Alrighty. First chapter since the crash!
Chapter Five
Splash!
Whump! Whump! Whump! Whump!
Mathias dashed away from the water as the shark pack burst from the bay and flew towards him, slapping onto the sand. Just as he managed to escape, however, he tripped- tripped, of all things- and fell to the ground. If it hadn’t been for the spell he’d thought to reinforce his traveling boots with, the shark that then caught him would have damaged his foot beyond repair. As it was, the teeth only just punctured it, causing some painful cuts but otherwise not doing any harm.
Of course, that doesn’t really matter as long as I’m being dragged to a watery grave, Mathias thought. He was surprised how clear his mind was, given the situation. In fact, he managed to remember the incantation for his favorite stunning spell- however, a shrieking battle cry broke his focus, and the spell rammed harmlessly into the dead whale.
Paradox dove at the shark as it struggled towards the water, Mathias in its jaws.
Shrieking another ear-splitting battle cry, the Raznak slammed into the shark, digging into its flesh with his claws and tearing at it with his beak. The shark let go of the boy and thrashed around on the sand, snapping at Paradox as it hastily made its way to the water. Paradox harried it every step- or rather, flop- of its journey, even after it had reached the water. The great bird circled the bay, harassing any shark bold enough to breach the surface.
However, there were consequences for annoying Ebbene sharks.
One of the great fish erupted from the water, opening its jaws as it reached its attacker.
But the jaws did not close.
A blast of magic slashed through the air from across the water, slamming into the shark. It fell, drops of blood flying from its side, as Paradox hastily retreated away from the water. The other sharks turned to focus on the new attacker- and promptly dove under the water.
“Well, what do we have here?”
The voice was not unkind, but it wasn’t concerned either. In fact, if anything, it sounded amused.
Mathias looked up to see a man in a brown traveling looking down at him. His expression confirmed that he had indeed found the incident humorous. He reached down to help the younger mage stand up, and spoke again as he did so.
“You’re going to need those clothes washed, I think. They’re positively covered in wet sand.”
As the strange magi pulled Mathias up, he looked down to examine his clothes. The man was correct; there was plenty of sand stuck to and inside his clothes.
“You’re right,” he said, grimacing. The man laughed.
“Don’t worry. I and some friends of mine are renting a house in a nearby village while we keep an eye on the sharks.”
“Keep an eye on the sharks?”
“Yes, they’ve been on the wane recently. I’m sure you’ve noticed, though; why else would you be here?”
“I have. Well, that is, Thane’s heard reports. He sent me here to find out what I could. He wanted the report of a magi rather than the hearsay of local fishermen,” Mathias explained. The stranger’s expression seemed to darken for a second- but the moment passed, and for all Mathias knew, he might have imagined it.
“Well. Come with me, and we’ll see about getting you washed up.”
***
Mathias scrubbed his head with the towel, becoming more and more worried by what he was hearing.
“So he knows?” The strange voice pulsated with anger.
“No. He simply knows that something isn’t right with the sharks.” This was the voice of the man who’d saved him.
“What’ll we do with him?” Another unfamiliar voice.
“We find out that the sharks are dying of a mysterious sickness, tell the boy about this, and send him back to Thane. He shouldn’t bother us again.”
“Are you crazy? We obviously have to kill him!”
Mathias’s eyes widened. The angry one obviously didn’t have as strict a set of morals as others.
“We would be inviting other magi to come poking around to see what happened to him. Honestly, I’m sure Thane will notice if his little scout doesn’t come back.”
I have to get away, Mathias thought.
I have to get away NOW!
Quietly retreating to his room, he pulled on his newly-washed clothes. He inched the window open (
These dark magi- as I assume they are- aren’t very careful with their hostages…) and peered down. He extended his palm towards the ground and began to grow a vine.
“Hang the other magi! They’ll just assume he was taken by sharks. But the boy must not escape. We can take no more risks- we already left his window unlocked.”
“And I forgot to cast a sound barrier spell.” This was the neutral speaker.
“NITWIT! Now he knows! We have to kill him now!” The angry one had become positively furious.
Come on… Come on…
The vine crept farther and farther up the wall. Finally, mercifully, it reached the window, and Mathias began to descend as quickly as possible. He circled around to the shed where his creatures were resting and tried to open the door, but it was locked.
Well, in their defense, they took one precaution, Mathias thought grimly. Rapping on the door as silently as he could- that is, without notifying his enemies that he’d escaped- he whispered through the door.
“Leafwing! Paradox! Tonad! We have to get out of here!”
Sleepy trills and growls.
“We have to get out now!”
Tonad’s head punched through the door. The Brontotherium blinked sleepily for a second, then set about ripping the door off its hinges.
“Good boy,” Mathias said, patting the creature’s head.
Soon, all three of Mathias’s companions were outside the shed in the cool evening air, and Mathias surveyed the group. He was inclined to find out if Paradox could carry him- he’d heard Raznaks had once been ridden into battle- but as he couldn’t know how far his companion could carry him, he decided riding Tonad would be much more prudent, if not as comfortable.
As the magi heard the sound of hasty preparations emanating from the house he’d just left, he leapt onto Tonad, and the small group- three magical beasts, one human- fled into the sunset.
Some parts of this could flow a little better, but... Meh. Maybe I'll change it later. Anyway, as always, comments and critique are appreciated.