"Young Blithe, you are our newest student. Please determine what you think you have to do to summon one of these fruits to your hand from across the room."
Halcyon answered without having to think much about the problem. "Every magical action requires some type of equal and opposite reaction. I can throw one of these iron balls in the direction of the fruit. If I concentrate on the fruit as I throw the shot, I think I can bring one to my hand. My hunger helps the spell as I have a need to eat."
"Excellent and totally correct, young Blithe. I want all of you to try this lesson. Don't worry about where your shot lands. I will prevent the navy's deck and furniture from denting. The sooner you all begin, the sooner you all eat." The commander stood against the wall with his big hands outstretched, ready to cast cantrips to catch the iron shot.
Tupper was the first to pick up one of the round balls and throw it toward the fruit. He kept his hand out, and as the shot passed over the top of the fruit one of the purple spheres appeared in his hand. He immediately munched down on the fruit with great relish.
Instantly the air filled with iron shot. Soon everyone but Midshipwizard Forrest ate a fruit they summoned to hand. After the tenth attempt, Daton shook his head at Forrest's efforts.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, young Forrest. You had quite a bit to eat before you came to class today, didn't you?" Daton asked.
"Sorry, Commander. I heard the lesson was going to be through mealtime and I didn't want to go hungry so I ate. I don't seem to be able to summon the fruit to hand." The signs of his embarrassment were clear in the slumped shoulders and downcast face.
"Class, note the trouble our young Forrest is having. Your need for the magical effect tempers the shape and power of your magical spell. Our young Forrest isn't hungry at all. Thus, he doesn't need a fruit and can't summon the proper magic to bring it to hand, even though the spell is very simple. All you have to do, young Forrest, is discover another way to motivate yourself."
Suddenly, Mark's face lit up. He threw the shot and a fruit instantly appeared in his hand.
"Well done. What allowed you to find the way of the spell, young Forrest?" Daton asked.
"All I had to do was think about the ribbing I would take if I was the only one of the entire class that walked out of the cabin not able to summon a fruit to my hand. The magic came to me right away," said the smiling Forrest.
Laughing, Daton opened the hatch to his cabin. "Ridicule isn't the best of motivators, but it allowed you to succeed, which is a good thing. We will now all take one of the shots up to the forecastle and attempt the summoning of another fruit from there. Quickly move out, all of you."
"Do you want me to carry yours, Anne?" Halcyon asked, trying to be a gentleman and maybe catch Driden's favor.
"It's five pounds, Blithe," she said disdainfully. "My war targ weighs more than that. Just get a move on and get out of my way, you great lummox."
Halcyon knew she came from the mountain clans near the city of Gold. He chided himself for trying to treat her as he would a lady of his family's castle. Ship women didn't want their hands held.
The class positioned themselves at the stern railing.
Daton spoke to them with reassuring words. "Keep the image of the fruit in your mind. You know what it looks like, smells like, and feels like. Throw your shot as hard as you can at the mizzenmast. I will take care of where your shot lands. The shot you hold in your hand is far heavier than the fruit, so your spell should be easy to accomplish. Begin when you are ready."
Once again, the commander stood to the side, by the mizzenmast. His hands were out and he would be using his magic to halt the progress of the blast-tube shot.
Halcyon felt good about performing this spell. He was a little worried about the floating spell, but he didn't let that bother him for the moment. He threw the five-pound shot overhand at the mizzenmast and a fruit appeared in his hand. Halcyon noticed that others had the same result. The fruit was delicious and he relished every bite, finishing it to its core. Even Forrest summoned his fruit and ate.
The commander used his magic to pile the shots by the mast. "Well done, all of you. I can't remember when I've had an entire group successfully summon from on deck. I want to try just one more thing. All of you are very familiar with the equipment found in your sea chests. Pick up one of the shots and summon something from your chests."
Each of the midshipwizards picked up a shot and threw it toward the stern. Halcyon imagined his telescope as he threw. Instead of finding it in his hand, a burning pain shot through his mind and he fell to the deck screaming out.
"Mr. Blithe, what did you do?" Daton asked, kneeling at Halcyon's side. The rest of the class clustered around the pair on the deck.
"I don't know. My head is on fire. I tried summoning my telescope. The second I threw the shot, I felt this terrible pain in my skull. It still hurts." Halcyon was sitting on the deck rubbing his head.
Commander Giantson snapped his fingers, and Halcyon's sea chest appeared on the forecastle. The large Blithe coat of arms glowed brightly on the lock of the chest. "It's warded, Mr. Blithe. Someone in your family must have told you how to open your chest and not be hurt by the magical protections laid in your family's coat of arms?"
"Yes, I just say a special word and the chest opens to my touch," Halcyon answered back.
"I'm sorry. Such chests are not usually protected." Daton snapped his fingers again and sent the sea chest back where it came from. "We will need to talk about wards in our next session. In my ignorance I've caused you harm. In the future when you try to summon things from your chest, say your opening word as you cast the spell. The wards on the chest will then allow you to summon your needed item. Let me heal you."
Daton's large hands turned bright blue and his fingers touched Halcyon's skull. All the pain of his summoning spells instantly went away. The smile on the commander's face dropped away.
"What is this spell I sense? It has been causing you discomfort for many days now." Daton stood up and began making magical passes, throwing handfuls of water out in front of him and around Halcyon.
A thick blue thread appeared, wrapped many times around Halcyon's body. The thread flowed up into the sky and disappeared in the far distance.
"What have you done, child?" Daton gasped.
The pain of the summoning spell gone, Halcyon stood up. He looked down at his body to see the thick threads of his own weather spell. He realized what the great pressure was that constantly squeezed his body. It was his own spell; he'd never seen the threads of it at work.
"I didn't know there would be a problem, sir. I just wanted good weather for my first duty. I figured I could release the spell when I made our first port of call. That way I could weather the storm in a safe harbor. I just wanted sunny days and a fair wind, sir." As Blithe spoke he knew his act was a grave mistake.
All of the other midshipwizards gasped at Halcyon's words. They now understood what the enchanted thread around Halcyon meant to them and the Sanguine. Each of them turned ashen at the thought of what was to come.
Suddenly the sea dragon screamed a warning as it realized what was about to happen.
"Young fool, you could have doomed us all. Tupper, go sound out the storm warning on the ship's bell. All the rest of you take your storm stations. Rig for heavy weather," Commander Giantson ordered the group. They dashed to do his bidding. "You come with me to the quarterdeck and don't do a thing to your spell, that's an order."
Tupper went for the ship's bell. There were few other reasons to clang the bell than to mark the hour. One of them happened with sea burials. The other was the warning of heavy weather. When the bell clanged repeatedly, the entire ship's crew rigged for heavy weather. The tones of the bell warned the entire ship of the coming danger. The clangs reverberated even down into the orlop deck.
With the clanging of the bell, Captain Olden came up on deck in full weather gear. He looked into the sunny sky and noted the force-four winds on the sea. He didn't observe
a reason to sound the emergency bell. Then he noticed the blue thread flowing from his quarterdeck into the sky. What was that?
Climbing to his quarterdeck, the captain saw Midshipwizard Blithe and Lieutenant Commander Giantson at the mizzen. Olden's experienced magical eyes noted some type of weather spell around Blithe.
"Giantson, explain this," the captain commanded.
"I believe Midshipwizard Blithe placed a weather spell on himself as he arrived at the ship. For the last nine days he's been controlling the weather to bring us sunshine and fair winds." By now, Giantson was also in a rain slicker and storm hat. He'd summoned the clothes to him with a snap of his fingers.
Halcyon suspected he was in terrible trouble, but still wasn't sure why.
"Lieutenant Durand, trumpet the sails furled. Keep the forestaysail and the mainstaysail taut so that we can keep headway in the storm to come. Rig for force-twelve winds, raise the lifelines fore and aft," Olden shouted to the lieutenant.
Suddenly Halcyon knew what he had done. The destruction of the dragonship might happen because of his spell. "Sir, I can still hold the spell. Can't we reach safe harbor and then have me let the spell go?"
"Mr. Blithe, if we survive this storm you will be court-martialed for putting this ship in grave danger. No one knows how strong this storm is going to be. It's possible there will be no safe harbor available to any ship in the coming storm. I will not risk putting the Arcanian fleet in danger from your ill-advised action. Prepare to release your spell and pray to whatever god you believe in that we don't all die in the next twenty-four storm-tossed hours."
his majesty's articles of war: article xiii
If any officer, mariner, soldier, or other person in the fleet shall strike any of his superior officers, or draw, or offer to draw, or lift up any weapon against him, being in the execution of his office in an unexpected manner, on any pretense whatsoever, every such person being convicted of any such offense, by the sentence of a court-martial, shall suffer death; and if any officer, mariner, soldier, or other person in the fleet shall presume to quarrel with any of his superior officers, being in the execution of his office, or shall disobey any lawful command of any of his superior officers; every such person being convicted of any such offense, by the sentence of a court-martial, shall suffer death, or such other punishment as shall, according to the nature and degree of his offense, be inflicted upon him by the sentence of a court-martial.
Standing on the quarterdeck, Halcyon couldn't remember a time when he felt more miserable. In trying to make things easier for himself on his first duty, he'd only made things worse. Only the words of his father kept him from crying like a baby. He thought about a day years ago, when he couldn't have been more than nine. He'd done something wrong; Halcyon couldn't remember what. He had an image in his mind of his father kneeling down, hugging him, and saying, "Son, never cry in front of your crew or family. Crying is a personal thing. I've cried to be sure, but such an act is between the gods and you. That sacrifice of salty tears unnerves a man and makes him less in the eyes of his crew and others around him. Part of being a man is showing strength in times of trouble. I know it's hard on you now, but try to be a man and shed your tears in private."
Halcyon always followed that advice, except for the one time when the family had a service at the marking of his father's death. They had no body, as he was lost at sea. The family placed an Arcanian flag and the crimson pennant of House Blithe in the tomb of his family to mark his death. He was the first of the seven brothers to pass away. All six uncles and the sons serving in the navy took shore leave on orders of the king to attend the service. Tears ran down everyone's face that day. That memory gave him strength now. He squared his shoulders back and held his head high. Halcyon wasn't about to show how bad he felt in front of his captain and crew.
Shaken out of his memory, he heard the shouted order of the captain.
"Chanter, sing out Strike the Bell," ordered the captain, in a calm voice clearly heard by the chief on the deck below.
The stunned man had never heard the captain request a chantey. The man's clear voice rang out. Immediately, the entire sail crew started singing with him.
Aft on the poopdeck
Walking about
There is the second mate
So sturdy and so stout
What he is thinking of
He only knows himself
Oh, we wish that he would hurry up
And strike, strike the bell.
Strike the bell, second mate
Let us go below
Look away to windward
You can see it's going to blow
Look at the glass
You can see that it is fell
We wish that you would hurry up
And strike, strike the bell.
Every Arcanian child knew the song the men took up. It was a work chantey sung only when a storm approached or rain fell hard from the skies. The crew didn't show its surprise at the singing of Strike the Bell. It didn't matter to them that it was sunny and clear. If the orders were to get into rain gear and strike the sails, then they would follow those commands no matter what the weather looked like. The ship bustled with energy as men took to the three masts, quickly furling the sails. Singing that song caused men to go below and put on their rain gear. That tune marked the worst weather possible, and even though it was a lighthearted ditty, it signaled dangerous times.
The captain relayed more orders to the lieutenant on watch while the sailors continued to sing.
Down on the main deck
Working at the pumps
There is the larboard watch
Ready for their bunks
Over to windward
They see a great swell
They're wishing that the second mate
Would strike, strike the bell.
Strike the bell, second mate
Let us go below
Look away to windward
You can see it's going to blow
Look at the glass
You can see that it is fell
We wish that you would hurry up
And strike, strike the bell.
The lieutenant ordered the crew to keep the forestaysail and the mainstaysail taut. Men were lashing down the thirty-pounders on all of the decks to prevent the heavy metal tubes from shifting in high seas. All the while, the sea dragon kept roaring the warning of danger. The crew constantly looked about for the harsh weather to come, but clear blue sky greeted them from horizon to horizon.
Belowdecks, the danger of fire in the violent seas forced the extinguishing of the cook fires. There would be a cold meal that night, if there was a meal at all. During high seas, few sailors felt like eating as they wondered if their ship would survive the blow.
Without moving an inch from their commanding positions on the quarterdeck, the captain, First Officer Wily, Second Officer Griffon, and the other officers serving in the day's duty all magically changed into rain gear with the snap of their fingers.
Blithe heard Griffon say, "I'm going forward to check on the lashing of the tubes, Captain. The ones on the forecastle are squared away."
"Carry on, Second Officer, carry on," replied the captain.
The men sang on.
Aft at the wheel
Poor Anderson stands
Grasping the spokes
In his cold, mittened hands
Looking at the compass
The course is clear as hell
He's wishing that the second mate
Would strike, strike the bell.
Strike the bell, second mate
Let us go below
Look away to windward
You can see it's going to blow
Look at the glass
You can see that it is fell
We wish that you would hurry up
And strike, strike the bell.
Lifelines were fastened to cleats running the length of all three upper decks on both the starboard and port
sides. Coils of rigging ropes, their ends looped, were ready by the railings in case of a man overboard. Leather covers sealed all the ship's hatches on the exposed decks. The jolly boat and the longboat received extra lashings. The dinghy remained as normal, ready for launching in an instant. The men worked at a frantic pace, spurred on by the tempo of the foul-weather chantey.
Forward in the forecastle head
Keeping sharp lookout
There is Johnny standing
Ready for to shout
"Light's burning bright, sir
And everything is well."
He's wishing that the second mate
Would strike, strike the bell.
Strike the bell, second mate
Let us go below
Look away to windward
You can see it's going to blow
Look at the glass
You can see that it is fell
We wish that you would hurry up
And strike, strike the bell.
The crew on the mizzensails kept giving Halcyon odd looks. The wizard lieutenants could see a weather spell wrapped around the midshipwizard, but they hadn't heard yet what could happen from the effect of that magical incantation.
The stern glares of Captain Olden and Second Officer Griffon kept people from asking Blithe what he was doing standing by the ship's wheel instead of by his crew on the mainmast.
Daton snapped his fingers and Halcyon was dressed in a rain slicker. "You say you've maintained this spell for nine days?"
"Yes, sir," Halcyon replied.
"Remarkable. I could maybe hold such a spell for ten days before suffering physical harm. I see the strands of the incantation bind your chest and head. Didn't you feel them constricting you?" Daton asked.
Before he could answer, the captain spoke. "Mr. Giantson, the midshipwizard is not to be a subject of your curiosity. I don't care that he is a seventh son of a seventh son right now. Take your duty station and help my ship survive the coming storm."
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe Page 15
