrow at him. “What, Sir Edge? Do you wish to be next?”

“No, ma’am,” he said, raising his hands defensively.

They gathered their things together and loaded them up on Stanza, then ate breakfast quickly. The rabbits were as good as they had smelled. The meat was tender and nearly falling off of the bone, with just a hint of sage and a red powder that, to Justan, tasted faintly of cinnamon.

They headed into the Tinny Woods, taking the main road. They passed one group of travelers a few hours later and asked them how the forest fared. Their guide, one of the Sampo Guidesmen named Bander the Nose, said that the calls of moonrats were sparse and they hadn’t been molested along the way. He kept giving the Roo-Tan members wide-eyed looks.

They continued on and Justan could see remnants of what the war had done to the forest. The sides of the road were lined by the trunks of fallen trees that had once been laid across the road by Mellinda’s army of monsters. Justan found that he didn’t miss the wizard’s barrier at all. Its absence was a reminder that the moonrat mother was gone and no longer a threat. He found the forest soothing. It would have been a pleasant journey if not for the fact that basilisks were out there somewhere looking for an opportunity to kill him.

When they stopped at midday to eat, Yntri came up to Justan and tugged on his arm, clicking at him.

“He says he wants you to scout ahead with him,” said Hilt around a mouthful of dried meat and bread. He made a pained swallow and drank a swig of water. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Yntri?”

Yntri jabbered at him a bit more and Hilt gave him a hesitant shrug. “He says he can make sure you’re fine.”

Justan gave the old elf a curious look. Why did Yntri want to scout with him? “The only problem is that I don’t speak your language.”

Yntri simply smiled and pulled his bow off of his back. A thin, flat piece of wood grew from the side of the bow. The elf gripped the piece and pulled it free with a twist of his fingers.

“Will that work?” asked Jhonate dubiously. Yntri gave her an irritated whistle and clicked something. “Yes, I know you are two thousand years old. But he still does not know how to understand you.”

Yntri slapped the band of wood over Justan’s wrist and it conformed to his arm like a wristband. When Yntri clicked again, he sent a message to Justan at the same time. His thought patterns were a little strange, but what Justan heard was, “
He is a bonding wizard, muskrat. He will understand
.”

“He’s right,” Justan told her. “Don’t underestimate me.”

Yntri clicked again, pointing at her.

“Or him,” Justan added. “He is two thousand years old after all.”

She sighed. “Very well. I was wrong.”

“What?” said Jhexin with a laugh. He looked at Qurl. “Did I really just hear Jhonate admit she was wrong?”

“I have never been wrong about you,” Jhonate said, shooting her brother a glare.

“
Come
,” clicked Yntri, sending Justan the meaning of his words through the wristband as he spoke. “
Talk and run, Sir Edge
.”

Yntri stepped off of the path and jogged into the woods. Justan hurried to follow. He spoke to Yntri through the link.
You know, Jhonate used to say that to me while we were training, ‘talk and run’
.

“
Speak with your lips, Sir Edge
,” said Yntri aloud and through the wood. “
It is part of the run. To speak with the mind only is laziness
.”

“Okay,” Justan replied. He could see what the elf was talking about. It required a greater amount of concentration and breath control to carry on a conversation on the move. Still, it was a pain when jumping fallen branches and dodging trees.

He began to wonder how smart this was. A basilisk could be hiding anywhere around them and in any form. But instead of feeling fear, a smile broadened his face. This was so much better than hiding behind everyone else.

“
You have a good attitude, Sir Edge
,” said Yntri, expressing approval through the wristband. “
Though you could be in better shape
.”

Justan laughed. It really had been a long time since he’d done something like this. He pulled upon the reserves of stamina given him by his bond to Gwyrtha and his breathing eased. He used the strength given by his bond with Fist to leap higher and absorb the extra strain on his body. Then he called upon the things Deathclaw had taught him. This was a battle, not a run. He focused his senses.

Time slowed around him and he became hyper aware. He could see the space around him in greater detail, he could smell the difference between the fragrances of the various plants around him, and he could hear and make sense of all the sounds around him.

“
Good
,” clicked Yntri, approval again echoing through their connection. “
You know to slow the world. This is a gift not many have. Some of the best warriors do. But many of them do it only subconsciously, as your betrothed does
.”

“I have gotten out of the habit of using my abilities,” Justan replied. “Most of the time they are not necessary.”

“
You should use them all the more then
,” said Yntri. “
Like any muscle that is not used, bonds can atrophy
.” The elf bounded effortlessly over a thick bush.

Justan knew he wouldn’t clear the bush with a single jump so he used a tree as a springing point, leaping up and kicking off of its trunk to get more height. “I understand. Is this why you wanted me to come out here with you?”

“
No
,” said the elf. “
There are other things. You have much to learn and little time
.”

“I know,” Justan said. He nearly treaded on a coiled frost viper, but saw it at the last second and dodged. It still struck out at him, but his momentum kept him out of its range. It was a nasty reminder of how dangerous the forest was even without Mellinda. “Whoa! Uh, and these things you want to talk about are things I can’t be taught in front of the others?”

“
Some of them
,” said Yntri. “
Most of them. Our muskrat has been lax in her teaching
.”

Justan couldn’t disagree. “What do I need to know?”

“
The most important thing is your relationship with the tree
,” Yntri replied. He stopped suddenly and crouched, looking at something on the ground.

Justan slowed and halted beside him, feeling a little bothered. He had been in the flow of things and wasn’t ready for the run to end. “I assume the tree you’re talking about is the one my Jharro bow came from?”

“
That is the one
,” Yntri said, brushing away some leaves from the ground in front of him, exposing a cluster of thin white mushrooms. He thinned the edge of his bow to a knife-like point and cut the mushrooms loose from the thick dark soil.

“
Chillblossoms
,” he said, or at least that’s what Justan’s mind translated his clicks into. The elf seemed pretty pleased to have found them. He tucked them away in his pack and stood again. He gave Justan a stern look. “
You have not communed with the tree
.”