“You’re always busy,” Jan stated at the meal table one night. “Do you really have to go to Dagmon tomorrow?”

“I promised this fellow that I’d go with him,” Jal explained. “I’m hoping I can see Ulrick van Djik for a short visit. I’ll be back in a few days.”

“I want you to check in with me tomorrow night, Jal. I don’t sleep well when you’re not here.”

“Would you like to go along, Jan?”

“No, I have things to take care of. Be careful.”

Jal left for Dagmon just after dawn and arrived there in the late morning. This gave it a few hours to take care of some errands. It was still not able to use only meditation to get through the process of a haircut, so it swallowed the medicine that it had brought along. While that worked its way into Jal’s system, it went to see Wizard Kende.

“Master Kende, I’ve brought you some more obsidian.”

“I think I’ll use a spell to make you tell me where you’re getting this,” the wizard giggled. “A truth serum, perhaps?”

“Are you Jal?” a small person, barely a meter tall, tugged on Jal’s leg.

“I am! What’s your name?”

“Sten Dtal. I’m Master Kende’s new apprentice. I’ve heard stories about you, Jal Jomari!” she squeaked. “Did you happen to bring any healing potions along?”

“I did. Why?”

“I would like to replicate one. I’ll give you twenty-five mu-tok for it.”

Jal looked at her. “No.”

“Why not?” she demanded loudly.

“Because Master Kende will teach you how to make it when he thinks you’re ready. Master, I’ll trade you these obsidian for another deep turquoise charm.”

As the wizard turned to the drawer that held the turquoise, Sten squealed loudly. “Pilger!”

“Ow!” Jal stepped toward Sten. “That hurt! Stop that!”

“Pilger!” she squeaked. Jal saw the second fire arrow coming and sidestepped it. The side of a display case went up in flames. “Make me!”

“Verbluss!” Jal snuffed the fire out. “Keen goon!” It flicked its wand and a piece of pegmatite flew across the shop and hit Sten in the leg.

“I want you to sell me a healing potion. Thirty mu-tok!”

“No, you need to learn the spells better before you advance to those,” Jal said. “Now, knock it off.”

“Keen goon!” A box with a pendant in it flew through the air.

Jal caught it handily and set it down. “Stop that! Brviden!” Jal now held a wand in each hand. “Would you like me to use a fire arrow on you?”

“Give me that!” she screeched and jumped up and down, reaching for her wand.

“Master, catch!” Jal tossed both wands to him. As Sten jumped, Jal grabbed her by the waist, flipped her upside down, and held her by the ankles.

“Put me down!” She tried to swing her hands to hit him, but her skirt draped over her head. As Jal held its arms outstretched, she hollered, stretched out her fists, and tried to kick her feet. Finally, she stopped and began to sob. “Put me down, PUT ME DOWN!”

“No.”

“This is not fair! I didn’t hurt you!”

“You did hurt me. You burned me with a fire arrow.”

“Please put me down.”

“I will release you when I’m good and ready. Master Kende, have your other two students returned from their journeys?”

“They’ve gone off to Patiru. Said they were starting some sort of a manufacturing company there.”

“I had hoped they might be interested in practicing magic with me.”

“Sorry, Jal. I can’t help you.”

“I’ll practice with you,” Sten whispered.

“No, you won’t.” Jal dropped her on the floor. “I hope Master Kende makes you scrub floors and shelves for a few days. Temper tantrums using a wand are unacceptable.”

“I could beat you in a magic fight,” she pulled her dress straight and scrambled to her feet.

“Don’t be silly. You’re just a pipsqueak. You need to keep practicing. See me when you can do level six magic.”

Sten flipped her hair over her shoulder. “That’s only three years away!”

“Right. Master, if you come across someone who needs a practice partner, would you pass my name on?”

“As in, using one another as targets?”

“That’s the general idea.”

“Okay.” Jal thanked him and went on its way.

***

Jal was standing at the intercontinental transporter when Luk appeared. Luk stammered out the location of his parents’ farm. When Jal put it into the GPS of the speeder, the numbers didn’t fit, so he had to repeat them. “I’m sorry. I’m very nervous.”

“I understand,” Jal responded. “Not a problem.” They talked like old friends as they raced up the coast of the peninsula, then cut west onto the grid of roads. About two hours after leaving Dagmon, Jal maneuvered the vehicle onto a well-kept property and stopped in front of a white farmhouse.

Luk hesitantly climbed out of the speeder. Before he could get both feet on the ground, there was a screech. “Luuuuuuuukkkkkkkeeeeeeee!”

A little girl hurtled down the path and into Luk’s arms. “You’re back! You’re back! I told Mom that you’d come back!” She kissed him repeatedly and refused to get down.

He carried her into the house and unceremoniously dumped her onto a chair. “Mom!” He hugged her awkwardly. “Mom, this is a friend of mine.” Luk introduced the two.

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Kristien stood for a long moment, holding Jal’s hand. She looked down at its fingers, noticed how long and very blue they were, and stood thinking. “Jal Jomari?” she asked quietly. “You cut Marit Jolink free from the pyricell that swallowed her.” She looked into Jal’s eyes. “Marit is my niece. My sister never got the chance to say thank you, so thank you from all of us, her whole family. You are more than welcome in our home. Thank you for bringing my son home.”

“For a visit, Mom. I have to be back at the shop on Maandag.”

“The shop?”

“I’ve opened a jewelry shop.”

“In the mountains of Haybuti?” Her voice was filled with disbelief.

“Kilfront isn’t in the mountains, Mom. It’s a village about the size of Dagmon.”

“Is that true, Jal?”

“Yes.” Jal drank a cup of brew, then stood up. “Your garden is very beautiful,” Jal told her, “It looks so inviting.”

“Feel free to wander through it.”

“Luk must take after you Mrs. Van Djik. He has a fantastic garden.” Jal went out the door.

“You do?” she smiled at Luk. “The plants Grandma gave you survived your journey?”

“They did. I’ve been saving the vegetable seeds every year, just like she taught me.”

As Jal exited the garden, it saw a farmer approaching on a tractor that pulled a manure spreader. The farmer rolled up to the side of a shed and turned the machine off. He strode over to Jal. “I’m Vincent Van Djik. You can call me Vin. Thank you for bringing my son home.”

“Thanks for having us for this visit. I appreciate your hospitality.”

“Visit? Who said anything about a visit?”

Jal wasn’t really keen on getting on Vincent’s bad side. For a long minute, there was nothing but the sound of crickets. “Surely you don’t expect your son to walk away from a highly profitable business.”

“Business? My son doesn’t know anything about business!”

“It seems to me that he’s got your work ethic. He’s invested many hours into building an inventory, talking to people and learning his craft.” Jal looked around admiringly. “It’s very apparent that you’ve done years of hard work here. This is really great. Do you walk the perimeter of your property like many of the local farmers do?”

“I do.”

“May I walk with you this afternoon?”

“It won’t be until after I get the chicken shed cleaned out.”

“Would you like a hand?”

“I thought you were here to visit.”

“Luk is here to visit. I’m available to help you if you’d like.”

“You’ve probably never scooped chickenshit.”

“We have a small coop at Ridali Tower.”

“You’re from Ridali? You work with Sage Elvan?”

“Yes, it’s my father.”

“I didn’t realize Sage Elvan had a child.” Vin grinned at Jal’s wince. “Adolescent. What is it that they call an adolescent Stafriez? There’s a word,” he muttered.

“Metamorph,” Jal supplied.

“Yes, that. Let’s go in for the noon meal.”

Luk’s sisters and their families arrived that afternoon while Jal and Vin were cleaning out the chicken coop. They trooped out to greet Vin, then went into the house to help Kristien prepare a big meal. They seemed to be under the impression that Luk had returned home to stay.

As the work progressed, Vin became quiet. Finally, Jal asked him if everything was okay. “I miss my boy,” he sighed. “But we just can’t get along.” Jal listened to him talk about his farm and all the work he had done on it. It was clear that he had believed Luk was returning to stay, would apologize, and they would work together.

“How many children do you have, Vin?” Jal asked as they walked the perimeter of the property later that afternoon.

“Five. Roos is married and lives near Kauflen with two boys and two girls. Her husband farms with his father and brothers. Renske is married to a Wessink boy. They have a few measly acres west of Dagmon. Renske’s got a little boy and another baby on the way. You know Luk; he’s our third. Petra just turned four. And there’s the baby. He’ll be two coming up next month. He’s got my name, but we call him Vinnie.” He began to lament that he needed Luk’s help. He wondered what he should say to get him to stay.

“You’re hoping to make him your primary heir,” Jal observed.

“Yes, Luk’s my first-born son.”

“What would happen if you didn’t follow the Aphyxian tradition?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m not suggesting anything.” A few minutes later, Jal said to him, “You make it sound like Renke and her husband’s land is not very good. Does he have a farming background?”

“No. His parents had an inn. There was a fire. His parents got the children out but didn’t survive their burns. He took the insurance payout and bought the place they’re on. His two younger siblings live with them.”

“Have you ever had an apprentice?” Jal asked curiously.

“An apprentice?” Vin drew out the word. “I don’t know what that’s like.”

Jal told him that Sage Elvan was a master diplomat, and that Jal was with it many hours each week, watching, listening, and learning new skills.

They walked along the south field. “I could offer Renske and Sjef housing for their family and I could teach Sjef how to farm,” he said after a long silence. “Where would that leave Luk? I wouldn’t be taking care of him.”

“Does he need to be taken care of?” Their eyes met and Vin shrugged. “Maybe you should ask him?”

After the meal, Vin told Jal the directions to get to Ulrik’s house.

“Ulrik isn’t your brother is he, Vin? He’s your uncle, your father’s brother? He knows I’m coming?”

“He does.”

When Jal arrived at Ulrik’s, he was deeply saddened at how aged the elderly man looked. Ulrik was pleased to see Jal and welcomed it in cheerfully. Jal asked Ulrik if he would share any stories that he had heard from his elders as a child. Ulrik was pleased to learn that Jal wanted them entered into the Stafriez collective memories. He told Jal the stories of how the Stafriez had helped organize the transition from southern Shifos to Iragos. Jal stopped asking questions when it noticed that Ulrik’s voice was tired.

“Thank you for bringing Luk back to Vin. It is time they mended their fences. Family and friends are important.”

“Thank you, Ulrik,” Jal ended their conversation. “I wish you happiness and a peaceful transition from this life when it‘s time. I hope you’re able to have your family with you as much as possible.”

The adults were gathered around the table in the cooking room for apple cake and tea when Jal returned. It slipped into a seat away from the table and listened as Vin questioned Luk about his business and his future plans. When Luk responded that he would be returning to Haybuti the next day, Vin looked around the table. “Normally, decisions about inheritances are made by the patriarch. They are given out without consideration of anyone else’ opinions. Tonight, things are different. We celebrate Luk’s return! I’m glad you’re doing so well, son. We need to talk about how our resources can help those of us who need them.” Vin laid out the plan he had formulated as he walked with Jal.

The following afternoon, Luk glanced at Jal as they returned to Dagmon. “Jal, that was crazy! I never expected that he’d ask Renske and Sjef to move home. That puts the household at nine, soon to be ten. It will be good for all of them. Petra can help with the little ones. What did you say to him?”

“I listened to his story. Then I asked if he’d ever had an apprentice.”

“That’s all?”

A few minutes later, Luk took a big breath. “I can’t believe I did this, but I went to the magic shop in Pejaru.”

“Oh?” Jal glanced over at him. “How’d that go?”

“I sold some stones for good prices. I’ve had three magic lessons. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I can be a real bird-brain sometimes.”

Jal laughed. “I think that’s part of the human condition.”

“Jal, I wonder if you’ve thought more about this expedition through Shifos.”

“Luk, my friend, I am consumed by it. It’s the first thing on my mind in the morning, and the last thing at night.”

“Jal, I’d like to apply to be a member of your team. I’ll sign an agreement that I’ll not partake in any alcohol while I’m under your employment. If I do and something happens, you can kick me out of the group, wherever we happen to be. I’d also like first choice of any special rocks that we locate and identify.”

Jal hesitated, but only for a moment. “When we get to Dagmon, I’ll give you some information to read. It’s long, and it will take some time to get through it. You’ll need to sign an agreement that you’ll not discuss the report with anyone else. If you want to talk about it, contact me. You can’t share the information in any way. If you break the agreement, you’ll not be able to go along, and you’ll pay a penalty for breach of confidentiality. If you read everything, and you’re still interested, fill in the application form and send it to me. The other leader and I will schedule an interview with you.”

“I thought you were recruiting people to go,” Luk said, sort of dazed by the legal way it was presented.

“We are. This is a private venture, not an open invitation to just anyone. These are specific invitations to specific people, because of their training and capabilities. I want you because of your climbing abilities, the fact that you’ve taught other people how to climb, and your familiarity with camping and living off the land. There will be other people who will have to go through climbing training. I’d like you to attend all of it, even though you have the experience. You’ll get to know all the team members and I’ll get to see how well you work with them.”

“What if they decide they can’t work with me? Will you let them push me out?”

“As you read the paperwork, you’ll see that periodically over the fifteen months before the departure date, we’ll meet with you and talk about how things are going. You’ll be given the opportunity to drop out of the process. Any conflicts that come up will be addressed as they come up. Everyone going is an adult. We’ve all had conflict mediation in school at one point or another. We all know what acceptable and unacceptable behavior is. If you’re not certain of something, ask.”