by Jamie Davis
Each time they stopped, the hair on the back of Hal’s neck stood on end and a chill went down his spine. He felt like someone was watching them. But as soon as they started moving again, the feeling went away.
After the third time it happened, Hal decided it must be his imagination.
He was wrong.
The attack hit them as they arrived at the wharf where the Sea Sprite was docked. Hal’s lucky slots started spinning for no reason. It gave him a split second’s warning. He shouted for everyone to duck, spotting the man casting a fireball in their direction.
A flaming missile the size of a basketball sizzled past them, striking the side of a warehouse, setting it ablaze with a violent explosion.
Hal jumped to his feet and started to use his fire spray spell when he realized the mage would not only be expecting that but would be able to resist it, too. Instead, Hal cast his plant growth spell –– focusing on some seaweed he saw at the water’s edge.
A few seconds later the mage hunter was staggering around with a long strand of seaweed choking the air from his neck as it pulled him towards the edge of the seawall. He toppled over the stone wall into the water, the choking seaweed pulling him down to the depths of the harbor.
2,500 experience awarded
Hal pointed to their vessel.
“Toby, get the bags to the ship and tell the captain to cast off. We’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m going with you?”
“You can’t go back home now. The hunters know you helped us. Now go!”
The boy pushed the cart down the wharf while Theran and Hal fired spell after spell back at their attackers. Kay crouched behind a stone wall, trying to stay out of the line of fire. This wasn’t a fight she could do much about. They didn't have a crossbow or other missile weapon for her to use.
Hal cut loose an ice lance that skewered a mage leveling a wand at Theran. The four-foot shaft of ice hit him in the chest killing him instantly.
2,500 experience awarded
“Kay, you can’t do anything here,” Hal called out. “Go with Toby and help him load our gear onto the ship.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. Don’t be long; no captain is going to want to stick around for long with all this random magic flying around his ship.
Theran pointed to a dozen armed men with crossbows coming towards the end of the wharf as they retreated to the ship.
Hal was about to try another ice lance when his staff’s crystal blinked with a white light. It seemed to be trying to tell him something. He got an idea and leveled the staff and crystal towards the end of the wharf at the oncoming hunters.
Softball sized hunks of ice launched from the end of the staff in rapid succession while Hal channeled his ice magic down the shaft into the crystal.
He sprayed the chunks back and forth for about ten seconds. When he was finished, all the hunters were down. Judging from his experience notifications, his attack killed several of them.
2,500 experience awarded
2,500 experience awarded
2,500 experience awarded
New spell learned: hail
“That won’t stop them for long.” Theran yelled. He pointed to another group of mages gathering on a pier parallel to theirs.
The fire mage launched a fireball at the clustered enemies. It blasted the group apart, flinging several into the waters of the harbor. If they didn’t drown, the water probably saved their lives by dousing the flames on their clothing.
Hal shook his head. He was already exhausted from his energy expenditures during practice. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of the hunter's spells broke through their defenses.
“We have to get to the ship and hold them off long enough for the captain to get us out of range.”
“Agreed, lad. I have an idea that should hold them long enough for us to reach the ship.”
Theran took two steps forward and raised his arms over his head. A massive wall of flames burst from the cobblestones at the end of the pier, creating a barrier of fire to hold their enemies at bay.
Taking advantage of the barrier, Hal and Theran bolted from their shelter to the ship, running up the gangplank as the captain was preparing to pull it in.
“You made it just in time,” Captain Barnes snarled. “I wasn’t going to wait for them to set my ship ablaze. I don’t know what you all have gotten yourselves into, but I’m going to charge Tracker double what he offered me to take you on this voyage.”
“Never mind that, Captain,” Hal offered. “I’ll make up the difference with a bonus when we get to Tandon.”
The captain nodded and started bellowing orders to his crew while Hal, Kay, Theran, and Toby watched the fires burning along the harbor’s edge.
Theran pointed at Hal’s staff.
“Nice work with that. I noticed the scrying crystal mounted on it, but I didn’t know you could use it to magnify spells that way. No one I know of has ever tried such a thing.”
“It was news to me, too. I figured it was worth a try, though. I was getting so tired and didn’t have much energy left to cast.”
“Neither did I, to be honest. That wall of fire was the last trick I had up my sleeve. If any of the bastards had made it through before I cast it, we’d have been fighting up close and personal. I’ve never been much use in that kind of fight. I prefer to keep my enemies at a comfortable distance.”
Toby leaned out over the rail watching the city recede into the distance. The glow of the fires lit the horizon.
Hal hoped the city’s inhabitants managed to quench the flames before too much damage was done. It was a nice place and didn’t deserve to get caught up in the affairs of the rest of the world.
“Sorry we had to bring you with us, Toby. I was afraid to leave you behind to fall into the clutches of the Emperor’s people.”
The boy wiped a tear from his eye and puffed up his chest.
“I always wanted an adventure like in the stories. I guess this is my chance.”
Hal tousled Toby’s hair and laughed.
“You’ll be alright, kid. As long as you keep that attitude, the world is yours to conquer.”
Toby brightened at the praise and together the two of them stood at the rail as the Sea Sprite sailed into the night.
Quest completed — escape Morton Creek
7,500 experience awarded
22
After two days at sea, the four companions settled into a routine. Each day, Kay spent time teaching Toby basic sword work and Hal and Theran headed to the forecastle where Hal would continue his work on mastering fire magic. At the end of their session on day two, Theran pointed to Hal’s staff.
“Ever since you used that thing to magnify your spell casting back in Morton Creek, I've been thinking there might be a way to infuse magic inside it permanently.”
“What do you mean?”
“It obviously has magic qualities related to earth and ice magic, and you were able to channel ice magic to cast a spell through it. It stands to reason that there might be the possibility of storing certain spells in the staff for use at a time when your energy was depleted.”
Hal considered what Theran said. It made sense, but he had a concern.
“Wouldn't tinkering with the inherent magic of the staff risk destroying it?”
“That is possible. I think, however, the wood and the crystal are stronger than just about anything we could throw at it. You said the staff came from the heart of one of the great elven trees. The crystal itself is a legendary relic of the past. Together the two are far stronger than they are apart.”
“How would we go about infusing them with permanent magic?”
“I know how I would do it if I were to infuse fire magic,” Theran said. I’d find an active volcano and dip the crystal in molten lava while casting the spells I want to store directly at the staff. The extreme temperature of the lava coupled with the magical nature of the crystal and the spells cast would combine to fuse the magic inside staf
f. At least, that's the theory I have.”
“It seems like a bit of a longshot.”
Theran shrugged. “If it were me, I'd give it a try. There is a lot on the line in our battle against the Emperor.”
Hal thought about it. Making the staff even more powerful would be a nice addition to his arsenal.
“Where would we even find an active volcano close by?”
“If we detour out to sea, away from the coast, there is an island well known for its smoking mountain. That has to be a volcano and an active one at that.”
Hal gripped his staff in both hands and considered the idea Theran posed. After staring out over the waves for several minutes, he turned back to his instructor.
“I agree, I think it's worth the risk, too. Let's go talk to the captain.”
Capt. Barnes was in his cabin, as was his custom this time of day. Hal knocked on the door and waited for a reply.
“Come in.”
Entering the captain’s cabin at the stern of the ship, Hal marveled at the spectacular view of the sea and horizon the man had from the windows across the rear wall of his cabin.
The captain sat behind his desk, charts laid out before him, making notations and measurements. He looked up as they entered.
“Ah, Masters Dix and Theran, what may I do for you this fine morning?”
“We have a request about a detour. We were wondering if you knew anything about an island in these waters said to have a smoking mountain.”
The captain leaned back in his chair and stared at his ceiling.
“I seem to remember tales of such a place. It lies to the south of our current position. Let me see if I have a chart that shows it.”
The captain opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out several rolled up maps, looking at each one until he found the one he sought.
“Here it is.”
The captain stabbed a finger down on a small dot in the middle of a large ocean.
“It doesn't look very big,” Hal said.
“Oh, it's not. But I do have it on the chart so it's there. Do you want me to change course and make way to the island? There would, of course, be an additional fee involved.”
“Of course,” Hal agreed. “My companion here seems to think going to this island is important for our quest.”
The captain nodded.
“That's up to you two. I can get you there; the quest will be yours to accomplish. It should take us about five days out of our way and will deplete the supplies I'd laid on for the shorter voyage to Tandon. We should be able to forage for provisions once we get there, however.”
“Make way to the island, then. Theran and I have preparations to make.”
Quest accepted — energize the crystal and staff in the volcano
“I'll pass along the new orders and course changes to the helmsman. Good day gentlemen.”
Hal and Theran left the captain's cabin to make their preparations as well. They had to decide what spells to prepare and how they would protect themselves from the volcano's extreme heat itself.
———
Favorable trade wins shaved a day off their travel time and Hal awoke on the morning of the fifth day and went up on deck to see the island off the starboard side of the Sea Sprite. That was the first thing he noticed. The second thing he noticed was the group of small outrigger canoes carrying groups of natives paddling out to their ship.
The captain came up next to Hal with the spyglass scanning the oncoming canoes.
“Do you think they mean us harm?” Hal asked.
“Not sure. I can't see evidence they are armed. They might be just coming out to greet us. I'm sure they don't get many ships out this way. They probably just want to trade with us.”
“I’ll go below and gather my companions. If the natives prove friendly, we can go ashore with them instead of bothering you for a lift ashore.”
The Captain grunted in agreement and Hal left to go below decks. He knocked on the cabin door where Kay and Toby stayed. Toby pulled the door open with a big grin on his face.
“Did you see the island? We could see it out the porthole. There's a bunch of people coming out to the ship, too.”
“Yes, Toby, that is why I came down to get you. Gather your things. We are going ashore.”
Kay was already dressed in her armor.
“I'm going to get Theran, so I'll meet you and Toby up on deck,” Hal said.
“We will be ready when you are.”
Hal smiled and turned to the other side of the hall to knock on Theran’s door. He never got the chance, because Theran was already coming out. He, too, was dressed and ready to go. Together, Hal and Theran headed back up the stairs.
When Hal got back up on deck, the captain was entertaining a group of four natives. There was a lot of bowing and head bobbing going on while the captain struggled to understand what they were saying.
“What are they trying to say, Capt. Barnes?” Hal asked.
The captain took off his hat and scratched his forehead.
“They are either trying to invite us to the island or they want us to go away. I am not sure which.”
“There's a big difference between the two, Captain. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do. Now hush so I can try to understand what they are saying. The language is similar to other islanders in the region and I'm trying to get a handle on this particular dialect.”
After ten more minutes of back-and-forth wrangling and hand gestures, the captain announced the natives were inviting guests to come ashore with them. Kay seemed to be apprehensive at the idea, but Hal overruled her. If they could make friends with the natives, one of the islanders could guide them to the volcano.
Kay shook her head.
“I hope you know what you're getting into, Hal. This is just the kind of thing that can go from good to bad in a heartbeat.”
“Have a little faith, Kay. All we need is a little luck, and luck is right up my alley.”
She didn't reply. All she did was check her weapons one more time then headed to the side of the ship, ready to climb down into one of the canoes.
Kay and Toby rode in one canoe while Hal and Theran settled into another. Soon they were paddling along with the natives. Others paddled to shore in the boats alongside them. Their new friends were smiling and jabbering amongst themselves in an excited tone. Their smiles where infectious. Hal found himself smiling and nodding along with them even though he couldn't understand a word they said.
When they reached the beach, the fellow in the front of their canoe jumped out and pulled at the bow until it beached on the soft white sand. Hal and Karen climbed out, jumping down into the ankle-deep water of the lagoon. There were palm trees and other lush tropical vegetation not too far from the edge of the beach.
More natives came rushing out of the jungle and for a moment Hal prepared to defend himself. It proved unnecessary, though. These folks were just as friendly as the ones who’d come out to the ship.
The four companions followed a procession of the islanders as they streamed back up the trail that led to their village. Looking up, Hal could see the cone of the volcano rising in the distance. Smoke rose in a dark pillar from the center of the peak.
When they arrived in the village, a feast was already laid out with roasted pig, chicken, fresh tropical fruit, and coconut mugs full of some strange tasting beverage. It was like they were expecting guests, or they had arrived during some sort of planned celebration.
Hal leaned over to Theran and whispered, “Too bad there isn't some sort of magic that can translate languages.”
“Oh, there is. That, however, falls under the school of wind magic. I'm sure Tildi would know exactly what these people are saying.”
A man in an elaborate headdress approached them with a big grin. He held up his coconut mug and drank from it. Realizing it might be some sort of custom, Hal held up his coconut mug along with his companions, and they all took drinks as well.
He
expected it to taste like coconut milk, but it was more like some sort of fruit wine. It also had a strange aftertaste. He didn't want to be rude, though, so he took a drink whenever the headman took lifted his cup. The others followed suit.
It wasn’t the first mistake they made with the islanders, but it was a big one. Hal realized they’d miscalculated their hosts’ intentions as soon as the dizziness started. It was already too late at that point. The drugged wine took affect and soon all four companions slumped over into unconsciousness.
23
Hal awoke to the sound of drums. First, he thought it was just the pounding in his head. But he was wrong. As the fog lifted from his drugged mind, Hal realized they were actual drums coming from the villagers somewhere nearby.
He tried to rise to his feet but stopped when he realized his hands and fee feet were tied up. The harder he pulled, the tighter the rope wrapped around his hands and feet got. A groan nearby alerted Hal he wasn't alone.
Craning his neck so he could see all around the hut, Hal spotted the source of the groaning. It was Kay. She was tied up just as he was. She lay on the dirt floor only a few feet away from where he was. Other than Kay, he was alone. He wondered where Toby and Theran were.
“Kay, wake up,” Hal hissed.
Hal watched as Kay slowly opened her eyes. When she realized she was tied up, she started to struggle against the bonds.
“What's going on, Hal. The last thing I remember was drinking that coconut wine with the chief of the village.”
“It must've been drugged. I guess these natives weren't as friendly as we thought.”
“You think?”
“There's no time for snark, Kay. We've got to figure out where Toby and Theran are. I wonder why they weren't put in here with us. It has me worried.”
Hal heard Kay grunting as she struggled with her bonds. She soon gave up.
“I can't get free, Hal. Is there anything you can do? Maybe a spell?”