He paused, considering the effect his words were having on Cenric. A link was forming between them, made up of gossamer threads joining their minds. An effect of the spells cast when the boy had first arrived at Cinaeth and it strengthened through the words he was speaking now. He sent an exploratory suggestion through the link to gauge its strength and the boy responded as desired, saying in a slurred voice, “Tell me…”
The old man rose to add effect to his story, “They dispossessed me! They stole from me my birthright. They stunted my growth in the magical arts to prevent my ever reaching the potential that was mine. I was at their mercy. I had no one to show me a different way. No one to help me unlock what lay within me. Eventually I discovered what they had done, but it was almost too late.” He slumped back into the chair. “Through great sacrifice and pain I reclaimed most of what they had thought lost. If only I had someone to show me the way earlier things would have been rather different.”
The threads linking him to Cenric formed now, thick and pulsing with life energy that flowed back and forth between them. This was going much more easily than he expected. He would not have to make use of the object found on the boy when he arrived. He adjusted his timetable forward. “I would like to give you something, Cenric. Something that will help you reach your potential. Would you like that?” Along with the question, he sent a pulse along the link, dispelling any resistance or warning in the boy’s mind.
“I would…” Cenric replied. “What is it?”
“Just something to help you along,” said the old man. Reaching within his cloak he withdrew a long iron chain and held it up toward Cenric. A large red stone dangled from the end of the chain. The stone would allow the boy to access great power, enough perhaps to break free of his influence. But he had his own resources to prevent that, and it would require the boy to recognize there was something to overcome. Giving Cenric the Dragonstone was a gamble, but a good one. “Will you take it Cenric? It will help you.”
The boy reached out a hand to caress the stone and the old man watched it respond with a pulsing inner glow. As expected, the boy had an affinity to the stone. An affinity the sorcerer would use to control it through this new tool he was forming. Cenric’s head swayed back as if it had come loose and his eyes blinked rapidly. “This is for me?” said the boy.
“It is. Let me put it on you.” Draping the chain around the boy’s neck, the tendrils linking their minds shifted aside as new threads emanating from the stone joined them. Reaching out through the link, the old man felt the stone's power and, through it, a faraway presence. He dare not use the stone himself. Not yet. That presence would recognize him and the backlash would be fierce. If the link did not provide enough of a buffer to prevent that recognition, it would be necessary to find another tool.
“Rest now,” said the old man. “I will be back to talk more tomorrow.” He stood, moving toward the door.
“Wait…who are you? You never said.”
Turning back, the sorcerer considered the boy for a moment, sending another pulse through their link. “The name you would know is Sterling Lex.”
#
Unseasonable eastern winds kept the Grey Gull sailing at a pace unusual for the fall. Most years, it would be too late to attempt the crossing from Cale Conall to Cale Uriasz. The crew looked on the favorable winds as an omen of good fortune. Wind filled the mainsail, propelling the Gull forward as she skimmed across the waves. Between the jib and her main stay-sail, she ran steady even in the chop of a sea that seemed to know winter was coming. With clear decks save for necessary rigging and the ship’s wheel abaft, there was nothing to shelter passengers from the biting wind when they ventured out from the cabins below.
For Sebastian, braving the cold wind was preferable to the heaving he felt whenever he stayed below-decks. It was an invisible pendulum that swung back and forth over the five days they had been at sea. Some days the deck was better, some the cabin. He was certain that by the end of this voyage his skin would be a permanent shade of green. Growing up, he’d never had this problem fishing with his uncle on the lakes near Taleros, but they had barely cleared the harbor entrance before his stomach began to protest.
Sitting with his back to the foremast he kept his focus on the distant horizon. The first mate had told him that was the best way to keep the sickness at bay. It was just the latest in a string of suggestions and remedies. Every one of the crew had their own bit of advice for him. Early on they had told him to wait it out and his sea-legs would come. As the days passed, he ate less and less and the wisdom dispensed by the sailors became more and more far-fetched. One of their early suggestions had been to climb to the top of the main mast. One look at those rope ladders had added vertigo to his list of ailments. Then, just yesterday they told him to try crawling out on the bowsprit after a meal. That had not gone well.
That adventure had led the officers to take a hand in the matter, keeping the more mischievous members of the crew well away from him. Resigned to a miserable voyage, Sebastian could not wait to get his feet on dry land again in Cale Uriasz. Forlornly, he hoped that not only would his stomach settle with his perch amidships, but he would catch sight of land. Not much chance he would see it before the lookout, but he would not let that stop him from looking. He tried very hard not to think about the fact that this was not a one way trip.
Knowing it was a dangerous move, he risked a glance at the activity on deck. With no great urgency, the crew went about their duties adjusting sails, cleaning the decks, and maintaining the lines and sheets. Watching them, he decided that the life of a sailor must be exceedingly boring. He had heard about the romance of the sea and all that, but the reality left much to be desired as far as he was concerned. Sebastian let his mind drift, creating one of his stories to keep his thoughts off his stomach.
Imagining that the Gull was a ship of war he painted a picture in his mind of the crew manning stations and preparing for battle with pirates from far away Cale Druenenn.
In a whirl of orchestrated chaos they danced across the decks provisioning the battery of canons and tightening sheets. Ahead, he could just make out the enemy corsair emerging from dense fog. The two vessels were alone in a silent gray globe as their captains glared across the open water. Having done all they could to prepare, the Gull’s crew waited for the order to fire, tension weighing them down like a hundred anchors.
Across the expanse, Sebastian could make out the barbarian pirates seething in fury. Standing naked to the waist, despite the chill. Evil shaped tattoos adorned their bodies, mystical ones painted in the blackest black. It was said Cale Druenenn pirates used the blood of their enemies to create the ink used in their tattooing, an ancient art they stole from the mystics of the island people.
Closing on the pirate’s vessel the Gull was ready, her crew alert at their posts. “Fire!” the captain’s voice roared, swinging the wheel to starboard to expose the Gull’s broadside to the enemy. As the cannon came to bear on the enemy, a series of concussions shook her stem to stern. Captain Cyrillus timed his maneuver to perfection, an instant before the corsair made her own move. With precision drilled into her crew daily, the Gull’s fusillade pounded the corsair. Sebastian watched in fascination as shards of wood turned into projectiles, ripping into the pirate’s flesh and hurling them across the corsair’s deck. Another thunderclap shook the Gull as the last ball found the corsair’s magazine. A fireball rose into the air and Sebastian could feel the intense heat. The pirates hadn’t gotten off a single shot.
“Fire!” the captain’s voice rang out again as the third mate hauled Sebastian to his feet and pushed him towards the bow, away from the very real blaze that had caught amidships.
Sebastian snapped back to reality to find that the deck-house had actually gone up in flames. Every able hand scrambled to fight the blaze. Within moments a double line formed from the gunwale to the flames as the seamen hauled away on buckets of seawater, passing them to the sailors closest to the growing flames. Sebas
tian stumbled forward, coughing from the billowing smoke. Even to his untrained eye, he could tell that the fire was getting the best of the sailors. It wouldn’t be long before the fire raged out of control, dooming the Gull.
Gerhard and Krystelle Mora emerged from below deck. The old wizard’s beard got more gnarled and tangled each day they remained at sea, while Krystelle kept her auburn hair braided due to the salt and wind. Gerhard held up his hand to stop Krystelle from joining the fray. He focused his thought, eyes shut. Sebastian bounced on his toes, wishing that whatever the old wizard would do, he’d do it faster.
With care, Gerhard extended his arms to either side, palms open to the sky. Sebastian could see the wizard’s lips moving, but wasn’t able to make out the words. A waterspout formed off the port bow, pulling the sea upward into the spinning vortex. Gerhard’s eyes snapped open, “Away from the fire!” he commanded the crew. The third mate saw what the old man intended and ordered his men to move away.
With a sweep of his arms, Gerhard sent the waterspout hurtling towards the blaze. The crew watched in awe as the fire was extinguished in moments. It was one thing to know one of your passengers was a wizard, it was quite another to see his power displayed in open defiance of the Ban.
Gerhard’s knees buckled beneath him and Krystelle just caught the man before he dropped to the deck. “My lord?” she said, concern for him painted across her brow.
“I but need to rest. Before the Ban that spell would have been child’s play. Now even the simplest of tasks requires a monumental effort.”
“Sir,” the mate stopped short a few feet away, uncertain if he should come closer. “Thank you sir. You…you saved the Gull sir. Without you, I fear we would have lost her to the fire!”
“Back to your station and leave that man be!” ordered the Captain. “There’s a mess to clean up on my deck and damage to assay.” Saluting, the mate scuttled away all the while shouting orders to the deck crew to begin recovery efforts. The captain turned back to the wizard, “We are in your debt Lord Gerhard. Fire at sea’s a dangerous thing, and that one seemed to have a life of its own. Couldn’t have the bos’n thinkin’ too hard ‘bout that fire, neither him nor the crew. Strangest thing I ever saw as if it was conjured out of nothing. One instant all was well and the next the ship was ablaze.” Cyrillus started, realizing what he was saying. “Be that as it may, I can’t have the crew getting all superstitious on me. ‘Twas strange though.”
“Strange indeed,” said Gerhard. “I must retire to my quarters to meditate on these events and what they might mean. If you would excuse me Captain?” Cyrillus nodded and turned back to supervise the clean-up efforts. He had ordered the sheets dropped when the fire broke out and wanted to assess the damage and get back under sail as fast as possible. Leaning close, Gerhard hissed to Sebastian, “No more daydreaming!” Leaving Sebastian standing there with his jaw dropping, Gerhard made his way back to the ladder leading below to the passenger quarters, one hand on Krystelle’s arm for support.
#
Sitting in a hardbacked wooden chair in a sparse room devoid of decor or warmth, Sterling Lex contemplated the small crystalline box sitting in front of him on the table. Reaching out, he waved a hand to dispel the wards protecting the box, and its contents. Not that what was inside needed protection. Opening the lid, he pulled out a black piece of silk wrapped around the obsidian stone recovered from Cenric when he had been brought to Cinaeth.
Sterling Lex unwrapped the silk to expose the dark stone and set it before him on the table. Closing the box lid, he set the silk just to the side. This stone could be the key to his plans. How fortuitous that it had fallen into his hands. It was as if the fates were aligning to bring him the victory stolen so many years before.
Reaching out with his thought, he probed the stone, seeking to understand it and its uses. It was so unlike the others, corrupted as it was from the use to which the Krenon had dedicated it for so many years. Yet it was that very corruption that suited it to his plans.
“What’s that?” the voice came from just outside the door to his chamber.
At the interruption, Sterling Lex flipped the silk cloth over the stone, hiding it from view. “Ah, Cenric,” he said, shifting toward the door. The boy had an insatiable curiosity. A curiosity that Lex would use, but had to be contained. “Nothing that need concern you.” He smiled in a grandfatherly way, gesturing to the boy. “Come in, we can continue your lessons.”
Walking into the room, Cenric sat down at the table across from Lex. The wizard could see that the spells binding the boy’s will to his own were strong. They had taken root and nothing, save perhaps one of the Eligium, could dislodge them. Cenric glanced down at the silk cloth and Lex folded it around the black stone, placing it back inside the box.
“Have you been practicing as I instructed?” This was a delicate task, but the boy was going down the road he had mapped out for him.
“I have. I’m getting really good at the spells you taught me. I think I’m ready to try them for real.”
“Good. We shall do that soon. What of the stone?”
“I did what you said, and I heard something, a name I think. Cadeyrn.”
Lex settled back. It was as he suspected. It was good he had not tried to link with the stone himself. “That is right, but it is not all. You must press in harder. Now, tell me more about your friend. The one called Sebastian. You said he used both the Sunstone and Moonstone?”
Cenric nodded, “He did. I don’t understand how though. Master Cormac taught me a little about the stones. He said the Eligium all had different characteristics. Wizards could use some and elves could use others because of the magic they had. No one should be able to use both the Sunstone and Moonstone.”
“Master Cormac taught you correctly. It is curious that Sebastian had the ability to use both stones. Almost as if he had elven blood in his ancestry.”
“I think he did,” said Cenric.
“How can that be? The elves are gone out of this world.”
“It's something the dwarf said when we were in the Ansetl-lea that makes me think that. Sebastian wasn’t very happy when he found out. But I guess it must have made him sad. He never talked about it very much.”
“What was it the dwarf said?” Lex felt an urgency to draw this story out. There was a key here to understanding the source of the young man’s power and abilities with the Elgium.
Cenric hesitated for a moment and Lex pulsed a suggestion through the threads connecting their minds. Cenric blinked twice and resumed talking, “He said Sebastian’s father was Gerlach Pwyll.”
Gerlach Pwyll was the father. That explained much. If only he could have gotten to this Sebastian earlier, he might have been a powerful ally. Lex supposed that not even Pwyll had known he had a son. The man would never have allowed Sebastian to grow up outside of his influence had he known of his birth. “I am glad you remembered that, Cenric. Knowing how important Sebastian is to you, I sent some of my men to seek him out. It seems the wizards have sent him off to Cale Uriasz.”
The words had their intended effect. Lex could see the pain and sense of betrayal in the tear that ran down Cenric’s face. “I thought he might come look for me,” said the boy.
“I’m afraid not. Perhaps he is not as good a friend as you thought? And the wizards, sending him off to the very place they should have taken you…”
That seed found fertile soil. Cenric’s head hung low, “I should have been the one to go. I always wanted to see the islands.”
“And see them you will. I promise you that.”
Cenric’s head swung up at that, “Really? Could I?”
Before he could answer, a release of power far to the east drew the sorcerer’s attention. He could not track Sebastian over the water so he had set himself a warning spell that would alert him to the use of magic out to sea. Seeking inward, he examined the signature of the magic being used. It was powerful, but unique. It had to be Sebastian. Not far enough away for the s
hip to have reached Cale Uriasz, which meant they would still be at sea. That gave him an idea. Here was a chance to remove Sebastian from the field.
“Cenric, would you like to learn how to manipulate the weather?” The boy nodded, eagerly. “Good. Come with me to the tower.”
As they climbed the steps leading to the highest point of the Cinaeth, Cenric quizzed Lex. “I thought you weren’t supposed to cast weather spells because they can get out of hand so fast?”
Sterling Lex clucked his tongue. “Just another example of those old wizards holding things back from you.” Of course, Lex knew those old wizards were quite correct. In fact, he was counting on whatever they did spiraling out of control.
Reaching the top of the tower, the two of them looked out over the sea towards the setting sun. “Now Cenric, I want you to repeat after me.” Holding up his hands, Lex began the incantation, Cenric echoing him with every phrase. He could feel the boy’s power. He had the potential to be a powerful wizard one day. Lex coveted that power and intended to harness it for his own ends. Reaching the end of the spell, both lowered their arms, considering the effect of their spell.
Lex could feel the winds shifting. It would not be long before a storm came crashing down on Sebastian and his friends. “That’s it?” asked Cenric. “What did we do?”
“Feel that shifting of the wind?”
Cenric cocked his head to the side. “I guess so…” he said.
Eligium- The Complete Series Page 20