Warlock Apprentice, Black Lake Novel 4

Chapter Twenty-One

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Selene was speakin’. I figgered that’s what woke me. The familiar sharp pain in my spine gripped me the moment the bang rang out. I jerked upright, shook my head, and blinked to clear the fog. Morgan had slammed Bacchus against the shaft floor. The ram’s head glowed.

“Calm yourself, ogre,” Selene said.

“Don’t tell me what to do. Them three murderin’ pond scum friends of yars have my best friend in the world. What ya expect me to do?”

“Louisa!” I screeched.

“Aye, lad. Had her tied like a hog ready for slaughter. Laughed at me, they did. There’s no gettin’ past their ward though. My arrows struck it and fell to the ground.”

“She all right?” I grabbed the front of the ogre’s vest with both hands.

“I couldn’t get closer than forty feet, but seemed her eyes were open. Know no reason she’d be tied like a poke if she weren’t able to do ’em harm if she were loose. Them hens can do damage to a human barehanded well enough.”

“Let’s go.” I pulled at Morgan’s vest. “We have to go save her.”

“We will lad,” he said. “We need to talk this through though.”

Had all of the air been sucked out of the mine? I heaved to catch my breath. Selene faced the dark, the little glow from the fire’s embers barely glinted off his black clothes, nearly disappearin’ in the gloom where he stood. Only the white of his hands shown in the feeble light.

“Selene?”

“I’m thinking, lad.”

“We ought to call the dragons,” I said.

“They can’t land in these trees,” Morgan said.

“Ike. And Lucas. They’ll help. The Hamlet folk will be eager to help. I know they will.”

“Settle yourself!” Selene yelled without turning around. The sound echoed left and right against the granite.

What could have been an hour slogged by without either the wizard or ogre sayin’ a word. Finally, Selene spoke.

“The more obstacles they face, the more dangerous it’ll be for your friend.”

“Her name’s Louisa!” I shouted.

Selene whirled around and pasted me with an I’ll-smack-ya expression. The man seemed to freeze still, to control his anger. “If they have no options, they could kill her, just to take someone with them. Can’t ever make it appear they have no way to get out of here alive. And we need to avoid putting other humans at risk. These ignorant wizards won’t think twice about hurting your people. They feel Southerners are less than animals. And if dragons are involved—against wizards—we need to avoid that at all cost too.”

“A plan formin’?” Morgan asked.

I turned toward the ogre. “Everyone talked about how smart ya were dealin’ with them goblins. I trust ya. What plan do ya have?”

Morgan gently set his hand on my shoulder. Maybe he’d been out of control a moment ago. How’d he suddenly get a grip with patience? I turned back to Selene, who now faced us.

“Got to create an environment so that harming Louisa buys them nothing,” Selene said, clearly deep in thought, maybe speakin’ only to shut me up for a moment.

Every second I stood quiet, the harder the power tugged at my lungs. Morgan had been nearly desperate to act, earlier. I shared that emotion with him now. “Is it light out?”

Morgan shook his head but didn’t take his eyes off Selene. “They want us to meet them midday at my cabin. If ya swear not to interfere, leave me and the boy to them, they’ll allow ya to leave with Louisa.”

Selene’s face demonstrated some of the pain I felt in my chest.

“No logic to allow two to come to harm for the safety of one,” Selene said softly.

“Ya’ll be safe, along with Louisa,” Morgan whispered. “And it’s no given I can’t hold my own against them.”

“Ah, Morgan. I mean no slight. But three trained wizards against you— Even if you had the tools you need, you can’t attack and protect at the same time. There is a lot to be said in numerical superiority in any battle, majical or otherwise. The former pass so quickly—”

“Then what do we do?”

“We either dream up a flawless strategy, or wing it.”

“Ya’re not buildin’ me up with confidence, human.”

“No, eh?”

“No.”

I threw kindlin’ onto the embers angrily. If all the two of them were gonna do was stand around and chew the fat, the least we could do was have some light and warmth. I stirred the ashes with a stick, but before nature’s course could take over, Selene reached out his hand and a bolt flowed outward, lightin’ the sticks.

“Hum,” I grunted. “So yar majic is worth somethin’.”

Selene scrunched up his face.

“What? An idea?” Morgan asked, studyin’ Selene.

“Just a trick. No strategy to go with it.”

“Well. Get to it.”

“I would, if you’d shut up.”

Morgan stamped Bacchus and that irritatin’ jolt rammed my spine. In anger I drew my fisted hand before my face, imagined rippin’ Bacchus from the ogre’s hands and whippin’ Morgan’s shoulders with it.

I jerked, as Bacchus did exactly that—swirlin’ around in a bat-crazy loop, it swung down and stung the ogre hard on each shoulder.

“Oww!” Morgan screeched.

He and Selene faced me, eyes wide. Together they stuttered, “Ya do that?” Except Selene pronounced the pronoun in the human fashion.

“I don’t know.” Had to be honest. Seemed right.

Bacchus remained hoverin’ in front of Morgan. He reached out and ripped it out of the air.

“If I did,” I said, “ya stamp the ground with it again and I’ll hit ya a lot harder. ’Cause it hurts.”

Morgan scrunched up his brows.

The tiniest grin crossed Selene’s face.

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