The Sorcerer's Abyss (The Sorcerer's Path)
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Authors: Brock Deskins
The Sorcerer’s Abyss
Book six of the Sorcerer’s Path
By
Brock E. Deskins
Copyright 2012 by Brock E. Deskins
ISBN:
Cover Illustration Copyright 2012
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This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Books by Brock E. Deskins
The Sorcerer’s Saga
OTHER BOOKS BY BROCK E. DESKINS
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Ellyssa gasped as the sting of Sonjay’s cruel whip ripped open the back of her blouse and the tender flesh beneath. She instinctually grabbed at the Source, but the shackles on her wrists prevented her from reaching it. Tired of being the target of the quartermaster’s abuse, she sprang to her feet and hurled her bucket of mop water at his head. The unexpected attack clipped his forehead and opened a gash above his left eye.
The dark-skinned slaver roared and pulled his arm back to give her the lashing of a lifetime. Ellyssa was not about to stand around and allow him to beat her. She would throw herself overboard and drown before suffering more abuse. She spun and ran toward the stern railing.
Several slavers tried to block her path, but they were not close enough to stop her. She pumped her legs furiously, but they felt leaden and sluggish. The air felt as thick as water and the railing looked as though it receded with every step she took. Stars filled her vision as a belaying pin collided with the back of her skull. Ellyssa stumbled and fell painfully on to the hard deck. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the glaring visage of Captain Jake.
“I’ve had enough of your trouble, girl,” he said. “I told you what I’d do if you didn’t behave, and I’m a man of my word.”
The slaver captain pulled her up by the chain joining her wrists and dragged her to one of the cargo hold’s hatches. He flipped it up with the toe of his boot and pushed Ellyssa to the edge of the opening. She stared down in horror at the mob of filthy, bedraggled men milling about in the darkness below, all shoving and pressing together to get a glimpse of precious sunlight.
What little remained of their clothing was nothing more than strips of cloth. Their flesh was as white as a fish’s underbelly in the few places it shown through the black filth, clothing them far better than their rags. Desiccated hands reached up, clawing at her with eager anticipation.
“I have a present for you, just make sure you keep her alive or I’ll drown the lot of you.” He smiled, flashing his gold tooth with its small diamond set in the center.
Ellyssa tried to look back at Captain Jake, to promise she would behave, but he shoved her through the open hatch into the grasping hands hungrily awaiting their gift. She screamed as fingers tore at her clothing. She thought she faced the greatest terror of her life until Captain Jake kicked the hatch shut and darkness enveloped her.
Ellyssa woke with a ragged gasp and fell to the floor as she tried to kick free of the blankets constricting her body and covering her head. She took several deep, shuddering breaths, mentally commanding herself not to cry. She was strong and refused to weep, especially from a mere nightmare. She had been having night terrors for the past year, ever since Azerick died, but they were coming more frequently lately.
This was the fourth time her dreams woke her this night. She glanced at her window and saw the sun was beginning to peek over the trees to the east. Knowing she would get no more sleep, Ellyssa decided to grab some food from the kitchens before the others were up and about.
It was a little earlier than she normally got up, but not by much. Ellyssa always woke early to get to the kitchens for her morning repast in hopes she could avoid most of the tower staff. Avoid them and their accusing eyes. Everyone blamed her for Azerick's death. They were right, of course, even though most of them denied it. Even a year later, those eyes still held contempt and condemnation. Especially the ones in the mirror. Those eyes held the most contempt of all. Ellyssa had long been avoiding the mirror so she would not be forced to look into those hazel-green orbs of scorn.
Even the kitchen staff was not about when Ellyssa picked through the cupboards for some bread and cheese. Normally, she would take her meager breakfast to the woods where she spent more time these days, practicing there instead of going to class as she was supposed to. She was too tired to practice this morning, and she needed to go to class often enough to keep Allister and the other instructors from making a fuss over her truancy.
She hid out in her room until it was time to make her way to class. Ellyssa plodded down the stairs, avoiding everyone she saw until reaching the magical theory class and dropping into her seat. Her head thudded dully against the wood desktop.