Chapter 4
It took Zollin nearly an hour to rebuild his internal defenses. The concept was easy to envision, but containing his magic was difficult. It was like trying to channel a raging river into a small tube, but once he got his power under control, it seemed to increase exponentially.
Mansel had roused Zollin before dawn and Eustice was ready with their horses and fresh supplies. They rode in silence, Zollin working to contain his magic while Mansel and Eustice battled just to stay awake. They rode along the coastline, which angled northeast. The next towns of size were the Twin Cities, each located on the points of two peninsulas that arched out into the sea, curving toward one another. The land created a sheltered harbor that was perfect for ships to take refuge in, and the cities were situated on the points of the peninsulas so that you could see from one city into the other.
As dawn broke, Zollin spoke up.
“What’s our plan?” he asked.
“Not sure,” Mansel said. “I would prefer to ride down to Osla, but that’s probably not a good idea. It would take months.”
“It’s safe from sea monsters though, isn’t it?” Zollin joked.
“You going to tell me what that was?”
“How should I know? The captain called it a kraken-you ever heard of that before?”
Eustice shook his head.
“No, can’t say that I have,” Mansel said after some thought. “It was a nasty piece of work though. Destroyed that trading ship and killed everyone on board except us.”
“It’s a good thing most of the crew were still on land then,” Zollin said. “It was by far the biggest living creature I’ve ever seen.”
“Bigger than the dragon?”
“Yes, considerably bigger. I fought it, but I don’t think I caused any lasting harm.”
“You drove it off though,” Mansel said, trying to be cheerful.
“Some would say I woke it up,” Zollin said. “Just like the dragon, and those forest dryads we ran into in Peddingar.”
Mansel didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure how to say something that wouldn’t be taken the wrong way. He wanted to encourage Zollin, but the fact was, since he had become a wizard there were a lot of crazy things happening that couldn’t be explained. Mansel had never believed in dragons or wizards, but now he was convinced that anything was possible.
“So we ride,” Mansel said. “Hopefully we can get ahead of the rumors. Perhaps we book passage separately, at least you and me. Eustice can stay with you. That way people who are looking for the three of us won’t be suspicious.”
“Won’t they be suspicious when we ride into town together?” Zollin asked.
“I was thinking about that,” Mansel said. “Perhaps you could charter a boat. There are plenty of fishermen along the coast. You and Eustice sail up the coast, and I’ll ride. We can book passage on the same ship, but separately. That way, we won’t rouse suspicion.”
“That’s fine by me, although I’m not anxious to get back on the water.”
“Surely you drove that beast off for a while. By the time it’s ready to attack ships again, hopefully we’ll be halfway to Osla.”
“Alright, that works for me. What about you, Eustice?”
The mute servant nodded enthusiastically.
An hour later they came to a small village and Zollin traded his horse and Eustice’s for passage to the Twin Cities. The boat they found was small and smelled of fish, but it seemed sturdy. The owner of the boat promised to have them in the big harbor by dawn the next morning. Zollin hoped that Mansel would be able to ride through the night.
On the boat, Zollin once again had to tap into his magical power to stop himself from being seasick. The big ship had been constantly moving, but the smaller fishing boat was almost like being adrift in the sea. It rose and fell in a clumsy but steady trek up the coast. Eustice tried to sleep, but waves were large enough that the small vessel sent water flying as it splashed into each breaker. They were soon soaked and shivering, but the fisherman didn’t seem to notice.
They ate soggy bread and smoked fish. Everything tasted strongly of salt, but despite their thirst they were forced to ration their supply of water. Zollin had a jug of wine, but it did nothing to slake his thirst. Their night was miserable, wet, and cold, but when the sun finally dawned they could see the Twin Cities.
It was mid-morning by the time they docked the small boat and made their way to an inn where they could sit by the fire and enjoy a hot meal. Zollin sent Eustice with silver for dry clothes. He couldn’t help but think of Brianna whenever he thought about tailors. Her father had been a skilled tailor, and Brianna was talented as well. It made his heart ache to think of her. Her memory was becoming cloudy in his mind, which only made him even more angry. He didn’t want to forget what she looked like, but he couldn’t help it. He remembered her raven black hair, high cheekbones, and full lips, but he couldn’t remember exactly how her eyes had looked. She was becoming more shadow than memory, they way people often look in dreams. He could remember her form, but not her substance.
Zollin went out in search of a ship where they could book passage. He tried not to worry about Mansel. The big warrior could take care of himself and he seemed to have a compulsion to see Zollin safe. It was probably born out of guilt, and as much as Zollin regretted Mansel’s crimes, he didn’t want his friend to suffer under the weight of actions he was not responsible for. It took nearly the rest of the day to find a ship willing to take on passengers. Rumors had reached the Twin Cities of the kraken attack, and they had grown stranger with each mile. He heard that the invading army had sunken the ship. He heard about hideous sea creatures that were nothing like the huge creature that actually attacked them. He even heard about an army of mermen rising up out of the water in a unified attack. But no matter how the story had grown, the one common denominator was the story of the three men who drew the beast and sabotaged the ship. They had become famous, the sole survivors of the heinous attack. Now, most of the ships were unwilling to take on passengers.
When Zollin finally found the Northern Star, he paid for their passage with silver. There were rumors that the three men in Lorye had paid with gold, and Zollin didn’t want to do anything that might make the sailors think that he was the wizard who had fought the kraken.
When Zollin returned to the inn, he found Eustice waiting for him with new clothes. The mute servant had managed to buy new breeches, several shirts, and even new boots for them both.
“I’m not sure how you do it, Eustice,” Zollin said. “I mean, how do you haggle when you can’t talk?”
The mute servant only waved a hand of dismissal at Zollin.
“You did an excellent job,” he said. Eustice beamed under the praise. “I don’t know how you knew what size boots to get me, but these are a perfect fit. And very comfortable too.”
They went together to get food. They bought several bottles of wine and a keg of ale, along with fruit, eggs, cheese, and three dozen loaves of bread. They paid a man with a pushcart a few bronze coins to haul their load to the boat. Then, they waited in separate inns as the sun set, hoping to catch sight of Mansel. Zollin wasn’t sure how the warrior would know which ship to book passage on-in fact, he wasn’t even sure if Mansel hadn’t suggested that they split up just so he could get as far away from Zollin as possible. Zollin wouldn’t have blamed his friend for that. It seemed like death followed Zollin as closely as his own shadow. He had taken great strides not to kill anyone since the battle at Orrock. The last thing he wanted now as more blood on his hands. He knew he would have to defeat Offendorl and the witch at Lodenhime, but just thinking about how easily he’d been able to inflict damage on the kraken made him feel ashamed. It was the realization that at any moment he could do the same thing to anyone around him. He could stop a man’s heart, eviscerate organs, or collapse lungs with hardly a thought. It was like holding a tiny baby bird in your hands, knowing that with only the tiniest effort you could end that life. The realization weighed heavily on Zollin.