Wizard's Blood [Part Two] Read Free Page A

the rough ocean waves. Unbeknownst to the crew, the bilge had been gradually taking on water, and the ship was sluggish because of the added weight as well. By the time the storm passed, the crew was worn and tired, and the ship looked far less majestic than it had when they set out. During the checkout of the vessel after the storm, the crew discovered the water in the bilge, and realized it was far more than could be explained by the storm.
    “ I know you’re responsible,” said As’org, “but I can’t understand how. You’ve been locked up since we left shore, and I’ve never sensed any bit of the power around you. You’ve been heavily dosed every day, so none of this makes sense.”
    They were on deck, the first time she’d been out of her cabin since they’d set sail. She’d been brought here by the two subordinate wizards to talk with As’org and the captain, who stood near the rail watching her. The ship still lurched and bounced, with vast sheets of spray flying into the air and sometimes splashing toward the crew, but these were seasoned sailors, and a bit of wave didn’t even warrant their attention.
    “ Responsible for what?” Shyar asked playing dumb. She wasn’t much of an actor, and wasn’t sure how well she was going to be able to handle this meeting. For now she was helpless, being blocked from the power by the actions of the two wizards that had brought her on deck.
    As’org shook his head as if he expected her denial. “You’ve accomplished your goal,” he said finally. “The ship is going to have to put into land for repair. Fortunately we are near Kimlelm, and we have control over much of the coast there. I just wanted you to know that your efforts are not going to have helped you much. In fact, we are going to have to watch you much more closely than I realized.”
    “ Captain!” yelled one of the sailors from up top in the rigging.
    Everyone looked where he was pointing. Out in the water were two very large, gray colored objects, headed directly for the ship. “Octi!” yelled the crewmember, clearly scared.
    The captain turned toward As’org and the other two wizards. “Kill them. They will destroy the ship if they can. They think we are playthings. We are already damaged, and have no chance of trying to outrun them. Use your magic.”
    As’org had already let loose with an impressive beam toward the approaching creatures. The remaining two wizards hurried to the rail to support their leader, and without thinking dropped their block of Shyar’s link to the power.
    It was too good a chance to pass up. She had been free of the bark for days, and quickly lashed out with a ball of force toward As’org as she’d planned. He had shields in place, but he wasn’t anchored, and her blast picked him up and flung him far out and away from the ship to land in the water. Quickly she raised her own shield, the standard one rather than the shield-pair . Something warned her she’d better not reveal that capability just yet. There were two more wizards to deal with, both of lower power. If she could eliminate them, the crew would have no choice but to follow her commands. Jolan had convinced her the idea of not using magic against non-wizards was silly. She’d do whatever was necessary to escape.
    Realizing what she’d done, the two remaining wizards had turned back to deal with Shyar. She was already blasting at the shields of Tinos, who seemed to be the weaker of the two. If she could bring him down before they blocked her, the lone remaining wizard would be helpless against her higher level. She could sense she was winning and that Tinos’ shield was about to fail when suddenly she was cut off. How?
    Tinos hung his head and said, “Thank you captain. She just about had me.”
    The captain nodded and released his control as the two wizards tightly locked their block in place. The captain could use the power, Shyar realized. He wasn’t very strong, but it had been enough to