Mage of Merigor by Alison Naomi Holt

Author:Alison Naomi Holt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Denabi Publishing

Chapter 9

Twilight shone through the trees as they waded knee-deep through a creek on the way to the place Zee had chosen as their stopping place. She had returned to them a short time earlier, urging them closer to the foothills where cascades of water had carved a series of small caves into the hillside. She’d gone on ahead, growing impatient at their clumsiness as they pushed through the water, occasionally stumbling on loose rocks or shale.

Garenth’s long strides brought him out of the creek before the other two.

Nathaniel stayed back to help Kalom, who was having a difficult time pulling himself through the water. It came to the middle of Garenth’s calves but covered most of Kalom’s thighs.

When the two finally hauled themselves out of the water, their leggings hung wet, limp, and cold on their already exhausted legs. Nathaniel began to reach for some magic to dry them but remembered he’d decided to use his gifts only when there were no other means available to accomplish their task.

It hadn’t been any altruistic thoughts of completing the quest without magical help that had brought him to that decision. About halfway through the day, a swarm of black hornets had descended, completely engulfing them in the middle of a stinging, roiling, black inferno.

The four of them had run in panic, trying to escape. Out of sheer reflex, Nathaniel had blasted out a transformation spell, changing all the hornets into harmless droplets of water. What should have been a minuscule drain of magic had rendered him barely conscious and laid him out flat.

When he’d gathered enough strength to pull himself to a seated position, Zee, Garenth, and Kalom were all sitting in the shallows of a creek staring at him. Actually, Zee had an irritable glare plastered across her face.

With his head still spinning slightly, Nathaniel remembered what Ayah had said about magic working differently here. The other three had chosen the non-magical route of submerging themselves in water to rid themselves of the insects while he’d automatically drained a considerable amount of his power. Not to mention he’d also thrown out a conspicuous beacon of magical residue that any nearby, hostile, hungry monster could trace right back to them. Which, of course, with his luck, one had.

Immediately after the magic dissipated, they heard something far off crashing through the underbrush. The sound grew closer and louder until a particularly nasty bipedal beast with the head of a boar and the body of a satyr had come roaring onto the path they’d just taken.

Too late, Nathaniel remembered to draw his sword, a skill he’d rarely practiced at the Collegium. In his panic, his lack of expertise had resulted in him fumbling and the weapon never quite clearing the scabbard.

With the creature leaping at him through the air, fangs bared, and claws extended, he’d been ready to cast another panicked spell when Garenth roared behind him.

Garenth threw himself in front of the beast in one movement, swinging his blade with both hands.

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