The Magician Of Vennat

Chapter 12

But it turned out that he really had no other choice. What else was he going to do? Turn around, sail back to Vennat, and get his arm chopped off? The prospects weren't too appetizing.

Or he could go with crazy Amanda, the dramatically loud and very annoying. She'd be expensive, but he had the money. She'd be a pain in the butt, but she was right about one thing: she had greatness. He'd never seen someone do magic like that before. She could own Shylock no doubt about it.

Not that he wanted to kill Shylock. At this point, he was extremely angry with the big jerk, and wouldn't have minded him dying, but he still didn't want to be the one to do it. That would be murder, and Alabaster wasn't a murderer.

Anyway, he related the story to Amanda, who at least had the decency not to call him an idiot for his stupid actions. She sat silent through the whole thing, only speaking to ask the occasional clarifying question.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Amanda asked. "Knock him off? Steal the sword? Scare him off?"

"Yeah," Alabaster said, eagerly. "The last one."

Amanda sighed. "Scaring is so much harder than killing, lemme tell you. Extra charge for that one."

"Hey," Alabaster said. "That's not fair, besides killing's illegal."

Amanda looked surprised. "Is it? I hadn't noticed."

Alabaster shot her an angry look.

She shrugged. "Sorry, but that's the way it's gonna be. Some people scare easy, and if this were the case, I would charge a pittance. But Shylock's not the type, so it will take a lot to freak him. It's just like the two brothers that were in here. That one took a lot to get rid of."

Alabaster sighed. It was true. "Isn't there anything else we can do?" he asked. "Scaring him's going to be real hard."

"Finally someone agrees with me!" Amanda exclaimed. "We should legit steal the sword. It's the best idea. Just swipe, gone, and Shylock's happy cause he's got it, you're happy because you've got your arm, and I'm happy cause I've got my money. Easy-peasy. Everything's wrapped up in a nice bow, and the only one who's throw a loop is the stupid magician."

"Uh," Alabaster said. "Are you sure? Like she's a super powerful person, I'm telling you."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Dude, the sword's way the easiest by far. Because the thing with scaring is that people can become un-scared in time, and then you'll have to rehire me if he hasn't chopped your arm off so yeah. I don't really have interest in doing that. One time jobs are my jam. And if the sword doesn't work we have the trial. That could be our plan B. Course I'm not sure how we'd win it, but lemme do some thinking and I'm sure I'll come up with something."

"Gee thanks," Alabaster said. "That sounds super reassuring."

"Your welcome," she said. "Now I'd better get my stuff ready. We should leave immediately since you don't have much time left."

She clapped her hands and the lights flared brighter, revealing a whole graveyard of boxes and dressers that had been heretofore hidden in the inky darkness.

Amanda started rummaging through them. "What's the temperature in Vennat?" she asked.

"Uh," Alabaster said, "warm and wet."

Amanda made a face. "Yuck. There'll be extra charge for that."

"What!" Alabaster exclaimed. "That's not fair! How the heck I am supposed to pay you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't even tell you how much I was going to charge you. Rest assured, it's not going to put you in the poor house, and besides I was just joking. You're too thin-skinned, Alabas."

Alabaster scowled. She was right; he was way too sensitive, especially for a trader. Or not a trader. Maybe it was time to accept that he'd never be one.

Amanda stiffened. "We've got company," she said.

"What?" Alabaster asked.

"Prepare yourself," she said, grabbing a lantern. "We're under attack."

Alabaster's eyes went wide, and he turned quickly to the entrance, expecting to see someone there. There was no one.

"Where?" he whispered.

"There," she said and yelled something loudly in a foreign tongue. The lantern went sailing towards the passage, but a fireball met it halfway, soaring out of the darkness. The two forces collided in an explosion of glass and flames.

Amanda spat what probably was a curse word and snapped her fingers, yelling in a loud voice again. A huge wind whipped up and hurled itself at the passage, from which two black robed men we racing out of.

Alabaster drew his knife as they launched fireballs. They were both aimed at him, but he was able to dodge them, almost impaling his chest on his knife as he did so.

"Crap!" he exclaimed and slashed an incoming fireball with it. It dissipated into the air, but there was another one right behind it. He rolled to the side, but the fire caught his one foot and pain lanced up his leg.

The magicians screamed as they were lifted into the air by the wind and deposited neatly into open clothing chests. The lids shut with heavy bangs and the locks clicked shut.

Alabaster got up shakily, his foot was red and hot, the sandal half burned away.

"Duck!" Amanda yelled as a dart exited the dark passageway.

Alabaster dropped to the floor, but another dart was already coming toward him. And another and another, way to fast to be anything other than magic.

Two could play with that game. Alabaster twisted his ring on his finger and vanished. He rolled backwards twice then to the right three times. The darts kept coming, but without their target, they were all way off.

There was a cacophony of barking and snarling. The magician in the passage started yelling foreign words rapidly.

"Crap!" Alabaster exclaimed. "He's summoned dogs!"

"You mean, awesome!" Amanda said. "Aman just summoned some dogs. But they aren't very nice so I suggest you, and I get going."

The magician in the passage tried to enter the room but ran right into a magic barrier.

"Ahhhh!" he said and banged on it with his fists, pleading in a language that Alabaster couldn't understand.

"What about him?" Alabaster asked.

"He's going to the dogs!" Amanda exclaimed.

Alabaster looked at her in horror.

"Oh, chill," she said. "He's definitely powerful enough to get rid of them before he'd get gnawed to death. He's just bluffing because he's hoping we'll be dumb enough to drop the barrier."

"Oh," Alabaster said, feeling a little dumb himself. "I knew that."

"Come on," Amanda said, grabbing a few things. "Curse these magicians, I'm going to have to leave almost everything behind."

Alabaster looked around at all the boxes. "Gee, I'm sorry," he said. This was definitely a lot of magic stuff to waste."

She glared heatedly at the stuff around them. "That's what you get for keeping your clothes in one place. Should've known better. Come on!" she grabbed a bewildered Alabaster's hand and pulled him down a corridor.

"Wait," Alabaster said, "weren't you magic supplies there?"

"Of course not, you imbecile. You'd think I'd keep them all together. Nothing so stupid. No, we are on our way to go pick them up. Then we'll take a pegasus to Vennat."

"A pegasus?" Alabaster said. "Overseas?"

"It's a special pegasus," she assured. "Not only can it fly that far, but it can get there faster than a ship."

"You have an enchanted horse?" Alabaster said. "How does that even work?"

"Beats me," Amanda said. "I didn't do it; I just stole it."