The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,52
adventures when I was a young man.” He leaned back in his chair and his eyes drifted toward the ceiling. “Ah, I would have followed Fyodor Atlasov anywhere. To the very shores of the Eventide River, if he’d asked. Such terrors we faced, but also such wonders!”
He grew silent for a moment, seemingly lost in old memories from a life Jorge could never have imagined. Then he looked at Jorge again, and his eyes were sharp and knowing.
“Tell me, are you mad at Sonya for going, or at yourself for not following?”
“Me? Follow her on this doomed quest?”
“It might be less doomed if you were there,” said Velikhov.
“But…” Jorge struggled to voice the conflict within himself. “What about my studies? My training as an apothecary?”
Velikhov leaned over and smacked Jorge’s knee. “It’s called fieldwork, my boy! Do you think I became the world’s preeminent apothecary on healing potions by sequestering myself my whole life in a stuffy college apartment?”
“Well…” That actually was what Jorge had thought.
“It’s because my Fyodor was at least as reckless as your Sonya, and it seemed a day did not go by that I wasn’t healing some sort of injury, often with limited means and in challenging environments. Such life-or-death experiences, where improvisation and ingenuity are essential, were invaluable to my development as an apothecary. I have no doubt that wherever Sonya leads you, it will be dangerous. She has the look of someone who thrives on such situations. And if that is more than you are willing to risk, you are welcome to remain here at the college and become the competent apothecary I have no doubt you can be. Or you could risk everything in order to become the greatest apothecary of your generation.”
“Master…” Jorge knew which he wanted as soon as the options were laid out like that, but it almost felt unfair somehow. “How could I possibly refuse such a challenge?”
Velikhov chuckled. “Besides, what won’t we do for love, eh?”
“L-love, Master?” Jorge’s voice was embarrassingly shrill.
Velikhov laughed even harder. “Never mind, my boy. I’m only teasing. So you’ll go?”
Jorge sighed. “I suppose I must. Not just for her sake, but for my own.”
Velikhov slowly stood. “I think such courage deserves a reward of some sort, and fortunately I know just the thing.”
He tottered slowly out of the room, leaving Jorge behind to contemplate the radical decision he had just made without a moment’s hesitation. He’d barely survived a trek through Bear Shoulder Pass, and now he intended to accompany Sonya across the Great Western Tundra in the dead of winter into unknown lands to beg the aid of a mysterious people?
He’d promised his parents that he would not take any unnecessary risks. Did this count as a necessary risk? Certainly they wanted him to become the best apothecary he could be and bring honor to the Elhuyar name, didn’t they? He would need to explain to them why they would not be receiving any letters from him for a while. He didn’t wish to deceive his parents, but perhaps in his final letter before he departed, he would be… vague on the details and simply call it “fieldwork” as his master had suggested.
“Here we are!” Velikhov returned carrying a large, stiff rectangular leather backpack. He set it down upright on the table and unfastened the latches on the sides. The backpack opened up to reveal narrow shelves with vials, pouches, and a small, exquisite oil burner. “This is the mobile apothecary lab I took on my travels with Fyodor Atlasov. I will allow you to take it with you on your own travels.”
“Master.” Jorge approached the ingeniously made mobile lab, his eyes filled with wonder. “I cannot accept such a generous gift—”
“Nonsense, my boy. Besides, it’s not a gift, it’s a loan. So you must be sure to live long enough to return it to me once your quest is complete. Do you understand?”
“I understand completely, Master Velikhov. And I thank you for your generosity and wisdom.”
“Well, I expect Sonya will want to leave sooner rather than later, so you had better make your preparations. And be sure to stock up on fresh ingredients while you have them readily available. Some of those vials haven’t been opened in half a century.”
Jorge went to work immediately, refreshing the mobile lab’s supplies, and adding oil to both the burner and the spare oil jar. Then he sat down and wrote his final letter to his parents, apologizing that they would not be receiving his