Whistling cheerfully, Daine entered the galley. "Good morning. What is there for breakfast?" Her teacher glared at her.
"It is not a good morning," he snapped, "and anyone with brains would refuse breakfast." Daine grinned. Six months with the usually handsome (but now rather green)
mage had taught her that he wasn't really angry, just seasick.
"So, how long until we reach Galla?"
"Three more days." moaned Numair. "Three more days on this tub."
"How about a lesson?" Daine was one of the rare humans blessed with wild magic, a branch of magic very different from the Gift. Unlike the Gift, wild magic was often working without the wielder knowing; making the bearer more endearing to animals they were bonded with or once in a very rare while healing animals without the wildmage's consent. The magic was wild and
partially untamable, hence the name. Daine had recently learned to talk to animals or call them from inside her head. Now the only living expert of wild magic, the black robe mage Numair Salamin, got out a book and thumbed to a spot near the end. Student and teacher sat down to a long session of bird skeletons.
The ship rolled, tossing people into walls and Daine's very seasick dragon Kitten onto a wardrobe.
"Numair is on deck!" cried Daine. She ran up the narrow steps people who she passed looked at her, thinking, 'What is that crazy girl doing, going up
on deck?' Daine erupted out onto the deck, staring around wildly. Numair was nowhere to be found.
Fear blackened the girl's heart. "Where is he?" she thought, gripping the rail in panic. Then she looked down. A small figure struggled in the icy water.
"No!" she screamed. Death had taken Ma; it would not take Numair, not while she still drew breath. She didn't do anything, though; her magic did. At times in the past her magic had inconvenienced her. Once, trying to stop the Riders from shooting two griffins, the Riders ponies had reacted to her anger, stopping their riders from firing. Now a bottlenose dolphin came to
her aid, rising from under Numair to drape the mage on her back. A tongue of black flame was revealed in a sudden flash of lightning, and a black hawk flew through the storm: Numair. Given time and air, he had been able to shape change. The hawk landed on deck and turned into her beloved teacher.
"Well, magelet," he gasped, fighting for breath. "That was an adventure!" He coughed and threw up, ridding his stomach of quarts of seawater.
"It is not a good morning," he snapped, "and anyone with brains would refuse breakfast." Daine grinned. Six months with the usually handsome (but now rather green)
mage had taught her that he wasn't really angry, just seasick.
"So, how long until we reach Galla?"
"Three more days." moaned Numair. "Three more days on this tub."
"How about a lesson?" Daine was one of the rare humans blessed with wild magic, a branch of magic very different from the Gift. Unlike the Gift, wild magic was often working without the wielder knowing; making the bearer more endearing to animals they were bonded with or once in a very rare while healing animals without the wildmage's consent. The magic was wild and
partially untamable, hence the name. Daine had recently learned to talk to animals or call them from inside her head. Now the only living expert of wild magic, the black robe mage Numair Salamin, got out a book and thumbed to a spot near the end. Student and teacher sat down to a long session of bird skeletons.
The ship rolled, tossing people into walls and Daine's very seasick dragon Kitten onto a wardrobe.
"Numair is on deck!" cried Daine. She ran up the narrow steps people who she passed looked at her, thinking, 'What is that crazy girl doing, going up
on deck?' Daine erupted out onto the deck, staring around wildly. Numair was nowhere to be found.
Fear blackened the girl's heart. "Where is he?" she thought, gripping the rail in panic. Then she looked down. A small figure struggled in the icy water.
"No!" she screamed. Death had taken Ma; it would not take Numair, not while she still drew breath. She didn't do anything, though; her magic did. At times in the past her magic had inconvenienced her. Once, trying to stop the Riders from shooting two griffins, the Riders ponies had reacted to her anger, stopping their riders from firing. Now a bottlenose dolphin came to
her aid, rising from under Numair to drape the mage on her back. A tongue of black flame was revealed in a sudden flash of lightning, and a black hawk flew through the storm: Numair. Given time and air, he had been able to shape change. The hawk landed on deck and turned into her beloved teacher.
"Well, magelet," he gasped, fighting for breath. "That was an adventure!" He coughed and threw up, ridding his stomach of quarts of seawater.