The Heart of Alchemy

by James E. Wisher

  Some time passed. He couldn’t begin to guess how much. Until finally there was something else.

  A voice. He knew that voice.

  “Master!”

  Otto blinked and found Corina standing directly in front of him.

  “Master, it’s okay. We’re past the Narrows and we’ve left the Black Wind behind. You can release the barrier.”

  Release the barrier? It took him a moment to process that.

  They were safe then.

  He took a deep breath and let the magic slowly unwind. When it was finished, he asked, “Is everyone okay?”

  “Yes. You didn’t let a single one through.”

  “Good.” Otto fell flat on his face and darkness claimed him.

  Otto sat up in bed and groaned. He’d fainted again. This was getting to be a habit. Judging from the sound of rushing water outside the hull, they were still making progress. And from the darkness outside his window, he assumed he’d slept the entire day.

  A light appeared and he turned to see Corina sitting in his leather chair. She had shed her heavy cloak and judging from the bloodshot eyes and dark circles, she hadn’t slept in a while.

  “How long this time?” Otto asked.

  “It’s a little after midnight, so I’d say sixteen hours. Not as bad as last time you wore yourself out. I don’t know how you do it. Just maintaining the five threads’ worth of ether I kept at the ready nearly killed me. You used about five times as much.”

  “I did what was necessary, nothing more. How is the ship?”

  “According to the captain, three of the timbers cracked, but we’re in no danger of sinking and we’re not taking on water. They braced the hull to reinforce it, he said. I didn’t actually watch the process. Figured I’d be more in the way than a help. Besides, I didn’t want to leave you alone.”

  Otto grunted and swung his legs over the side. “Did any of the men get hurt by the magic?”

  “No, though they did complain of tingling in their hands for a few hours afterward.” Corina shook her head. “Given the alternative, that didn’t seem so bad.”

  Otto shuddered to think what would have happened had the Black Wind gotten in. Those insects would have eaten them down to the bone in seconds. “Is there anything to eat? I’m starving.”

  “I figured you would be.” Corina handed him a plate covered with a white linen napkin. “I’ll let you eat in peace. Hans is probably still up waiting for news. He worries like a mother hen. We would both appreciate it if you stopped giving us fits.”

  “You sound like my mother. Go on. I’m going to eat and sleep again. I should be fine in the morning.”

  Corina gave him one last, long, searching look before ducking out into the hall. Otto tossed the napkin aside and looked with distaste on the cured ham, biscuit, and apple on the plate. Unappetizing or not, he ate it all and washed it down with tepid water from the pitcher beside his bed.

  The next two weeks were as peaceful as the passage through the Narrows was harrowing. The weather warmed as they turned back northeast and everyone was glad not to have to wear their heavy cloaks anymore.

  Otto’s strength quickly returned, more quickly, in fact, than he expected. Perhaps constantly pushing himself to the point of exhaustion was building his stamina a little more each time. He liked to think there was at least some benefit to be had beyond survival.

  The only downside to the whole event was the men looked at him even more warily now. Before they had hid their nerves whenever he was around, but now they didn’t bother. Even Hans stiffened when he walked by. Hopefully they’d get over it sooner rather than later.

  Only Axel and Corina still treated him the same. He doubted Axel would ever really hold him in awe. His brother had beaten him up too many times when they were kids to really consider him a danger. He did show respect now, and that was enough for Otto.

  Respect was all he’d ever wanted. If he had to frighten people into giving it, well, that was a price he was willing to pay.

  Chapter 31

  “Land ho!” The lookout’s shout made Otto flinch.

  He and pretty much everyone else was out on deck trying to escape the stifling heat below. They had reached the tropics again and with it came intense heat and humidity. Sweat plastered Otto’s tunic to his back and soaked his hair.

  Was that better or worse than the cold? He couldn’t decide. Otto hated both extremes with a passion.

  Fifteen days had passed since the passage through the Narrows and nearly two months since they left Lux. To say everyone was eager for some time on solid ground would be putting it mildly. They had also been going through their water at a rapid clip, so refilling the casks would be a relief.

  Despite the island—or at least the mountain jutting up out of the center of it—being visible for hours, it took the rest of the day and night to reach it. Otto stood beside Captain Wainwright as he brought them into a natural harbor, took down the sails, and lowered the anchor. They ended up about a half mile offshore, a reasonable enough trip for the ship’s two dinghies.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this place,” Captain Wainwright said. “It’s like this harbor was made for ships to anchor in.”

  “Perhaps it was,” Otto said. “One of the Arcane Lords might have built it for some reason we can’t even imagine. All that matters today is that it makes our task that much easier.”

  Axel approached from the lower deck. “We’re here. How do you want to handle this, little brother?”

  “I’ll take Hans and his squad to collect the water. You and your scouts can handle the hunting. We’ll meet back on the beach before sunset. Sound good?”

  Axel nodded then grinned. “Do you know how long it’s been since I went hunting for beasts instead of men? I suppose we’re not apt to find boar or deer here, but anything will be welcome. I’m so sick of jerky I can’t even put it into words.”

  “The crew and I will reinforce the hull where we hit that ice floe. It’s not serious, but I’ll feel better when we’ve put some two-inch-thick oak planks across it.”

  “I’ll leave that in your hands, Captain,” Otto said. “As soon as we’ve refilled our supplies, I want to be on our way. We still have, what, a month to go before we reach our destination?”

  “Thereabout,” Wainwright said. “Don’t worry, we’ll have the patch in place by noon and be ready to go when you are.”

  That was exactly what Otto wanted to hear. He and Axel went down on deck and set about collecting their various team members.

  “Do you think we’ll see any monsters?” Corina asked.

  “I certainly hope not. Besides, I need you to stay on the ship.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. If anything attacks the ship while I’m gone, your lightning will be the best way to chase it off quickly. I have no desire to end up marooned on a jungle island.”

  She frowned but didn’t argue. That pleased Otto as he had no intention of changing his mind. Despite her complaints, he didn’t make these decisions to annoy her. If Otto said he needed someone somewhere, then he had a good reason for it.

  Half an hour later, Otto climbed into the dinghy with Hans and his squad as well as ten empty water casks. The heavy wooden barrels had slots for poles that would allow two men to carry them. He didn’t know how much they weighed full, but whoever got stuck ferrying them wasn’t going to be happy.

  The crew lowered them down and they set out for the island. Axel’s boat was already nearing the beach. Hopefully they’d find something edible. Just the thought of fresh, roasted meat set Otto’s mouth to watering.

  While the men pulled for shore, Otto sent his sight soaring out ahead of them. If he found a source of fresh water before they landed, that would speed things up considerably.

  The beach extended about twenty yards to the edge of the jungle. Under the thick canopy, it was nearly as dark as evening with dappled shadows making it hard to pick out anything that might be lurking in ambush. It was a predator
’s paradise and if they didn’t want to end up on the menu, they’d have to be cautious.

  He flew up above the treetops and looked down. Soon enough he found a gap in the leaves. Flying over, he saw exactly what he wanted, a clear lagoon. That would be the perfect place to fill the casks. Otto tagged the water’s edge with a thread and returned his sight to his body. They only had a few hundred yards to go to reach shore. Axel and his scouts had already vanished into the jungle.

  The front of the dinghy hit the sand and everyone jumped out. Three of the guys pulled the boat further up on the beach then they anchored it in place with a grappling hook and rope.

  “So where do we find water?” Hans asked.

  “I did some scouting as we approached. There’s a lagoon about half a mile inland. You and I will take point, four others will carry a pair of casks, and the last man will handle the rear. Sound good?”

  “Sounds better than wandering at random looking for a puddle,” Cord said. “I volunteer for rear guard duty.”

  Hans clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man. That’s the most dangerous position.”

  Cord shot him a pained look.

  “You weren’t just hoping to avoid hauling water, hmm?” Hans asked.

  “Of course not!” His indignant reply rang hollow.

  Otto shook his head. “You two can bicker over your card game. I’d like to finish up before something hungry comes looking for us. Did you forget what they call this island?”

  “Right, giant beasts.” Hans turned to the men who were lugging a pair of casks out of the boat. “You heard Lord Shenk. Let’s get a move on.”

  Two minute later they were on their way through the jungle. The shade made it cooler, but if anything, Otto would have sworn the humidity increased. In fact, if it increased any more it would be raining. A little ways into the jungle they hit a game trail that headed in the right general direction. Despite the risks of running into a predator, they followed it.

  Hans had his sword out and his head on a swivel. With just his magical vision, Otto hadn’t noticed how noisy the jungle was. Birds called overhead, some other creature howled in the distance. Insects buzzed and tried to drain his blood. Without success, thanks to the ethereal barrier protecting his exposed skin. From the curses behind him, it sounded like the others were less fortunate.

  They had rounded a bend not far from the lagoon when the jungle went silent.

  “Lord Shenk.” Hans stopped in his tracks.

  The rest of the men set their burdens down and drew their weapons.

  “I noticed it too,” Otto said. He sent threads of ether out in every direction in search of whatever had scared the birds into silence.

  He found it a moment later. A huge beast crouched behind a wall of low shrubs. It probably waited in ambush on the game trail for whatever came to the lagoon to drink. Like Otto and his companions, for example. Unfortunately for the hunter, they weren’t prey.

  Otto wrapped a thread around the beast’s heart and sent lightning crackling down it.

  It roared and lunged out of hiding only to die at Otto’s feet.

  “What the hell is that?” Hans poked the black-furred creature with his toe.

  Otto didn’t know what it was. It looked vaguely catlike, with smooth black fur, six-inch fangs, and a thick tail. That was where the similarities ended. This thing was easily twenty feet long not counting the tail, had six legs ending in long claws, and milky, white eyes.

  Whatever it was, hopefully it didn’t have friends.

  “Let’s go,” Otto said. “The lagoon is just ahead.”

  Five more minutes of walking brought them to the bank of a lagoon that looked like something out of a story. At the far end a waterfall roared as it poured into the pool. Even the air felt cooler here. A long rest would have been nice, but heaven only knew what might show up. Best if they did what they had to do and returned to the ship where the monsters couldn’t reach them.

  It took a while to fill the casks and while they were doing it Otto sent Cord back to skin the beast and collect its head, claws, and fangs. Something so rare and exotic might make a good trade item and he wasn’t willing to leave it behind to rot.

  Soon they were slogging their way back through the jungle. This time Otto kept threads out all around them just to be safe. With most of the team stuck lugging the now much heavier casks, he didn’t want to take any chances.

  The trip back to the beach took nearly three times as long as the walk in. Otto gave the guys a fifteen-minute rest before they set out again with two more empty casks. Nothing troubled them this time. It would probably take some time for another predator to realize the cat thing was dead and move in to claim its territory.

  It was a hot, sweaty, exhausted group that made the final trip to the lagoon. Otto hadn’t done much in the way of physical labor, but the constant need to be on alert drained him mentally. They hadn’t even encountered another creature and the birds seemed content to fill the air with a cacophony of calls that would have even drowned out Abby.

  When they reached the shore of the lagoon, everyone slumped to the sand. Otto didn’t have the heart to rush them. Sunset was still hours away, so they had time. A little rest would hurt nothing. Just to be sure, Otto kept his focus outward toward the jungle. Damned if he had come this far only to let some beast sneak up on them now.

  There was a splash and Cord said, “I swear I’m going to sleep for a week when we’re done.”

  Most splashes prompted Otto to turn. The squad was gathered at the water’s edge, each of them busy pouring handfuls of water over their face and backs. He scowled at the noise, but didn’t reprimand them. They had worked hard today, hard enough to have earned—

  A shadow moved through the water.

  Otto never had a chance to call out a warning or summon his magic, so fast did the huge reptile burst out of the water and snap down on Cord. It dragged him into the water and out of sight before Otto fully processed what was happening.

  Everyone was at a loss for words. Everyone but Hans. “Back to the ship! Forget the casks. Move it!”

  Otto just gave him a look.

  “With your permission, my lord?”

  Otto sent threads out into the water and quickly found the creature that had killed Cord. It was swimming toward the far end of the pool, the unfortunate soldier’s body in its mouth. A moment later it dove into a cave and Otto let his threads dissolve.

  “It’s gone. Fill the casks and we’ll head back. Be sure to clean the blood off first.” He motioned Hans off to one side. “Did he have a family?”

  Hans shook his head. “None of us do, not to speak of anyway. The squad is our family.”

  “Then I’m doubly sorry, for the loss of a good soldier and a brother of sorts.”

  “Cord knew the risks that come with this job, we all do. Don’t trouble yourself on our account. This is the most important thing any of us has ever been involved in. I speak for everyone when I say we have no regrets.”

  Otto wondered if Hans really spoke for his comrades, but said nothing. Done was done and they still had a long ways to go.

  Chapter 32

  The jungle shade made a welcome change from the blinding heat of the sun beating down on them. Axel had no idea what sort of game they might find, but judging from the constant stream of squawks and hoots coming from the canopy, there was no shortage of life. He slapped the back of his neck and came away with a splattered bug and some of his own blood.

  Yeah, there was plenty of life and little of it friendly.

  He sliced a vine in half and pressed on. Colten had gone ahead of the main group to look for tracks. The youthful scout vanished into the jungle with the same skill he showed back home. The techniques were the same even if the plants were different.

  “What are we hunting for exactly?” Cobb asked.

  “Meat. I don’t care what it looks like as long as we can eat it. There must be something around here.”

  “Yeah, I just hope w
hatever we find doesn’t consider us a meal instead.”

  Axel seconded that idea. He hacked a frond out of the way. Beyond it he found Colten crouched on a game trail examining the ground. A thick carpet of fallen leaves covered the dirt, but he trusted Colten to make sense of the seemingly random patterns in the litter.

  “What did you find?” Axel asked.

  “I’m not sure, sir,” Colten said. “Something passed through here not that long ago, something big, with four legs and a long tail. I’ve never seen tracks like it. Truth is I’m not sure if it’s a predator or prey.”

  “It’s prey now,” Axel said. “Archers, ready your bows. I assume everyone swapped their mithril arrows for regular steel.”

  Everyone had which was good since he doubted Otto would be very pleased if they wasted the nearly priceless weapons hunting for dinner.

  They set out behind Colten, everyone now on full alert, their movements nearly silent. A moment of pride washed over him at how quickly his men switched from relaxed to alert. There was a reason they were the best and this just reminded him why.

  A quarter mile down the trail, a deep roar followed by a heavy thud filled the air.

  Everyone froze and Colten looked back for instruction. Using hand gestures Axel told him to move up and take a look. Colten gave him a thumbs-up, snuck off the trail, and vanished into the jungle.

  More bellows filled the air along with the heavy thuds. What in heaven’s name was going on? Axel had never heard anything like those noises.

  “I don’t like this,” Cobb muttered.

  Axel shot him a glare and he fell silent.

  Long minutes later, Colten emerged from the jungle and waved them up. Axel hurried over and said, “Report.”

  “Damnedest thing I ever seen, sir. There’re two lizards fighting in a clearing about a hundred yards ahead. They’ve got to be at least forty feet long. If you want to take a look, I doubt they’ll even notice us.”

  Axel wasn’t sure he wanted a closer look, but he’d read that reptile meat was high quality and tasted similar to chicken. If they killed the two lizards, that might yield enough meat to last the rest of the trip.