Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world, it belongs to Trudi Canavan

Justen

It was very late by the time they reached the house where Takan and Justen were living. They had used the passages to leave the Guild unseen. Although no Guild member could challenge Akkarin due to his special position, it was not the same for Sonea who was merely a Guild magician and subject to its rules. Guild magicians were not supposed to leave the grounds at night without permission, so they decided not to take a chance on Sonea being stopped by an officious Warrior and used their old familiar secret routes.

For Sonea, it had been a strange experience, walking through the dusty tunnels and passages towards Imardin. It brought back memories of the times they had gone secretly to fight an Ichani in the city and with the memories, came the old half-forgotten flickering of fear in her belly along with a sense of anticipation as she had followed Akkarin into danger. She still missed those days, despite the risks. Perhaps she had the soul of a Warrior after all.

Takan was waiting for them. Blood gem, Sonea thought, a very useful method of ensuring everything was as Akkarin wanted! The fact that he had refused her one of her own still rankled even after all these years. Takan offered refreshments, but neither of them were hungry.

"We will be leaving soon," Akkarin said, "so you will need to get things ready."

Takan nodded, showing no surprise at his master's orders. Sonea, despite living in close proximity to him for years, still did not fully understand what linked Takan and Akkarin. She knew something of their story, their lives as Ichani slaves, their escape and subsequent life as servant and High Lord, but exactly what they felt about each other was hidden from her. She knew, however, that if it came to it, Takan's first and only thought would be for Akkarin and what was best for him.

Leaving Akkarin to discuss matters with Takan, Sonea ran lightly up to Justen's bedroom. The boy was asleep so for a moment she simply stood and looked at him. She felt a rush of deep love; this was her son, flesh of her flesh. She was linked to him by just more than that, though. She had been carrying him when she had gone to fight Kariko and the damage caused by a deep strike from Mikido had, by some means or other, altered the baby in her womb. Somehow the combination of her magic with Ichani magic had made a difference to Justen. At first, she thought it was only his lack of hearing and speech, but since his magic had begun to show, she had discovered that her son had other gifts.

She continued to stare at him. He was all Akkarin, apart from the unruly curly hair he had got from her. He'll break a few hearts when he's older, she thought with a smile, before remembering that it would not be as easy for him to find a lover as for others. She wondered if he would be accepted at the Guild. She knew from bitter experience just what it was like to be different from all the other novices. Her son would have two problems, his handicap and his parentage.

Justen's eyes opened, Syma, he sent and she could hear the pleasure in his mental voice.

Justen, we are back, she sent unnecessarily.

Justen grinned, I can see that! Where is Verrin? Oh, I see, he is talking to Takan.

There it was, that uncanny gift for 'seeing' Akkarin that she could not explain. Justen had even been able to tell her that Akkarin was coming back to Imardin long before he had arrived in the city.

How do you see Verrin? she asked, curious to know if the boy himself could explain what was happening.

Justen frowned, I just do. I don't know how, but when I think of him, a picture comes into my head and there he is. I can see you the same way.

Do you watch us often?

Justen's face changed and Sonea found herself looking at Akkarin's distant expression transferred to the boyish face of their son, I look sometimes, he sent reluctantly.

There was no time to explore what Justen could and could not do or why he seemed uneasy at sharing things with her. He needed to understand what was going to happen next.

Get dressed and come downstairs, Verrin and I need to talk to you, she sent.

Sonea left her son to scramble into his clothes and returned to the others. Akkarin was drinking some wine, while Takan held his customary glass of fruit juice. She poured herself a glass of pale rose wine and went over to the fire.

"Justen will be here in a moment," she explained. "I haven't said anything to him about our plans, I think he is old enough to join in any discussions."

When Akkarin raised an eyebrow at her statement, she simply smiled at him. It was time that the others knew just what Justen was able to do and the best way to demonstrate it was to get him to show them.

When Justen arrived, he paused for a moment at the door, before walking over to Akkarin. He stopped a few steps away from his father and bowed, novice to high ranking magician.

Verrin, he sent, I am pleased to see you.

There was no immediate reaction from Akkarin, then the beginnings of a smile hovered on his lips.

And I am pleased to see you, my son.

Oh good, you can hear me now. Last time I tried, you couldn't, only Syma could hear me.

Justen took hold of his father's hand and laid it against his own temple. Come into my head, he sent.

Sonea watched as Akkarin began to read his son's mind. She didn't often have an opportunity to watch as Akkarin used his impressive skills to delve into someone's thoughts. She visualised what he was doing, standing in his son's mind, sorting through the boy's thoughts. She was tempted to join him, but Justen had only asked his father and she would not act without his permission.

But after a few minutes, Justen turned his head slightly to look at her, and held out his hand. Come, Syma.

She went to him and took his hand. Almost immediately, she was walking through his mind. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Most people, whose minds she had entered, created a series of open rooms in various sorts of buildings. The furnishings and decorations were often unlike the personal tastes of the individual, almost as it their minds felt free of any restrictions their everyday selves faced. She had seen brightly coloured rooms, cluttered rooms, rooms filled with every sort of ornament imaginable, even rooms with chests of gold and jewels, but Justen's mind was quite different. Instead of the spacious rooms she'd expected, his mind was a long, dark corridor. Along each wall, every ten paces was a door. She tried to open one of them, but it resisted all her attempts. The doors were large, made of thick planks of wood, bound with great iron bands nailed in place by enormous nails. They gave a strong impression of barring entry to anyone.

On and on she walked, the corridor seeming endless. There was no sign of Akkarin or of Justen, just the empty dark passage, going nowhere. There was even an absence of all but the faintest light, just enough to allow her to place her feet without fear of falling into an unexpected void.

Justen, she sent, where are you?

There was no answer, nor change in her surroundings. She had lost count of the doors she had passed and had no idea how long she had been walking. It seemed a very long time, but she knew from experience that time within a person's mind passed very differently from time in the ordinary world.

Akkarin? she tried, but there was no response from him either.

She walked on, having lost all sense of direction. Every so often, she would try to open a door but without success. The silence felt oppressive, even her footsteps were silent and she found herself muttering aloud simply to create some sense of sound.

Is this Justen's world, she wondered, an endless silent journey?

Her heart filled with pity, heavily interwoven with the guilt she felt for her part in Justen's condition. How could a small child bear to live in a silent world, unable to hear the sound of music or the simple pleasure of a stream tumbling over rocks? Tears filled her eyes although she dashed them away quickly. There was no point in thinking this way, for of course, Justen wasn't an ordinary little boy. He was a strongly talented magician who had learned to use his own magic by himself. Sonea mentally reprimanded herself for not remembering this crucial fact. If Justen had created his mind like this, then this was the way he wanted it to be.

Just as she was beginning to give up hope of ever reaching the end of the corridor, she began to see a faint light in the distance. She quickened her steps and it wasn't long before she found herself in a circular room, seemingly constructed of heavily carved and decorated stone. All around the wall was a circular stone bench. Seated upon it she found Justen and next to him, Akkarin.

She stared at her son, he seemed no bigger, yet there were subtle differences in his features. The puppy fat had eased away, the planes of his face seemed more adult and he radiated a confidence she rarely saw in life.

"You have come at last, Syma," Justen said, his voice just how she had imagined it.

"Yes, here I am at last," she laughed, and went to hug her son.

She glanced at Akkarin, but his face was expressionless. She wondered how he had come to the round room because she had seen no sign of him on her journey, but now was not the time to discuss it. She turned to Justen.

"So now we are all here, what do you want us to do?"

Something in her voice seemed to annoy Justen because he frowned briefly, before smiling at her disarmingly.

"When I try to talk to you out there," he gestured towards the walls. "I never seem to be able to say things right. Only in here am I the real me."

"What do you mean, the real me?" asked Akkarin.

Justen frowned again, "The magician, Justen," he said with a touch of arrogance, "not a little boy who cannot speak. I can do so much more than the child can."

Sonea wanted to laugh out loud, although she knew that would be the wrong thing to do. Justen shared more than just Akkarin's features, he had a large helping of Akkarin's arrogance and supreme confidence too. Something in her surface thoughts must have betrayed her because Akkarin's mental voice slid like smoke into her mind, his amusement all too plain.

He's your son too, do not forget it."

"Tell me what you can do, my son," Akkarin said, "or show me."

"No," said Justen firmly. "There are things we must discuss first. I do not wish to enter the Guild. I have observed it and I do not like it. There is nothing useful it can teach me that you can't. You and Syma can teach me what I need to know and I can teach you how to develop your magic."

For once, Sonea was lost for words. Her son, barely out of the cradle offering to help her develop her magic, was the last thing she had expected from the mind-reading. Akkarin gave nothing away of his feelings, but continued to look intently at his son. Justen appeared uncomfortable under his scrutiny and got up and began to move around the room, pointing out various features, explaining why he had created them. His voice was clear and calm and it reminded Sonea of her teachers at the Guild instructing her in some intricate magic.

"Enough," Akkarin's voice was sharp. "We did not come here to admire your creative architecture. What is it you want to say to us?"

Anger flashed across Justen's face, but immediately, he schooled his features into a calm mask. "I want you to know me, to know who you are dealing with. I am so much more than you can possibly imagine. I am going to be the strongest and the most powerful magician ever seen in the Allied Lands."