"That's a relief. How embarrassing would it be to lose something again," he thought. If what she said was true, she had been following them since that point. He didn't exactly trust her, but there had to be some truth to what she was saying. They were both here, and she knew his name. She was up to something. He started to wonder if she was somehow connected to the mysterious wizard in black who had attacked them.
"Now there's a man deep in thought," Vincent said. Alrion looked up and noticed that he had arrived at the docks. Vincent and Falric were standing by the side of the road, waiting.
"Oh, I'm here already," Alrion said.
"Here already? You almost made us start looking," Vincent said.
"Well, I lost my way, but here I am."
"Fair enough. We've booked passage on a ferry that leaves soon. It will be travelling overnight to our destination," Falric said.
"Where are we going?"
"We'll fill you in somewhere more private," Vincent said.
"Sure."
"Let's get settled in," Falric said and gestured to a vessel ahead. At the end of the dock was a huge wooden boat, with a large cabin area and massive deck. There were people already stepping onto the boat, and many crowding around up top.
"We're not riding outside, are we?" Alrion said.
"No, we paid for a cabin," Falric said.
"That's a relief, thanks for that."
"It's not for you, it's for me. You'll understand when you get to my age," Falric said. Vincent laughed but Alrion didn't get it. He looked up the ferry.
"Does it have a name?"
"Sure does, look there on the side," Vincent said.
"The Glider. Sounds promising. I've never been on the water before."
"First trip of many. Let's go," Falric said. Vincent went first and showed their tickets to the deck hand. Falric and Alrion followed. As they boarded Alrion felt the ferry move gently beneath their feet. It was a strange feeling, as it completely mirrored how he felt. After his encounter with Lara, he felt like he was no longer on solid ground, and that everything could shift again in an instant.
19
Boating Accident
They pushed through the growing crowds and entered the main cabin of the ferry. In front of them was a well-worn stairwell. They walked down the stairs carefully, emerging into a long corridor at the bottom. There were rooms along the corridor, each one marked with a number.
"We are room number four," Falric said. It was the second door on the right. Vincent opened the door and stepped in. Falric and Alrion followed.
"Wow this is tiny," Alrion said. The room had a set of two wooden bunk beds against one wall, another tiny wooden bed on the floor and a small window at the end of the room.
"Space is at a premium, you probably don't want to know how much this room cost us," Vincent said.
"You two can take the bunks, I'll take the floor," Falric said.
"Sure. Your choice," Vincent said to Alrion, gesturing to the bunk beds.
"I'll take the top," Alrion said and threw his bag up there.
"Why don't you two investigate the ship, I'll mind our things," Falric said as he lay back on his bed.
"Don't get too relaxed there," Vincent said with a chuckle and held the door open for Alrion. They left the room, and returned to the stairs, walking all the way back up to the deck.
"Why are we going overnight?" Alrion said.
"They only do two runs a day, one first thing in the morning and one in the early evening. The reason for that is that this ferry has a few possible stops, but the end point is a long trip. It's a ten to a twelve-hour trip."
"All on the same lake?"
"Yes, it's a huge one. That's why the ferry takes the long way around, it's a horrendously long trip either way so they have more stops to service more passengers."
"Makes sense. Where are all these people going?" Alrion said, pointing at the surging crowds on the deck of the ferry.
"I'd say they are going all the way. To Dendra."
"Dendra?"
"Yes, it's our closest ally country and main trading partner."
"That's pretty cool."
"Yes, there's a whole world out there. Avaria is just a small part of it."
"Do you think I'll see it all?"
"Definitely. I'm not sure where this trip will take us, but as a wizard, you will travel the world and meet a lot of interesting people."
"Did you travel a lot with grandfather?"
"No, not much at all. I think that it was too dangerous to take me. So, he alternated between staying with me, and leaving me behind."
"Oh, so you travelled later?"
"Yes, by myself. I roamed a lot after he passed," Vincent said. Alrion didn't know what to say. He was interested in learning more about his father's travels, but noticed that it was an awkward topic. So, he let it go. As he was thinking about what to say next he heard a giant horn sounding.
"What's that?"
"That's the signal. We're off," Vincent said. They pushed through the crowd until they could get closer to the edge of the ferry. Alrion could feel the movement and also see their passage through the water.
"Hang on, what's moving the boat?"
"They have an engine room at the bottom," Vincent said.
"How does that work?"
"Not sure. It's a closely guarded secret. I suspect there's some magic involved. Probably a wizard set it up, and there are some specially trained people who keep it running."
"Wow."
"It's pretty remarkable. Although the last time I rode it was before you were born, and they had the option for passengers to be backup rowers."
"That wouldn't be fun."
"It was a risk some took, as it greatly reduced the ticket price. But I don't think it is an option anymore. The progress that has been made in the last twenty years or so has been tremendous. It's pretty exciting."
"Sure is. I'll have to find out how this ferry works."
"You'll find out in time, I have no doubt about that," Vincent said. They watched the town of Altarbright slowly fade from view, as they went deeper and deeper into the dark night.
"Not much left to see here, let's head below," Vincent said. Alrion followed, and they descended the stairs to return to their cabin. Falric was lying in his bed, soundly asleep.
"Now there's a reliable security guard," Vincent said.
"I heard that," Falric remarked, keeping his eyes closed.
"At least he noticed us come in," Alrion said, playing along. Falric snorted.
"Hey Falric, my father said that this ferry runs on magical engines. Do you know how they work?"
"I do indeed."
"You'll have to explain later. But I was thinking, if they're magical and wizards were involved setting them up, then why did you say that the cabin was so expensive? Wouldn't there be a wizard rate?" Alrion said. Falric opened his eyes and sat up.
"You're a quick one. They don't need us anymore. They have their own specialists who maintain the engines, so we don't get preferential treatment. I could have twisted their arm, but we want to go unnoticed so I just paid."
"Oh, I see."
"The world owes us a lot, but they don't sit around being respectful. They move on, so we have to keep earning their trust and respect. Some places are easier than others," Falric said.
"I thought that it was obvious that wizards would be well-respected and listened to. But from what I hear, it's not a given."
"No, it is not. Your grandfather earned us a place of favour for sure, but I have not been able to maintain our standing I'm afraid. The world is moving on, and taking our contributions for granted," Falric said.
"Maybe I can change that."
"I am hoping so," Falric said with a smile. "How're things up top?"
"Absolutely bursting at the seams, makes this room seem spacious," Vincent said.
"Well, at least we got our money's worth. We are the first stop. It's a little town called Paperton."
"I
don't know it," Vincent said.
"Good. I hope those who are after us don't know it either. We should eat and have an early night. They will be dropping us off at some ungodly hour in the morning."
"Sounds like fun," Alrion said. "I take it we won't be able to look at any more spells."
"Not tonight, but soon. We can't have you being a one-trick pony," Falric said. Vincent laughed and grabbed his bag. Alrion did the same and they ate a simple meal. Alrion clambered up onto the top bunk and lay still listening to the sounds. A lot of murmuring filtered down from the deck above him, but things were fairly quiet down below. He heard a faint hum coming from somewhere and decided it had to be something to do with the engine driving the ferry. The rippling of the water as they pushed through was consistent and calming. Despite his excitement and the earliness of the night, he found sleep was not far away.
Alrion awoke, unsure of the reason. He tried to shake the fog from his head and looked around the room, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. Falric was not in his bed. He clambered down from the bunk and looked for his father. He, too, was gone. Alrion ran across the room but stopped before leaving. He thought he had heard something. He listened carefully and a terrifying sound echoed through the ferry. Screaming.
Alrion burst through the door and scrambled up the staircase. Something was going on, and he knew it was somehow related to his group. It was no coincidence that he had been left alone in what could be classed as relative safety. But he couldn't sit around waiting for whatever it was to be over, he had to investigate.
He confirmed his suspicions as soon as he reached the deck. The space in front of him was completely empty. He looked over and saw throngs of people around the edge of the boat. But the centre of the main deck was empty. Only as he looked closer did he notice some bodies on the ground. He scanned the crowds and saw Falric and his father at the edge of the group of people. Everyone was focused on a single man, stumbling through the empty space on the deck. He was the one screaming.
Alrion couldn't see what was happening clearly, so carefully made his way over to join his father.
"What's going on?"
"We are under attack. It's a Shade."
"A Shade?"
"Yes, it's a rare and terrible creature of the Blight. It is perfectly black and blends in perfectly with darkness. It is practically invisible at night."
"So, it's there somewhere?"
"Yes, it's holding that poor man who is screaming," Falric said.
"What do we do?"
"We have to kill it or drive it away. Chances are that it is here for us," Falric said.
"How do we kill it? I want to sleep knowing that this thing isn't waiting to sneak up on us," Vincent said.
"Only magic can kill it. Directly or indirectly. Well-made equipment can damage it, but it must be magically enhanced to deliver a killing blow. You have to remove or destroy the heart."
"It's got a heart?" Alrion said.
"It was originally a person. Just one that was twisted by the Blight. Their heart absorbs the essence of the Blight and becomes a black stone. As long as it remains intact, the Shade will reform overnight. No matter what damage you do to the rest of the Shade."
"Sounds fun," Vincent said.
"What do I do?" Alrion asked.
"You stay back and let us handle this. No debate."
"Got it," Alrion said. He knew the tone of his father's voice, the one when he was laying down the law. Vincent didn't use it often, but he would not back down once he did. Alrion could sense the terror in the crowd, and the tension felt by Falric and his father. So, he decided to stay out of the way.
"Is there a way you can make it visible?" Vincent said.
"It's difficult out here in the open. I know of a way that will definitely work, but it's a last resort."
"Alright, keep that in your pocket then. I'll try and bait it, and you do your thing," Vincent said. He drew his sword and stepped out from the crowd. Falric followed closely behind.
"Why does it still have that man?" Vincent asked as they crept forward.
"Not sure, I think they use the screams of the victim to terrify and distract," Falric said.
"Lovely," Vincent said as he crept forward. He noticed the screaming man turned towards him. The poor man screamed even louder for help.
"I guess that means we've been spotted," Vincent said. Falric didn't reply. Vincent took care in stepping forward, not sure of what he was going to encounter. As he closed in he noticed that something was poking through the man's stomach.
"I think I can see where it's holding him."
"Good, but I'm not sure how much we can do for him," Falric said. Vincent stepped closer again.
"He wants your boy!" the man squealed before screaming in pain once again. Vincent reacted swiftly, swinging his sword towards the man. He had hoped to slice what was holding him, but whatever it was disengaged and let the man fall to the ground.
"Take him away from here," Vincent yelled to a person nearby, who just stared at him in horror.
"Now we can't see it," Vincent said. He scanned the surroundings looking for the Shade. He felt something moving in front of him and swung his sword out. He collided with something and was pushed back.
"It's here. Not sure how I'm going to fight blind!"
"Give me a minute," Falric said. Vincent wasn't sure if he had one. He walked in a circle, running through a sword drill that had him slicing the air in front of him. At least that seemed to be making the creature take pause, as he didn't connect with anything. But it made him uneasy, not knowing where it was.
"You need to draw it in," Falric said. Vincent stopped moving and closed his eyes. He tried to let his senses guide him, as to the location of the Shade. There were so many noises, he couldn't hear its movement. He opened his eyes and focused as hard as possible. If he could see traces of the creature, or some evidence of movement he would feel a bit better about being able to defend himself. But he couldn't see any part of it.
"C'mon Shade, show me your worst!" Vincent called out. He felt a stabbing pain in the side of his chest and reflexively grabbed at it with his left hand. He was holding onto something.
"To my left, I've got a hold on it!" Vincent yelled. Falric opened his hand and small fingers of flame shot out, arcing through the air. They hit the Shade and started to burn. Once Vincent was satisfied that the flames had taken hold, he swung his sword at the burning shape. He connected with something, and it pulled away from him sharply.
"That worked."
"Yes, but it's quite risky. They burn incredibly easily and with great intensity. Not only is it a danger to everyone here, but it doesn't actually damage the Shade at all," Falric said. Vincent realised the danger as he watched the Shade transform into the burning silhouette of a man. The flames leaped onto the deck, causing it to catch fire as well.
"This has to end fast," Vincent said. Now that he had a target, he charged forward. Even with the Shade's outline of flame, it was still hard to pinpoint what it was doing and where it was looking. But Vincent had no time for planning. The ferry would be consumed by fire if the fight dragged on too long. The wooden decks would see to that.
Vincent stepped forward and swung, aiming for one of the Shade's arms. He connected and hit some resistance, but managed to continue his momentum and slice through.
"Yes. This won't be so bad," Vincent thought. As he tried to reel in his attack and redirect it he saw the Shade reaching for him with its other arm. This time it didn't try and pierce him, but instead smashed him in the same place with what felt like an open palm. Vincent fell down, the wind knocked out of him. He dropped his sword and swore with pain. As an added bonus the attack had scorched his skin.
The Shade moved forward to attack again, but it was shoved back. Vincent turned and saw Falric his hand up.
"Get up, and get back to it. They're adept at fighting magic, so I can't keep him occupied for long," Falric said. Vincent pulled himself up and retrieved his sword.
"At least that worked," he said, looking at the severed arm, still burning on the deck. "Can you put it out?"
"I have an idea," Falric said. He reached out and drew the flames from the burning limb, collecting them in the palm of his hand. He compacted them into a ball and hurled it at the Shade. It didn't even try to dodge the attack and was knocked back. The flames on it flared up then went back to their prior state.
"Tough bugger," Vincent said.
"You have to go for the heart, or this will drag on forever!"
"Easier said than done," Vincent said. He took a deep breath and composed himself before readying another attack. He aimed at the Shade's other arm, hoping to disable it completely. But the Shade had anticipated this and jumped back at the same time. As Vincent's strike fell short, the Shade reached out and grabbed the blade, tipping Vincent off-balance. As he started to stumble he pulled out a knife from his belt and hurled it at the Shade's chest. It wasn't expecting this and had no counter. The blade embedded itself in the Shade's chest. Right over where its heart would be. The Shade stopped moving and tried to reach the blade with its arm.
"Falric!" Vincent yelled. Falric responded by throwing a wave of force at the knife, embedding it to the hilt. The Shade stumbled back a few steps. Vincent dropped his sword and ran towards it. It was trying to reach the blade and pull it out. Vincent reached out with his right hand and pushed with all his force against the tip of the blade handle, tumbling over in the effort. The knife drove in slightly more and the Shade fell backward. He toppled towards the edge of the ferry, boosted by an extra force wave from Falric. The Shade clawed at the ground, trying to stop itself but could not halt its progress. It disappeared over the edge and into the water with a sizzling hiss.
Vincent stood up and surveyed the damage. He traced his hand over a giant scorch mark in the deck where the Shade had tried to hang on, and it continued over the edge of the ferry. Flames licked the deck and other areas, flowing through the gaps in the flooring caused by the Shade.
"Wow, is it dead now?" Vincent said, peering over the edge of the ferry."
"Depends if you destroyed the heart. I don't suppose that was a magic blade?" Falric said.
Pool of Knowledge (The Hidden Wizard Book 1) Page 13