Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

18. A Mage's Mind: Pirates

They have traveled far. So far that the air no longer has the chill to it Novi is used to from the north. Instead, it is warm and salty here out at sea. Novi hates it. The longboat they are sailing on offers little privacy, as everyone is packed together. The sun and warmth make it difficult to focus and the heat only becomes more problematic when she uses magic. Whenever she casts a spell, it warms the flesh it is channeled through. A welcome side effect in the snowy mountains or dark forests, but here under the hot sun it makes Novi feel like her magic is baking her from the inside. The long clothes she's wearing don't help either. While she would much rather run around naked in this heat, her precious white skin would burn like fire by the end of the day. So she is forced to wear long robes that cover almost every part of her body.

Not only are they uncomfortable and difficult to move in, they are also soaked in her own sweat and the water that splashes over the side of the ship. At least it's not as bad as running around in winter clothes or armor. Luckily, the back part of the boat has a large cloth tent spanned above it that protects them from the baking sun. Here she can at least take off the hood.

She is one of only two healers in this house, the other one being an old woman. She is skilled, but the strain of using magic weighs on her harder than on Novi. It's understandable that she doesn't want to use her abilities on simple ailments Novi can easily heal. The advantage of knowing the Lore of Life, and of being one of the few available who do, comes with its own special treatments and disadvantages.

Sweat drips from Novi's forearms as she heals the burns on her fellow elf's leg. Their house got into a short skirmish with a warship a few hours ago. They figured the ship to be part of the Confederation war fleet and originally intended to avoid it. None of them really know how to fight at sea, and a battle with a heavily armed ship like that one would likely only end with both their ships sinking. Still, the ship decided engaging them was a good idea and began firing their bolt throwers at them. The shot was extremely well aimed, and the pot filled with avalanche fire hit their longboat dead center. Several of them were showered in the burning oil, and had Irven, a scholar of frost, not reacted as fast as he did, the flames would have consumed their sail. After that first hit, they retaliated by hurling spells at the other ship, which disengaged after a fireball lit up their main sail and the ropes supporting it. Even though the elves' boat didn't suffer any serious damage, several of them got bad burns.

The elf's face is contorted in pain, but it quickly relaxes as Novi's magic flows through the burned flesh. She doesn't have the strength to fully heal the wound, but she can remove the pain. Moving her hands over the inflamed skin reminds her of just how much she hates fire. Both the alchemical and magical kind. The wounds it inflicts are usually shallow, but incredibly painful and difficult to heal. The heat isn't helping either. Of course, she hates lightning even more.

By the time she's done, she's gleaming with sweat. Her hands feel stiff and sticky as she stops channeling the healing spell.

"Thanks!" the man says. The burns on his leg are still there, but they no longer look fresh.

"No... problem," Novi wheezes. The other healer has taken care of the one with the worst burns, but patching up four others has exhausted Novi.

The elf nods and stands up. He takes a few steps away and sits down on one of the rowing benches.

Novi leans over the side of the boat and submerges her hands in the sea. Even though it's saltwater, it feels cool. Slowly, the cold penetrates her hand. She misses the frigid north, the snow, and the fact that her life-sight actually works there. Here, the heat swallows the warmth of other creatures. Too bad they won't see the dark forests for another few years.

The magic has left her drained and tired. She's not sure how long she just sits there with her hands in the water, but as she does, she can feel her strength regenerating.