A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3) (32 page)

Tulip shook her head, "Never did I expect to be preparing for war once more. At least I know what to do." She stood up and left the room. Ruth, with a concerned look on her face, followed Tulip.

"When we land, we will unload all of you and your provisions. However, I must patrol the shoreline. I have been saving people since this whole mess started and carrying them to the islands for safety. You will be on your own." The captain seemed upset by this fact.

Stain clapped him on the shoulder, "We will be fine my friend. You are doing a great service, saving those who can not save themselves." He looked around, "Now, shall we get that tour of the ship?"

Suzie hopped up and led the way out of the room. She spent the next few hours walking us through all the compartments, showing us obvious defenses but also explaining how she had imbued the ship with magic so that it was able to defend itself. The amount of magic woven into the very fiber of the ship was astounding.

"You have worked hard." Stain hugged Suzie, his pride obvious.

She blushed and nodded, "Some of the protections were already there, I just added to them."

Stain shook his head, "I put those protections in place. I know what you have truly done. Be proud of your work." He patted her on the shoulder. "You have come a long way and I am proud to have been your master, even if it was for a short time."

She blushed more and ducked her head.

"We have accommodations for each of you." She looked at us and smiled, "Although we left the wagons accessible if you would rather sleep there."

Raven grinned broadly and poked my ribs. I jumped slightly and looked at her questionably She grinned again and poked me. I just shook my head and hugged her.

"What about the animals?" I asked this since we had not been involved in the loading.

Suzie grinned, "Well, they are all stowed away. None are really happy about being on board, but they are secured well enough. The goats were no problem."

We wandered up on the deck of the boat, the swaying underfoot a pleasant reminder of my trip down the river. We sat around and talked about our travels and challenges. Suzie had survived many attacks, her toughness showing through. She was harder, yet retained that happiness I was familiar with from my time on the barge. We shared about our travels to the capital and then after we escaped. Suzie was fascinated by our adventures and all of our stories.

Finally, high tide was upon us. The ship was a mad house of sailors preparing to cast off and to leave the harbor. Stain walked up beside Raven and myself.

"I have Tag and Evins floating just behind the ship in their shields. Your spell is working quite well, although a few small craft have bumped into the shields. It was quite funny actually. When we leave the harbor you will have to keep an eye on them so that we know they are being pulled along with us." He turned to Raven, "Amelia will be handling the first stage of directing the wind into our sails. I wish for you to keep her company so that you might learn how she handles it. That way you can take your turn when the time is right." He explained a few more things, mostly about not letting ourselves wear to thin. "One final thing, I talked to Maria and she agreed to allow Suzie and the Captain know of her presence She is staying in your wagon until we reach land. Be sure to take care of her along with our other companions." He turned and climbed up beside the captain.

"I want to sleep in our wagon. I feel like it is home." Raven said this quietly, almost nervously.

I smiled, "Then we will sleep in our home my wife. Perhaps we might eat some meals with the crew. I think it would be polite."

She smiled broadly, "Careful or you might end up helping cook for the crew once more."

I smiled, "There are worse things that could happen."

At that moment the ship started moving with the tide. The ship creaked and swayed as the water flowed around her. The sails billowed out and finally stiffened as the wind blew straight forward. The ship lurched forward, racing away from the harbor and out into the ocean proper. Water stretched as far as the eye could perceive Waves crawled across the surface to throw themselves against rocks and cliffs. Birds filled the air, vying for food and land. I looked behind us and could see Tag and Evins bobbing along behind us. At the base of the cliffs large animals, seals I later found out, laid on the rocks. We pulled away from shore at a steady pace, for what seemed to be hours. The shore slowly faded away until it was a smudge on the horizon. No other ships could be seen.

"How much farther do we have to go out?" I asked Suzie.

She smiled, "We are having to go around the mountains that stretch out into the ocean. Otherwise it could rip the very hull apart. It takes a full day to get far enough out to be able to sail around the mountains. Even then, we have to go farther because of the way the ocean flows. If we cut in too soon, the waves will drive us backwards. We will almost reach the islands before turning back towards the kingdom. Then we will be fighting the current to reach the kingdom, all the while avoiding the reefs and shoals that come off the mountains." She grinned a dark grin, "All in all it is a wild ride." She walked off and headed below deck.

"It is almost time for our meal." The captain was talking to Stain, "Bring along your friends and younglings. We shall share a meal and then rest while we travel." He also went below decks.

Stain stopped and looked at Raven and myself, "Keep your guard up. This ship has a larger crew and we can not know the loyalties of all them. Stay together at all times. Food will be ready in a short time. Meet me at the captain's dining room. We are in for a treat, I think."

We nodded and continued watching the ocean. It was fascinating. I had never seen such a large body of water. Raven poked me, "Imagine if we had been kidnapped and hidden at the bottom of the ocean. We would have talked much more before rising to the surface."

I grinned and shook my head, "You ladies always kept me nervous."

She laughed and tugged on my arm, "I am hungry. Let us go eat."

Laughing we went below decks and made our way to the Captain's dining room. An opulent room with paintings on the walls.

"This was once the king's own dining room. Now us lowly men shall dine like the king." The captain motioned for everyone to sit down and the crew brought forward course after course until we were stuffed. "My friends, it has been a long time since I could share a meal with those I call such. I hope that our journey is fruitful and that we shall bring some much needed relief to our kingdom." He toasted our group and then retired for the night.

"He has been worried so much since we took this ship." Suzie stated this dryly. "His only hope has been that he would find you and bring you to the king."

"I am glad he was at the harbor. We were trying to figure out how to get to the kingdom when he appeared." Stain smiled.

Suzie nodded, "That was just the latest time we made anchor there. The pirates accept us as one of their own now. It helps that we have been raiding the invaders and bringing the spoils back to sell." She stood. "War changes people, be aware that my father has changed. He is loyal, but he is tired." She left the room.

"I worry about our friends. This war is putting a strain upon them." Stain commented. "Keep an eye on things. If anything seems off to you, let me know." With this warning he also left the room to find his berth.

***

That night a storm set upon the ship. It blew so hard that even the combined might of all of our magics could not keep it on course. The ship tossed and spun throughout the night. The crew kept the ship intact, Suzie's magic coming to their aid many times. Finally, the storm broke and the sun came through the clouds. We were all exhausted and sought our berths. When Raven and I awoke there was a great commotion on deck. We raced to the deck to discover that the crew was upset and pointing over the side of the ship. A massive island sat in the middle of the ocean. Smoke furled up from the top of the mountain. Massive forests surrounded the base of the mountain and white sand covered the shoreline.

"Where are we?" Raven asked as she leaned against me.

"We have been blown farther out to sea than I had hoped." The captain walked up behind us. "That is the Burning Island. Very few ships land here, fewer still return." He pointed off to the side of the island. We looked and saw a massive amount of ships wrecked on the rocks there. "The waters around the island are no friends to sailors. We must be careful of the island, but also of those who live here. They have traveled out to live away from most people, from most kingdoms. They can be dangerous." He walked off and headed to direct his crew.

"We need water." Stain walked up behind us. "A small crew will go ashore and fill up barrels. Be wary. The captain is right about those who live here. Some have magic, others are simply dangerous." He followed the captain.

"This should be fun." Suzie leaned against the railing. "The last time we were here some people tried to take the ship. I was forced to use magic to defend the ship." Her tone made it obvious that she felt those people were fools.

"Do we need to help?" Raven asked.

Suzie shook her head, "The crew knows what to do. I will be watching over the ship as will my father. I am sure Stain will be keeping him company." She walked off to oversee the loading of a small craft to go ashore.

We stood at the railing and watched the crew launch the small craft. It rowed into a small bay, one with soft beaches and massive trees marching almost to the water line. Occasionally we could see people looking out from either the forest or down from rocky outcroppings. None seemed to worried about being seen, but also none approached the landing area the craft was aiming towards. A small stream could be seen flowing over rocks and down the beach. The crew shortly pulled up beside the stream and started filling large barrels with fresh water. A few crew could be seen unloading some crates.

"What is in the crates?" I asked.

"A peace offering. It will hopefully make the residents of the island peaceful and allow our crew to return safely." The captain had walked up behind us quietly. "I think a few bags of food will keep us safe and I am willing to pay that price." He walked off, heading to the front of the ship.

Shortly the crew had filled all the barrels and unloaded the crates of food. They returned quickly, straining to pull the craft back out to the ship. We watched as people came down to the beach and hauled off crate after crate of food. Soon the crew was back on board and the barrels were loaded into the hold. The ship weighed anchor and turned away from the island, leaving it behind us on the horizon.

"We were blown about a week off course. The storm drove us farther out into the ocean than I would ever wish to go under my own power." The captain was explaining at our evening meal. "We will have to be under full wind for at least five days to even get close to the shore. Then we will have to travel back down the coast. The storm not only blew us out but upwards, past where we wanted to land. Which means we will be coming in at a location that is more controlled by the enemy." He looked at Stain. "We have been masquerading as pirates, so the enemy ignores us as long as we do not stay in one location too long. To unload all of your wagons, animals, and people we will have to use a small cove, one that is unknown to most people. If we can unload you quickly then we will continue down the coast, patrolling for ships to plunder. At least to the enemies eyes. Once we get close enough we will have to be prepared to unload quickly and at almost no notice."

Stain nodded, "We will do what is needed when the time is upon us."

We all looked around at each other. The table was a somber place that meal.

***

The next week passed slowly, each of us helping with various aspects of the ship. Surprisingly, Tag and Evins had stayed attached to the ship. Their ride was a little wilder than ours, but they seemed to be doing okay. Each of us mages took turns driving the wind into the sails, flying forward towards our destination. Raven worked hard on her knife work, but also worked on her herbal work. She wanted to be able to heal if needed. Maria kept Raven and I company most days, as we spent a lot of time in our wagon working with magic or herbs. She told us stories and helped us with our pursuits. Her training as a scout had covered much herb lore and her nature in magic allowed her to help with our magic. Stain and the rest kept themselves busy also. Working to prepare for war. Each wagon was fortified with spells of defense and protection. Magical weapons were made and stored. Stain worked hard to spy out the coast and figure out our best path from the ocean into the kingdom's interior. He kept an eye out for the king at all times, yet never seemed to find him. I scryed my father on occasion, usually finding him training men or resting beside the fire. He would flinch slightly then smile and wave. Knowing he was safe kept me from worrying too much most days.

"I am sick of the ocean." Raven stated one evening. "There is nothing but water. I want land. I was born to be on land." She huffed and threw her latest knife across the wagon into a target laying there. Maria flew upwards out of the way. Mophar pulled his tail up and around him. Pat looked on and rolled his eyes.

"Me also. We should be seeing land anytime now. Once we get close enough we can sight where we are and head for that cove." I rubbed her shoulders for a moment, trying to ease her tension.