“Shush,” Simon said irritably. He saw several of the crew watching him and realized that they must know that he was a wizard. He wondered if they were waiting for him to 'save the day' as Aeris had said.
Yeah, no pressure, guys, he thought nervously and walked away from the cannon to get a little privacy.
The captain was directing her men to reset the weapon and get it ready for a second shot. The other machine's crew signaled that they were prepared to fire when the captain ordered it.
“That will buy you some time to come up with a solution,” Aeris told him with a nod at the pair of cannons. He sounded more serious now.
“Great. The problem is that I don't have any spells that will affect something that large. Lightning and Fire-based spells would be neutralized by the water. Ice spells might freeze the water, but the damned turtle won't even notice. It will just plow right through. And it's salt water; probably wouldn't work anyway.”
What do I do? What the hell do I do?
His thoughts began running in circles and he was getting nowhere when a tug on his robe got his attention.
“Might I make a suggestion, master?”
Simon looked down at Kronk. The little guy met his eyes with his fiery gaze.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Just this, master. Remember what your strength is. You are an elementalist. Use that to your advantage.”
They stared at each other for a long moment and the sounds around Simon seemed to become muted. Something clicked in his mind and he nodded at the earthen with a grateful smile.
“Thanks Kronk. I might have panicked just a bit there. You're right; it's time to go with my strengths.”
He moved even further away from the cannon to an area on deck of relative quiet. Kronk and Aeris lagged behind to give him some space.
Simon raised his staff and focused his thoughts on what he needed. Then he cleared his throat and brought the butt of the staff down firmly on the deck. The deck plates rang dully and Mortis de Draconis began to glow with a gentle blue aura.
“Anaposus, I need you,” he said in a firm voice.
A damp wind slid by his face and a dense patch of foggy vapor suddenly appeared and swirled on the ground in front of him.
It coalesced into a humanoid figure made of water about a foot tall. The elemental was graceful and delicate and her body rippled as it moved. The features were feminine and quite beautiful.
She looked around with interest and smiled at Kronk and Aeris.
“Sir wizard, you summoned me?” she asked with a low bow.
“Hello Ana. Thanks for coming. How are you?”
“I am very well, thank you,” she replied politely. “And how are you, lord?”
Simon sighed. He hated being called that but, just like Kronk's habit of calling him master, he'd given up trying to convince Ana to stop saying it.
“I'm actually in a bit of trouble here, Ana, and I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.”
“A favor? Yes, of course. You honor me, my lord.”
“Don't say that yet,” he told her. “I need a name.”
Ana appeared perplexed. She looked at Aeris and Kronk but they both seemed confused as well.
“A name, sir wizard? Whose name?”
“I have no idea. I need the services of a powerful water elemental. Not as powerful as Aquamastis, obviously; he's one in a million.”
“That he is, my lord.”
“But I need one who is as powerful as it is possible for me to summon. And I need that elemental to want to come and help me; I refuse to force any of your people into servitude. Oh and I need that person right now.”
Ana was caught off-guard.
“Now?”
“Now. This ship is about to be smashed to pieces by a very large turtle and I'd really like to stop it. There aren't enough of my people left in this world and I don't want to lose a hundred of them in one attack.”
“I see.”
Ana's attention was drawn to the busy groups of crewmen working on weapons. They were almost ready to fire and Simon and the others turned to watch as well.
“Are you both lined up?” Captain Martelli bellowed at the crews.
“Aye captain.”
“Fire!”
Both cannons blazed with silver fire and belched their missiles toward the attacking monster. Simon held his breath. He couldn't see the turtle from where he stood on the deck and waited for the captain's reaction.
“A hit and a miss! Gods damn it!” she cursed vehemently.
“But it's turned aside, captain,” one of the crew called to her.
“For now. I think we've just pissed it off. Reload! If we hit it enough times, maybe it will veer off for good.”
She didn't sound very optimistic.
“I see the problem, sir wizard,” Ana said as she returned her attention to Simon. “This ship's weapons cannot stop the creature.”
“Exactly. So I need a better weapon. Can you help me?”
“Hmm.”
The water elemental looked vaguely at the agitated crew. She appeared to be deep in thought and Simon held his tongue and waited.
“My lord, I am a minor member of my race,” Ana said after a moment. “Most elementals at my level of power do not associate with those of greater strength; both of my friends here can attest to that.”
She motioned at Kronk and Aeris.
Before they could confirm her statement, Simon nodded his understanding.
“I know that. But you knew Aquamastis, one of the most powerful of your people. I have a feeling that you are, perhaps, a bit more socially active than most elementals of your station.”
She stared at him for a moment and then smiled demurely.
“You are a very observant man, my lord. I do have a rather large circle of friends that I have gathered over the millennia, it's true. And there is one that I am acquainted with, quite powerful, who could be amenable to your request. But she might be a trifle...irked by my giving you her name. She might see it as a betrayal; certainly she would be insulted.”
Simon squatted down so that he was closer to eye level with the elemental.
“But Ana, I know from my friends here,” he nodded at Kronk and Aeris, “that your kind gets bored over time. Immortality can be a double-edged sword. Perhaps something new, like saving a group of humans, might appeal to your friend?”
“You make an excellent point, my lord. Yes, that sort of thing might very well be interesting to her. I think it is worth risking her displeasure. But she is one who will not bend to your will, sir wizard. Please try not to offend her.”
Simon stood up and smiled down at Ana.
“I wouldn't dream of it. Now, the name, please. We are running out of time.”
Ana hesitated and then pushed back her shoulders and took a deep breath.
“Her name is Vepolas, my lord.”
“Thank you. Okay, everyone stand back and give me some room. Let's see how this goes.”
The three elementals retreated as Simon moved closer to the stern of the ship, where there were no people except the mage, Barnaby. Behind him, the captain and crew were frantically reloading the weapons and he knew that the clock was ticking.
He grounded Mortis de Draconis, tried to calm his breathing and looked at an open point on the deck.
“Vepolas, I summon you,” he said firmly.
Power flowed from the core of his body, down his right arm and into the staff. The weapon vibrated and tilted forward until it was pointing at the deck. Its tip rotated in a small circle, faster and faster.
A dense fog billowed up from the metal deck, as thick as smoke, and began to swirl in time with the staff. Faster and thicker, the fog threw off water droplets and the deck was quickly soaked with liquid. This was sucked back into the vortex and it grew taller until it towered over Simon.
The fog was almost black when it finally coalesced and stopped spinning. It dissipated like smoke and standing in its place,
sending out rainbow rays of color, was a water elemental.
Like Ana, the elemental looked graceful and feminine, but she was over seven feet tall and her rippling form was powerful. She looked around haughtily.
“Anaposus! What is the meaning of this?” she thundered.
Simon realized that the ship had become very quiet suddenly and looked around.
Barnaby was gaping at the water elemental from where he stood at the very stern of the ship. The crewmen and the captain had stopped loading the cannon and were watching as well. They seemed to be mesmerized by Vepolas' sudden appearance.
Captain Martelli was the first to regain her focus and she began shouting at her people.
“Get your asses back in the game!” she roared. “That blasted turtle doesn't care about a wizard's tricks. Load the cannon!”
They got back to work while Vepolas watched them with some interest.
“What is happening here, Ana?” she asked in a calmer tone. “Why have I been summoned?”
“I'm sorry if you are upset, old friend,” Ana replied politely. “But we needed help and you were the first one who came to mind.”
“Was I? I'm flattered.”
Vepolas actually did sound pleased and she finally looked directly at Simon. He had a strange feeling that she had been avoiding his eyes for a moment, but he wasn't quite sure why.
“So, you are the summoner, are you?” she asked in a regal voice.
Simon bowed slightly.
“I am, yes. My name is Simon O'Toole and I'm very pleased to meet you.”
“Hmm, yes, of course you are. So you are a wizard. And what do you want? Your kind always wants something, don't you? Allow me to politely warn you that if you try to bind me to your will, I shall destroy you. Now, continue.”
She said it so casually that Simon lost his train of thought for a moment as the threat sank in. Ana stepped in immediately.
“That was not polite, Vepolas. Just the opposite, actually. Do you know who this wizard is? Have you not been watching events on Earth?”
“Oh, now and then. They are like so many ants, really, these mortals. Scurrying about, building their little nests. Why bother with them?”
Arrogant bitch, Simon thought with sudden anger. We're wasting our time.
“Ana, I think this was a mistake. Maybe I'll call on Aquamastis instead. If nothing else, he at least is less difficult to deal with than your friend here.”
Vepolas scowled and then seemed to absorb what Simon had said.
“What? Aquamastis? Who are you that you know the great one?”
Ana seemed to shake with exasperation. Her body rippled and stretched like watery jelly.
“Are you so far removed from the events in this world that you do not know of this wizard?” she asked sharply. “He is the one that gave Aquamastis his new river domain. Together they destroyed two primal dragons.”
She waited for Vepolas to process what she had said and continued.
“I wonder what he would say if he knew how you were treating a friend of his?”
The large water elemental was staring from Ana to Simon and back again. She suddenly seemed quite nervous.
“I..I, yes, of course. Now I recognize the name,” she stuttered. “Forgive me, it has been many years since I have interacted with mortals. I...may be lacking in the social graces. Any friend of the mighty Aquamastis is a friend of mine.”
She actually bowed slightly and Aeris slyly winked at Simon.
“Thank you, Vepolas. I appreciate that. And in the spirit of our new friendship, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. It's actually why I asked Ana to recommend a reliable friend when I asked for her help.”
“Oh? She said I was reliable? Well now, that was nice of you, little one.”
Ana just shrugged irritably.
“We'll see. I might have made the wrong choice. Perhaps I should have called on Delphus instead.”
Vepolas' eyes widened and she practically spluttered.
“Delphus? That fool? She's practically mindless; always bowing and scraping around her betters. Bah! You made the right choice. Sir wizard, tell me what you need. If it is within my power, I will gladly do a favor for a friend of Aquamastis.”
Simon was working hard not to laugh. Ana had played the pompous elemental like a master fiddler and now she was actually eager to help. But time was at a premium right now and that was anything but funny.
“Well, here's the problem,” he told her and began walking toward the starboard railing. “This ship is the home of some of my people and right now it is under attack by a sea monster.”
Vepolas followed him. When she walked, her footsteps sounded like someone slogging through a muddy puddle in rubber boots. She joined the wizard at the railing and looked out at the distant wall of water that marked yet another attack by the stubborn creature.
“A sea monster, you say? Interesting. What kind is it?”
“A giant turtle, I'm told. I haven't actually gotten a good look at it. My problem is that I have no spells that work in very well in water. Well, my ice-based spells might work, but the damned turtle is too big. At best, I might just make it angrier.”
“I see.”
The elemental looked down at him and raised one watery eyebrow.
“And you want me to do what? Kill it?”
Her tone warned Simon that her aid might hinge on his answer and he replied carefully.
“Not necessarily,” he answered as he watched the massive wave approaching. It was increasing in speed as it came.
“I just want the attacks to stop. If it can be done without harming the creature, so much the better. I have no idea why the thing is even bothering this ship, but it deserves to live as much as we do.”
He must had said the right thing, because Vepolas smiled broadly, the first time she had done so. She was quite beautiful when she wasn't scowling.
“I am pleased that you value life, sir wizard. Killing is easy for some. And for some, it is the first choice, not the last. I have no respect for those who think like that. So, let me take care of this irritation for you. We will speak again afterward. I may have a way to make this vessel less attractive to giant turtles.”
Without waiting for an answer, Vepolas leaped over the railing and shot into the ocean like a bullet. There was no splash as she hit the water and she seemed to have effortlessly merged with the sea.
“What is she going to do, master?” Kronk asked anxiously.
He was standing at the railing and peeking through it at the attacking monster. Ana stood next to him while Aeris floated a few feet above them.
“I have no clue,” the wizard replied. “She didn't say. Ana? Any ideas?”
“None, my lord. But for all her mercurial temper, Vepolas is a very powerful creature. Vain and proud but quite strong. If she says that she can deal with that monster, I would tend to believe her.”
“Well, let's hope she does it soon,” Aeris said nervously. “That turtle is about ten seconds away from sending this ship to a watery grave.”
Chapter 12
Simon hurried over to tell the captain what was happening. She and her crew shot the magical cannon just as he reached her and there was a collective groan from all of them.
“We missed? How the hell could we miss?” she shouted and banged her fist against the side of the weapon.
“Captain? Captain!” Simon said loudly to get her attention.
“What?”
She whirled around to glare at him and then seemed to realize who she was snapping at.
“Oh, wizard. Sorry. I'm a bit frazzled right now. What is it?”
Before Simon could answer, the mage, Phoenix, pointed out to sea, staring incredulously.
“The monster is turning away,” she yelled excitedly. “It's turning!”
Everyone rushed to the railing to look for the attacking turtle. The mage was correct. And now that the creature wasn't attacking them head-on, Simon could finally get a good lo
ok at it.
The pointed head with its huge, flat eyes towered a dozen feet above the surface of the ocean. It reminded the wizard of a submarine's periscope, but was so much bigger. He could only imagine the size of the submerged body.
The turtle executed a gentle, wide curve that took it away from the ship and off to the north. A few minutes later, the head sank beneath the waves and was gone.
On deck, a stunned silence followed the retreat of the monster. People waited to see if it was a trick but the creature did not return.
Finally the crew seemed to realize that they were safe and there were relieved cheers and hugs. The captain congratulated her people and turned back to Simon.
“Sorry about that. Now, where were we? Ah yes. Did I see you with a rather large elemental earlier?”
“You did.”
The two of them walked away from the din of the celebrating crewmen so that they could hear each other. They were followed by the three elementals. Aeris was actually walking for a change, chatting quietly with Ana and Kronk.
“That water elemental was responsible for diverting the turtle,” Simon told Deborah. “Although how she did it is a mystery to me.”
“She? Interesting.”
The captain looked at Kronk and the others chatting away and lowered her voice.
“I didn't realize that such creatures had sexes. So that big one is female. I wonder what she did to lure the turtle away. And will it come back? It would have set my mind at ease if it had been killed, to tell you the truth.”
“And what purpose would that have served?” a watery voice asked.
Simon and the captain turned around and saw Vepolas flow up and over the edge of the deck. She coalesced into her humanoid form that towered over the rest of them and looked down her watery nose at Deborah.
“Why are you humans so bloodthirsty? Is it not enough that the danger is passed? Do you need blood on the water to feel victorious?”
The captain flushed but didn't shrink away from the large elemental.
“Of course not. But we have seen these monsters before. They are tenacious and stubbornly return to attack again and again.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 55