“The faster he wears himself out,” Gill whispered back, “the better. If he paces himself, we could be stuck here a long time before he gets weak enough for our boy to punch him out.”
The sorcerer’s brow furrowed, but he raised both hands and roared in the language of sorcery. A ball of fire erupted from each hand and flew at the Yurok brave. One hit him on the chest, sending off sparks. The second enveloped our friend’s head. Both burned too bright to watch.
My heart ached for Sequoia.
For a few seconds, each fireball tried to incinerate its target, but when they flamed out, our friend looked the same as before, except his grin had broadened.
The sorcerer bent over and gasped from exhaustion. I knew how much it took out of you to blast out that much power.
Then he raised his hand for another spell, but nothing came out.
Sequoia walked up to him and kicked him in the nuts. When the giant gasped and bent over, Sequoia drove his knee into the sorcerer’s head at full speed. With a crunch and a thunk, the asshole dropped to the ground, out cold.
“Game over.” Gill smiled. “Ain’t that the damnedest thing you ever saw?”
It was.
I ran forward and patted Sequoia on the back. “Way to go! Very impressive. Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Fine.”
“Are you stronger now,” I asked, “having absorbed all that power?”
He shook his head. “The Great Spirit’s magic doesn’t work like that. All the negative energy flows to the Infinite. I haven’t changed.”
I looked him up and down, and I could see no difference. The fight raised a dozen questions in my mind, but I only asked one. “If he’d saved some power to raise a ward, could you have finished him off with a spell?”
Sequoia grinned at me sheepishly. “My attack spells aren’t impressive. Because he issued the challenge, he couldn’t stop fighting. Eventually, they always exhaust themselves and give up. That often takes quite a while, though.”
That reminded me of the old fairy tale about the tar baby. Once a magician started a fight, he couldn’t change his mind and run away.
Katie and Laura came up to us just as the sorcerer was coming around. He sat up with a blank look on his face.
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.” Laura said.
“Yep,” I replied. “Amazing.”
I still didn’t understand what had happened, but I figured it would be better to organize my thoughts before asking more questions.
“I want all your power,” Sequoia said to the sorcerer.
The broken man nodded, but I didn’t see any change in our friend.
“Did it come” I asked him.
“Yes, but doesn’t stay long. The main thing is that this man is no longer dangerous to witches.”
He pointed his finger at the asshole. “You will spend the ten years making every possible effort to undo the harm you’ve caused to others. And for the rest of your life, you will behave as a decent human being.”
“Yes, Master.” The man stood and shuffled off in the direction he’d come.
“That’s it?” Laura asked. “You expect him to do the right thing on his own?”
Sequoia chuckled. “He knows far better than me what harm he’s caused. Magic will enforce my will much better than I could by following him around.”
-o-o-o-
AFTER WE RETURNED TO the RV, I called Diana from the privacy of the master bedroom and told her what I’d seen.
“Sounds very impressive,” she said. “Do you think you can learn from the Indian how to fight like that?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to try.”
“No wonder Gill insisted you meet him. Listen, on another front, I had a remarkable conversation with the new Boulder slayer in exile.”
“You talked to him? In person?”
“Of course, I negotiated a truce first. In general, he’s going to be a long-term problem, much worse than Hudson.”
That didn’t surprise me. Escobar was sure to escalate the conflict as much as possible. “Hit me with the highlights.”
“I’ll do better,” she said. “Juan equipped me with a hidden microphone, and I recorded the entire conversation. I’ve sent it to you in a private message on the witch’s network.”
“Fantastic,” I said. “Tell me what I can’t hear on the recording.”
“Pando Norbek is a tall, stocky, black, South African sorcerer with a jovial grin constantly on his face. True scum of the earth. We’ll strategize after you’ve heard him explain himself.”
After she hung up, I told the other adults what she’d said. The Yurok brave wasn’t interested in listening, and he took Christina out for a walk. The rest of us gathered around the dining table and listened to the audio file on a laptop.
The tape began with Norbek, who was Escobar’s new hatchet man for Boulder, chuckling. His voice oozed goodwill. “How are things going with Ian and Laura in California?”
Diana’s voice sounded casual, but I was sure she wouldn’t convey her true feelings to the bastard. “Oh yes, they were there, but who knows where they are now. They’re having the time of their lives, and thanks for asking.”
“I’m terribly worried for Ian,” Norbek said. “Raul is a very results oriented man, and he seems to think Ian has been causing him great trouble. Of course, I encourage him to think that because otherwise Raul might blame me for something you witches do.” Pando laughed for at least thirty seconds.
Diana’s voice remained casual. “Don’t you hate it when higher-ups blame us for other people’s mistakes?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “This mess is such a catastrophe that I only agreed to take on my current position with the express condition that I had no responsibility for the outcome of the disagreement between Ian and Raul. The national slayers’ council was kind enough to give me that assurance, in writing.”
Norbek laughed again.
I felt a surge of adrenalin under my tongue at how cold-bloodedly the son of a bitch spoke about my future.
“Perhaps we could work out a truce,” Diana said. “Then we can all go about our business without annoying each other.”
Norbek practically shrieked with glee. “No, no, that will not do, not at all. That will not save Ian, but I can tell you how much I enjoy watching the drama unfold. He is a remarkably resourceful young man.”
“Speaking of resourceful,” Diana said, “I was surprised at how quickly you tracked him down. Through the airline reservation system?”
“Of course,” he replied. “We’re quite disappointed that none of your witches seem to fly anymore.”
My gut churned as I thought of what might’ve happened if Gill and Katie had come out by air. The sorcerers might’ve had time to arrange for a truly powerful sorcerer to meet my friends’ plane in San Francisco.
When Diana didn’t respond, Norbek said, “Another mystery, I see. Raul hates mysteries.” Norbek laughed manically, like he was a stage actor.
Then I thought of the RV’s navigation system. “Gill, did you rent this rig in your own name?”
He snickered. “Of course not. The registered owner is a friend, five times removed from Don Blake. Seymour Blanch signed all the paperwork.”
“You’re grasping at straws now,” Diana said in the recording. “You won’t see him again until he returns home from his vacation.”
Norbek sighed. “That’s unfortunate. If he doesn’t turn up soon, Raul might have to find a very deep and dark hole to hide in. I expect he’s grasping at straws to destroy your minion and to save his own life.”
The recording ended.
“What a charming son of a bitch,” Gill said. “If the punk-ass thinks he can threaten my friends casually, he’s dead wrong. I can’t wait to get back to Denver and deal with him.”
“You’ll have to arm-wrestle with me for the privilege,” I said.
He glared at me like he was actually
thinking of taking me on, but he was far too frail to have any chance without magic.
“Does this change our plans any?” I asked the others.
“Nope,” Katie said. “On to the old sequoias, where I’m hoping our Yurok friend will supercharge your Osage powers.”
When Sequoia returned with Christina, I asked him, “which way?”
“Head south to Merced and then turn east to Yosemite.”
Katie followed his directions, and when she got to the curvy roads in the foothills, I had to marvel at her ability to keep this giant bus in one lane. She was a woman of many talents.
Gill sat next to me on the sofa. “Do you know why you can’t fight like Sequoia?”
I shook my head.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought. His weakness is no offense. A smart sorcerer would simply ignore him and go about his nasty business.”
I leaned back in the sofa and thought for a moment. “I suspect that the precise reason that he’s well connected to the Infinite is because he wouldn’t hurt anybody who didn’t attack him first.”
Gill blew out a deep breath. “Your best bet is to learn as much defense as you can from him and hang onto your Holar attack spells. If you could do both, you’d be unbeatable.”
-o-o-o-
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, WE made it to the park. Right before we entered, Katie stopped the RV to let Lazarus fly free again.
Laura had gotten us a reservation online at one of the campsites in Yosemite Valley, and we headed there first.
Along the way, I watched incredible images of the valley through Lazarus’s eyes. The gray rock of Half Dome and El Capitan glistened in the sunlight, and when we passed Bridalveil Fall a strong breeze blew the water in sideways into curtains of mist. Farther up the valley, the even more dramatic Upper Yosemite Fall was surrounded by rainbows dancing near the bottom of the long incredible plunge. No wonder that the first white people to see this place were astonished.
I tried to describe what Lazarus saw for the others, but it was tough to find the right words. From time to time, while we were heading up the valley, we all saw for ourselves what the eagle viewed from the high in the sky, but those were only snippets compared to the view from the air.
Finally, Katie parked the big rig, and our long journey from the coast was over. We all got out and stretched our legs for a while.
Then Laura asked, “Now what?”
“Gill said he wanted to have fun in Yosemite,” I replied, “but I imagine his idea of fun and mine would differ.”
“A waterfall and then dinner,” he said.
We all piled into the SUV, and I drove us to a parking area for Bridalveil Fall. As soon as we exited the vehicle, Christina tried to run ahead. I grabbed her hand to keep her safe. She was so excited she tugged mightily, but I weighed four times more than her. Not that I criticized her for hurrying. The water was, by far, the most amazing sight I’d ever seen up close.
Bridalveil Creek plunged straight down for six hundred feet and threw up massive clouds of spray at the bottom. The water in the creek was running high, probably because of melting snow in the high country. Christina, Sequoia, and I ventured as close as we could and got soaked.
I didn’t mind. The water was ice-cold, but it didn’t seem to chill me like it should’ve. Christina squealed with joy, and she kept trying to pull her hand away to scramble over the rocks at the base of the cliff. Although I would’ve liked to do that myself, the signs said it was too dangerous.
Sequoia simply turned his face upward and smiled.
The roar was deafening, and we couldn’t talk. At times, the curtain of mist was dense enough that I couldn’t see for more than a few feet. My whole body trembled, but I think that was more from excitement than the cold. There was something magical about this place. I just stood there and savored the experience.
Occasionally, I glanced back at the rest of our group. They smiled at us and waved but made no effort to join us. Laura took several pictures, but I knew that no camera could do this place justice.
I received more images from Lazarus as he soared along the cliff. From his vantage point, the long plunge looked terrifying. It was all a matter of perspective. From below, it appeared that the water descended straight from heaven.
When Christina’s teeth began to chatter, I figured it was time to get her warm again. She refused to leave, and I had to pick her up and carry her back to her mom. Laura had dry clothes and a heavy coat waiting.
I returned to the end of the trail and tried to imprint the memory in my mind as clearly as possible. It still seemed remarkably warm for some reason.
Sequoia stood there still, his face tilted up to let the stray water drops that blew our way hit him square in the face. I followed his example, and I felt euphoric. Sunglasses protected our eyes, but we were otherwise drenched with snowmelt.
When I thought Gill was probably ready to drag us back, I motioned for Sequoia to walk back with me.
“Sweet Jesus,” Gill said, “you both have to be almost frozen to death.”
“The magic warmed us somehow,” I said. I tried to describe the feeling several times, but I couldn’t find the right words.
The longer we stayed away from the falls, the colder I got. My teeth began to chatter, and my wet clothes chilled me. “C-crazy, I know, but it was a religious experience. Felt like I was s-soaking in magic.”
Sequoia nodded. “W-we were. Exactly.”
We walked back to the SUV, and it took all my effort to keep from falling over. When we got there, I needed a few minutes to strip off most of my clothes and put on a jacket.
“What happened back there?” I asked.
“The area is magical,” Gill said, “and the life energy kept you warm until you got too far away.”
“Few places are magical like that,” Sequoia said. “A touch of the Infinite, but most people can’t absorb the magic. They just enjoy the view.”
“Can I get stronger by simply standing there?”
Sequoia nodded. “But tomorrow, we’ll go to a place where much more life energy is available, and it’s not freezing cold.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Live in this moment,” he replied. “Tomorrow will come soon enough.
Chapter 11
I TRIED TO FOLLOW his example, and by the time we got back to the RV, a strong feeling of peace had settled over me. I stayed in the SUV and meditated. For the first time, I could get beyond the constant fidgeting and mental distractions I’d experienced before. There really was someone or something out there that I could connect to. Luckily, I didn’t need to be under a waterfall to do it.
Eventually, I became aware of a soothing, rumbling vibration. It was low and slow. For a moment, I thought I was hearing a generator running on an RV nearby, but this vibration resonated inside my head. Covering my ears didn’t change it a bit.
Time seemed to have lost its meaning, and I let the vibration flow through me.
The sun was hanging low in the sky when Laura came by and whispered, “Are you okay?”
“Never better,” I said.
My ability to meditate had ended for the moment, and I exited the vehicle. “I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm happier than I’ve ever been.”
She grinned at me as we walked over to a picnic table where Christina was beating Gill at chess. Sequoia turned and waved.
Then he froze. “You felt the connection, didn’t you?”
I wasn’t sure what he meant. “The low vibration?”
He nodded. “You’ve touched the Infinite for the first time. Over the coming months, your connection should get much stronger. Eventually, you will feel it all the time.”
“It’s a connection with the gods?” I asked.
He nodded. “It took me years to get to a state of constant grace. Welcome.”
-o-o-o-
OVER A FRIED CHICKEN dinner that Gill made, Laura asked Sequoia about the other magical places in the park.
“Ther
e are quite a few. Most are difficult to reach, but I know of three that are readily accessible. You've already experienced Bridalveil Fall,” I nodded my head absentmindedly, concentrating on my chicken, “I would suggest we try the other two tomorrow.”
“Those being?” Katie asked.
“First is another waterfall. The magic beneath lower Yosemite Fall is just as powerful as we felt today. The stream is larger, but the water drops less. It balances out. Second, and my favorite place in this park, is a large grove of old sequoias.”
Katie waved a chicken leg in the air like she was celebrating. “Sounds great. Let's do both.”
For the rest of dinner, we talked about favorite places, but Sequoia said little.
I finally asked him, “Do you think magic oozes out of the ground in these special spots?”
“No, but I’m not sure. The best places to soak up magic tend to be either where trees grow for ages or spots where water churns into mist. What I think is happening is that everything contains tiny amounts of magic, including water. At some special places, old trees soak up life energy as they drink, and over thousands of years, that power builds up within them. At waterfalls, the churning of water to mist releases the magic into the air. It’s simply a theory.”
Finally, I could understand something he’d explained. His theories made as much sense as any other theories of magic I’d heard, and I let his ideas percolate in my mind.
My euphoria continued, and I wanted to get some exercise in. “Who’s up for a hard run?”
Katie and Sequoia raised their hands.
We ran most of the way up the trail to Half Dome. That route gave us dramatic views of the valley, and lucky for us, the sun was setting. The clouds above turned shades of pink and yellow, and those same colors tinted everything in the valley. God bless you, John Muir, for working your ass off to save this place.
-o-o-o-
Thursday, May 2nd
IN THE MORNING, KATIE said, “According to the park map, the trailhead for the falls is very close. Maybe we should do that one first.”
Everyone agreed. The trail to Lower Yosemite Fall was easy, and even a man as frail as Gill could make it to the bottom of the plunge without difficulty. Once again, Sequoia, Christina, and I took up our places as close to the bottom of the waterfall as possible, and today we were smart enough to bring ponchos to stay drier.
Vengeance (The Sorcerers' Scourge Series Book 3) Page 10
