fatigue under control, grimacing as the diversion of energy slowed the
transformation. But it was just as well, as a ripple of growth forced me to
juggle a dozen more complexities all at once.
Where was the extra mass coming from, anyway? I had a dim sense that it
was being conjured from some external source, just like with the hammer I’d
made in my first battle. But beyond that I had no idea, and I certainly didn’t
have time to worry about it now.
My muscles grew in slow fits and starts, as I struggled to counteract all
the unpleasant side effects a too-fast change created in the rest of my body. But
gradually I got the hang of it, and the process began to smooth out. A constant
rate of change made everything easier, and for the better part of an hour I sat
and coaxed the transformation along.
I wasn’t going for the huge bulging muscles of a weightlifter, of course.
Aside from being too obvious a change, it wasn’t optimal for my situation. I
needed the strong legs and aerobic endurance of a marathon runner, in case we
needed to outrun danger. The rock-hard physique of a serious martial artist, to
protect my internal organs from blows I didn’t see coming. The strong arms
and back of a laborer, in case I needed to carry an injured civilian while my
limited supply of magic was in use. Conditioning, and more conditioning, and
yet more conditioning.
Finally I reached the limits of what I could do. I opened my eyes to find
that the camp was still and quiet, and the snow was falling harder now. A
wave of exhaustion washed over me, and suddenly finding my own wagon
again seemed like an enormous undertaking. I was too tired to stand up, let
alone walk anywhere.
I pulled the hood of my cloak down over my face, and let my eyes drift
closed again. The magical warmth would protect me from the snow, and the
girls would probably enjoy their privacy anyway. I was asleep in moments.
45
Some time later a small but very strong hand shook me awake. I blinked
my eyes open to find Avilla’s face inches from my nose.
“Daniel? Are you alright?” She asked worriedly.
“Yeah. Just tired. Rough casting.” I mumbled.
Her expression firmed. “Right. Let’s get you to bed before you catch your
death of cold.”
She slipped under my arm and lifted me to my feet despite my feeble
protests, and dragged me off across the camp. I was still so tired the world
seemed to sway like the deck of a ship, and I found myself leaning heavily on
her. She took my weight without protest, though at one point she paused to
wrap my cloak around us both.
Then she gasped softly. “It’s so warm! How did you... fire magic?”
“Mmm hmmm.” Her hair smelled nice. Like baking cookies on a warm
spring day.
“I suppose you weren’t going to freeze, then,” she observed. “But I still
can’t have my heroic protector sleeping alone on the hard ground. Come on,
almost there.”
Soon I was foggily clambering into the back of a wagon. Avilla stopped
us when we were half inside, and I frowned in confusion as she bent over me.
But she was just taking off my shoes. She left them next to her own just inside
the covered space, and deftly laced the canvas flaps shut again.
“Avilla?” Cerise asked sleepily.
“I’m here, kitten,” Avilla replied softly. “Go back to sleep.”
“M‘kay. C’mere.”
A slender hand snaked out from the pile of blankets to grab my arm, and
pulled me down. A moment later I found myself on my side half under the
blankets, with the little witch curled up against my chest.
“Mmm, muscles. Yum.”
She was a very naked little witch. I froze, my sleep-addled mind having
no idea how to react.
46
Avilla giggled softly, and slipped in behind me. Oh, my. She’d been
naked under her cloak?
“Um,” I said intelligently.
“Put your arm around her,” Avilla advised quietly. “She doesn’t have so
many nightmares if she’s being held.”
I obediently let my arm fall to encircle the sleeping girl. She gave a little
sigh, and buried her face in my chest.
“There you go. Goodnight, Daniel.” Avilla reached around me to stroke
Cerise’s hair, and then left it there as she relaxed against my back.
I decided I’d leave the thinking for later. “Goodnight, Avilla.”
47
Chapter 4
I woke to the crack of splintering timber, and an ear-splitting howl right
above my head.
A massive weight landed on my chest as my eyes flew open. Avilla’s
startled yelp in my ear reminded me where I was, but my face was covered
with canvas and it was too dark to see.
The weight shifted, and I felt my ribs creak. I pushed, blindly but with the
full power of my force element, and it lifted. The canvas flew away from my
face, and I found myself looking up at a giant wolf.
It had a man in its jaws, and as I pushed myself upright I saw it shake him
like a dog with a rabbit. Then it dropped him, and turned its gaze on me.
Avilla scrambled behind me with a whimper, and I knew I had to hold its
attention. I threw a ball of fire at its face, and jumped off the wagon.
Sure enough it followed, spinning in place to snap at me with teeth the
size of swords. I gathered a burst of force magic and jumped, pushing off to
send myself sailing high over the beast’s head. The long seconds of hang time
gave me a chance to send a flurry of force blades raining down on it, but they
didn’t penetrate deep enough to have much effect. The beast was easily the size
of an elephant, and I was going to need something with more punch than that to
deal with it.
The rest of the camp was in complete confusion. More giant wolves were
rampaging among the refugees, killing men and panicking the livestock. On the
other side of the camp a giant who must have been twenty feet tall stood
laughing and laying about with an enormous spear.
After that I was too busy for sightseeing. The damned wolf was smart
enough to see where I was going to land, and coming down without going splat
was tricky enough that I barely managed to fend it off. Its jaws closed on the
force bubble protecting me and began to squeeze, sending blue sparks dancing
through the air around me as the spell threatened to collapse.
Then it yelped in surprise and jumped back. Cerise rolled out from under
it with a bloody dagger in each hand, still as naked as when I’d come to bed.
48
The wolf lashed out at her with a paw, and she nimbly ducked under the blow.
I dove forward while it was distracted. Its chin flashed by above me, and
then my line of sight was clear. I conjured another force blade, this one six feet
long instead of my usual two or three, and slashed it across the wolf’s throat.
It cut deep into the monster’s flesh with only a faint tug of resistance. A
torrent of steaming blood gushed out of the wound, drenching me thoroughly.
The wolf abruptly stopped trying to kill us in favor of getting away, but it only
made it three steps before collapsing in a heap. The snow around it rapidly
began to turn red.
I rushed over to Cerise. “Are you alright?”
She licked the blood dripping from her dagger. “Hell, yeah. That was
awesome, Daniel. Let’s kill some more of these guys.”