"Trickby? That'll put us a long way out of our way. We can't make it Wradon?"
"Wradon is six days' sailing from here. We can make Trickby in one, even with these light winds. That's where we're headed."
The fog lifted early in the evening, just as they made port. The wharf was bustling with activity, and buzzing with talk of the unseasonably destructive storm that had hit. Several ships lay badly damaged at the docks, such was the power of the storm.
The Silver Sun anchored in the harbor to await an open slip. Some of the wharfs were damaged in the storm, and those that were not, housed battered ships. The Silver Sun was fortunate to have weathered the storm in as good a shape as it had.
Lorit and Chihon were rowed ashore in a small boat crewed by two of the sailors. When they reached the rock wall that outlined the harbor, Lorit helped Chihon out of the boat.
Captain Darves was standing there, talking with the harbor master. "The harbor master says we have no right to be here," the Captain said. "He says that storm should have snapped the mast and sent us to the bottom, along with the half a dozen ships that have gone missing. I think I owe the two of you a debt of gratitude for my ship and safe navigation."
"I'm sure it was all due to your excellent skills as a Captain," Lorit said with a smile.
"You're too modest. I know you had a hand in it. You're welcome aboard any time we're going your way." The Captain held out his hand and grasped Lorit's. "I can never repay you."
"There is no need to repay us. We are just happy to be ashore again." Lorit turned and walked along the rocky wall that led to the shore.
He looked back at the carnage as they left the wharf district. The jumble of ships with broken masts, missing sails, cracked cross beams and other storm damage, was a sickening sight. The Silver Sun had indeed fared better than most.
Lorit and Chihon found the inn near the wharf. Lorit wanted to try to contact Rotiaqua, now that they had a change of plans. They found the dining room packed and just starting to wind down. The crowd was noisy with news of the storm.
"Do you think it was aimed at us?" Chihon asked.
"I felt magic in the storm. It was targeted at us. Someone is trying to keep us from getting to Amedon."
"Could you tell who?"
"A Wizard and the Temple. I could sense the mix of powers in the storm." Lorit was more worried than before. Without Zhimosom's counsel and with a Wizard and the Temple on their trail, things were not looking good.
The server came over and took their order. She returned quickly and deposited a fresh roasted fowl on the table.
"What do you think of that storm?" she asked.
"It was quite something," Lorit said. "We were just out of Nebrook when it hit. It tossed us around pretty bad."
"You were out to sea when it hit?" She pulled out the bench and sat, leaning her head on her hand.
"Yes, we were. We were on the Silver Sun."
"You're lucky to be alive, if everyone here is to be believed. That was the worst storm in generations. Almost every ship that was out to sea was lost, from what I hear. How is it that you survived?"
"We had a great Captain."
"Girl! What are you doing?" came a voice from the kitchen.
The serving girl quickly jumped up and ran for the kitchen. "Just yell if you need anything," she called over her shoulder.
They finished their breakfast and headed back to their room. Lorit sat back and relaxed, reaching out for Rotiaqua. The contact formed and he found himself in the Wizard's study. The Sorceress was seated in Zhimosom's chair. Rotiaqua held up her hand. "A moment, please." She was studying a large volume open on the table.
There was a shimmer in the air and a violet cloud formed. It solidified and Chihon appeared beside him. Lorit noticed that Rotiaqua was looking frailer than before.
The Sorceress had always looked old, but as long as Lorit had known her, she had been vibrant and energetic as if she were a young woman inside an old body. Now she had an appearance of frailty that she had never shown before, and the worry showed on her face.
"The ship was in a storm that almost sank us."
Rotiaqua looked them over. "I perceived as much."
"We could have been killed," Lorit blurted. "It took all of our strength to hold the ship together in that storm. If Chihon had not been able to locate the sun using her magic and navigate us out, we would still be stuck in the fog, hoping not to run aground."
"But you survived," Rotiaqua said.
"We survived, but something about that storm felt wrong," Lorit said. "I could feel a Wizard's magic in it, and the Temple."
"Wizard's magic, you say? And the Temple?" Rotiaqua wrinkled her brow. "I am not able to sense as much as I used to. I did feel the scent of a Wizard about that storm. It's somehow familiar, yet strange at the same time."
"What should we do?" Lorit asked.
"Continue on. Keep heading for Midian. You should be able to get the help you need there."
"Any luck finding Zhimosom?" Lorit was concerned. If Rotiaqua was growing weaker, so was Zhimosom. He didn't know how much longer the pair could last.
"Nothing of Zhimosom, and I fear I may not be much help either. My power is fading fast."
With that, the Sorceress turned to mist and dissipated, leaving Lorit sitting in the room with Chihon.
Enlightenment
Tass sat quietly, waiting for Sulrad to enter her study. It was rare that he came to see her; he usually summoned her to him and kept her standing there until he got around to acknowledging her. She thought his firm insistence that his guests stood while in his study was inappropriate for a Priestess of her standing, but she'd long since given up on trying to change his mind on the subject.
He entered shortly, his gaunt frame looking even more worn and ragged than usual. He plopped himself unceremoniously into the chair and let out a heavy sigh. His eyes wandered around the room until finally settling on her.
"I take it from your demeanor that you were not successful," Tass said. While the High Priest didn't have any real friends, Tass was a close substitute. She had earned the right to speak frankly with Sulrad in a manner no one else ever would – well, no one who wished to continue living.
"Not entirely, no." He shifted uncomfortably in the chair. His utterance was as close as he would come to an admission of failure.
"I see," she said simply. He would eventually tell her what was on his mind, if she refrained from speaking.
"The storm was rather more far reaching than I had planned. I fear Temple revenues may be down around the Freshen Sea this season. A few unintended ships were caught up in the storm."
He sat up straight and looked her in the eye. "The lad is strong, strong enough to withstand a storm at sea like that.
"I'm not entirely certain where he's getting the power to defeat my efforts. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was the Wizard Zhimosom. But he's safely away from this conflict. It doesn't feel like the Sorceress either."
"And?" Tass worried about Sulrad. He seemed to have a blind spot where the Sorceress and Wizard were concerned.
"I've planted a few agents along the false trail I set for him. Lorit still thinks he is going to find the prince. In fact, he's walking into a trap. Several of them, actually. I think I'm going to enjoy this."
He stood up quickly and turned for the door. Tass wanted to warn him that he still seemed gaunt and exhausted, but she refrained from commenting. He had that look about him. He had a plan and he was going to carry it out if it took all of his strength.
"I'm going to study and prepare." He turned and strode out of her office without another word.
Shortly after Sulrad departed, there was a rap at her door.
"Come," Tass said without looking up. She had that uneasy feeling she got around danger, even before the traitor walked in. He eased himself into a chair and smiled. He was always too familiar in his speech and his mannerisms for her taste. She looked forward to the day when his usefulness was over, so she could show him exactly what she thought of him. "What brings you back here?" Tass asked without looking up from her papers. When there was no reply, she looked up.
"I asked you a question," she repeated.
"I am aware of that. I was simply waiting for the common courtesy of your full attention. I'm not one of your under priests. I'm a full member of the Wizard's Council, after all. A little respect, if you don't mind."
"You're a traitor. Why should I respect that?"
"Because I'm going to rid you of the Wizard Zhimosom."
"Your orders are to detain him while we deal with this upstart, Lorit. That is all. Detain him. Nothing more. Or do you have bigger plans than leading the Wizard's Council?"
"My orders?"
"Your orders. Do you think we're simply asking favors of you? Remember, you came to us for help in securing your place at the head of the Council."
Tass was losing patience with his impertinence. She stood up to dismiss him, but he remained seated.
"I understand that a young price is missing," the traitor said. "Royal blood with magic in his veins. That's quite a prize."
Tass sat back down. Where had he gotten that information from? She wondered if he had an informant in the Temple.
"How do you think we plan to facilitate the final binding on Zhimosom?" Tass asked. "He's more powerful than you will ever be. If it were not for us providing you with power, you would never have been able to hold him, even temporarily. You certainly wouldn't be able to imprison him permanently.
"You will follow your orders and stay with the plan we have agreed. Is that understood?"
The traitor sat there silently, as if in thought. He looked down at his fingernails, examining them for the answer. Finally, he looked back at her.
"I have the Wizard bound just as we agreed. Soon, I will deliver him to you for your more permanent disposition."
"And then?" Tass prompted.
"Then I will rid both of us of the upstart Lorit."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Tass stood up. "If you will excuse me, I have an appointment that I must keep."
Tass entered the training room where the priest Garsh worked to turn the Prince. He stood above the boy he had labored over for days without success. She leaned over the boy and looked into his bloodshot eyes. She waited for them to focus.
"Tass. What are you doing here? Why am I here?" He struggled to get free, but the bonds were tight and all he did was manage to chafe his already raw wrists.
"You are here to learn, Your Grace." Tass rested her hand on Prince Ghall's forehead. "To learn about pain."
She raised a spell similar to the one the Priest had been using on the boy. His body convulsed as he tensed against the pain that wracked through him.
He let out a scream that hurt her ears. She placed her hand over his mouth to silence him. "Here, here. None of that. It won't help anyway. The only way to make the pain go away is to give in to it, release your will, and let Ran take over."
She recalled her own training. The first test was the ability to withstand the pain. Most young Wizards failed in that, giving up their power rather than pushing through the pain.
"Why are you doing this?" the Prince gasped.
"To make you stronger ... or kill you. The choice is yours. You're strong enough to push through the pain if you want to. Let it soak into you. Let it become a part of you. Let it in and yield to it. That's what we all did. Once you do this, you will be one of us."
"Will the pain stop then?"
"No – no, it won't." She stroked his forehead, cooing like a mother over her infant. "The pain never goes away; it just gets a little more tolerable with time." With that, she invoked the spell that drove him into spasms once more.
"He's coming along just fine," she told the Priest. "Garsh, you're doing an acceptable job here." She smiled inwardly. She'd remembered his name, so she wouldn't have to think of him as the short balding priest.
She stood by as he passed his staff above the Prince. Again and again, the waves of pain wracked the boy's body and his screams split the air. She leaned in to whisper lovingly in his ear. "Just give in to the pain and release your spirit. It will all fade after that. In the end, we will have your magic - either with you, after you join us, or without you, after your death. I'd prefer that you join us."
The torture continued well into the night with Tass and Garsh taking turns. Prince Ghall fought against it for a long time, but by the middle of the night, he started to yield. Tass could feel it. He was weakening, letting the pain transport his consciousness to the next level.
"I think Ran is about to take him," she commented, looking into the Prince's bloodshot eyes and noticing their glaze. She nodded encouragement to Garsh, who continued his ministrations.
The Prince convulsed once more and cried out, not in pain this time, but in victory. It was a deep-throated yell, primal and animal, but unmistakable. He relaxed, no longer straining at the bonds as the Priest passed the staff over him. It looked as if pain no longer emanated from the staff, but Tass knew better. The pain was probably worse than before, but having yielded, it no longer mattered to him. He embraced it. It was a part of him, who he was now.
"He's ready. Go fetch the sacrifice." Tass bent down once more to whisper in Prince Ghall's ear. "Are you ready?"
He moaned and opened his eyes. The old glint was gone, replaced by a hard steeled look. He nodded ever so slightly.
Garsh came in bearing a cage that contained a mini dragon. The creature was listless and tired-looking. They had kept it caged ever since they had captured the Prince, waiting for this moment.
The Priest reached into the cage and carefully pulled the animal out. It barely struggled as he trussed it up and laid it on the table, next to Prince Ghall. He took out his sacrificial knife and stood over the mini dragon.
"Ready?" he asked as he laid the knife against the animal's exposed neck.