The Ancient Book of Power

Chapter Sixteen: Kinnikashee

Dalbreath, Deearo, and Neena all walked to school in silence. Deearo was about to apologize when several things happened all at once. First, the woman that Dalbreath saw at the party store stepped out from behind a tree. Dalbreath went to make a portal but found that he was paralyzed. Then a dart was shot and hit him in the neck, and he very quickly passed out. Deearo, who had been practicing making portals back to the house grabbed Neena's hand and
made a portal back to the house just as three men came out from behind the trees to attack them. They both ran upstairs to tell Maurinn and Bekma what had happened.

Maurinn and Bekma sprang into action. They both shape-shifted into thunderbirds and went looking for Dalbreath. However, Cazaa had shape-shifted into a light skinned girl with blonde hair, and one of her thugs quickly stuffed Dalbreath into a large leather bag and slung him over his shoulder, and off they all went to a large coach waiting nearby. Cazaa gave the driver a thousand cresaith and told him to drive them to the coast, to the port of Zelinn. Then they all got in the coach, which was stocked with victuals and drink for the long ride to the coast. The coachman smiled as he pocketed the money, for he was used to driving tourists around the city for a few cresaith, so happily he cracked the whip, and off they went to the north.

Bekma and Maurinn circled the skies for hours, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. They came back then and landed on the terrace. Maurinn broke down crying, and Lianonn, who was in shock, looked on as Bekma and Oswaa tried to console them. "It's her, she hired someone to steal my baby," said Maurinn bitterly.

Oswaa patted her hand. "That's what Maurial and I were able to Devine, but some dark power is blocking us from being able to follow their movements."

"It's her, it's her," sobbed Maurinn.

With some memory enhancements that Islann dissolved in some tea he gave Deearo, the boy was able to recall that the woman had a tattoo on her left hand, and was even able to describe it.

"The left hand of darkness," said Bekma.

"The Norns," said Oswaa.

"My baby," said Maurinn. She looked searchingly at Bekma. "What do we do now?"

"We wait," said Bekma.

"And hope Dalbreath has the wherewithal to make a portal away from her when he wakes up," said Oswaa.
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The ride to the coast was long and bumpy. They took Dalbreath out of the bag, but they left him tied and gagged, for Cazaa knew instinctively that though a boy, he was already a powerful mage. He went three days without food or water, and only when she was sure that he was too weak to perform any magery did she untie him and give him a bit of bread and cheese, and a drink of warm water. Then she had them gag him again. It took them five days to reach Zelinn, and the captain was there with one man, and so they set sail for Rhean-Rhe in the cool of the night, and with dark sails they went quietly away from Ha Mesh.

They threw Dalbreath in the hold, literally, and he landed hard, and it knocked the wind out of him. He was so weak, and barely understood what had happened to him. He went to sleep, for sleep was the one mercy he was given. When he woke he heard a rustling going on over in the corner. It appeared someone else was bound, but not gagged, for suddenly he heard him cursing. "Come on, you can do it, bite through the ropes silly bird."

Dalbreath moaned as loudly as he could. The person stopped, and moved into a beam of light coming in from a port hole. He was a man, Dalbreath saw, but not like any man he had ever seen. He had brown skin with painted markings similar to a Native American, but his head was that of a white eagle. 'Who or what are you," said the birdman.

Dalbreath moaned and wriggled a small amount, for he was so weak.

"Ah, you're bound and gagged. I bit them when they tried to gag me. Evil, they're evil." Dalbreath moaned in agreement. "I'm Kinnikashee," he said, "and unfortunately I'm not a mage. Are you?"

Dalbreath moaned with all his strength. "She wants to sell me to a zoo in Rhean-Rhe for a huge profit, she said. If I can get us untied, can you get us out of here?" Dalbreath moaned and tried to nod too. "I'll take that as a yes." Just then the hold door opened a bit and one of Cazaa's thugs yelled down: "You down there, shut up. No talking." Kinnikashee went back to gnawing on his ropes.

The next day Cazaa told one of her men to go down and feed their prisoners. So he went down, and quickly came back up. "They're gone," he cried. She threw a poison dart and hit him in the eyeball. "What do you mean, they're gone? You, go check." She pointed randomly at one of the other men. So being totally scared, he went to check. He looked everywhere in the hold, which was not big, for it was not a big ship. He came back and shrugged.

"She's going to kill me," said Cazaa. And then, almost like instant karma, a rare sea monster came and attacked their ship. Cazaa fought bravely, but not before the beast took a big chunk out of the underside of the hull. It sank quickly, and in the water the sea monster had the advantage. He had a nice meal, but out of vengeance for his wounds he bit Cazaa quite viscously, and left her for the sharks to finish.

Kinnikashee had to swim carrying Dalbreath for about half a mile from shore, for that's as far as Dalbreath's portal could get them, he was so weak. They were only a few miles away from a small town. Kinnikashee carried him there, and with the help of two nice women they nursed him back to health.