Diary of a Conjurer by D. L. Gardner Read Free Book Online Page A

cargo. Meneka
knew the vessel well, for he came from a family of seafarers who
had sailed with the king long ago.
    Thoughts of his father made Meneka’s heart
beat hard, and he felt the ball of fire warming his
chest . The heat of his
anger satisfied him as he watched the sails tear and the ship come dangerously close to the rocky
cliffs.
    “Douse the sails.” A woman’s voice shouted
above the whistle of the wind and then he saw the silver hair and
black costume of the queen. She stood at the helm, shouting orders
to her warriors. No wizard was on that ship, only Hacatine’s army
of sorceresses. Men were no longer able to sail from Taikus, for
those that had been spared life were disabled of their senses.
    “Take your world of
sorcery and lack of wisdom, and drown .”
    She must have seen him, for Hacatine now had
a spyglass in her hand. Meneka moved to higher ground, hoping she
would see who it was that destroyed her.
    There was no sun, but a flash came from her
hands regardless. The dagger. With the swelling of the sea,
a serpent appeared. Meneka should have known she’d use her sea
slaves. This serpent, unlike the one tucked secretly in his shirt,
was real. As far as he knew, sea serpents couldn’t leave the water.
Meneka ran inland, past the yurts, toward even higher ground.
    The wind had strengthened, bringing rain
that stung as it slapped against his body. His hair, now dripping,
clung to his face as he slipped on the muddy trail toward the
peaks. If he hadn’t looked over his shoulder, he wouldn’t have seen
the serpent break the surface and take to the air like a giant
condor. He never expected wings on one of those slimy beasts.
    The wind swirled like a cone and lifted the
serpent into the air. Sounds of terror came from the yurts. The
people watched from the doors and windows of their yurts, crying
out in panic.
    “This is it. This is my time to shine,”
Meneka said to himself.
    “Come in here, fool,” someone from the yurt
called out to him. Meneka shook his head.
    “I’ll save you. Have no fear,” he answered.
Working his way toward the mountain peak he stumbled over rocks,
keeping one hand tucked in his shirt caressing the fireball as if
it were the very heartbeat of his life. Glancing anxiously at the
sky, he studied the funnel that carried the serpent. The storm
moved violently toward the mountain, and Meneka followed it.
    Only once did his eyes scan the sea far
below. Pounding rain made it almost impossible to see Hacatine’s
ships, but the sound of splintering wood cracking against the rocks
confirmed their doom. Longboats were already drifting over the
white caps away from the wreckage.
    He climbed to a ledge in view of the yurts
and balanced himself against the wind.
    The dragon spun atop the funnel cloud
directly overhead. Meneka calculated the pattern and then ripped
his shirt off and threw it on the ground, embracing the fireball
with both hands. Aware of the native eyes on him from below, he
released his trickery. Fire flew into the clouds, disappearing for
only a moment and then appeared as a monster fiercer than
Hacatine’s winged serpent, the two seemingly engaged in a battle.
Thrilled, Meneka laughed and climbed higher. He would meet the
dueling dragons on the peak and retrieve his work of art.
     
    ***
     
    Eric sat on the rock by the sea squinting at
the setting sun. The fingers of his young grandchild combed his
beard gently. “And that’s the story. I swear it’s true. My sight
fades now, but I could see just as fine as you back in those
days.”
    “But what happened to him after he reached
the mountain, grandpapa?”
    The old man closed his eyes, bringing the
memory to mind. He breathed in the calm of the salty sea breeze. A
gull called overhead.
    “Why, the moment Meneka reached the
mountaintop, the battling monsters fell like a comet from the sky.
The fire of Meneka’s dragon had all but consumed the winged sea
serpent. At that very moment, thunder rattled the Earth,