SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (12 page)

“You have
used up twenty seconds of your minute. I would suggest, for your own benefit,
that you waste no more time.”

This
statement elicited another tirade from the other man but Dominic was unmoved.
When the man fell silent again Dominic spoke in a voice that was so low that
Chris, standing only a few feet away, had to strain to hear him.

“Your time
is up.” He raised his right arm, holding the black wand lightly in his fist,
which he pointed at the man on the far left. The man screamed shrilly as he
rose into the air and flew over the side, landing in the water with a splash.
He moved his arm so that he was pointing at the next man in line. “Will you be
the next to go over the side?”

As one, all
the men except for the one who had done all the talking, turned, hurried back
to the side and jumped the short distance back to their own boat. The remaining
man continued to glare at Dominic. There was a long silence before he began
speaking again.

Dominic only
let him say a few words before interrupting him. “You are most rude, Baltsaros.
My friends speak only English. I think we should converse in that language.”

Baltsaros
spoke several more words in the original language before switching to English.
“You know that Vasilis will not let the girl go without a fight.”

Dominic
smiled grimly. “So, where is your master hiding? Why is he not here to collect
his prize for himself?”

Baltsaros
was so angry he was shaking. “He wants her and he will have her. And there is
nothing you can do to stop him from getting her.” He turned on his heel and
stalked to the side. But, before leaping over, he turned again, raising his
right hand in which the gun was nestled, aiming it at Dominic’s chest.

Dominic’s
smile grew as the gun suddenly burst into flames.

With a curse
Baltsaros tossed it over the side. “You have not seen the last of me or
Vasilis.” He leapt over the side. Moments later the engines of the other boat
roared to life and the boat spun away from
The Deoiridh
.

Chris stared
after the retreating boat, trying unsuccessfully to control his ragged
breathing. He couldn’t believe they had gotten out of their predicament without
fighting. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he was finally
able to get the words out. “If you could do that to them why did you let them
come aboard from
The Deoiridh
?”

Dominic
didn’t take his eyes off the other boat. “I have no control over engines so I
could not keep them from approaching and they had to be close before I could do
anything to them. Fortunately, I had enough power to frighten them off. I fear
that our next encounter may not end so easily.”

“You knew
these people were coming.”

Dominic
shrugged. “Vasilis was only one of a number of possibilities.” He looked at
Chris for a moment before returning his gaze to the other boat. “Their return
is not what worries me.”

Chris waited
for several minutes for the apprentice to continue but it became apparent that
he wasn’t going to. Chris sighed before speaking again. “What bothers you?”

Dominic was
silent for quite some time, giving Chris the impression that he was trying to
decided whether to divulge the information to Chris. Dominic suddenly turned to
look at Kelly. He gazed at her thoughtfully for several minutes before
speaking. “Kelly, would you please go into the cabin so that I can speak to
Chris in private.”

Kelly looked
from Dominic to Chris and back to Dominic before shaking her head. “I Think I
have the right to hear whatever you’re going to say.”

Chris
squeezed Kelly’s arm. “Please, go into the cabin.” He leaned forward and
whispered in her ear. “I’ll tell you what he said, later.”

Kelly
frowned at him before turning and flouncing across the deck to the cabin,
passing the crew members of
The Deoiridh
who were huddled around Brant
who had been injured during the fighting. She entered the cabin, slamming the
door shut behind her.

Dominic
waited until he was certain she was inside the cabin and the crew members had
moved out of earshot before speaking in a low voice. “Vasilis is a low level
sorcerer who has been trying to gather more power to himself for years. It
makes sense that he would try to get his hands on Kelly as a way to increase
his power.

“But, what
worries me is that he knew that she was no longer in the safety of Loren’s
castle and on
The Deoiridh.
I fear that there must be a leak in Loren’s
castle for him to have that information. And, if he has it, who knows how many
others also possess it. Protecting Kelly may prove to be more difficult than we
ever imagined. Especially if those with more power than Vasilis decide they
want her.”

Chris was
silent for several minutes as he digested this data. “Maybe he was simply
watching Loren’s castle, waiting for her to leave,” he finally said.

Dominic
shook his head. “He would not waste his time in such a venture. There is no
reason that Kelly would leave Loren’s castle until she had reached a level
where she could protect herself from those who would want to control her.”

He fell
silent for several minutes before shaking his head and continuing. “The only
answer is that someone inside the castle informed Vasilis that she was leaving.
And, if one of those that Loren trusts would stoop to such a level, who can say
what other information he or she has passed on.”

Chris eyed
him for a moment. “You mean like Kelly losing her soul?”

“Exactly. I
had hoped that whoever was behind this other boat would have had the informer
in his employ but since I discovered that Vasilis is behind the appearance of
the other boat, I know that this is not possible.

“Vasilis
does not have the resources necessary for such a venture, either monetarily or
magically. Which brings me back to the question of how he obtained the
information with enough time for him to intercept
The Deoiridh?
His
castle is high in the mountains of Greece so he must have received the
information soon after we left Loren’s castle.” He fell silent again.

Chris stared
out at the dark water, noting that the other boat had almost disappeared from
sight. He took a deep breath before asking the question he wasn’t sure he
wanted answered. “So, why are you telling me this?”

Dominic
turned to face him. “Because I shall require your assistance in protecting
Kelly. To adequately do this you must be well informed. Also, when we reach
Terrell’s castle I shall obtain a sword for you. You must begin to learn how to
use it.”

“Why can’t I
just have a gun?”

Dominic
frowned at him. “I would have thought that you would have learned something of
magic from the book you found in the library at Loren’s castle. Magic and
modern machinery do not mix.”

“You knew
about the book?”

Dominic
laughed softly. “Of course. I was the one who cast the spell that led you to
it.”

Chris
frowned. He wasn’t thrilled at the thought of the apprentice practicing magic
on him. “Why did you do that?”

“It was
Loren’s idea. He thought it would be easier on you if you knew something about
magic. But, you seem to have learned nothing, if I were to judge from the
questions you ask.”

Chris
frowned. “Your magic seemed to work just fine against the gun that Baltsaros
was holding.”

Dominic
laughed, a sound that Chris didn’t find very pleasant. “If you will notice, the
gun did not function as it was supposed to.”

Chris
resisted the urge to hit the apprentice, instead asking, “Do you think Vasilis
will attack again before we reach land?”

“I would
doubt it,” responded Dominic. “Since Baltsaros failed in his attempt to obtain
Kelly, Vasilis will want to be present to counteract me.”

“Can you
handle him? I mean, I know that you’re only an apprentice but you did say that
he’s low level.”

Dominic
nodded. “Even though I am not fully trained I believe I have more power and
skill than Vasilis. I am not worried about confronting him head on. I think he
will try to ambush us; that will be his best chance of obtaining his objective.

“No, I am
more afraid of who else the informant may have sold his information to. There
are sorcerers out there who could have designs on Kelly, and most of them have
much more power than I. Should one of them confront us I may not be able to
protect her.”

Chris turned
his attention back to the other boat, which had completely disappeared. He
stared out into the darkness for several minutes, his imagination running wild
on the prospects of future attacks and the magic that might be involved. He
wasn’t very hopeful about their chances; he would  useless in at magical
fight. Dominic was their only hope.

Dominic
turned suddenly on his heel and started to walk away. “I will go and contact
Loren to get his thoughts on this matter.” He stopped suddenly and turned back
to face Chris. “I would not tell Kelly what we spoke about. There is no reason
to frighten the girl any more than necessary.”

Chris
nodded, turning his thoughts to what he would tell her. He would have to tell
her something; he had promised her that he would. He shivered in the chilly
night air but couldn’t retreat to the cabin until he had formulated his story.
He sighed; it looked like it would be a long, cold night for him.

Three days
later they sailed into the harbor at Bremerhaven; Chris breathed a sigh of
relief, there had been no further incidents but he was very happy to see the
end of the sea portion of their journey. It was still early in the morning and
Kelly hadn’t emerged from the cabin so Chris was standing alone in the prow,
with Egbert behind him at the wheel.

The sailors
were scurrying around the deck, fiddling with the sails and doing whatever
other chores were needed for
The Deoiridh
to dock. Chris had no idea where
Dominic was and didn’t particularly care; the apprentice was as sullen as
always, barely deigning to notice his fellow passengers. Chris had hoped that,
after confiding in him, the apprentice’s attitude would thaw, but it hadn’t
happened. If anything, Dominic was more unapproachable than ever.

Chris turned
his face into the wind, enjoying the biting feel as the cold air caressed his
face. He glanced up at the sky, noting the gray clouds that were rapidly
approaching, delighted that they wouldn’t have to face the storm at sea.
Despite Dominic’s seasickness spells Chris was still fighting his rolling
stomach and he was certain it would be worse in bad weather; just the thought
of choppy waves made his stomach churn.

Even though
it was so early in the day, the port was a busy. Egbert expertly threaded
The
Deoiridh
among the larger ships, most of which were being led through the
water by smaller tugboats. Chris noted the frantic activity on the docks
The
Deoiridh
passed, thinking that such work would be strenuous, repetitive
 and unfulfilling; not that he was tempted to engage in such work, his
greatest desire right now was to get as far away from the sea as he possibly
could.

The Deoiridh
sailed on
past the commercial area and into a smaller harbor where numerous pleasure
crafts were docked. they sailed past yachts that were, at first enormous but
grew progressively smaller until the boats were little more than rowboats.
Chris wondered if all harbors around the world were set up in a similar fashion,
then decided that it didn’t matter; he found himself wondering why he was
wasting his time thinking about a place he never wanted to see again.

The Deoiridh
sailed into
a narrow channel that led them back into the open sea. Chris wondered why
Egbert had chosen to sail through the busy harbor instead of sailing around it,
then decided that there might be some type of restriction with which he was
unfamiliar that required such action; though what it could be, he hadn’t a
clue.

More than an
hour passed before
The Deoiridh
turned into a small cove. Immediately
Chris recognized that this wasn’t a public harbor; only one large, wooden yacht
anchored on the narrow pier with room for maybe two or three other boats. There
was no one in sight, but that didn’t mean that the owner wasn’t aware that they
were there. After everything he had learned since waking in Gregory’s stone
prison, he knew that anything was possible.

Within
minutes,
The Deoiridh
bumped gently against the pier and one of the
sailors jumped out to tie the boat to a large wooden post that Chris knew had a
name but didn’t care to learn. He noted that the other sailors were busily
taking down the sails and stowing them in the wooden chests on the side of the
deck. He smiled, happy that the sea crossing was now over. His greatest hope
was that it would be a long time before he was required to board another boat.

Chris
reached down and grabbed his backpack, which had lain at his feet since he rose
earlier, and crossed to Egbert to thank him for the safe crossing. He moved to
the side where he waited impatiently for the plank to be stretched between the
boat and the pier. He had to fight the urge to tap his foot in frustration as
he waited, such an action wouldn’t make the sailors move any faster.

As soon as
Brant positioned the plank into place Chris stepped onto it and crossed to the
pier, taking a deep breath when he arrived. He dropped the backpack at his feet
as he gazed into the forest that surrounded the cove, wondering what wild
animals might be lurking about. He heard the sound of activity behind him but
didn’t turn around; he had no desire to see the water again so soon.

Chris
continued to stare into the forest. Growing up in Southern California, he had
never seen such thick forestation and he wasn’t certain that he wanted to enter
it. It looked dark and forbidding and he was sure that it would become even
denser once they left the boundaries.

He was well
aware that Dominic could probably compensate for the lack of sunlight through
magic and the sword would protect them from any animals they might encounter.
even though they were unlikely to encounter anything dangerous so close to the
castle he had seen glimpsed before
The Deoiridh
turned into the cove, he
still felt nervous.

Chris heard
the sounds of someone approaching from behind him and turned to find that Kelly
and Dominic had disembarked from the boat. Kelly had turned and was waving
goodbye to the crew members who had gathered on the deck while Dominic was
gazing at the forest, his face an impassive mask, as usual.

Kelly
finally turned and looked at the forest. “Looks spooky,” was her only comment.

Dominic
frowned at her, shaking his head. “Are you ready to proceed?”

“How long
will it take to reach your friend’s home?” Kelly asked as she nodded.

“Terrell’s
castle is only a short walk through the forest,” Dominic replied.

“Do all you
sorcerers live in castles?” Chris asked as he hefted his backpack onto his
shoulders.

Dominic
frowned at him before he turned and led the way into the forest. “Terrill is a
wizard, not a sorcerer. Most wizards choose to live in castles because castles
tend to have large numbers of large rooms. True magic requires lots of open
space.”

“So, how do
you know if a person is a wizard or a sorcerer?” Chris asked as he followed
Dominic.

“It depends
on the level of magic the person is able to control.”

“And who
makes these decisions?”

Dominic
stopped and turned to look at Chris. “You ask a lot of questions.”

Chris
shrugged. “I’m curious, that’s all.” He was actually surprised that Dominic was
answering his questions. since this opportunity might never arise again, he had
to press on. “So, who makes the decision?”

Dominic
shook his head as he continued his forward progress. “There is an official
council of wizards. But, it’s a loose organization and meets irregularly,
usually only when the need to punish one of our kind arises. Only they can
classify someone as a wizard, which is the highest of honors. To be accepted as
a wizard one must meet certain—er—qualifications, both morally and magically.
The standards are quite high; consequently there are few wizards.”

“And wizards
live a long time.”

Dominic
laughed. “You know nothing. The study of magic is the study of knowledge. When
one attains the status of wizard you gain access to certain knowledge that is
unavailable to others. One of the benefits of this knowledge is longevity. I
personally know wizards who are more than two thousand years old.”

“And you
want this knowledge for yourself.”

“Of course.
The benefit of longevity is the increased amount of time available for study.
But, with increased knowledge comes increased responsibility. In the short time
that you have been with us you have seen some examples of that responsibility.”

“Loren’s
rescue of those with power.”

Dominic nodded.
“Loren has taken it upon himself to help those who are unjustly persecuted.
Only those with power are brought to his castle but he has rescued people for a
variety of reasons, most of which have nothing to do with magic. Those without
power he takes to safe places where they can live out their lives in security.

“Some of
these people have talents of various types, some mental some physical. These
people are able to live out their lives in obscurity if they choose; some
choose to help mankind in various capacities. The point of it all is that they
have the freedom to choose what they want to do, not have it forced on them.”

“Why would
anyone choose to have that kind of responsibility? I would think that if you
wanted to just learn stuff you could hole up inside your castle and study.”

Dominic
shook his head. “It does not work that way. The two go hand in hand. If you
want one you must accept the other. I would gladly accept the responsibility of
helping mankind for the knowledge that is available to wizards. But I will
never attain that level. I do not have the ability to control enough power to
qualify.”

Chris shot
the apprentice a startled glance. “I’m sorry.”

“You know
nothing. I accept the way that I am. I will learn all that I have time to learn
and pass on to my next life. There is no point in continuing to wish for
something that cannot happen.” Dominic looked over at Kelly. “But she has the
power. Even I can sense it. That is why I must help her to attain all that she
can become.”

“Don’t you
feel jealous that she may reach what you can’t?”

Dominic
shrugged. “Of course I do. I would not be human if I did not. The secret is in
not letting the negative emotions that come so naturally to all of us, control
us.”

“I think
you’re a better man than I thought.”

Dominic
grunted. “This discussion is over.”

Chris hid a
smile. Dominic had answered most of the questions that had plagued him since
the discovery of the book on magic in Loren’s castle. He was grateful that
Dominic had given him the information, even if he didn’t know why he’d done so.

they emerged
suddenly from the forest into a large clearing, in the center of which stood a
large stone castle surrounded by a wide moat filled with murky water. Dominic
stalked to the drawbridge and strode across without looking down.

But Chris
couldn’t help looking down and wondering what lived in that water, he was
certain that he saw a large fin of some type slicing through the water but it
disappeared before he could get a good look at it. He shivered as he stepped carefully
onto the narrow drawbridge; he didn’t want to risk falling into that water and
meeting the creature that patrolled those waters.

The largest
man Chris had ever seen met them at the arched wooden door. He estimated that
the man stood about six foot seven and weighed close to three hundred pounds of
solid muscle. His skin was very pale but his cheeks glowed a healthy pink. His
pale blond hair was worn long and tied at the nape of his neck with a leather
throng, offsetting his twinkling blue eyes.

“Welcome,”
he said in perfect English. “My name is Helmuth. Terrill is otherwise engaged
and will join you for dinner at seven in the main dining room. I will show you
to your rooms so that you may rest. You are, of course, free to roam around the
castle except for the lower floors. But you should be aware that only Terrill
and I speak English. I understand that you speak German, Dominic.”

“Yes.”

“That is
wonderful to hear. If you other two need anything simply say my name to any of
the staff and I shall be summoned. I am at your disposal for the duration of
your stay.”

Helmuth
grabbed a velvet cord that hung along the wall, which caused a large bell
hanging over their heads to toll loudly. Almost immediately two young boys
appeared, relieved the three of them of their backpacks, and disappeared up the
stone stairs.

“Would you
care for refreshments before retiring to your rooms to rest?” Helmut inquired.

“That will
not be necessary,” replied Dominic.

“Very good,
sir. If you will all  follow me, please.” He led the way up the stairs to
the third floor where he showed them to three rooms along a narrow hall lit
with small electric globes. Kelly moved closer to Chris; he smiled at her,
certain that she was feeling the same uneasiness at the deep shadows that hugged
the hallway between the widely spaced globes.

Chris spent
only a moment inside his room before deciding that it was a depressing place.
there were only two pieces of furniture in the room, a large bed covered in
what appeared to be a thick woolen blanket and an uncomfortable looking chair
sitting in front of the unlit stone fireplace. he noted that his backpack
leaned against the uneven stones of the wall

He walked
out into the hall and crossed to the door where Kelly had disappeared behind,
knocking rapidly three times. Kelly quickly opened the door and joined him in
the hall, but not before he had a chance to peek inside and see that her room
was no better than his. He wondered if Dominic’s room was equal to theirs and
decided that Dominic probably didn’t care so why should he.

“Shall we go
and explore?”

Kelly
grinned. “You read my mind. Should we ask Dominic to join us?”

“I would
rather not.”

Kelly
shrugged and led the way back towards the stairs.