The Axe of Sundering Read online

  “Well, at least we have a plan,” said Alex thoughtfully.

  “A plan that we can change as we learn more about what Jabez is doing. Have you had a chance to read the journals I gave you?”

  Alex shook his head. “A little, but I haven’t discovered anything that will help us right now.”

  Whalen nodded. “Keep reading whenever you have time. Perhaps something will turn up.”

  “And perhaps you will spend the rest of the evening telling me about the sea elves you mentioned earlier,” Alex said, smiling.

  “Ah, the sea elves,” Whalen said, leaning back in his chair. “I thought they would interest you. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you very much about them. I’ve never met any sea elves, but I know they are here in Jarro, and I know they are a secretive bunch, more secretive than any other elves I know of, except perhaps for the dark elves. One rumor says that sea elves were once dark elves, who, having lost so much on land, turned to the sea. Another story says that they were once closely connected to the men of Westland.”

  “Which would explain the elf blood in Joshua,” Alex said.

  “Yes, that would explain it,” Whalen agreed. “I have also heard it said that the sea elves remember their family ties, even though they are now distant. According to some old stories, they are still in contact with some groups in Westland, and take a great interest in their distant relatives.”

  “That seems odd. I mean, wouldn’t any relations of theirs be separated from them by at least hundreds of years and many generations of men?”

  “Yes, that is true.”

  “There must be books, family records. Something more than just stories and myths. Someone must know the truth. Someone must have met them and talked with them.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they have,” Whalen laughed. “But I would guess that anyone they’ve talked to has agreed to keep their secrets.”

  “Strange,” Alex said. “Strange, and a little sad.”

  “Sad?”

  “Sad that an entire race of elves should be unknown.”

  “I can only tell you the rumors that I’ve heard. Perhaps, before we leave this land, we can discover the truth together.”

  “I would like that. Though we have a great deal to do before we can go looking for answers to old stories and rumors.”

  “We do indeed,” Whalen agreed.

  Morning came sooner than Alex would have liked. The walking they’d done the last few days had left him sore and a little stiff. He wished that he’d been able to bring his horse, Dar Losh, on this journey with him, but that just wasn’t possible. Whalen was still sitting next to the fire, where Alex had left him the night before. The fire was now cold, but Whalen didn’t seem to notice or to even care.

  They found Joshua waiting for them in the inn’s common room. He was eager to be going. They all ate a hurried breakfast and then Whalen led the way to the docks. The sky was clear and a soft breeze was blowing across the sea. To Alex, it looked like perfect sailing weather.

  “I always enjoy sailing,” Joshua said as they walked. “The open water, the wind blowing in your hair, everything about it is wonderful. I’ve always felt more at home on a ship than on land.”

  “Then perhaps you should become a sailor,” Alex joked. “Or maybe a ship captain would be better.”

  “I’ve considered it,” Joshua said. “At one time I thought I would try to become one, but it takes years to learn the trade, and . . .”

  “And?” Alex asked.

  “My uncle wasn’t happy with the idea,” Joshua said. “He says that my place is with my people.”

  “Your uncle speaks truly,” Alex said. “Though I can understand your love for the sea.”

  The Dawn Star moved away from the docks before the sun had risen, and by the time the sunlight was on the surface of the water they were moving away from Eastland. Alex, Whalen, and Joshua all stood at the railing on deck, staying out of the way of the working sailors. They didn’t talk at all, but watched in silence as the land shrank behind them and the sea grew wider in front of them.

  “How long will it take to cross to Midland?” Alex finally asked.

  “Only a week or ten days,” Joshua answered before Whalen could. “If we have fair winds and the weather holds.”

  “And if the weather doesn’t hold?” Alex asked.

  “It’s not the time of year for storms,” Whalen said. “We may run into some wind and rain, but nothing the Dawn Star can’t handle.”

  “She is one of the largest ships that sail this sea,” Joshua added. “Most of the trade ships only have one mast, maybe two. A three-master like this will only sail between the larger ports, while the smaller traders will sail to almost every small port they can find.”

  “Large ships and large cities are good for business,” Whalen said. “We are bound for Hafnar, one of the largest cities in Midland. With a little luck, we should be able to do some good trading while we are there.”

  They remained on deck for a time but didn’t talk much. The sea air and the movement of the ship was relaxing to Alex, and he let his troubled thoughts about the future slip to the back of his mind. Whalen eventually went to his cabin, saying something about checking his inventory logs. Joshua remained with Alex, a dreamy look of happiness on his face.

  Four days after they set sail it began to rain lightly. The sea remained relatively calm and the wind was light but the captain and crew appeared to be worried. Alex couldn’t see any reason to worry—even with the light wind they were making good time. Still, the troubled looks of the crew were hard to miss.

  When he had a chance to talk to Whalen alone, he asked about the captain and crew’s dark mood.

  “They call this ‘serpent weather,’” Whalen explained. “This is the kind of weather that sea serpents prefer, so the sailors are afraid.”

  “Are there many sea serpents here?” Alex asked.

  “No, not that many. I’ve seen a few in my travels here, but I don’t think there have ever been that many of them. And the ones I have seen have all been in the larger north and south seas. These smaller seas between lands are too confining for the likes of them.”

  “Do you think a sea serpent would attack a ship as large as the Dawn Star ?”

  “I’ve never heard of a ship this size being attacked, but who knows. The serpents I’ve seen were much too small to attack something this size, but . . .”

  “And if we run into something bigger? What are the chances that we’ll be attacked?”

  “If what you mean to ask is, ‘What are the chances that we’ll need to use magic to fight off an attack?’ then the answer is, ‘I’m not sure.’”

  “Maybe you haven’t heard about a ship this size being attacked because the ships that have been attacked never make it back to port.”

  “Let’s not worry about that unless we have to. We’ll use magic if we must. But we can’t do what we came here to do if we don’t get to Midland first. There’s no sense in worrying about it. If we’re attacked, then we can worry.”

  The next day the rain was gone but heavy gray fog replaced it. There was no wind at all, and the fog moved about the ship like anxious ghosts. Alex could tell the sailors’ fears were growing. Many of them would jump at the slightest sound. Even Joshua seemed nervous when Alex found him standing on the deck.

  “This is serpent weather,” Joshua said, shaking his head. “I don’t like it, even on a ship this size.”

  “I suppose you’ve heard tales of sea serpents in your travels,” Alex said.

  “I’ve done more than hear tales. I’ve seen some of the monsters of the deep—monsters that could toss the Dawn Star about like a toy.”

  “Let’s hope we don’t run into anything as dangerous as that.”

  Whalen soon appeared on deck, his eyes moving around the ship, a worried look on his face. The fog made it difficult to see anything, but Whalen kept looking at the sea as he paced back and forth along the deck.

  “Your uncle seems trou
bled,” Joshua commented.

  “He’s worried for the time we are losing,” Alex said. “In business, time is money, you know.”

  “Perhaps it is,” Joshua said, his eyes looking up at the slack sails. “But if we run into a monster, time and money won’t mean much of anything here on the open sea.”

  Alex didn’t reply, and they fell silent for a long time, looking into the fog and thinking their own thoughts. Alex could tell that Whalen was worried, and that made him worry as well. He thought that he could probably drive away a sea serpent, but not without using his magic, which would reveal him as a wizard to the crew. Right now, he hoped that the wind would start blowing again and the fog would lift.

  “Alex,” Joshua said after a time. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “I’ve done little enough,” Alex said.

  “No, you’ve done a great deal. You helped me escape the soldiers of Jabez. I won’t forget that. I just want you to know I’m grateful, just in case.”

  “In case of what?” Alex asked, troubled by Joshua’s words.

  “In case we don’t both make it to Midland,” Joshua said.

  “Don’t talk nonsense,” Alex said, patting Joshua on the shoulder. “We’ll both get to Midland. Once the wind starts blowing again, we’ll be there in no—”

  Alex was cut off as the ship suddenly shuddered as if it had run aground. Joshua was thrown to the deck. Alex clutched the ship’s railing desperately to keep his feet. Shouts broke out around the ship, but the loudest voice belonged to the captain.

  “Get the lines over the side,” he bellowed. “Get those men out of the water.”

  Alex quickly scanned the deck, but the fog was too thick for him to see exactly what was going on. Sailors were running across the deck, ropes were flying around, and the unsettling sound of moving water—a lot of moving water—filled the air.

  “Alex, take the bow, I’ll take the stern,” Whalen, who had appeared out of nowhere, shouted in Alex’s ear. “Do whatever you have to do to save the ship.”

  “But—” Alex started.

  “Whatever you have to do,” Whalen repeated as he hurried away.

  Alex turned toward the bow of the ship, but he hadn’t taken a step when the deck swayed wildly under his feet once more. Tripping over one of the sailors, Alex jumped back to his feet and started forward. Dodging between the panicked sailors who were trying frantically to get their friends out of the water, Alex made it as far as the forward mast before the deck moved under his feet again. This time the ship didn’t jump—it spun. The sound of something hard moving and cutting into the wooden side of the ship filled the air. Alex looked back toward Whalen, and saw something he didn’t understand.

  Whalen was hanging over the side of the ship, a grappling hook attached to a long, thin rope in his hands. As Alex watched, Whalen threw the hook over the side, keeping a firm hold on the rope. In a moment the rope pulled tight and started racing through Whalen’s hands. For some reason Alex couldn’t figure out, Whalen had hooked the sea monster.

  As soon as he felt the magic, Alex understood what Whalen was doing. As the rope sped through his hands, Whalen was pouring magic into it. As soon as the last few feet of rope slipped away and vanished over the side of the ship, Whalen let his magic loose. A deafening crash of thunder filled the air, and Alex wondered if the monster could survive so powerful a blast of magic. The answer to his question appeared an instant later. The monster’s tail emerged from the water, spun wildly over the ship, and, like a whip, snapped the rear mast of the ship in half. Sails and debris rained down over Whalen, and Alex lost sight of him.

  Alex wanted to run toward the stern, but his brain told him that he had to move forward. He turned away from the scene of trouble and continued forward. This sea serpent was larger than he’d imagined, and more powerful than he’d thought possible. His brain raced, trying to think of some way to drive off the beast, but his mind was blank. He’d never faced a creature like this before, and nothing he’d ever read seemed to fit the problem at hand.

  Alex didn’t have long to think. As he jumped over a fallen sailor, the ship spun again, he staggered, and he found himself looking back at the stern. He had just turned around again when the head of the great serpent broke the water and rose above the bow of the ship. Alex was stunned by the great beauty and power that he saw. The creature was elegant, almost fragile-looking, but what really caught Alex’s attention was that this massive sea creature looked familiar—it looked more like a dragon than any creature except a dragon should.

  Alex’s stunned amazement was broken as Joshua pushed past him, a massive harpoon in his hands. With a natural ability, and more strength than Alex would have thought possible, Joshua heaved the harpoon forward, directly at the beautiful head of the sea serpent.

  Alex was unable to speak, but his mind screamed No !

  Alex lifted his left hand as if he was holding his staff. The harpoon slowed in his mind, and with less than a second to act, Alex magically put a shield between the beast and the weapon. The harpoon bounced harmlessly away from the sea serpent’s eye, but the serpent still flinched backward by instinct. Alex could feel the monster’s rage as its eyes scanned the deck in search of its attacker.

  Let it go , Alex said in his mind, pushing the thought toward the sea serpent. I have saved you from the blow, now let your anger go.

  The serpent’s eyes came to rest on Alex and the creature paused. For a moment it seemed to consider Alex, perhaps judging how dangerous he was. The creature’s eyes moved back along the length of the ship, finally pausing on Whalen. There was a sudden silence, the kind of total silence that never happened on the open sea. The sailors stopped shouting, the ship became still, and the waves on the water were frozen in place.

  A dragon lord and a wizard together , the sea serpent’s words formed in Alex’s mind. What brings such power to this land?

  Our reason for being here is our own , Alex answered. We need to travel across this sea, and I ask your leave to do so.

  Reasons for one so powerful are never simply your own , the serpent said. What price will you offer for safe passage?

  Price? Alex asked. I have saved you from a terrible blow that might have killed you, or at least taken your eye.

  The serpent thought for a moment. I will accept this act of kindness as the price for safe passage. As for your reasons for being here, they are plain enough for the wise to see. Two men of power, sailing to the west. You come seeking the evil one, the wizard that lives in the castle of Conmar.

  Yes , Alex admitted, we seek to destroy that evil, or at least to drive it out of this land.

  I will leave you then, and wish you luck , the serpent said.

  You have my thanks , Alex said, bowing slightly.

  Slowly the monster began to lower itself into the water, but it paused as its head reached Alex’s level. It looked at him for a moment, and then it spoke out loud. The serpent spoke the same language as the dragons, a language Alex understood perfectly, though no one else on the ship could. The serpent’s words were a warning for Alex.

  “Destroy the evil in Conmar if you can, dragon lord. Be warned that he is not alone in the evil he has brought to this land,” the sea serpent said. “Be warned also that the wizard you seek has a dragon as a servant as well.”

  The instant the sea serpent vanished beneath the water, time snapped back into being. Sailors were suddenly shouting, the ship creaked and moaned, and the sound of the waves filled the air once more. Alex turned to check on Whalen to make sure he was alright.

  Everything had happened so fast that most of the sailors had not seen any of it. The captain of the Dawn Star rushed to Joshua’s side and bowed. “We are in your debt, serpent slayer,” the captain said. “And in Master Kessler’s as well, for bringing you on this voyage.”

  Whalen came up behind the captain as he was speaking, a strange look on his face. He clearly knew that something had happened, but he didn’t
know what it was.

  “I am not a serpent slayer,” Joshua said, his voice shaky and a little weak.

  “Perhaps not in name, but I saw your mighty throw of the harpoon,” the captain said. “And I saw the sea serpent vanish beneath the waves. Your timely work has saved this ship and all aboard her. You will be rewarded when we reach Hafnar, and if you ever need a fast ship to carry you, the Dawn Star is at your service.”

  “You are most kind,” Joshua answered, more than a little confused.

  Alex knew that, between things happening so fast and the magic of the serpent, Joshua had no idea that the harpoon he had thrown had been deflected before it reached its target.

  The crew gathered around Joshua, and they were all whispering about what the captain said he had seen. Joshua was the hero. He had driven off, maybe even killed, the monster from the deep, and saved them all from certain death. Once the celebration had started there was no stopping it. Joshua accepted their cheers and praise, but he also tried to downplay what he had done. The celebrations continued until the fog started to lift and the wind began to blow once more. Then the sailors happily returned to their work and the captain gave the order to sail for Midland.

  It was late that night before Alex and Whalen had a chance to discuss what had happened. Most of the crew was asleep, and the two wizards found a secluded spot near the bow of the ship to talk. Whalen wanted to know everything that had happened, and Alex was happy to tell him. Repeating the details helped him to think things over and decide what exactly they meant.

  “What did you do?” Whalen asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were alone.

  “I blocked the harpoon that Joshua threw,” said Alex. “I don’t know why, but I couldn’t let that harpoon hit its mark. Then I spoke to the serpent, or rather we shared our thoughts.”

  “I thought as much,” said Whalen.

  “It knew who—or, I should say—what , I am,” Alex went on. “It knew I was a dragon lord, and it knew you were a wizard.”