“As we make our way farther south, I am hoping the shimmering field will become less of an issue.” He directed his last comments to his apprentices. “I still don’t want you two to perform any magic without my direct permission.”
Two heads bobbed affirmative.
“I just checked on how my wife and son are doing, they and Aleya are fine and remain in Meliana’s father’s care.”
“That’s good,” and other affirmations cycled throughout the room.
“In the morning,” he began then turned to Scar, “providing all are able to ride, we’ll head with all due speed to the coast and take ship to Corillian. With luck we should be there within the week.”
Jira clapped and Jiron hushed her.
“What then?” Shorty asked.
“Then we get the women to safety. After that, we turn this world upside down to find the one that attacked my home.”
“I still think it was Lord Cytok,” Scar said. “He’s been itching to kill you since the war.”
Jiron shook his head. “No. If he had a mage of that power under his command, he would have unleashed him on the other warlords by now and set himself up as Emperor. It’s definitely someone else.”
“All these things must be connected.”
All eyes turned to Miko.
He turned to James. “The attack on your island, the shimmering field, perhaps even poor Eddra I feel are somehow connected.”
“What makes you think that?”
“A mage of awesome power hitherto unknown makes an appearance to attack you. Then a shimmering field appears that directly affects your magic. A cow that does magic? Related? I would think so.”
“Cow?” Azhan asked then grew silent when James shot him an impatient look.
“And Eddra?” asked Father Vickor. “How does she play into all this?”
“That I do not know. She may not figure into this in any way. She may simply be a poor old woman upon whom a village vented their fear.”
“She’s odd,” Shorty said, “I’ll grant you.”
“I think she’s nice,” Jira announced.
Jiron smiled and patted her on the head.
“Does anyone have any thoughts on these matters?” James asked. His gaze roved over each until lingering on his apprentices who shook their heads.
“Alright then. I’m hungry. Let’s go down and eat.”
They found Father Keller and Eddra already in the common room.
Eddra looked small and frail sitting across from the priest.
James came and sat at their table. “How are you doing, Eddra?”
She glanced at him, her one good eye met his and held his gaze for a moment before returning to her soup.
“She had some energy this evening so thought to bring her out here and see if it might help.”
“And how’s it going?” James asked.
“No change,” Father Keller replied.
When Miko joined them at the table, she set her spoon down into her bowl and reached out to him. She then spoke a few words.
Miko gently took her hand and spoke a few words in reply.
She let go and returned to slowly eating her soup.
James arched an eyebrow questioningly.
“She called me Marzan and asked if the pigs had been brought in,” he explained. “I told her they had been and that seemed to satisfy her.” Then he turned to Father Vickor. “Marzan… has she mentioned the name before?”
“No, Reverend Father. Most times her words are jumbled and make no sense.”
Miko sat back. “Interesting. Must be someone from her past.”
Eddra glanced around to those at her table, and then set the spoon into her bowl. For a moment everyone waited to see what she would do, then her good eye closed and her head bobbed forward.
Getting to his feet, Father Keller moved around to her side. “I guess it’s to bed for us.” He very gently tapped her on the shoulder to wake her. When her head came up he held out a hand. She took it and stood. “See you in the morning.”
James watched the pair walk slowly toward the hallway leading to their room with Father Keller’s arm wrapped around her back for support.
“What do you plan to do with her?”
He turned to Jiron. “I hadn’t really given it much thought.”
“There are places the elderly are taken that are used to those in her condition.”
“And do we have time to find one?” James asked. “Besides that, some are pretty bad, or so my grandparents told me. Here in the Empire, I would hate to think what her fate would be should we abandon her to one. I’m hoping Kendrick will know of a place in Corillian that will treat her well.”
“If they know that, uh, you are taking an interest her care and well-being, I would think any place would treat her with the utmost consideration,” Shorty said.
“While I am in the area, perhaps,” James replied. “But I shall worry about that when we get there. For now,” he glanced to where the bard from the night before was setting up over in the corner,” let’s enjoy good food, good music, and good company.”
“In that order,” quipped Scar.
Laughing, James nodded and flagged down a server.
Chapter Forty
They woke with the sun the following morning, had a hearty breakfast and then put Zixtyn behind them. Several days of hard riding later, the unmistakable odor of the sea wafted upon the breeze. Not long after that came the acrid smell of sulfuric fumes emitted by the newly formed chain of volcanoes off the coast where the Sorna Iron Mines used to be. Then when the road crested a hill and the oceanic panorama came into view, they saw more than one smoke-emitting cone rising from the water far off in the distance.
“This brings back memories,” Jiron mumbled, then glanced to James who nodded.
“Not good ones, either.”
“You did what you had to,” Miko said, “And I thank you for it.”
Even after the years since the war, the aftermath of the tsunamis that had wracked the coastline was still evident. Debris washed upon hillsides, partially destroyed buildings that had never been repaired, and even a shattered boat where no boat had a business being.
Their road ended at the main trade route that ran up and down the coast. A small town sprawled across the junction, most of the buildings were those that catered to travelers. A dock with three small ships stretched out over the water.
“Think any of those would do?” James asked.
“The two-masted one might get us to Corillian,” Scar said, “but we’d have better luck down in Tiru Stali.”
“We can ask around and see if she’s available,” Potbelly suggested.
“Do that.” James glanced to the Pit Masters. “If it is, see if they will trade passage for our extra mounts.”
They took Tinok with them to see about the two-masted ship while James and the rest went to The Spray Queen, an inn and eatery just off the dock. Scar and Potbelly arrived a few minutes after they had sat down and ordered.
“The captain said he could take us,” Scar announced.
“For our horses?” James asked.
“Yes. And he has a small cargo area that can hold a horse for each of us,” he explained. “Barely.”
Jiron said, “It might be better to see what is available in Tiru Stali.”
James shook his head. “I want to get there as soon as possible,” he insisted. “I won’t be at ease until my family is safe with me.”
“Then we need to get an early start,” Potbelly said. “The captain wants to sail with the tide and that’s before sunrise.” He flagged down their server, a buxom young girl with a lilt in her step.
“Ale,” he hollered, “and keep it coming.”
“Yes, sir,” she said and hurried to the bar.
It felt good to get off the road. James enjoyed the food, the company, and the bard that strolled through the dining area playing a lute. But he was anxious to see how Meliana was doing. Each night and morning, he along
with Jiron, Jira, and his two apprentices when he wasn’t paying close enough attention, would gather around his mirror. It had become a regular ritual, one that this evening was already overdue.
Once sated and full of roast beef and assorted vegetables, James stood and asked, “Shall we check on the family?”
Jiron nodded and motioned for Jira to rise. She hopped up with a grin, eager to see her mother again.
Leaving the others in the common room, they ascended the stairs to the second level where their room was located. Their window overlooked a local bazaar; the sound of merchants hawking their wares wafted upon the evening breeze.
A small table sat to one side. James pulled his mirror out unwrapped it and set the mirror upon it.
Jira hovered in close, her hands gripping the table’s edge in excited anticipation.
“What do you think she’s doing?”
“Probably missing you, I would imagine.”
“I can’t wait to see how excited she will be to see us.”
Jiron patted her on the head. “Neither can I.”
The image coalesced and they found Aleya strolling through the garden. Meliana and Kenny accompanied her. Dressed in black, they made a sad picture.
“I wish we could be there tomorrow,” she stated.
Without taking his eyes from the scene unfolding in the mirror, James said, “We will be there soon enough.”
Early the following morning, long before the sun even thought about peeking over the horizon, they were at the dock.
“Hello the ship!” Scar hollered.
A rather short man of obvious northern stock came to the rail and looked down; his gaze could still an ocean swell.
“Captain Anyn,” Scar said.
For a second the captain silently stared at them, then asked, “The fellow from last night wanting passage?”
Scar nodded. “That is correct.” He gestured to where Shorty and Kip stood with the horses to be used for their fare. “We brought the horses.”
Captain Anyn turned and hollered, “Cal, take the horses to Master Azzan.”
“Yes, Sir,” replied a wiry youth of little more than thirteen summers. He hurried down the gangplank and with Kip and Shorty’s aid, led the horses away.
Scar started toward the gangplank with his horse when the captain said, “My crew will see to your horses and packs. Leave what you do not wish to carry on the dock and they will get them stowed away. Then come aboard.”
“Ok, Captain.”
“Scar,” Jiron said in a quiet aside, “you, Potbelly and Tinok keep an eye on things.” When the Pit Master turned to him, he added, “Make sure nothing gets…misplaced.”
“Right.”
James was already on the gangplank followed by Miko and his priests escorting a wobbly Eddra.
“Thank you, Captain,” he said as he came aboard.
The captain’s gaze came full upon him. “You’re the one in charge?”
“I am.”
“Just keep your people out of our way and we’ll get you where you need to go.”
Nodding, James asked, “Will do.”
Grunting, the captain turned and resumed barking orders to his crew.
An open and unbustling area fore of the foremast looked to be a good place to stay out of the way. They asked a crewmember for blankets for their elderly companion and the lad returned with an armful. Not entirely the cleanest, but they were better than the hard deck for Eddra’s poor old bones. Once nestled in them, she fell quickly asleep.
Jira moved to the rail opposite the dock and looked down at the dark water.
“What you looking for?
She looked up to her uncle and grinned, then shrugged.
James chuckled and tousled her hair. “I was, and still am, the same way.”
The crew was efficient in the stowing of their horses and belongings. One at a time they were blindfolded then led up the gangplank. Working them into the hold was trickier but in short order, they were stored and secured. Then came Eddra’s carriage. While the faintest hint foreshadowing the dawn that was to come broke in the east, the crew cast off the mooring lines. A single sail unfurled to catch the early morning breeze and the ship eased its way from the dock.
Orders were shouted and men hopped to it. As they made their way to deeper water, crewmen lowered additional sails and the ship leapt forward.
Standing at the bow, James faced full into the wind, the spray from breaking waves harkened him back to a time long ago. On a ferry crossing San Francisco Bay during an outing with his grandparents. He smiled to himself at the memory of that summer day, then chuckled. How he had frozen.
“Bring a jacket,” his grandfather had told him.
He rolled his eyes at the absurd thought. In Haveston it was over ninety degrees; why in the world would he need a jacket? The last thing he wanted to do was to carry a jacket around while they toured Alcatraz. He had thought they were crazy…and he froze.
When wearing shorts and a t-shirt, a cup of cocoa did little to ward off the chill when faced with a cold, spray-laced breeze. It took little time before he was shaking and teeth began to chatter. Seeking shelter within the small viewing cabin made little difference as half the windows were open and the door failed to close properly.
The fact that the sun’s warm rays lay behind a layer of clouds only compounded his misery. Finding a spot with only intermittent breezes, he drank his cocoa and vowed to never again treat advice from his grandparents with disdain.
“Cold?”
He turned to find a man in his early thirties, slightly balding under his ball cap and wearing a very warm looking dark-blue jacket.
James nodded. “Yeah.”
“Life lessons are hard to live through, but worth it in the end.”
“What?” he asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”
The man shrugged. “Just making conversation. Helps to keep your mind off the fact you’re freezing your butt off.”
James rolled his eyes as his teeth chattered. “Not helping.”
Swells coursing across the bay made the boat lurch to and fro. James held onto the back of a seat to keep steady.
The man pointed off to the west.
“Storm coming in.”
Dark clouds filled the horizon.
“Not a good day to be without a jacket, boy.”
“Yeah, I figured that out already.”
Chuckling, the man nodded. “There are times when everything you know says to do one thing, you later find to your dismay that you should have done another.” Seeing James’ cocoa cup empty, the man handed him another.
“Thank you.” Holding it just beneath his chin, James reveled in the warmth steaming up across his face. His shivers subsided.
“Welcome.”
He took a sip. “What do you mean, do another?”
“Simply that you should have been prepared for what was to come,” the man replied, “but you were not. And now you are paying the price.”
“How was I to know I would freeze?”
The man shot him an annoyed look. “Your grandfather said to bring a jacket. Yet you didn’t.”
“But it was hot back home.”
“So? Don’t you trust your grandfather?”
“Of course I do.”
“Yet not enough to take his advice, advice he repeated several times.”
James had no response to that. He wasn’t about to admit being stubborn and stupid, no matter how apparent.
“How was I to know?”
“How indeed…”
“Ok,” James said, “I should have listened to him.”
“That’s obvious, now. But do such revelations, after the fact, help you in any way?”
“Not really.”
The ship’s horn sounded indicating they were approaching the dock.
“You better hurry and rejoin your family,” the man said.
James looked around and saw his grandparents moving toward the disembarkatio
n area.
“May you find someone that will have a jacket to loan you.” When James turned toward the man, the man tapped the window. “The storm is almost upon us.”
Rain droplets dotted the glass. Far off in the distance flashed a bolt of lightning.
“It looks to be a real frog-strangler.”
A tug upon his elbow and an excited cry of glee brought him back to the here and now.
“Uncle!” Jira cried as she pointed to the water below. “Look, dolphins!”
For a moment the memory held onto him, but quickly released its hold. “Yes, Jira,” he said, head clearing. He watched them cavort and play in the bow wave.
He hadn’t thought about that trip for a long time. He could go for a cup of cocoa right about then.
Jiron joined them at the rail next to Jira.
“Captain said we would be three days to Corillian.”
James nodded. “Can’t wait to be there.”
“Mama’s going to be so happy!”
Jiron patted his daughter’s head. “I’m sure she will.”
“Will she make us a cake with berries on top?” she asked.
“Wouldn’t be surprised, Jira,” he replied. “Anything for you.”
Once dawn’s light shone upon them, they gathered close together at the forecastle where James sat cross-legged before his mirror. There he brought into view first Meliana and Kenny who walked along the shoreline, then Aleya who they caught changing for the day. Jira giggled and James quickly canceled the spell and returned the mirror to normal.
Jiron wore an amused expression when he said to James, “We probably shouldn’t mention this to her.”
“Probably not,” James agreed with a chuckle. Then to Jira, “Give it a minute and we’ll try again.”
She giggled some more.
In a few minutes, her image once again appeared in the mirror. This time she walked down a quiet corridor.
“Where is she going?” Jira asked.
“From the looks of the corridor, I think she is heading to the kitchen,” James replied. “Most likely getting breakfast.”
Tides of Faith: Travail of The Dark Mage Book Two Page 51