The Wand & the Sea (28 page)

Holly covered her eyes. She couldn't help the tears now; they poured through her fingers, her chest heaving. The Sorcerer had once been only a horrible creature, but now he was something she could hate. A throbbing ache opened inside her, a black place. Her eyes were swollen, her cheeks streaked with tears. She said in a thick, awful voice: “I will never help you.
Never
.”

Raethius weaved his spidery fingers through the air. Something off to his left clanged, like pipes being dragged across the stone floor; a moment later several pieces of iron assembled themselves over her head and around her body to form the bars of a small cell.

“We commence on the morrow,” said Raethius. “You, who are so in tune with this world that you earned the loyalty of an Elemental Salamander, will be affixed to the bow of the
Black Dragon
. You will guide this vessel to the Isle of the Adepts. And then you will surrender the wand to me.”

She would not look at him now. Her hate was so overwhelming, she thought she might tear her own body in half just to push through the bars and murder him.

His neck elongated, stretching to meet her gaze. He whispered in her ear. “You will not refuse me, Adept. There are others you cherish. They will be reduced to dust like your Elemental ally. Do not think on it.”

He stood and raised both arms wide, the sleeves becoming black, glossy wings. “On the morrow, when the moon is full,” he said. The cloak enveloped the Sorcerer as the beating of a thousand wings filled the air. Then a thin column of very black smoke shot up from the floor, and he vanished.

Holly was alone.

“I don't favor this idea at all,” said Almaric firmly. “However talented His Highness appears to be with the wand, the magic is borrowed, and therefore unreliable. Not to mention that the spell itself is highly advanced.”

He sat at the table in the ship's mess with Everett, Ben, and Avery. Jade and Ranulf stood nearby. Only half a day had passed since Holly had disappeared, and miraculously, they were at sea again. Kailani and Rowan had spent hours underwater fixing holes in the ship's hull, and Almaric and Morgan had repaired the sails with patchwork magic. They wouldn't hold forever, but they would do for now.

The boys hadn't even argued about revealing Avery's wand to Almaric and the others. It was the only tool they had left besides the locket, which Morgan had strapped to the ship's compass. It would lead them to Raethius.

“But it be possible,” Avery was saying. “Lady Holly performed this trick before, and didst transport many of us at once.”

“The Vanishment,” said Almaric icily, “is not a
trick
. It is an advanced spell. Lady Holly used a wand of her own forging, she trained for some time, and she is an
Adept
, you forget. I beg Your Highness's pardon, but you are mortalfolk. It would be foolish to try. One leg would end up in a shark's mouth whilst another in the crow's nest, and an elbow in another kingdom altogether. No. I shall not allow it.”

“But he can already do
osclaígí
,” Everett put in. “That's an Adept spell, isn't it?”

“A much simpler one, my boy,” said Almaric. “It does not involve transporting
people
.”

“But how else are we going to get onto this Sorcerer guy's boat?” Ben asked. He had been quiet since Holly had disappeared, and his voice sounded small. “He kicked our butts before. We can't just meet him in open battle.”

Everett eyed the muskets, which were stacked in a corner. “If we could just get a good shot at him—”

“No,”
several voices chorused at once.

“The firewands are even less reliable than His Highness's stolen magic,” Jade said. The fur along his spine bristled, and it took him a moment to smooth it down. “They were designed to use against mortals, not magicfolk.”

“We must use stealth,” said Ranulf. “If we stay submerged until just the right moment, Raethius will not know of our presence. Then may we storm the bridge.”

“His control of the Elements is formidable,” Almaric said. He twisted the hem of his long tunic. “I have not seen the like since the days of the Adepts themselves.”

“Perhaps there is another spell the wand could be used for,” Avery said. “If the Lord Magician would aid me—”

“Perhaps, Your Highness,” Almaric said wearily. “But for now I suggest we all get some rest. Let me think on it. We cannot do a thing until we are in sight of the
Black Dragon
in any case. That will be a few hours, according to the captain.”

Everett lay in his hammock, swaying with the steady chugging of the ship. Morgan and the exhausted crew took shifts to augment the becalmed sea with their own water power. At least his compass could be of some use now. So far Ben hadn't mentioned how Everett oughtn't have kept the wand a secret; in fact, Ben was hardly speaking to him.

And then Everett had gone and fired the muskets, which had seemed like such a good idea at the time, though only Avery had been able to do anything to help Holly. He still couldn't quite believe it, but they had all seen it: Avery standing alone on deck, making complicated patterns in the air with the raised wand. How had he even known to do that? Ben didn't blame
him
, Everett noticed; in fact, Ben had patted him on the back and said, “That was a really good try.” No one had patted Everett for coming up with the idea of using real guns.

“You're turning over every ten seconds,” came Ben's voice from below, sounding flat and annoyed.

“Sorry. I can't sleep.”

“Me either.”

Everett hung his head over the upper hammock to look at Ben. “How do you reckon Avery does it? How's he working that wand so ruddy well?”

Ben lay on his back, looking morose. “Maybe he didn't steal it.”

Everett rolled back into his hammock with a huff. Avery
did
steal the wand, he started to say; he'd stolen it from Everett himself. But that wasn't what Ben was talking about. That voice that had been niggling him for days, even weeks, nudged at him again. Finally he climbed out of the hammock and knelt next to Ben.

“All right, listen. If I tell you something, can you swear not to tell Holly? Or Avery either?”

“And when do you think I'll be seeing Holly again?” Ben shot back.

“Okay, fair do's.” Everett took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. “I . . . I
did
nick that wand from Gallaway's house last year.”

Ben rolled over and faced him. “No kidding.”

“I
know
what I kept saying. I'm sorry, I was younger, all right? I just couldn't see why Gallaway straightaway gave Holly the coolest present
ever
. And those keys were just sitting there—”

“You don't have to explain it,” Ben said. “I might've taken one too if I'd had the chance. I mean, I
doubt
it. But I can see how someone could.”

“There's more,” Everett said. “That red scarf wrapped round the wand? I didn't just find it. One of those Elemental fairy things gave it to me to boost the wand's magic, but she was evil. I know that now. Maybe—I don't know—maybe us having the red scarf is helping that Raethius git.” He hung his head miserably.

Ben lay there, quiet, making it worse. His big eyes blinked. Finally he said, “Geez, Everett, I don't think so. Unless Raethius found it in the castle and put the whammy on it. Unless you think
Avery's
working for him—”

“I really don't think he is. He tried to get Holly back and all.”

“So what if you got a magic doohickey from some wicked fairy?” Ben went on. “We're all new here. It's easy to make mistakes. Holly isn't perfect either, even though she acts like she is.”

Everett laughed. It wasn't much of a joke, but it made him feel better. The knot in his stomach dissolved like honey. He'd finally said it. And Ben understood.

“I feel ruddy awful about what happened to Holly. I know you think I don't care. But I want to get her back.”

Ben struggled out of his hammock to a sitting position. “Then maybe we should just do it instead of waiting for the grown-ups to make a move. We're not worthless, are we?”

Before Everett could answer, Avery appeared from around the corner. He twirled the wand in his hand. “Exactly as I say.”

Everett picked up a lantern, and the three of them slipped out past Cook and Oggler, then through to the little room just astern of the brig. The prince shifted some barrels of pickled meats aside to give them space.

“I am quite sure I can do this Vanishment, whatever the magician may say,” Avery began. “I recall the Adept's words—”

“Incantation,” Ben corrected him.

“Aye. With the magic imbued by this lady's favor, I believe we can transport ourselves to the blackguard's vessel.”

Everett thought Avery was assuming quite a bit, but he kept quiet for the moment.

“But Almaric said you could send our elbows and kneecaps to different places,” Ben said. “Are you sure you know what you're doing?”

“I thought we weren't going to bother with Almaric and the others,” Everett said.

“Everett speaks true. If we wait, the Adept could disappear forever. Or die.” Avery drew himself up in his cross-legged position. “ 'Tis a matter of honor.”

“But we can't even see the
Black Dragon
yet,” Ben pointed out. “Holly said that to do the Vanishment, you've got to at least know where you're pointing us.”

Avery waved away his comment. “That is the Adept's way, perhaps. But I am able to do things with this wand that even she cannot do.”

Ben raised his eyebrows as if he'd not seen evidence of this. Avery had done a few things right, but Holly could've done as well, or better. Before he could say as much, a silky voice interrupted them.

“And what,” said Jade, stepping into the lantern light, “are three lads like yourselves planning to do at this hour of the night?”

The air was utterly still as night fell. None of the windows were open, but it seemed the chapel and her cell got damper and more cold the longer Holly sat there. Even the motion of the ship ceased.

Not that she cared much. The
Black Dragon
could go nowhere or sail away into the darkness; it wouldn't matter. The blow of losing Áedán had left a hollow pit in her stomach that might never heal. He had protected her, guided her, and she had let him down. A sacred creature of Anglielle was dead because of her. And, she thought bitterly, he had been her last chance, her secret weapon.

The only light came from a glint of moonlight and two torches set between the tall leaded windows. Though quite round, the moon was not yet full. Something about the moon's phase would strengthen Raethius's magic. But no matter what he wanted, she couldn't guide him to the Adepts' island any more than she could take the
Sea Witch
there. What would he do when he realized this?

Her only hope was that the
Sea Witch
would stay hidden far from here. At least no one else would get hurt. Holly wished she could get a message to Almaric and Ranulf somehow, tell them to send the boys home. She wasn't going to make it herself, and she was afraid they wouldn't leave without her. If only she could talk to them, just for a moment. But she could do nothing.

Her ankle throbbed. It was twice its normal size, and in the dim light she could see it had turned a dark purple. Her stomach turned as she recalled the Sorcerer's spindly neck shooting out to look her in the eye. He was almost like a changeling.

The changeling.

A hot blush suffused her cheeks. The time stones! She thrust her hand into the pocket of her jeans, praying the stones hadn't been washed away during her journey to the
Black Dragon
. If only she still had them . . .

She did.

She pulled them out one at a time: the fluorite, the crystal, and the obsidian. She had no wand, but she didn't need one. She could call on Ailith to perform a spell, to Vanish her back to the
Sea Witch
! Or Ailith would have another idea, surely she would.

Holly laid out the stones in order, the fluorite on her left, the crystal in the center, the obsidian at her right hand. She cupped the fluorite lightly in her palm. “Ailith of the Adepts,” she chanted, picturing her, “come to me in this hour of need. Ailith of the Adepts, come to me in this hour of need. . . .”

She waited for the stone to grow cold in her hand.

Nothing happened.

Holly winced as a sudden knife-pain shot through her ankle. Of course she couldn't conjure Ailith. Almaric had told her: No one from the past could be brought into peril. Raethius had gone somewhere, but it was still dangerous here. Ailith could die, and then disappear from her own past.