Blademage Adept (The Blademage Saga Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

again?” He jerked his thumb sideways for emphasis, pointing to the thinner column of steam and ash that billowed in slow motion from the peak far to the east.
    The Warsmith smiled and clucked with his tongue, turning his mount onto the pallid track, Alanna moving alongside as the ashes swirled up and about in his wake.
    “Never thought I’d be looking forward te getting back on the sea,” the ambassador grumbled, waiting a moment for the grey cloud to settle before following his friends southward.
----
    “What about now?” Mirsa prodded Rhysabeth-Dane as the wagon rattled along the mountain road that wound down to the port city below. “Can you feel this mountain?”
    The latent Earth power had been pressing against Mirsa’s mind for the greater part of an hour, but the tiny librarian just shook her head. “I’m glad to be near it, but it’s not my mountain.”
    Mirsa pressed her senses outward, searching for any trace of the oddly structured power that had surrounded the Dwarven Hold, but found nothing, and severed the link before the magic could overrun her. “Interesting,” she mused, squeezing Rhysabeth closer to her side.
     

Chapter 7
     
    “And good fortune to ye,” Kylgren-Wode shook the stablemaster’s hand and scooped up the pile of silver coins from the table. He walked back outside to where Mirsa and Rhysabeth-Dane waited by the emptied wagon.
    “It’ll be enough te get us there,” he grumbled, “but not much else.”
    “The elves are the next piece of our puzzle,” Mirsa declared. “We’ll have to go from there.”
    “We’ll not be going anywhere if they don’t find a ship willing te carry us there,” the Dwarven ambassador grumbled, jerking a thumb toward the waterfront district. He stooped and scooped up the remaining saddlebags containing their scant belongings, and tossed them over his left shoulder, wiggling back and forth until they settled into place. Shifting his axe harness to the right until he felt balanced, he rested his hand on the haft of the weapon and glanced over at his companions. “They may already be sailing fer that island in the time it takes fer us te get te the water.” He grunted and took a few halting steps to punctuate the joke before dropping into an easy stride down toward the sea.
    Rhysabeth-Dane covered her mouth and peeked at Mirsa with glimmering eyes before grabbing hold of the Master Mage’s hand and lurching after their companion.
----
    “They say you’re the man we need to talk to,” Kevon said, stepping up to the bar and sitting down.
    “Who says?” the man beside him asked, lowering his mug.
    “Every ship captain who’s heard the words ‘passage’ and ‘Mage’ in the same conversation, for starters,” Alanna answered, taking a stool on the other side of the man. “Seems you have a pet Mage of your own, if the stories are true.”
    “He wouldn’t like being called that,” the man laughed, “But there’s a lot of things Reko doesn’t like.” The man stood and extended a hand to Kevon. “Yusa’s the name, Captain Yusa. But you already knew that.”
    “We did,” Kevon admitted, “But what we need to know is if we can buy passage on your ship.”
    “Where are you headed?”
    “We’d rather discuss it in-”
    “Excellent!” Yusa clapped Kevon on the shoulder, and tossed two coppers onto the bar before gulping down the last of his ale. “Secrets is extra…” he whispered over the background noise of the small tavern, and turned to leave.
    Alanna glared at Kevon, who could only shrug and follow the ship captain out onto the street.
    “I don’t know about ‘extra’,” Kevon commented as he caught up to Yusa and matched his stride. “There could be trade opportunity where we’re headed though, Alanna here could help with that, make it more than worth your while.”
    “The elves are particularly fond of Heartmelons, which will not grow on their home, but are abundant here. They…”
    Kevon smiled at the brief