As I stood there, I tried not to think about how magic works. Instead I focused on the contentment within me. Too bad Yosemite was so far away from home.
Thanks to Lazarus, I could see and feel both waterfalls up close and personal. The upper fall was incredible, a plunge of fourteen hundred feet, and I saw it up close as he soared back and forth near the cliff’s face. Too bad most of the others couldn’t read Lazarus’s mind, but Gill and Sequoia smiled at me.
-o-o-o-
AFTER LUNCH AT THE campsite, Laura drove us to the southwest side of the park. Just inside the park entrance, we found the access road for the Mariposa Grove, the largest collection of sequoias in Yosemite.
One of the park's biggest attractions was the Grizzly Giant Tree, and we headed there first. Unfortunately, it was too popular. The rangers had surrounded it with a fence that kept visitors dozens of feet away to keep it from being loved to death.
That wasn’t ideal for my purposes, but I sure didn't want to contribute to the death of this majestic old patriarch. While I was standing by the fence protecting it, I still felt life energy floating around me.
Birds weren’t subject to the same restrictions as people. Lazarus flew onto a branch thicker than my waist, and through him, I felt the warmth much stronger.
I stood below the eagle and soaked up as much magic as possible. My mind calmed and slowed. Although crowds of folks coming and going surrounded us, I felt like I stood alone.
I kept my eyes open and meditated on the tree. Its thirty-foot-wide trunk almost filled my vision. Like with the old coast redwoods, forest fires had blackened the lower trunk. In some places, the bark was missing completely, and the heartwood was badly charred. Luckily, this majestic being kept on growing.
Sequoia grinned at me. “I hope you are ready for an even better treat.”
“Of course.” He had his own way of doing things, and I waited for him to explain himself.
“This isn't the only ancient giant in the area,” he said. Other huge sequoias don't get nearly as much attention, and we’re allowed to touch them.”
The trail that wound its way through the grove was easy to follow, and we visited many of the massive old sentinels. I walked up to each and lightly brushed my fingers against their bark. They seemed eager to release magic into me, and my fingers, hands, and arms all seemed to glow as I drank in new strength. Best of all, Lazarus circled above, giving me his perspective on how much these giants had endured from lightning strikes and high winds. Standing in one place for thousands of years took a toll on a body.
Eventually, Gill said, “that’s probably enough tree hugging for a while. I’m starving. How about we try that steakhouse in Yosemite Village?”
He had been incredibly accommodating, so I couldn’t complain. “Sure, I’m happy to go there. Anybody else?”
Nobody objected, and Katie drove us to the steak place. Over dinner, Gill talked up the idea of heading to Las Vegas. I certainly didn’t want to go. The city had a reputation for being chock-full of sorcerers.
“How about,” I asked, “we camp somewhere nearby and those people who want to go to town can drive in with the SUV? I prefer to stay away.”
“I want to see Vegas,” Christina said. “I’ve heard a lot about it.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how a six-year-old heard about Sin City, but I didn’t ask.
Throughout dinner, we talked over the possibility, and Gill, Laura, and Christina decided to visit. Katie, Sequoia and I were going to stay at the campground.
“Because Sequoia National Park is on the way,” the Yurok brave said, “we should visit there first. Some of the trees there are much older than those here, and they are even more generous with their life energy.”
Gill nodded and nobody else disagreed.
The life energy from the sequoias had filled me up so much that I hadn’t ordered a dinner. Instead, I’d asked for a plate of French fries, and Laura was happy to share them with me. As usual, Sequoia ate nothing.
On the way out of the restaurant, the medallion zapped me. I glanced around, and the only adult approaching us was an older man with two kids. He was tall, with a thick shock of white hair. He wore a polo shirt and pressed khaki slacks. A gold watch hung on his wrist.
Behind him, a twentysomething man carried a large cloth bag. One kid kicked him in the shin, but he merely lowered his head. He had to be a slave.
I’d been looking for an opportunity to test my magic, now that I’d soaked it up, and if I won, I could release the slave from bondage. I strode up to the older man and said, “I challenge you for magical power.”
As I froze in place, he sneered at me. “You’ll regret that.” To his children, he said, “Sit and wait until I return.”
The slave sat with the children on a nearby bench.
I formed my ward by concentrating on a memory of a limestone wall at Carter Pass. For once, my barrier rose into place easily.
When the buzzing began in my ears, the sorcerer hit me with a stunning spell before I could get my own attack ready. Lucky for me, my protection held.
That’s when I realized the flaw in my plan. I couldn’t get angry at the jerk. He’d never harmed me or anyone I knew about. Other than the fact that he was a sorcerer, I had no reason to believe he’d ever harmed anyone.
Then he laughed at me. That got me pissed. “HOLARTHON, ELBO ASSOMME!”
Unfortunately, my stunning spell didn’t seem any stronger than before. It hit his barrier and got no further.
I tried to generate a second attack, but my anger was used up for the moment. He ducked into the hallway leading to the kitchen and then peeked out just enough to shoot off a lightning bolt. That flashed against my ward and disappeared.
At least my defense was holding up. I chased him around the corner, but he was gone. I peeked into the kitchen, but it was crowded with too many people. He must’ve vanished.
With my open arms, I swept the area nearby, hoping to hit him or his ward. No luck. He could come at me from any direction. I stood behind a Norfolk Island Pine in a large container. That would force him to come around to a narrow area where he could see me.
Boom. Thunder crackled in the room, but no one seemed to notice except my friends. The sorcerer had blasted me, and my attention had wavered from my ward.
I dropped to the ground, writhing. The pain was excruciating, like I’d been stabbed by a thousand needles.
I rolled on the ground trying to get beyond the pain, and, thank the gods, it soon dissipated. The man was still invisible, but I restored my own ward to keep from getting hit again. Then I used Gill’s spell to disappear.
Both me and the sorcerer were on equal terms now. The only problem was, staying invisible took huge amounts of power. I was amazed that the sorcerer could hang on as long as he had already. The jerk had to have immense power.
All I could do now was wait him out. If he lasted longer than I did, I’d raise my ward again.
The dining room was mostly full, and there were only limited places I could walk. Magic kept me from getting too close to anyone, so I wandered the room hoping to run into the sorcerer.
Dear God, I was tired. I couldn’t remain invisible any longer. My body reappeared. Not that the public could see me, but anyone magical could.
I raised my ward once more. A waiter hurried toward me, but at the last second, he veered to the right. Magic had kept him from hitting me.
Unfortunately, the sorcerer remained hidden. Lightning fired at me from my right side, but my ward held. All the magic I’d been soaking up seem to help with defense. That was a blessing.
Then the sorcerer became visible, and by now, I was pissed. “HOLARTHON, ELBO CHOQUE!”
My lightning did break through his ward, but it didn’t seem to hurt him. Before he could react, I ran at him.
He tried to get away by circling behind a table full Girl Scouts, but I was too fast for him. I caught him and pummeled the back of his head with my fists.
He
veered to the side, and at that same instant, he swung backwards with a staff that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It caught me square in the forehead and dazed me.
I had to stop, steady myself, and clear my mind. In that time, he managed to head for the door leading outside. I chased him out into the parking lot.
He didn’t fire any more spells, which told me he’d used up too much power staying invisible. With a quick burst of speed, I caught up with him again. This time, I gave him a roundhouse kick to the side. He fell to the ground, and I kept an eye out for his staff. When it reappeared, I grabbed it out of his hand and used it against him.
He crossed his arms in front of his head to protect it, and I fell on him, driving both knees into his chest.
One of his ribs crunched, and he screamed in pain.
No mercy. I pushed the end of his staff down and broke one of his arms. When I aimed for his head, he yelled, “I give up.”
The buzzing stopped. I’d won.
Laura appeared behind me, along with Gill and the others.
Christina called out, “I can see you! You beat him.”
Now that the fight was over, everyone could see me and the sorcerer. But no one else was close.
I whispered to Laura, “I’m okay. I think he’s got a cracked rib and a broken arm. Can you fix him?”
Without any fuss, she used her healing powers to put him back to right.
When she finished, I said to him, “I claim the spoils of victory.”
His power flowed into me in a surge of warmth. When it stopped, I asked, “how many slaves do you have?”
“Two,” he said. “One here, and one back in our cabin.”
“I release all your slaves.”
The slave I’d seen earlier ran forward, holding a child in each hand.
“Thank the gods,” he said. “I’m free, at last.”
He bowed before me.
“How long have you been under his power?” I asked.
Tears ran down the man’s face. “For three years, since the day he ambushed me in San Jose.”
I asked my new slave, “What is your net worth, and how do you earn your living?”
He bowed before me. “As of a few days ago, I was worth $2.34 million. I own a business that makes LED lamps.”
“Who is your other slave?”
“A woman I defeated a few months ago, she helps this man with my children.”
Because the man had been enslaved about ten times longer, I decided he deserved most of the compensation.
“You will sell all your assets, including your business, to produce as much cash as possible. Then you will give this man eight hundred thousand dollars. You will give the woman a hundred thousand dollars. You will also give Brigid’s Community Fund $1.5 million and contact Diana Murray to transfer the money.” I wrote Diana’s address and phone number on a slip of note paper.
“Are your children magical?”
For the first time, I felt fear within him.
“Yes, Master.”
I wasn’t going to let him raise a couple of sorcerers. You will move with your children to Boulder County, Colorado, and you will raise them as witches rather than sorcerers. You will contact Diana at the phone number I just gave you, and follow her directions as you would my own. Leave us now.”
My new slave, his kids, and his former slave all left together. After they were gone, my friends and Laura surrounded me. They congratulated me on the win, but I knew that I’d gotten lucky. The man was much stronger than I’d expected, and all the magic I’d absorbed hadn’t helped my attack spells.
I asked Sequoia, “Why can’t I fight better after getting stronger?”
He looked to Gill. “I’m not sure. I don’t think that the magic we’re collecting helps with fighting. I can hardly create a lightning bolt at all. This life energy we’re receiving is protective, not aggressive.”
Gill took my hand in his. “I’ve got to agree with our Yurok brave. This magic is wholly different than Holar’s. At least your fighting magic isn’t getting any weaker. That was my big worry. We’ll have to sort out what this means.”
Chapter 12
Friday, May 3rd
IT TOOK US ALL morning to get from Yosemite to the Giant Grove in Sequoia National Park. This park teemed with giant trees, many more than Yosemite. Like most tourists, we were most interested in the biggest and oldest trees. Something about this part of the Sierras was especially favorable for longevity, but damned if I could tell what it was.
The largest tree in the world, the General Sherman Tree, towered above us in all its majesty. Again, to keep this extraordinary specimen from being loved to death, the Park service had fenced it off to keep people from walking over its roots.
It was 34 feet across at the base and 275 feet tall. The park estimated its age at twenty-four hundred years, which meant that this tree had started growing before Jesus walked the earth. It was tough to get my mind around that thought.
Lazarus landed on a branch that was over four feet thick. Through him, I could feel the tree glowing with magic. It flowed into him, and from him to me.
Sequoia smiled at me and whispered, “I confess I have snuck past the barrier to touch the trunk. It’s an amazing experience, isn’t it?”
I nodded, because I could hardly speak.
I lost track of time, but Gill eventually cleared his throat. “Today, it would be better for you to concentrate on reestablishing your connection to the gods. These ancient beings are all constantly connected to the Infinite. Let’s walk to trees we can touch, including the oldest sequoia.”
Our group followed the Congress Trail, which led past many ancient trees, including the oldest of all, the President Tree. The park service estimated its age at 3200 years.
I walked up to it and gently laid my fingertips against its rough, dark bark. Its warmth from life energy was much stronger than for the General Sherman Tree. As I stood, power flowed strongly through my hands and arms, warming my entire body. It felt like I was standing under a hot shower. The flow was powerful and almost burned me from the inside out.
I closed my eyes and stood transfixed. This tree had survived since the time of the Trojan War. When Paris and Achilles fought their battles, this tree was already tall and strong.
Lazarus soared into the crown of the tree and landed. What struck me most about his vantage point was how dry this area happened to be. These trees must’ve survived endless cycles of drought and fire.
Eventually, Laura gently touched me on the shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I took a deep breath and returned my thoughts to the ground. “Never better. What do you feel when you touch the tree?”
She gave me a nervous laugh. “To be honest, not much. I’m stirred inside by the strength and majesty of these ancient beings, but I’m not feeling any magic.”
“Me either,” Christina said.
“Touch my hand, Laura,” I said. “See if you can feel it through me.”
She did as I asked, and she beamed. “Wow! I never would’ve imagined something that strong. No wonder you’re wandering around here like you’re drunk.”
Soon everyone in our group but Sequoia had wandered off. He and I stood in front of the President Tree and drank in power.
“I’m a bit worried about overdoing it,” I said.
“Ignore the life energy,” he said. “Instead, focus on the low vibration that’s the connection to the Infinite. Make the link and then try to hold onto it as we move from tree to tree.”
The magic was damned appealing, but I felt like I’d eaten an entire box of chocolates in one setting. Instead of grabbing more, I let my mind clear.
While I touched the President Tree, it was easy to concentrate. The outside world slipped away, and it was just the two of us, alone on Earth. My fingertips began to pick up the low vibration resonating in the trunk. Low and slow, like a train rumbling through the grove.
Eventually, I noticed Sequoia
standing next to me, and I had no idea how long he’d been there.
“This is probably a good time to visit one more of nature’s masterpieces,” he said. “This next tree is special. Hang onto the Infinite as we move along.”
He led me and the others to a massive trunk that had broken off about a hundred feet above the ground. My connection to the gods faltered as I let go of the President Tree, but the vibration continued so faintly that I thought it might just be my imagination.
Sequoia whispered to us, “My favorite giant in this grove is the Washington Tree. It was once the second-largest tree in the world by volume. In 2003, though, the Park service let a lightning fire burn in this area. This tree’s trunk was already hollow back then, because of long-ago fires, and the latest blaze burned more inside the tree.”
I didn’t know whether the park service had screwed up, but I felt a pang for the suffering of this ancient being.
“It was greatly weakened,” Sequoia continued. “In 2005, its trunk snapped in half under a heavy snow load. Even now, shattered, it’s still alive. I find that incredibly inspiring.”
Most of its branches had broken off with the top half, but the tree was still alive. A dozen large branches continued to grow with green needles visible from the ground.
I asked, “Can the tree continue to survive like this?”
“On one of my past visits,” Sequoia said, “a park ranger told me it could live for centuries still. Other giant sequoias that have been damaged worse are still alive. These ancients are as tough as hell.”
I knew what it was like to take a massive hit and keep on living. All my closest family members had been murdered by two sorcerers last September. I still owed one of the bastards, Raul Escobar, a reckoning on that score. Accordingly, I felt a special kinship for this wounded, struggling giant.
I stood before the tree and touched it with particular care. Again, I ignored the life energy that radiated outward and concentrated instead on the low rumbling. Because I hadn’t really lost the connection from before, it strengthened in me right away. The connection was powerful enough to make my knees wobble.
Vengeance (The Sorcerers' Scourge Series Book 3) Page 11