Three children chased each other around the area, laughing and yelling. They were cheerfully tolerated.
“When needed we drag nets behind the ship. You'd be amazed at the amount of seafood we can collect in only a few hours. The ocean is teeming with fish again and we eat well. We also have a garden on one of the lower decks, if you can believe it. Last year, just after I arrived, a woman came aboard who is, in her own words, an herbalist. I've never met anyone who has such a way with plants. She can grow anything. The captain had tons of earth brought aboard and we conjured up as many mage lights as she asked for. And for a few months, every time a hunting party would go ashore, this young woman, Elaine, would go with them to search for seeds and whatnot. Well, now we have vegetables and fruits growing in the bowels of the ship. Weirdest thing I've ever seen, but thank God for her and her talent.”
“I see. I knew an herbalist once too,” Simon told him, feeling a pang of regret for his old neighbor, Heather. Who knew she'd turn out to be evil?
“Did you? Where is she now?”
Simon just shrugged, ignoring the question, and carefully made his way down the hallway, trying to avoid the playing, laughing children.
“As you can guess, this level and the two below it are the main living quarters,” Barnaby told him as the tour continued. “Just up ahead is a small section of the ship that's reserved for the magic-users. I'll take you through there and then we can either go back up to the main deck or down to the garden.”
“Thanks. Where is the kitchen, by the way?”
“Hungry?”
Simon chuckled.
“No. I was just wondering how anyone could cook for over a hundred people day in and day out without electricity.”
Barnaby grinned at the wizard.
“Ah, I see. The galley is actually next to the dining hall that I showed you earlier. The head cook and his staff use wood stoves instead of electricity or gas. We go ashore occasionally and cut down trees for fuel. Our blacksmith devised an ingenious system of piping to funnel all of the smoke from the stoves to the outside. She's a clever woman. And our head mage, Veronique, discovered a spell to remove the salt from sea water, so that we have an endless supply of fresh water. That is really at the heart of our survival. Without available drinking water, the Defiant would have been abandoned long ago.”
They reached the end of the corridor and were faced with a heavy metal door, tightly closed. There was no handle and Simon looked at Barnaby quizzically.
“How do you get in?” he asked as the mage just stood there, apparently waiting for something.
“The door is enchanted. It will only open to the touch of a magic-user. Would you mind doing the honors?”
Simon locked eyes with the mage.
“You saw me summon a major elemental. Are you not convinced that I am who and what I say I am?”
Barnaby blushed, looking even younger than his small frame and large eyes made him appear.
“Yes, of course I am. But Veronique insists that any visitors to the mage's section of the ship pass this 'test'. Of course the captain and crew may come and go as they please; they simply have one of us open the door for them. But if you don't want to do it, I totally understand. I meant no disrespect, I assure you.”
The mage moved to place his hand on the door, but Simon stepped forward and put his palm on the smooth metal.
“Your house, your rules,” he said with a wink.
Barnaby relaxed and smiled in appreciation.
“Thank you. I'm sure that Veronique will be pleased with your courtesy.”
There was a burst of light from the door, like a camera flash, and then it snapped open and swung back.
“This way, please,” the mage said politely and stepped through the opening.
Simon followed and the door closed behind him with a solid thunk.
The corridor continued beyond the door but the walls in this section were painted with amazing colors. Swirls of blue, yellow, purple and every shade in between flowed into and around each other. But instead of a confusing mess, the colors evinced a harmony that was pleasing to the eye and calming to the senses.
“Wow, it's so soothing,” Simon said as he followed Barnaby. The colors also seemed to emit their own light. There was no need of torches or other sources of illumination.
“I agree. This area was renovated by Veronique and her sister when they first arrived on the Defiant. They were artists in their old life and it definitely shows..”
“Her sister is a mage as well?”
“Enchantress actually,” the mage told him.
He lowered his voice and looked up and down the corridor before continuing.
“Sylvie was born with a birth defect. When she Changed, it followed her to her new form. But at the same time, she gained so much more that she isn't bitter about it. However, I thought I should warn you before you meet them.”
“What sort of birth defect?” Simon asked carefully.
“She's blind. Totally blind. But her magical senses are so finely tuned that she can probably see better than you or I can. In her own way.”
They stopped at a four-way intersection.
“Apparently she was rather famous as a sculptor back in the old days. She crafted her works by touch alone and I'm told that they were extraordinary.”
He pointed down the corridor in front of them.
“Straight ahead is our practice room. That's where we experiment with new spells. It's heavily shielded to protect the rest of the ship. Phoenix, Danny and I have our quarters to the right.”
He turned left and motioned for Simon to follow.
“The sisters live down this way. I'm sure that they are waiting to meet you.”
“How would they even know that I'm on board?”
“Veronique is very powerful. I don't know how her powers measure up to a wizard's, but she is certainly the strongest of the mages on board the Defiant. And Sylvie has senses beyond my understanding. She probably felt you arrive when you Gated here.”
“Amazing,” Simon said.
He felt a little nervous about meeting these obviously formidable women but was also powerfully curious. He didn't know much about mages and their magic. Granted, he was friendly with Tamara and her brother, but they had never really shared intimate details about their powers. All he did know was that wizards were supposedly the most powerful of all spell-casters and that he was probably the only one in existence.
At least so far, he said to himself. That may not last.
The walls of the hallway that led to the sisters' quarters were hung with numerous paintings, all of them abstract. The style was powerful and mesmerizing.
“These are Sylvie's?” Simon asked Barnaby and pointed at the paintings.
“Yes. Gorgeous, aren't they?”
They stopped for a moment to contemplate the artwork.
“How does she choose her colors?”
The mage shrugged.
“No idea. Since she's been blind from birth, how she can even have a preference is beyond me. But I'm told that she is the one who picks the colors, decides the style of the work, and all of that.”
Simon approached one of the paintings, a large canvas at least six feet high and even wider than that. Powerful waves of color were streaking in seeming random directions across the flat surface and yet there seemed to be some sort of underlying cohesion. It was tantalizing and he had to stop himself from reaching out and stroking the canvas to feel its texture.
“It calls to you on some level, doesn't it?”
The wizard looked over his shoulder at Barnaby and smiled sheepishly.
“It does. But I have no idea why. You feel it too?”
The mage nodded and stared at the painting as he stroked his chin.
“All magic-users feel it but, oddly enough, regular people don't. That's Sylvie's talent, I suppose. Come along and meet her. It will help you to understand her better.”
Simon tore himself away from the fasc
inating picture as Barnaby continued leading him down the corridor.
At the end of the hallway, a large door made of a dark wood swung open as they approached. Barnaby stopped and Simon looked at him curiously.
“Go ahead,” the mage told him and gestured toward the door. “They will want to meet with you alone. I'll wait for you out here.”
Simon looked dubiously at the open door.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I am. Don't worry,” Barnaby told him with a reassuring smile, “they don't bite. It's just their way. I'll be here when you're done.”
The wizard nodded and took a deep breath. He walked the final few steps to the door, hesitated a moment and then stepped through into darkness.
Chapter 13
“Welcome, young man,” a silky female voice said from somewhere ahead of him.
Simon had stepped into what felt like a large space that was very dark. A mage light floated just over his head, illuminating him but blinding him to everything else.
“Please come in,” a second, more delicate voice told him.
The globe of magical light moved forward and rose higher. It split into two lights and these lights split again and again until the room was lit up as brightly as a sunny day.
The area was as large as the dining room up on the main deck. Every flat surface was covered with color, lines of paint that flowed and swirled into each other. It was a riot of shades that immediately delighted the senses and Simon actually gasped out loud as he took it all in.
There was a scent in the air, jasmine, and he inhaled deeply. It immediately seemed to help him relax and his upset stomach settled down as well.
Ahead was a long conference table. It had many chairs around it and on one side sat two women. They were both staring directly at the wizard and he couldn't tell which one was sightless and which wasn't.
“Step forward, Simon O'Toole and join us,” the woman on the right said graciously, speaking with a noticeable Parisian accent.
She was pale and slim with very dark eyes that met his easily. She was wearing a dark green robe under a mantle of stiff verdant cloth. Her hair was short and black.
“Yes, please join us and have some refreshment,” the other woman said.
For some reason, Simon had expected the sisters to look alike, maybe even be twins. Instead they were almost direct opposites.
The second woman was just as pale as her sister, but her hair was long and reddish blonde and her eyes were sky blue. She wore a simple lavender-colored robe.
Simon walked forward and took a seat at the table. Between him and the women was a tall crystal decanter of pink liquid, some delicate wine glasses and a bowl of fruit; apples and pears.
“Allow me to introduce us,” the dark-haired woman said as she poured him a glass of wine. “My name is Veronique and this is my sister, Sylvie.”
“Thank you,” Simon said as she handed him the glass. “It's a pleasure to meet you both.”
Veronique smiled and poured wine for both herself and her sister. She put a glass in front of Sylvie, who picked it up as if she could actually see it.
“You are too kind,” Sylvie said with a gentle smile.
She sipped her wine and Simon did the same. The liquor was slightly sweet but light and delicious.
“Ah, that's very nice,” he told them.
“Thank you. Help yourself to fruit if you wish. We grow it down in our garden.”
“I'm not hungry, but thanks anyway.”
“As you wish.”
Veronique tasted her wine and gave Simon a direct look.
“So, what do you think of the Defiant?”
“She's amazing,” he replied with honest enthusiasm. “The ship is basically a floating town. It's quite an accomplishment and I salute you both.”
The sisters smiled but Sylvie shook her head, her long fine hair floating around her face.
“We most certainly cannot take much credit for the success of this place. When we found the Defiant, she was drifting off of the coast of France. How she had avoided being destroyed by wind, wave or dragon is a mystery, but she did. Deborah, whom you have already met, was a friend of ours. After the dragons returned, she had found a small boat and was living on the water.”
She inclined her head toward her sister, who smiled and took her hand.
“Veronique and I were looking for a place to settle down. When Paris fell to the dragons' flames, and the drakes that followed, we journeyed to the coast.”
She grimaced and closed her eyes for a moment.
“I won't bore you with the details but that time was...difficult. We stumbled upon Deborah quite by accident and she was the one who told us about Defiant.”
“She had seen it floating aimlessly several times, but alone she couldn't do anything with it,” Veronique said, taking up the story. “But we saw an opportunity and managed to bring the ship into port. It took a year to repair the damage and make her seaworthy again and many others joined us in that time and helped to fix her. We used our skills to help camouflage the ship from hostile monsters during that year and fortunately weren't attacked. Although there were a few close calls,” she added with a grimace.
“Remarkable,” Simon commented. “I can't imagine how magic could be used like that. Then again, I'm still trying to figure out how your mages are using magic to move the Defiant instead of engines.”
Both sisters laughed and Sylvie made a dismissive gesture.
“It isn't that hard, my friend,” she said. “We've adapted the standard Shield spell to repel water. You simply attach the spell to the ship below the waterline and it pushes the Defiant along.”
“Huh. I never would have thought of such a thing.”
“Oh, you might have if it was necessary. Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say. Certainly that was true in our case.”
Veronique patted her sister's hand.
“For example, Sylvie came up with a way to separate the salt from sea water so that we could have potable water. If it hadn't been for that invention, life on board would be a lot harder than it has been.”
“A fluke, nothing more,” her sister said with a chuckle. “I made a mistake when casting a spell and voila, fresh water. I can take little credit for it.”
“As you might be able to tell, Sylvie is a rather modest person,” Veronique said dryly.
Simon smiled at her and saw her sister do the same.
“But enough of that. We wanted to thank you for saving us from that monster today,” she continued. “Summoning that elemental was inspired. How on Earth did she manage to turn away the turtle?”
“She said that it was some sort of illusion. Apparently the turtle thinks that it's still chasing the Defiant. It will be a very long way away by the time the spell fades. She's also speaking to the captain right now about a way to, as she explained it, make the Defiant less attractive to giant turtles. I have no idea what she's up to but let's hope she's right.”
Veronique finished her wine and offered Simon another glass. He declined politely.
“Making the Defiant less of a target would be a blessing,” Sylvie said soberly. “We are in constant danger of attack, which is one of the reasons that the ship is always on the move. We've tried anchoring off of the coast but invariably some monster finds us. And if it isn't a sea creature, it's a dragon.”
She sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes.
“It is draining being on guard twenty-four hours a day, but we have little choice.”
Simon watched as Veronique squeezed her sister's hand and tried to think of a way to help them.
“Is the ship warded?” he asked after drinking the last of his wine.
“Warded?”
Both women looked intrigued.
“We don't quite understand,” Sylvie told him. “What is warding?”
Simon looked at them in amazement and Veronique giggled at his expression, sounding very young.
“You look quite surprised, sir
wizard,” she told him.
Sylvie picked up on her sister's tone of voice and smiled as well.
“Forgive us if this warding is common knowledge, my friend,” she said, not quite looking at Simon's face. “We are a bit isolated here.”
“Yes, of course. I meant no offense, ladies.”
“None taken. So what is it?”
“Wards are enchantments created by runes. I use them to protect my home and the people in Nottinghill Castle do the same to guard themselves. Essentially it raises a shield against attacks.”
Now it was the sisters' turn to look surprised.
“I have never heard of such a thing,” Sylvie said with wonder. “It sounds miraculous.”
Veronique nodded, wide-eyed.
Simon smiled at them both.
“As miraculous as using a spell to power a ship?”
“Touché,” Sylvie responded and laughed lightly. “We are learning from each other today, are we not? Do you think that these wards would work on a ship as well as they do on a land-based structure?”
“I don't see why not,” Simon answered. “Even if they only provided partial protection, it would be an improvement, don't you think?”
“Oui, I agree. Now, as you may have been told, I am unable to see with my eyes.”
Simon hesitated and then replied delicately.
“I have heard that, yes.”
“Be at ease, my friend,” Sylvie told him with an understanding smile. “It is not a subject that distresses me. Magic has blessed me with a way to see that transcends physical sight. I can see you as you sit there, sir wizard, but not as you see me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can see the magic around you, around the table we are sitting at, around this entire ship. Colors that I never saw before I Changed now permeate my senses. They eddy and flow like the tides. However I cannot read even the simplest of texts. Books glow with an aura but the writing within is invisible. And so my sister will be the one to learn of these runes and wards, not me.”
Veronique patted her sister's hand yet again.
“We each have our roles,” she told Simon. “Anything that I learn I pass on to my sister verbally. She knows what I know, but I act as her eyes in such things.”
The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) Page 16
