SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (11 page)

He glanced
at Dominic who was watching the other boat intently. He remembered reading in
the book on magic that he’d found in Loren’s castle that some sorcerers and
wizards, he wasn’t adept enough in magical terms to tell the difference, had
the ability to control certain aspects of the weather. he had no idea if
elemental magic, if he remembered the term correctly, was capable of overcoming
the power of a motor board engine. he supposed it depended on how proficient
Dominic was in the use of magic.

He suddenly
felt torn between the desire to return to the safety of the cabin and to stay
at the stern rail. Part of him wanted to know if the boat came any closer, but the
rest of him preferred not to. It was said that ignorance was bliss and he found
himself wondering if that was true. He finally decided to stay close to Kelly;
as long as she stayed outside, he would be at her side.

He found
himself looking sidewise at her. Since leaving Loren’s castle the two of them
had spent almost all the their time together yet he knew no more about her than
he did when they started. She was either unwilling or unable to share her
innermost thoughts.

She appeared
to have no emotions at all. Although she did smile from time to time, he hadn’t
heard her laugh in the longest time. He so longed to hear her tinkling laughter
that he had spent an entire afternoon telling her all the jokes and funny
stories he could remember. Even Dominic’s shoulders had begun to shake with
laughter as he listened to Chris, a fact that surprised Chris, but Kelly had
barely smiled.

He wondered
if this was a consequence of the loss of her soul and felt a new wave of guilt.
He couldn’t wait to find her soul and get it restored so she would return to
what she had been like when he used to follow her around school.

Yet, he
wanted her more than ever. He constantly thought of kissing her, touching her
cheek, smelling her hair or just holding her against him. He couldn’t begin to
count the number of times he had reached for her, only to stop himself before
he could complete the act. After everything he had already done to her, he was
surprised that she didn’t hate him already; he was afraid to push her to show
any emotion lest the emotion she exhibit be the one he didn’t want.

He yearned
to talk his feeling over with someone but there was no way he was going to
discuss this with Dominic. The apprentice had loosened up considerably during
their boat trip but Chris still didn’t trust him. he continued to get the
impression that the apprentice blamed him for causing this predicament in the
first place. although he admitted that it was his fault, he didn’t need to be
reminded of it; he felt bad enough already.

The nights were
the worst. He was having nightmares of Kelly consumed by an evil that turned
her into an ugly monster that he couldn’t identify. The most common nightmare
was of him and Kelly making love, her body willing and writhing under him, but,
when he moved to complete the act, she changed into a hideous creature that
tried to devour him.

Only once
had he actually cried out his terror, waking to find both Dominic and Kelly
staring at him in the light of the lantern that Dominic had lit. After that he
had managed to wake himself before he could cry out, but he would remain awake
for hours afterwards, too disturbed to sleep, his discomfort increasing when he
saw Kelly’s naked body in his mind’s eye whenever he dared to close his eyes.

What was
even more frightening to Chris was that his nightmares were beginning to invade
his daytime; twice, so far, Kelly’s image had shimmered into the monster when
he was looking at her. Rapid blinking of his eyes had returned her to normal
both times but he lived in constant fear of it happening again. He constantly
worried about what he would do if one of these times, she didn’t change back.
Would he be able to accept her as the monster he had created?

Every
morning, after one of his nightmares, he would find Dominic watching him with
his unfathomable black eyes. And, the second time he saw the monster during the
daytime while they were playing backgammon, Chris had turned to find Dominic’s
eyes on him.

Chris
wondered if the apprentice had any idea of what was going on inside his head
and wished that he felt comfortable enough with the man to discuss the
situation with him.

Chris would
be the first to admit that he didn’t know enough about magic to realize if what
he saw was dangerous to Kelly or not. He had already tried to talk to Dominic
once but when the apprentice turned his black eyes on him, Chris had balked and
retreated. He wished desperately that Loren was here; he was certain that he
would have been able to tell Loren about these nightmares.

Suddenly
Kelly gasped and stumbled against the rail. Because he had been looking at her
Chris was able to react instantly, snaking his arm around her waist to steady
her. Dominic turned to face her, a puzzled expression on his face.

“There’s
someone inside my head,” Kelly gasped.

Dominic’s
expression changed to one of concern. “Is it male or female?”

Kelly
frowned in concentration. “Male.”

“Can discern
tell what he is saying?”

Kelly shook
her head. “I don’t understand the language.”

Dominic
disengaged Chris’ arm and shoved his own body between Kelly and Chris before
turning her to face him, placing both hands on her shoulders. “Now, I want you
to listen to me. Close your eyes and concentrate on the voice. Tune out
everything except the voice.”

Chris
started to protest but fell silent when Dominic sent him a withering look. To
Chris the apprentice’s eyes appeared more intense than usual. He felt his
stomach tighten; was Kelly in some danger that he couldn’t perceive?

“I’m getting
a headache,” Kelly complained a few minutes later.

“Are the
meanings behind the words become more clear?” was Dominic’s only response.

Kelly shook
her head.

“You must
concentrate harder.”

“I can’t.”

“You must,”
Dominic hissed, shaking her.

“Hey,” Chris
protested, trying to pull Dominic’s hands away from Kelly’s shoulders.

Dominic
glanced at him and Chris went flying across the deck, landing in a heap near
the cabin wall. Chris was indignant as he jumped to his feet and stalked back
across the deck. Without looking up Dominic waved his arm through the air and
Chris was frozen in place. He opened his mouth to protest this treatment and
found that he couldn’t speak.

“Listen to
me,” said Dominic in a harsh voice. “I think that you are a mind reader. If
that is what is happening to you then you must learn to control it quickly or
the power can cause irreparable brain damage. Not only is there the danger of
someone gaining control of your thoughts and actions, but if you don’t learn
how to block the incoming voices, you will be overwhelmed by the stray thoughts
of those around you. There is the possibility that you might go insane if you
don’t learn to control it. Now, please concentrate.”

Chris closed
his eyes, the only part of his body that he currently had control of, and added
his will to Kelly’s; it was all he could do to help her.

Time seemed
to stand still for the three of them as Kelly’s brow furrowed in concentration.
Chris had reopened his eyes; he couldn’t stand not seeing what was going on
with her. Abruptly her face cleared and she opened her eyes, turning to look at
the other boat.

“The voice
feels like it is very near but I don’t think it’s on this boat.”

“What is it
saying?”

“I’m not
sure but I think there is a conversation going on whether to attack now or wait
until nightfall.”

Dominic
frowned and turned to look at the boat, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Several
long minutes passed before he spoke. “Kelly, do you think you can control the
direction of their thoughts?”

“What?”

“Make the
voice that’s inside your head think what you want them to.”

Kelly frowned.
“Like what?”

“Specifically,
how fast their boat is.”

“I’ll try,”
said Kelly doubtfully.

Another
interminable amount of time passed before Kelly shook her head. “I can’t do
it.”

“Keep
trying,” Dominic instructed in a calm voice. “I will go and talk to Egbert and
inform him of the situation. Since we are forewarned we might be able to
prevent them from succeeding.”

Kelly
sighed. “Ok.”

Dominic cast
one last look at the other boat before turning on his heel and heading towards
the prow. He paused as he passed Chris. He contemplated for a moment then waved
his arm through the air. Chris stumbled as he found himself released from his
stasis. He glared at Dominic.

Dominic eyed
him coldly. “Do not interfere again.” He continued on.

Chris glared
after his retreating figure before moving to stand next to Kelly. He didn’t
interrupt her concentration by speaking but he hoped that she would know that
he was there and be comforted by his presence.

Chris stood
at the prow of the boat next to Kelly, watching the other boat, now clearly
visible as it approached. He had never felt so tense, or so useless. Everyone
else had a job to do, but he could do nothing but wait.

Kelly was
staring at the other boat, her eyes closed and forehead creased in
concentration as she tried to hear the thoughts of those on board; so far she
had been unsuccessful. Chris ached to put his arm around her to offer his
support but feared that he would interfere with her concentration were he to
actually do so. Instead all he could do was mentally urge her on; he didn’t
know if it was helping but at least it made him feel as if he was doing
something.

Chris
glanced back at Dominic who was standing close to the larger of the two sails.
Although the winds had died down early in the day, the sails were full, thanks,
Chris was certain, to Dominic’s skill as a sorcerer. Chris had to admit that he
was developing a healthy respect for the apprentice; he might need a personality
overhaul but he defiantly knew his magic.

Chris found
himself wondering what the apprentice thought about the approaching boat. He
had never said anything but when the crew members, who were all of the opinion
that they were pirates, said anything in his hearing, Dominic would turn and
look at the speaker with his usually expressionless face. Chris was uncertain
whether the apprentice disagreed with the crew members and he wanted to
question the other man but held himself back; Dominic held himself as unapproachable
as ever.

One of the
older crew members hurried across Chris’ field of vision. All afternoon the
four of them had been scurrying around doing various jobs that he didn’t
understand. Two were constantly at the sails, making minute adjustments as they
tried to produce as much speed as possible from Dominic’s wind, a losing
proposition as they other boat continued to gain on them; despite all Dominic
could do, wind just couldn’t compete with the motor on the other boat.

Earlier in
the day Chris had walked to the prow of the boat and offered his services to
Egbert. The captain had scratched his head for a moment before turning Chris
down. Although an extra set of hands might be useful in some instances, Egbert
felt that Chris’ lack of experience would be more of a hindrance than a help.
Chris could do nothing but return to Kelly’s side.

Chris
returned his attention to the other boat, thoughts of Blackbeard and Captain
Kidd flitting through his brain. Without help, their chances of survival
against such characters was minimal; he was sure that even in this modern day
pirates were as ruthless as those of old. Yet, would something that Dominic
feared be even worse. He shuddered despite the warmth.

Brant, the
youngest crew member, approached Chris and handed him a long bladed knife that
looked suspiciously like the same material as the sword that lay on the deck at
Dominic’s feet. He accepted the knife, nodding his thanks, thinking that he
would rather have a gun in his hands. He had never fired a gun before but he
was sure that it would be more effective than the knife, but Egbert had
informed him that there were no guns aboard the
Deoiridh,
Loren wouldn’t
allow it.

Chris tucked
the knife carefully into his belt where he could reach it easily when the time
to use it came. He was certain that those aboard the approaching boat didn’t
have such qualms against guns, the very fact that they were able to block the
Deoiridh’s
calls for help was proof of that.

Chris had
seen the sophisticated looking equipment crammed into a small room behind the
wheel on the prow, surprised that the anti-technology inclined Loren had
allowed it on his boat. Egbert had explained that it was required equipment for
registering the boat and Loren had no choice but to include it. The only concession
was that it was rarely used; Egbert was an expert at reading the weather
conditions in the sky and didn’t need the information on the airwaves to
interpret them.

By the time
the sun had begun to sink below the western horizon the other boat was close
enough for Chris to see that the owner’s had covered the boat’s name with a
green tarp. Somehow Chris wasn’t too surprised to see this, it made sense to
him that the owner’s wouldn’t want anyone to see the name of the boat while it
was engaged in its criminal activity. This would allow the boat to conduct its
everyday activities without suspicion, allowing her to sit peacefully in its
berth between excursions.

For a brief
time Chris thought that this might bode well for the passengers of the
Deoiridh
;
if the owners of the other boat were taking precautions against them noting the
name, they might be left alive. But, the more he thought about it, the less
convinced he became; it was more likely that the other boat was shielding
itself from other boats that might cross its path.

Before it
became too dark, Egbert sent one of the crew members up into the crow’s nest to
search for other boats in the vicinity from which they might elicit aid. Chris
waited breathlessly as the crew member scanned the horizon but disappointment
surged through him as the crew member descended, shaking his head in answer to
the unspoken question. Chris turned his attention back to the other boat; there
was no help for them.

The other
boat was approaching with frightening speed; the closer it got the faster it
appeared to be coming. Chris had pulled the knife out of his waistband and was
gripping it tightly in his hand, even though there was still some distance
between the two boats.

There was
enough light for Chris to see twelve figures standing on the prow, all armed
with what appeared to be rifles of some kind. At first, Chris thought that they
might be able to fight off twelve men, but that hope was dashed when he spied
other figures darting around the boat.

Chris found
himself wondering how many men were aboard that boat; it was smaller than
The
Deoiridh
but might have lower decks. He sighed as he supposed that there
could be a hundred or more aboard the boat and turned his thoughts elsewhere;
if he continued thinking along these lines, he would only frighten himself more
than he already was.

Unfortunately,
Chris found his thoughts continuously returning to  the subject of
pirates. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his thoughts on a better
subject. Finally, he gave in and let the thoughts run their course.

Did modern
pirates automatically kill those they captured or were they taken prisoner and
sold as slaves, and which would be preferable? He had no desire to die, but
neither did a life as a slave appeal to him.

Slavery was
against the law in most of the civilized world, except perhaps in cases where
someone was wealthy enough to be able to hide the fact from prying eyes. But,
there were vast areas of the world where anything was possible. A shiver of
fear went up Chris’ spine at the thought of what might happen and decided that
it would be better to be killed before that occurred.

Of course,
if they were taken alive there would always be the possibility of escape in the
future, unless he was chained. He glanced at Dominic’s rigid back, or if they
were magically prohibited from escaping. He sighed and made a determined effort
to push these thoughts from his mind; they were too depressing.

Chris saw
the sails suddenly deflate and realized that Dominic must have ceased creating
wind that filled them. he noted that the apprentice had moved to stand at
Kelly’s side at the stern rail. He held the sword in his left hand; point down
as he calmly waited for the other boat to pull along side them.

Chris opened
his mouth  to ask the apprentice if there was anything further he could do
but closed it with a snap when he saw the look of concentration on Dominic’s
face. he was certain that if there was something he could be doing, Dominic
would inform him, probably in not very polite terms.

He sighed as
he turned to see what the crew members were doing; perhaps he could help one of
them. He frowned when he saw that there were no crew members in sight; what
could they be doing?

Chris turned
back and jumped in surprise; in the short period in which he’d had his back
turned the other boat had come along side them. several ropes with grapples
attached had been thrown onto
The Deoiridh,
holding the two boats
together. As Chris watched one of the crew members on
The Deoiridh
jumped to the nearest rope and tried to dislodge it.

But, the
grapple had bit into the deck and the crew member couldn’t budge it. The sailor
pulled a short-bladed knife out of his belt and began to hack at the rope.
Chris shook his head; even someone as inexperienced as he was could see that
the rope was too thick for the little knife to cut the line in time to help
them.

Chris looked
around as he heard another motor start up; he squinted as he peered through the
gathering darkness. finally spotting the winch that was attached to the rope
tied to the grapple. One of the sailors on the other boat stood next to the
winch as it began to pull the two boats closer together. Other sailors began to
accumulate on the deck facing them, crowding the rail as if they were eager to
be the first aboard
The Deoiridh
; Chris quit counting when he reached
twenty, he really didn’t want to know how many of them he would have to fight.

Several more
ropes with grapples attached flew from the other boat to T
he
Deoiridh
but no more winches were attached. Chris supposed that they only needed
 one to do the job. Regardless, the two boats were coming together much
faster than Chris cared to think about.

Silence fell
like a blanket when the winch suddenly shut off. hope flared briefly that
Dominic had somehow stopped the winch before it could finish its task. But, the
hope died as he heard a scrapping sound and he realized that those aboard the
other boat had shut the machine off. A plank appeared from the side of the
other boat, stretching across the black water to
The Deoiridh.

Dominic
crossed the deck in long strides, a small wand appearing in his hand. Chris
wasn’t close enough to overhear what Dominic was saying but he could see the
blue flame that leapt from Dominic’s wand to the plank. The plank disappeared
with a small booming sound.

Dominic then
turned his attention to the ropes with the grapples attached, quickly
separating the ropes with the blue flame. Chris smiled as he saw the results of
Dominic’s work but wondered why the apprentice had waited so long to employ the
wand. Chris’ smile widened as he observed the increased level of activity on
the other boat.

Dominic
spent a moment observing  the other boat before scurrying back to the
sails. Less than a minute later the sails filled with wind and T
he
Deoiridh
sprang away from the other boat. Unfortunately, their hopes of escape were
short-lived as the engines of the other boat roared to life and it lurched
after them, quickly making up the short distance
The Deoiridh
had
managed to put between them.

As the other
boat came along side them again the sailors aboard her threw larger grapples
attached to metal poles onto the deck. Chris noted that the sailors on the
other boat didn’t bother attaching the winch to any of theses grapples; instead
they clustered together, five men to each pole, and pulled the two boats closer
together.

As soon as
the other boat was close enough, the sailors began jumping aboard T
he
Deoiridh
,
each holding a gun of some type in front of him. Chris moved closer to Kelly, gripping
the knife tightly in his right hand and hoping that he didn’t loose it due to
sweaty palms. He had never fought with a knife before but he was determined
that these pirates weren’t going to get their hands on Kelly.

Dominic
suddenly appeared at Kelly’s side. Chris spared a moment to frown at the
apprentice as he noticed that he was still holding his sword with the point
towards the deck. Chris shook his head; how did Dominic think he was going to
protect Kelly without raising his sword? He returned his attention to the
marauders, tightening his grip on his knife.

Chris heard
the sounds of fighting behind him but didn’t dare look to see what was
happening; the pirates were too close. they  approached slowly, lecherous
grins on their faces and guns brandished boldly in front of them.

Chris’ heart
was hammering so hard that he barely heard Dominic start to chant. But, he
didn’t miss the look of amazement that crossed the faces of the marauders as
they suddenly became immobile.

The
marauders looked down; obviously trying to discover what held them in place.
 Dominic stepped up to where they were standing, which caused them to
raise their heads to look at him. Chris noted the smile on Dominic’s face as he
lowered his voice and spoke to them, at first in a language Chris didn’t
understand but quickly switching to English.

“You will
now leave. You will find that the only direction in which you will be able to
walk will be towards your boat. You have one minute in which to leave or I will
take further action against you.”

The man who
had been in the lead shouted at Dominic in what sounded to Chris like the first
language Dominic had spoken. Dominic listened but made no move until the other
man fell silent.