Zollin couldn’t see the dragon either, and although he wanted to reach out with his magic to see what was happening, he knew he had to reserve his strength. He had to make sure his internal defenses didn’t break down completely-that would incapacitate him. The wine was helping, but he couldn’t seem to get enough of it. His body burned through the alcohol and calories faster than he could consume them.
“Watch the ship,” Zollin told Mansel. “If you see it getting attacked by the sea monster, tell me.”
“Why? What are you going to be doing?”
“Getting ready to fight the beast,” Zollin admitted.
Mansel shuddered at the thought, but kept rowing. Zollin knew he was too weak to fight off the giant sea monster, but it was attracted to his magic. That had been his fear after the attack in Lorye Harbor, and now that fear was confirmed. It had been the reason he’d shot his magic into the water. If the kraken was drawn to magic, he had hoped it would be drawn to the dragon as well. It had been a huge gamble, but there was simply no other way to drive the dragon off. Even with all his power, he could only weaken the dragon, not kill or even injure it. Brianna had been successful in wounding the beast with arrows of dwarfish steel, but he had none with him now. The harpoons might have broken through the beast’s scales after he weakened the dragon’s hide with his magical energy, but they had missed that chance when the dragon knocked Zollin off the crow’s nest.
The ship was small in the distance after only a few minutes of rowing. Zollin hoped they were far enough from the big ship, but he couldn’t be sure. He only knew that if they moved much further away he wouldn’t have the strength to levitate Mansel and himself back to the ship.
“This is far enough,” Zollin said.
“Okay, what now?”
“Now we get ready to run,” Zollin said.
Mansel wasn’t sure what that meant, but he shipped the oars and took up his sword.
Standing up in the boat wasn’t easy, but he couldn’t fight sitting down. Zollin was sitting on the bench in front of Mansel. He closed his eyes and let his magic flow down into the water beneath the boat. He could feel the schools of fish and even the current several feet below the surface. It only took a minute before the fish began to dart away, leaving the water under their small boat empty. It sent chills up Zollin’s spine. He was confident he could escape the kraken, but he needed to stay until the beast arrived. He needed to lure it further out to sea, but if the boat was attacked too soon he might not be able to save Mansel. That thought scared him almost as much as the giant sea monster itself. He thought of Todrek, his old friend in Tranaugh Shire. Todrek had not wanted any part of Zollin’s magic, and in the end it had been that magic that had killed him. Todrek had been struck down by a mercenary when the wizards of the Torr had come to take Zollin back to their master. Zollin had tried to save his friend, but hadn’t known enough magic at the time. The though made Zollin’s stomach lurch. Tears stung his eyes. He vowed not to let the same thing happen to Mansel.
Then, suddenly, he felt the huge beast slide into the water underneath the boat, and there was no more time for thinking. Zollin could sense the pain the kraken felt. The dragon had burned the creature and bitten off the ends of several tentacles. Zollin waited, fighting his instinct to flee from the sea monster. The last thing he needed was for the beast to follow them back to the ship. If that happened, all was lost.
Suddenly a tentacle rose up out of the water near the ship.
“Zollin!” Mansel shouted, his voice laced with fear.
“Not yet,” Zollin said.
Mansel watched as the tentacle moved closer, and then, just before it reached the little boat, he swung his sword. Cutting through the tentacle was like chopping wood. His sword cut almost halfway through the thick appendage before sticking. The tentacle jerked back down into the water, almost pulling Mansel out of the boat. His heart dropped as he saw his beloved sword disappear beneath the waves.
“Okay, don’t panic,” Zollin said. “It’ll only make my job harder.”
Mansel wasn’t sure what to say, but then he started rising into the air. It was only natural to panic, but Mansel just froze, every muscle in his body going rigid with fear. He’d never been afraid of heights. He’d climbed trees as a boy, and being on top of the king’s castle in Orrock hadn’t bothered him, but whenever Zollin levitated him it filled Mansel with dread. He felt completely out of control and weak.
Zollin ignored the fear that was pouring off Mansel like leaves from a tree in an autumn storm. He focused on holding them up, rising higher and higher, watching the little boat bobbing in the water in the darkness below them. He fully expected the kraken to attack the boat now, but when it shattered the little craft with a single blow from under the water, his heart sank a little. He raised them higher into the air, his magic so hot now it was beginning to break apart his inner defenses again. Then he sent a wave of his magic out into the water, moving further out to sea. He pushed it as far as he could, straining his mind and magic almost to the breaking point. Then he withdrew all of his power, containing it in the small bubble around himself and Mansel.
He didn’t dare check to see if the kraken had taken the bait and followed the magic further out to sea. He waited for just a moment, straining his eyes in the darkness for any sign of the sea monster, but there was none. Then he turned and levitated back to the ship. He was seeing spots by the time they arrived, and when they got over the deck his control slipped and they fell the last few feet.
Zollin and Mansel lay side-by-side, both panting from exhaustion. Zollin saw the ship’s white sail flutter for a moment, then fill with air. He felt the ship moving, and then he passed out.
When Zollin woke up he was in his bunk. Light was shinning in through the porthole and Eustice was hovering nearby. At first, Zollin didn’t move. His stomach was rumbling with hunger and his muscles felt stiff. His mouth was so dry it was difficult to move his tongue. He checked his magical containment and was happy to find it still in place and working. He rolled over, stretching his aching muscles, and then sat up on the bed. Eustice hurried over with a cup of water. Zollin took it gratefully and sipped a little, letting the water swoosh around in his mouth and moisten his tongue. Then he turned up the cup and drank the rest greedily.
“Ah, that may be the best water I’ve ever tasted,” he said. “Is there more?” Eustice poured more into the cup from a small pitcher.
“How long was I asleep?”
Eustice held his fingers close together, almost in a pinching motion. “Not long?” Eustice nodded.
“That’s good. Is Mansel okay?”
Eustice nodded again.
“We’re sailing again, huh? Any sign of the sea monster?”
This time Eustice shook his head to say no.
“I want to go up and see the damage for myself,” Zollin said.
Eustice helped Zollin to his feet and after a moment he felt strong enough to walk. He was tired, but it felt good to stretching his muscles. He drank some more water then went out on the deck while Eustice stayed behind to fix his breakfast.
Zollin was surprised to see that the deck had been cleared from all the debris and there were two large sails up on the mast he had repaired. There were several sailors lying out in the sunshine on makeshift pallets. Most had thick globs of what appeared to be grease on their wounds. Zollin went straight to the sailor who was checking on the wounded men.
“What happened?” Zollin asked.
“Burns mostly,” said the sailor, who was the ship surgeon’s helper. “A few broken bones. Lady Roleena got the worst of it, and those poor souls we lost overboard. I’ve never seen a dragon before. We’d all be dead if it weren’t for you.”