The Bowl of Souls: Book 05 - Mother of the Moonrat Read online

  “Correct,” said the prophet with a smile. He gestured to the others. “Jhonate’s people are descended from the Roo. They still cling to some of the same sensibilities today.”

  “Wait, how long ago was this?” Zambon asked and Justan realized that, of all of them, Zambon probably knew the least about the history of Stardeon.

  “Just over a thousand years ago,” John replied. The guard blinked in surprise, but said nothing more and John continued, “Mellinda returned to her family lands to seek out her parents. She thought that since her parents had been so kind as to arrange for her passage to the Mage School, they would take her in with open arms. Instead, they summoned the guard. The local priestess had her expelled by force. She and Dixie were taken to the border and dumped in an unfamiliar land that would eventually become Dremaldria.

  “Now there is something you must know about Mellinda. She was a very proud woman and fiercely intelligent, but this was the first time she had traveled the wilderness by foot. She had always either had her parents with her or traveled by carriage. As a result, she was . . . let’s just say somewhat of a priss.

  “Unfortunately, Dixie was the same way and neither of them were prepared to take care of themselves out in the wilds. The two of them had a very rough couple of weeks, only surviving because she was able to use her bewitching magic to drive away wild beasts and lure in food.

  “They then stumbled upon a group of treasure hunters and she bonded for the second time. Her new bond was to a half-elf by the name of Gregory. He was an excellent warrior and a survivor, which was exactly what she needed at the time. Gregory guided Mellinda and Dixie back to Alberri, where she intended to continue the path to becoming a Wizardess. Unfortunately something happened along the way. Gregory fell in love with Mellinda. To make things even more uncomfortable, he lusted after her.

  “You see, Mellinda was a rare beauty. She had thick lustrous black hair, a figure that drew eyes, and a face that made men weak in the knees. She had learned this at a young age, too, and though she didn’t always know she was doing it, she had become adept at using flirtation to get what she wanted. One wink of her striking green eyes or one pouting lip could get her a lower price from a merchant or a better seat on a carriage. All her life she had seen her beauty as a blessing, but now it was a curse.

  “Gregory wanted her and he couldn’t hide it. She could feel his emotions through the bond every moment of the day. Now Gregory’s love for her was true and he was too good a person to take advantage. He never tried. But that didn’t stop him from looking, and thinking, and dreaming.”

  Justan shivered at the thought. He remembered what it had felt like having Deathclaw watch him day and night, sometimes with anger, sometimes with curiosity, sometimes trying his best to hide his emotions, but always there. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Mellinda to have that intimate of an emotion focused on her.

  “What did she think of him?” Alfred asked.

  “Mellinda did not return his affections. Things would have been different if she had. It’s happened before, bonded marrying each other, and they have been some of the best relationships I’ve seen, but those two got off to a bad start.

  “Gregory had lived a hard life. He had a rough attitude and sense of humor that grated upon her sensibilities. In addition, though he was still relatively young for a half-elf, he showed the wear and tear of the life of an adventurer. He had a pronounced limp from a badly healed knee and his face was marred by burns and battle scars.

  “I think she would have been able to overcome those bad first impressions given time. After all, they were both good people and once she got to know him, she did love him much like a sister would love her impish brother. But his desire for her was very much unwanted and just as he could not hide his lust, she could not hide her disgust, and those emotions festered between them like an open wound.”

  “How horrible,” Fist said. The whole thing made the ogre feel queasy and Justan agreed. The bond was too intimate a connection for such emotions.

  “What did she do about it?” Jhonate asked.

  “She tried to mute the feelings between them as best she could, but you can’t truly hide from the bond. They spoke to each other about it and agreed to try and stop feeling the way they did, but that didn’t change anything. The resident bonding wizards in Alberri were of no help. Some of them found it amusing, others were simply repulsed. Finally she decided to seek me out and headed towards this, the original Mage School where she had heard I often visited.

  “Now I had not met Mellinda before the day she sought me out. There were far too many bonding wizards in those days for me to be involved with all of them. If I had only known of her problems sooner I might have helped in a different way, but the day she arrived at the Mage School, Stardeon’s needs were very much on my mind.

  “Mellinda begged me to help and I could see the depth of their pain. My solution was to suggest that she and Gregory needed some time apart from each other. I suggested that she continue on the path to becoming a wizardess here at this school, while sending Gregory away for a while. He didn’t like the idea, but he left at Mellinda’s request. He escorted Dixie on a visit to the gnome homeland in Khalpany, knowing that it would be a full six months before he could return to her.”

  “You sent both her bonded away?” Latva said in surprise.

  “I merely hinted at the possibility. It was Mellinda’s idea to send both of them. Sometimes distance is the only way to heal a rift between bonded as you and Alfred should know,” John said.

  Justan knew he was referring to Alfred’s bond with Charz. They had been separated for a century.

  “At any rate, shortly afterward, I introduced Mellinda to Stardeon. The two of them got along right away. She was one of very few wizards that could understand Stardeon’s research, and even though she didn’t have his talent in elemental magic, she was his match in spirit magic. They began to spend every waking moment together.

  “They were married within a month.” The prophet chuckled. “They were so happy together. Stardeon veered away from the dangerous path he was on and for a time it seemed as if everything was going to work out splendidly. The only sour spot in the whole affair was when I found out that she hadn’t told Gregory about it.”

  “But how could he not have known?” Justan asked.

  “You’ve never been separated from your bonded before, have you?” Alfred asked.

  “Well, no,” Justan admitted. “Not until today.” He thought of Deathclaw. The raptoid was still somewhere to the north and east in the direction of the academy. He knew where he was, but couldn’t sense his thoughts or feelings.

  The gnome nodded. “Well, when you are separated by great distances, speaking with each other is very difficult, and depending on how far away you are, the things you can communicate are limited. It would have been quite easy for her to hide her marriage.”

  “She hadn’t even told Dixie about it, for fear that she would tell Gregory,” John said. “I told Mellinda that hiding something this important from her bonded could not be a good thing. She assured me that she would tell both of them. In truth, she wanted to wait until they were far enough away that Gregory wouldn’t try to race back to her side.

  “I think she was hoping that he would fall in love with a woman in Khalpany, or better yet with Dixie. I must admit to praying for a similar result myself. The gnome had developed an unfathomable crush on the man.”

  Lenny snorted. “Gnomes.”

  Master Latva laughed and Alfred adjusted his spectacles in consternation. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

  “Sorry, forgot you was a gnome,” Lenny said with a shrug. “Thing is, I cain’t tell you how many dag-burned times I’ve had to lie low in town ‘cause some moon-eyed gangly gnome girl started followin’ me ‘round.”

  “I have not observed this phenomenon myself, good dwarf,” said Alfred and Latva laughed again.

  “Maybe it’s just you, Lenny,�
� Fist said and Justan sensed his amusement through the bond. “Maybe they like your mustache.”

  The dwarf nodded thoughtfully. “Could be . . .”

  “Ugh, romantic entanglements,” said Locksher in return, shaking his head glumly. He shot Justan a dull glare. “I say we’d all be better off without them.”

  Justan’s cheeks reddened with guilt. When he had chosen Jhonate over Vannya, Locksher had been the only one available to console the mage. Qyxal’s funeral had made things even worse and it was obvious to everyone that the wizard was ill equipped for such duties. At least now they were back at the Mage School. He could turn her over to her father.

  “The prophet was telling us a tale,” Jhonate said, giving them all a scowl.

  Yes! agreed Gwyrtha, stomping her foot. Tell John to tell the story!

  Jhonate leaned forward fixing her eyes on the prophet. “What happened, Sir? When did she tell him?”

  John had been watching their interaction with amusement. “Well . . . I didn’t find out what happened until much later. As often happens, I was forced away on a series of important errands and while I was gone, some unfortunate decisions were made.

  “Stardeon and Mellinda left the school together before Mellinda became a full wizardess. Stardeon bought some land in the foothills of the Trafalgan Mountains, far from any city. They hired in some laborers and started building their own wizard’s keep. It was a beautiful location, though hard to find if you didn’t know where to look.

  “Then Gregory and Dixie began their return trip. The closer they came, the more it seemed Gregory sensed something was amiss. On top of that, Dixie seemed quite anxious. Mellinda began to panic. Stardeon begged her to tell her bonded what had happened before her secret damaged their relationship irreparably. Finally, when they were only about a week out, she came clean to them. “

  Jhonate gasped, “How did Gregory react?”

  “Gregory was heartbroken. And furious,” said John. “His rage was so intense that Mellinda feared he would try to kill Stardeon. He refused to speak to her, closing off the bond whenever she tried. Instead, he picked up the pace of their travel. Dixie was a gibbering mess because he refused to speak with her as well. When Mellinda pressed her for details, all she would say was that Gregory had changed.

  “When the day of their return arrived, Stardeon and Mellinda waited for them together, Stardeon’s bonded staying just out of sight in case they were needed. Gregory continued to keep the bond closed tightly as he could, but Mellinda still felt his rage seething. When their horses came up the path towards the keep, he was wearing a heavy cloak with a hood that hid his features.

  “Gregory dismounted and strode towards them. He stopped in front of them, shaking with rage. He threw off his cloak and the man that stood before her looked very little like the Gregory she had bonded to. Gone were the scars that had ravaged his face. Gone was the hideously flattened nose from his years of brawling. In their place was the face he would have had if his life had been different. The face Gregory now wore was even more handsome than Stardeon’s.”

  Jhonate gasped, one hand flying to her mouth.

  “Dag-gum idjit had his blood boiled, didn’t he?” Lenny said with a shake of his head.

  “Ah! That makes sense! He was a half-elf after all,” Locksher said, his eyes wide in understanding. “It was a hideous process, from what I’ve read.”

  “What are you talking about?” Justan said. As far as he knew, what the prophet had described was hard to do, even for a master healer. Elemental magic could repair almost any nonfatal wound, but scarring and old badly healed injuries were more problematic.

  “Centuries ago, there was a group of dark wizards known as the Khalpan Blood Mages,” Locksher said. “They were based somewhere near the capitol city of Khalpany and it was said that they could provide any spell or enchantment. But they demanded payment in blood magic. They were the only people in all my research that had discovered a way to extract the blood magic from a half-breed.”

  “Disgustin’ bunch of blasted foot-lickers!” Lenny spat. “My grandpappy was part of the group that destroyed ‘em years ‘fore I was born.”

  “You are correct,” John said. “Gregory had been desperate to find a way to change Mellinda’s feelings and while he was in the gnome homeland, he heard about the Blood Mages. Poor Dixie was so in love with him that she helped him seek them out. In exchange for repairing his scarred body and fixing his leg, Gregory let them tear the magic from his blood.

  “By doing so, Gregory gave away decades of his life. But it was worse than that. His elf side was fairly weak. The mages didn’t think the magic in his blood was enough, so Dixie sold some of her own.” The prophet noted Alfred’s wince. “Yes, she would have been completely ostracized if the gnomish community found out. As it was, she hated herself for doing it. When the Blood Mages finished their work she stayed in their compound and refused to leave Gregory’s side until he recovered.

  “While Gregory stood before Mellinda, Dixie explained what had happened through the bond. Mellinda begged for their forgiveness and explained the reasons why she hadn’t told them. When Gregory felt the depth of her feelings for Stardeon, he climbed back on his horse and left. He didn’t go far, just to the nearest town where he holed up in an inn for quite some time. When he returned, Gregory sought out Stardeon. He told Stardeon that he could no longer live being bonded to Mellinda. The only way that either of them could have peace was if the bond was broken.”

  “Why did they not do that earlier?” Jhonate asked.

  “The bond is permanent,” Justan explained. “It can’t be broken.”

  “This is what Stardeon told him. The only things a bonded can do to avoid their wizard are leave and keep their distance. But that wasn’t good enough for Gregory. No matter how far he ran, he would feel Mellinda there in the corner of his mind and know that she was with another man.” John shook his head sadly.

  “When I returned from my journey, they were at the Mage School waiting for me. They begged me to release Gregory from the bond. I was saddened by their tale, but I told them that I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the authority.”

  “Alright, I can’t hold this question in any longer,” Locksher said. The wizard was sweating.

  The prophet sighed. “All right, Wizard Locksher. I might as well get this over with. Go ahead. Ask your question.”

  “Thank you.” Locksher took a deep breath. “All my life I’ve heard tales of the prophet. We all have. And I’ve done my research. I’ve looked up everything our library has on you. The theories on your origin differ but nowhere in the histories do scholars refer to you as being beholden to anyone.

  “From the moment you brought us in here, you have been qualifying things by what you are and are not allowed to do. Allowed by whom? Who is above you? You just said that you didn’t have the authority to break the bond. Well if you don’t have the authority, who does?”

  The hall was silent as everyone waited for the prophet’s answer.

  “I understand your confusion,” John said. “Keep in mind that the histories are rarely written by those who experienced the events. The descriptions in those books are usually based on second and third hand information mixed with excerpts from poorly written or degraded journals. To be honest, most of what you read in so-called scholarly work is rubbish.”

  He hesitated, glancing around at each of them as if gauging their reactions. “I have never hidden my limitations and I have never skirted around the fact that I am beholden to a higher power. However, I am limited as to what I can reveal about my master. I . . . Just a moment, please.”

  The prophet closed his eyes and pressed his palms together. He rested his forehead on the tips of his fingers for a few seconds, his brow furrowed in a slight frown. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, his face lined with regret.

  “The last time I revealed this information was the day Mellinda and Stardeon asked me to break Gregory’s bond. My master warned me not to
tell them, but I did so anyway. I felt that they needed to understand the bond better so that they would know what they were really asking. It was but one of many mistakes on my part.

  “This time, however, my master allows it. Please understand that what I am about to tell you isn’t secret, but it is sacred. So, though I will not forbid you to speak of these things to others, I would ask for your discretion. Most of this world is not yet ready to hear this particular message.”

  John leaned forward.

  Justan felt a tingle under his skin and a slight buzzing in his ears. It seemed as if the prophet was looking directly into his eyes and yet, at the same time, he knew that the others felt the prophet’s eyes locked onto theirs as well. “My master is The Creator. And the bond is under his sole direction.”

  “The Creator?” Alfred’s eyes were wide.

  The prophet noted their confused expressions. “When I told this to Mellinda and Stardeon, they didn’t understand at first either. The magic of a bonding wizard is different from other spirit magic in that it is split into two parts. Half of the bond belongs to you and the other half belongs to my master.

  “The first part is the talent you are born with. It determines how many bonded you may have or perhaps how powerful the things you are bonded to will be. Once you are bonded, you can use this part of your magic to manipulate the bond.

  “The Creator’s side of your bonding magic is an active thing that moves of its own will. It knows your needs and your weaknesses and it explores the people around you looking for a match that fulfills that need. When it finds a match, my master decides if it is a good one. When he declares the bond, he does so knowing all the possible ramifications of his decision. He knows the effects the bond will have on you and your bonded and he believes in your ability to handle them.”

  “So this Creator of yers,” Lenny said, speaking what all of them were thinking. “What is he? Some sort of god?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Lenui,” Locksher said with a snort. “There are no true gods.”