I must get Tarja out of here, thought Mahala. I must take him to the Jotbah to get his training. Then he can become a full Riblama, and be able to utilize his inborn powers as is right. I must tell Tarja what to do. Mahala closed his eyes and sent his mind out to find the mind of Tarja. He needed the privacy only mind-to-mind Conversing could promise.
Prenta Tarja, dost thou wish to Converse with me? asked Mahala in the ritual greeting of one who wishes to Converse.
I agree to Converse with you, Minor Mahala. Tarja replied, concluding the traditional greeting. What is the matter, my teacher?
We will leave tonight. We are going to the Jotbah, and you are going to become a full Mage. Tell no one, for if you do, you won't be allowed to come.
How will I remove myself from my bodyguards long enough for us to find a boat and crew to take us to the Jotbah?
Very simple, my student, and we won't have to steal a boat . . .
But how?
Patience, Tarja, patience. We will Travel there using a bit of magic that my teacher invented and taught me. It can only be used once and can transport a person to any given spot. When you come to me for your lesson tonight we will leave. You must understand that if you come, you may never be King of Dorpha. Your first priority must be the interest of the Jotbah, instead of yourself or your kingdom. I have taught you everything I can. If you choose not to come, just tell your father that you are finished with your training. If you leave, your father may well never forgive you. It is your decision, my student.
I understand, my teacher. I will join you, if you will teach me how to use these Traveling devices . . .
Jazer, or Jazerim for more than one.
Jazer. Teach me to use this Jazer.
We will use two Jazerim. One for me, and one for you. They can link with each other to move up to four people at once. You must visualize your destination and the Jazer will take you and move you to that place. However, if you don't visualize the destination exactly as it is, then you will disappear and be transported to another place, from which none have ever returned. So, since I have Traveled to the Jotbah before, I will link our Jazerim and take us both there. However, you must trust me utterly for this to work. Will you do this?
I cannot think of a person I trust more than you.
Then we leave tonight. Until then.
Yes, until then. Tarja broke the mental contact with Mahala. Mahala must have had a fight with Father. He knows that Father will ban him from the kingdom for taking me to the Jotbah, even though Father knows that I want to go and become a full-trained Mage, a Riblama! I just wish he wasn't so stubborn. Mother would've understood. If only she were still here . . . . Tarja sighed. Well, it is almost time for supper, and then I'll be leaving. At least I can get one more good meal before I go, thought Tarja.
Tarja went to supper as usual. He was cordial to his father until his father began to say that his lessons should end now that he is legally a Prenta, since Mahala cannot teach him further.
Tarja argued that he still had a little bit to learn but his father said, "You are now a Prenta. You know more magic than three quarters of the population of Altaranga. What else could you want?" He sighed. "You want to go to the Jotbah, I know, but the only Prince of Dorpha, and heir to the throne cannot be risked on such a journey. You could die on the journey, and then what would I do? Your mother and brother are . . . no longer with us."
"But Father . . ." said Tarja.
"Don't 'But Father' me! I am the King! I will let Mahala stay for another week, and then he is leaving! Do you understand me?"
"Yes Father," replied Tarja meekly. Inwardly, however, he gloated over the victory that was soon to be his. He knew that his father wouldn't be able to retrieve him once he got to the Jotbah. Secular monarchs had no authority in the Academy. Only the Masters had authority there, and they always convened in council before making any decisions.
Sibmah continued to ramble on and as usual, said nothing of any significance. Tarja was glad he would never have to listen to his father ramble again.
When Tarja reached Mahala's room that night there was a rug laid out on the floor. The rug was filled with his things, as if he was about to demonstrate a of levitation spell. Mahala told a servant to go and fetch some of Tarja's clothing and his walking stick.
After the servant returned, Mahala then decided to explain the procedure for Traveling to Tarja in detail. After getting formal permission to Converse he began, My student, this is a complicated procedure. There is an extremely minimal, but present, chance that the spell will fail and we will be repelled from our destination. If this happens there could be some major problems. I do not expect it to happen, but I should warn you so that you would know what was happening. Just remember, do everything I do, and make no sounds after we begin, for these are my only two Jazerim, and there can be no mistakes.
Yes, my teacher. Shall we begin now? Mahala nodded, got up, and closed the door. He locked it and sat back down. He indicated that they should speak no more.
He gestured to a piece of shoulder pad-like equipment on the floor, and indicated that Tarja should put it on. He put on his own. Tarja mimicked his actions, and managed to get it over his head and onto his shoulders relatively easily. Mahala lifted the first flap on the left shoulder of the item, whose name Tarja rememberd as a Yogbehag. He hooked the ring of one of the rug corners onto the peg revealed there. Tarja did the same. Mahala then removed two jewels from his tunic and handed one to Tarja.
Tarja inspected the gem. It fit in his palm as if it belonged there. He decided that it must be a spell to size itself to the hand of its user. He looked closer at the jewel, but couldn't decide what color it was. Its color was constantly shifting. However, it was so subtle that he didn't notice the change in color until it was nearly complete. It phased through the whole rainbow in about a minute. He also noticed that there were three small niches in the gem.
One was in the face of the jewel, the other two in each of the sides. He looked up suddenly, realizing that he was sitting staring at the gem for quite some time. Mahala was smiling at his amazement of the jewel's complexity.
Mahala slowly reached out his hand, with the Jazer flat against his palms, fingers up and wrist down, as if he was pushing Tarja away. Tarja realized that Mahala wished him to do the same. Tarja extended his hand in the same fashion, and the Jazerim clicked when they touched, as if they joined. Mahala wrapped his hand around the two Jazerim, and Tarja did the same. Oddly enough, Tarja could not feel the place where his Jazer ended and Mahala's began. Mahala then began to chant:
The room got fuzzy until Tarja couldn't tell where he was anymore. The light also faded out, and there was nothing. Then something happened that felt wrong, as if he were being pushed, pulled, squished, and turned every which way. The nothingness seemed to brighten a little, and he began to see some color. There was a green fuzz, where grass would be . . . or maybe it was a green sky? He couldn't tell which way was up. The world slowly came into focus. He was on top of a hill, with a field of green grass surrounding him. There were a few trees at the bottom of the hill. The sky was a bright blue and completely cloudless. There were wildflowers scattered on the side of the hill as well.
Then the last traces of the vertigo disappeared. Tarja saw that Mahala was lying down and still in some type of trance. He unhooked the carpet from his Yogbehag, stood up, stretched his legs, and gazed at his new surroundings. He looked for the twirling statues of the Jotbah, which he had heard many stories about. There were supposed to be statues of every race in Altaranga there; so lifelike that they would almost seem to be moving.
He turned around, and saw a small village at the bottom of the hill. The grasslands stretched on as far as he could see and the Academy was nowhere in sight. But the Jotbah is on an island . . . thought Tarja. Suddenly, he became dizzy again, and fainted.
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