Ben's NaNoWriMo Log

Chapter 6 added Sep 23, 2005
Sarah fastened on the enchanted cloak that Syphar had given her. The pack full of food and water skins made a hump under the light material falling down her back. "Ready?" asked the wizard. After Sarah checked the brooch on her cloak and nodded, her pushed the door open and led the way out. "Stay close behind me," he warned, "and keep quiet. The wizards of the Skytooth are notoriously unwelcoming of strangers, wizards or no." Sarah followed as he instructed, though she nearly stopped dead in her tracks as they stepped out into the street. She knew that they must have been transported somewhere else by that magical circle, but she had no idea how far. The place called Skytooth was a forest of lofty towers encircled by snow capped mountain peaks. The road sloped downward, and beyond the sea of towers was a vast expanse of ice-clad stone crags. having spent her whole life on the sea coast, the unexpected sight of looming mountains was quite disorienting. She focused her attention on Syphar's back and hurried along behind him. Evening was falling swiftly as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Sarah could see clouds of breath billowing before her, though she felt quite warm. She nearly ran into Syphar as he stopped suddenly. She stifled the impulse to ask him what the problem was. She looked further down the road and saw a gate ahead, leading through a thick wall to a canyon beyond. The gate was open, but two pairs of burly guards flanked the opening. Sarah could hear Syphar muttering something in the same weird tongue the wizard in Stormwatch had spoken. The air seemed to ripple around him, like the air above a stone on a hot summer day. Sarah felt her skin tingle again, but before she could wonder what it meant Syphar was moving again. She had to hurry to keep up with him. They passed by the guards without drawing so much as a glance. Syphar continued his rapid pace onto the snow-covered road, not slowing until they rounded a bend that hid them from the gate. Sarah panted, shrouding her head in white clouds. "What...? How...?" Syphar leaned heavily against the canyon wall. Within his hood Sarah could see beads of sweat rolling down his face. "I warded us from their sight, both mundane and magical." He smiled. "Stormwatch has many tricks, not all of which it shares with its sister schools." He pushed himself away from the rough stone, adjusting his pack on his shoulders. "Come on. we have to keep moving." They walked as far as they could, making their way down the snowy road as the evening sun dimmed to twilight. The faint light cast by the sliver of moon made the going treacherous. They found an outcropping of rock that provided some shelter, though the area beneath it was piled high with windblown snow. "We have nothing to dig with," said Sarah. "Don't worry about that." Syphar 's cloak parted as he extended his hand out toward the snow bank. Sarah could see the air rippling around him again. She hadn't had the opportunity before to really watch how Syphar worked his magic. It was fascinating. For the first time, she noticed a silver ring on his right hand, set with a large blue sapphire. As she watched, the stone began to glow from within. Snow began to fly up from beneath the stone ledge, swirling faster as the stone glowed brighter. Soon the swirling ice crystals began to form a tight lattice enclosing the area beneath the ledge. A narrow opening remained, allowing just enough room for the two of them to squeeze inside. Syphar stumbled slightly as his hand dropped back within the folds of his cloak. Sarah caught his arm and helped him inside the icy shelter. They sat down with the mountain at their backs, catching their breath in the near darkness. What little starlight could get past the tall mountains glittered on the icy lattice. After a few minutes, Sarah broke the silence. "I've never actually met a wizard before. The things you can do... it's amazing." Syphar's smile was barely visible in the dim light. "A really powerful wizard wouldn't be this tired." "Oh, will you be all right? I can't imagine how much that takes out of you." Syphar shook his head. "I'll be fine. The power doesn't come from me, I just channel and shape it. A little sleep is all I need." Sarah's brow knitted in thought. "Where does it come from then? Your ring?" The wizard chuckled. He held his hand out in front of him, the smooth round sapphire gleaming through the gloom. "No, this is only a focus stone. It's a tool, nothing more. The energy comes from... well, it's easier o just show you." The ring began to glow softly, illuminating what looked like a spiderweb of fine strands stretching across their tiny shelter. Many of them were stretching out toward Sarah. She instinctively tried to brush them away, but felt nothing. "Ley lines," Syphar explained. "They can be found virtually everywhere, more in some places than others. Tapping them is like putting a water wheel in a river." He held out his other hand, and the shimmering strands began to bend and curve, flowing into his palm. Sarah could barely see the same rippling effect she had seen before. The ring dimmed again, plunging them into darkness once more. "That was beautiful," breathed Sarah. "A simple Master's trick. It's used to illustrate the concept to apprentices who haven't learned to see ley lines themselves yet." "You're a Master, then?" "No, I'm only a Journeyman." Sarah could hear the sadness in his voice, though she could tell he was trying to hide it. She laid her hand on his arm. "Syphar, I'm sorry I got you into this. I know your career must have meant a lot to you." Syphar shook his head. "I never had much desire to be a Master. I was hoping to find a job as a ship's mage, though, and a Stormwatch Master can pretty much name his own price." He sighed. "They tell you to forget about your past, about your family, but I don't see how people do it. My parents have a farm in Dunbridge, with nothing to look forward to but hard work and hard times. I had hoped to send some money back to them so they could have some comfort. I know they didn't raise me hoping that I would be stolen away by the Cabal." "I'm sure they would be proud of you." Sarah squeezed his arm. "You're a good man, and I'm glad to have you with me." Syphar said nothing for several heartbeats. "We should get some rest," he said, finally breaking the silence. "We've still got a long way to go." They got as comfortable as they could on the hard ground, and soon they were asleep.
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