Dragonstone (Eligium Series Book 3) Page 3

  “I do not know for certain, but I can guess. Earlier when you tapped into that subconscious reservoir of power in your mind and started the fire on deck, it was like launching a Druenenn signal rocket for anyone who knew to look. Now, I must go help the crew battle this storm.” Dolphin figure in hand, Gerhard swept from the cabin, leaving Sebastian and Krystelle to absorb what he had said.

  Sebastian braced himself for another tirade from Krystelle on his accidental mis-use of magic. When it didn’t come, he looked over to where she sat, wringing her hands. She was really scared, he realized. He rallied himself, wanting to encourage her. He’d never seen her this shaken. “Look Krystelle, Gerhard and Captain Cyrillus will get us through this storm. Between the two of them I’m sure they can handle anything Sterling Lex can throw at the Grey Gull.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  He stood, one hand on his bunk for balance. “I do. I really do.” Releasing his grip, he lurched across the small space between bunks to drop next to her. “That being said, I think we should get your things from your quarters in case the ship takes on water.”

  She nodded and Sebastian pulled himself back to his feet, extending a hand toward her. They made their way to the door of the cabin and out into the passageway running down the centerline of the vessel. Working their way down the corridor, the two struggled to keep their feet as the deck moved about beneath them. Sebastian was keenly aware every time she bumped into him and tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

  Sebastian’s feelings about Krystelle were not clear, even to himself. Even after weeks traveling together, he struggled to understand her and what she was thinking. She was beautiful, with her auburn hair and green eyes. She was also a fierce warrior, having earned a place among the Swordmasters.

  She had drawn him into all of this on a clear fall day when he had chosen to shirk his chores in favor of a fishing trip. Pursued by the dark wizard Gerlach Pwyll, Krystelle had pushed a packet of papers into his hands and sent him off to find Quiren Adelwolf, the late Swordmaster General of Gabirel. He had found Adelwolf and Pwyll had murdered Sebastian’s family trying to find him and the documents Krystelle passed to him. At the cost of Adelwolf’s they had stolen the Sunstone back from the Pwyll and Sebastian had killed the dark wizard in anger.

  Returning to the Dazhberg, the fortress of the Knights of Gabirel, Sebastian thought he had found a place to call home. However, they had not been there long when Krenon forces attacked and the two of them were dispatched with their friend and fledgling wizard, Cenric, on a new quest to bring the Moonstone back from the elven city of Ha’vehl’on. Before all was done, they had recovered the stone, but lost Cenric to one of Sterling Lex’s dark wizards. Now he found himself once again on an adventure with the woman. Not that he minded! He just hoped this storm would be the most exciting thing about their journey this time.

  It did not take long to collect Krystelle’s belongings and rain gear from her private quarters assigned. There was not much, she was used to traveling light. They had just reentered Sebastian’s cabin, which was closer to the stairwell leading to the deck when they heard a booming crash from above and heard the sound of water rushing into the ship.

  Sebastian guessed from the sound that the Gull would not survive long. He struggled with Krystelle against the onslaught of foamy seawater pouring down the ladder that led to their escape. If he had time to think he would not have been optimistic about their chances of survival in this storm. They shouldered their way onto the deck and a wall of water washed the two of them overboard into the roiling sea.

  Falling. Floating. Drowning. That was all Sebastian knew and felt before the whole world went dark. His consciousness wandered far while his body endured the ravages of the sea. How had he come here? Unfettered, his imagination took him back to those last frantic moments at the Dazhberg, in the Aodhan Bret. Cenric was gone, having been spirited away by Sterling Lex and the strength of the Gabirelian Knights was broken through Krenon treachery.

  He could see them all so clearly. High Councilor Damianus, the chain of his office sitting around his neck like an anchor in the middle of their defeat. The Lord Commander Teoma, for once without his armor. Lord Marcello, his robes still sullied from his time in captivity. Darden and Gerhard trying to fill the role occupied for so many decades by Arch-mage Philon. Lord Dmitri Mora conspicuously absent.

  In his memory, a smoky light filled the Aodhan Bret. The circular table in the center of the chamber illuminated from either side by the two Eligium returned to their alcoves. The Sunstone to the east, and the moonstone to the west. There were two more alcoves, one to the north and one to the south, along with a pedestal in the heart of the room.

  “Our options are few,” declared Darden. “We must have at least three of the stones to begin the process of reversing the Ban.”

  “And we are sure the dwarves will not return the Eligius Muliach.” Gerhard continued.

  “What of the other two?” asked Damianus. “Perhaps the Heartstone can be found?”

  “We have considered this…” began Gerhard.

  “The other two stones are beyond our reach. At least the location of the Muliach is known,” continued Darden. "The Soulstone was given over to the Krenon and we have all paid the price for that concession.”

  “So if we cannot reverse the Ban without one of the other stones and we cannot get to any of them, what are you proposing?” asked Lord Marcello.

  “Gerhard will travel to Cale Uriasz to confer with the Council of Wizards,” said Darden.

  “I will take news of what has transpired here to the Council. They must be informed that two of the Eligium are back in the Aodhan Bret.”

  “And the other reason, my friend,” continued Darden. “With the death of Lord Philon, we must raise a new Arch-mage. Gerhard is one of the few living candidates.”

  Gerhard nodded, “Yes, it is true. The council may see fit to raise me to that rank. Regardless, if we are to stand against the growing threat posed by Sterling Lex, a new Arch-mage must be chosen and I must be there for the selection.”

  Darden nodded, “And Krystelle Mora can accompany you as our official representative. She will then continue onward to the King’s Court.”

  Marcello slammed his goblet to the table. “This solves nothing. We still don’t know why Sterling Lex took the boy Cenric. Or what to do with Sebastian there.” He squirmed as they all turned to look at him. “Yes, we’ve accepted him as Squire into the Order, but that will provide little safety should Lex return. It is clear to me that he has some connection to the stones.”

  “He is a Squire of Gabirel now,” said Teoma. “He has much to learn of sword-craft and the Order will need every able body to recover and rebuild. He can hide here, in plain sight.”

  “We do not think that wise.” That was Darden.

  “His proximity here to the two stones, and the Eligius Muliach, could prove treacherous…” continued Gerhard.

  “We need to keep him far from the stones until we understand more clearly what happened with the Moonstone,” finished Darden.

  Lord Damianus, who had heretofore only sat with his head bowed listening to the argument, looked up, “If we wish to keep him far from the Eligium, then perhaps a solution has already presented itself. You wish to delve into his connection to the stones, take him with you to Uriasz.”

  Gerhard nodded his agreement. “I believe that is the best course. However, we must make haste. There has not been an extended period without an Arch-mage in living memory. Every day that passes without one increases the risk that Lex will discover the void. You see, the Arch-mage acts almost as a living Eligium, serving as a nexus for the energies of the realm. When one dies, the Council at Uriasz transfers the burden to the next successor.”

  “But our time is short, and growing shorter,” said Darden. “The Council is unaware that Arch-mage Philon has died. Traditionally the Arch-Mage travels to Cale Uriasz when they feel their strength failing and the ri
tes can be performed even before their physical death. If Sterling Lex realizes Arch-mage Philon has died without the rites, there are ways he can transfer the nexus to himself.”

  Gerhard finished this time, “Making him the Arch-mage.”

  Two days later, Sebastian had boarded the Grey Gull at Cale Conall to begin the urgent voyage that had culminated tonight in ruin. The vision, or memory, faded into darkness.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Lord Gerhard emerged onto the deck, entering a tableau of swirling chaos. Captain Cyrillus and the crew worked in vain to keep the Gull’s bow pointed into the oncoming sea and the ship under control. She rode high on the crest of one wave only to plunge into the next valley; her bow coming close to foundering. The Captain shouted orders into the wind that somehow the crew, as if by instinct, could follow. It was the discipline and camaraderie of this crew, along with Cyrillus’ friendship with Uriasz that had caused Gerhard to choose the Gull for this journey. Now he feared he may have condemned the entire contingent to death.

  Gerhard caught Cyrillus’ eye and he could see defeat welling up in the man, and a plea for the wizard to do something, anything. Bracing himself against the cabin wall, he pulled the dolphin figurine from his cloak and focused his thought on both it and on the storm. Dolphins were said to be good luck for sailors, which was likely why the maker of this particular talisman had chosen that form. He didn’t normally use this kind of physical nexus when spell-casting, but the events of the day had drained him to a point of exhaustion and he would need every ounce of energy to fight this battle.

  His spell was a complex one. He had to improvise, drawing on the limits of his knowledge when it came to manipulating the weather. It was easy to cause a storm. Like pushing a boulder from a cliff, the hard part was getting it going. Once it started it would gain momentum on its own, gathering energy from the surrounding elements. To control and even dissipate a storm like this one required a delicate touch. Too much in one direction and he could collapse the storm into a waterspout that would sink the ship. Too much in the other direction and he would send the storm spinning off in some unknown direction. That would save the ship, but would wreak havoc on untold numbers of seaside communities before it died away. No, he had to find just the right balance that would bleed energy from the winds.

  He stood his ground against the wind, chanting his spell, with no apparent change in the intensity of the storm. He knew he could not maintain this level of focus for much longer, yet he had to hold on. Just as he was coming to his breaking point, he felt the storm slacken. It wasn’t much, not yet, but it was enough for the crew to make headway on bringing the ship back under control.

  A wave swept across the deck, knocking the old wizard off his feet. Swept along by the rushing water, he lost hold of the dolphin figurine and watched as it washed over the side. Seeing him careening towards the railing, a nearby deckhand acted on instinct, throwing himself after Gerhard and grabbing hold of his hand just before he plunged overboard. Helping the old man to the deck, the hand shouted, “It’s not safe up here! You should be below!”

  Gerhard shook his head and lurched back to his station by the hatch to the passenger quarters. Exasperated, the deckhand tied a line around the wizard to secure him to the deck. Turning his attention back to the storm, the wizard realized the damage had been done. In the short time the wave distracted him, the storm had built back up to its previous level and the crew was once again losing control of the ship. Without the dolphin talisman there was no way he could bring the storm back down.

  Belatedly, he realized that there was another way. Sebastian. His innate ability was strong. Untrained, but strong. It was risky though. Even more so given the unpredictable nature of elven magic. Perhaps he could coach the boy through it. He could see no other options and untied the cord tethering him to the deck. Turning toward the ladder leading below-deck, he saw another giant wave rising above the Gull.

  The water came crashing down onto the deck, snapping the main mast with a boom and rushing to enlarge the hole in the deck that Sebastian’s fire had caused earlier that day. The Grey Gull was going down.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The darkness overwhelmed Sebastian as he floated in the void. In the distance he could just make out a sound. He moved toward the sound, not with intent or with thought. He just…moved. As he drew near, it became a voice. But whose voice? What words? What was the voice saying? It grew louder, and the darkness was less dark than before.

  “Sebastian.” The voice took form. “Sebastian, wake up. You must wake up.” He knew that voice. How did he know that voice?

  Smells. It smelled like his aunt’s boiled cabbage, all briny and sulfury. He liked that smell. His aunt’s cabbage was horrible to taste, but the smell made him think of home. Above all, it smelled…green. There was no other way for him to describe it.

  “Sebastian!” There was that voice again. So demanding. Why would the voice not leave him be? He wanted to drift back into the gentle oblivion of the darkness. To rest, to dream, to lay down every struggle that had beset him. Perhaps to see his aunt again. And his uncle. His little cousin, Bernice. Such a happy little butterfly until her wings had been torn away.

  With a rush, it all came flooding back to him. Quiren Adelwolf. Krystelle. Cenric. Gerlach Pwyll. The Eligium. Ha’vehl’on. The Dazhberg. Sterling Lex. The ship. The storm.

  His eyes popped open to the glare of the sun beating down. He could feel its warm rays seeping into his pores, drying him out. For a moment, it was too bright to see much of anything else. Just that brilliant, beautiful sunlight. He blinked twice, clearing the water from his lashes. A face came into view above him, blocking the sun. “Krystelle! What happened? How did we…?”

  “Survive? I’m not sure. Perhaps we were just lucky. Let me help you up.” She slid her arm between his and the sand, helping Sebastian into a sitting position, giving him his first good look at their surroundings.

  The wreckage of the Gull littered their beach. Pieces of wooden debris, scraps of sailcloth, tangled lines, and even the occasional bit of metal from the rigging. Krystelle was as water-logged as he, and he guessed they had not been there long. One direction, the beach curved back out of sight behind the forest that grew down to the edge of the sand. In the other direction the waves crashed against a small mountain of craggy rocks. There was no sign in the sky of the storm that had shipwrecked them the previous night.

  Now that he was upright, the feeling came back. It was not pleasant. He ached in places he didn’t know he had muscles. He groaned. “I feel awful.”

  “Well, what did you expect? You survived a shipwreck!”

  “Did anyone else survive?” he asked as he pulled off his soggy linen shirt.

  “I do not know. I only just woke a few moments ago myself. I saw you lying there and was afraid I’d lost you too Sebastian.”

  “I was afraid you had also! It was so peaceful and so quiet. I felt myself drifting away. For just a moment I thought I would get to see my family again.” Krystelle looked at him in alarm. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got too much invested in this life to throw it away now.”

  “Well don’t talk like that. I don’t like hearing you sounding defeated. We are lucky to be alive and having this conversation, you and I!”

  “We should search the beach. If we survived, then perhaps others have as well.” Sebastian swung his legs to the side and leaned on one knee to stand. Wobbling, he reached out to Krystelle for support as his legs gave way. He pulled her down with him as he crashed back into the sand, hard. Krystelle landed on top, knocking the wind out of him.

  Laying one hand on his chest, she drew her hair back with the other. “I don’t think you’re in any shape to do anything yet. Now you stay there for a bit and rest before you hurt one of us!” She rolled off, pushing him down in the sand. “Truth be told, I don’t think I’m much better off than you. We need to gather our strength, and then we’ll look for other survivors.” Looking up and down the beach, Kryst
elle took stock of their situation. “I pray that we are not alone here. Wherever here is.” Besides the debris from the wreckage of the Grey Gull, there was no sign that anyone had ever visited this lonely stretch of sand. Other than bone-deep exhaustion, she felt she had survived the storm remarkably well. It was a wonder that neither of them had drowned in the raging seas of the night before, much less washing up on this shoreline rather than being dashed against the distant rocks. She wondered if perhaps Gerhard had a hand in their escape. If so, there was a good chance that he had carried through as well and they would find him somewhere along the shoreline.

  She made her way up to the tree-line leading down to the edge of the beach and found that it was not as dense as it appeared from their vantage point close to the water. It was overgrown, to be sure. The gray barked trees had small, olive-shaped leaves running in parallel down each small branch and she could see an array of yellow flowers dotted about.

  As she explored, Sebastian thought about the events of the previous evening. There had been no hint of a storm throughout the day and one hallmark of their voyage had been the fact of favorable winds. It was strange to him that out of nowhere a storm had blown in, destroying the Gull. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Sterling Lex must somehow have been behind the gale. “And if he sent the winds, maybe he caused that fire also,” he said to himself. He took comfort in the idea that perhaps he had not been responsible for the fire after all.

  Feeling better, he looked along the beach. “Krystelle!” She turned around at Sebastian’s call. “I think I’m ready.” Making her way back down to he sat. He struggled to rise as she approached, first to his knees, then to his feet. She grabbed two stray pieces of driftwood along the way, pushing one into his hand, and keeping the other for herself.