King Kobold revived-Warlock-2.5 Read Online Free PDF Page B

quickly; there do be more of them, and they will be aided by wind. Would they not overtake thy sentry and slay him?”
    “True.” Rod frowned. “Well, how about if the sentry was a warlock? Then he could telep… uh, conjure himself ashore, and leave them an empty rowboat.”
    “A likely thought.” Tuan nodded. “But thy warlocks hear thoughts. Could not he raise the alarm more quickly if there were another of the witch-folk ashore, listening for his thoughts?”
    “True. That would be quicker, and… wait a minute!” Rod struck his forehead with the heel of his hand.
    “What’s the matter with me? Sorry, Your Majesty; I’m slow today. Why bother putting the warlock in the boat? Why not just have him stay ashore and listen for approaching beastman thoughts?”
    “Nay, certes!” Tuan squeezed his eyes shut. “Did I truly need a High Warlock to tell me this? Where are my wits?”
    There was a good chance he’d left them back at the royal castle in Runny-mede, but Rod didn’t think it was politic to say so. Besides, Tuan could’ve re-plied that Rod’s brains currently had long red hair and a figure worth killing for.
    Then the King opened his eyes, with doubt in them. “Yet art thou certain they do think?”
    “That is a distinct possibility. Maybe if I go to the western coast and shout, ‘Cogito, ergo sum,’ they’ll all disappear.”
    “Is that a mighty spell?”
    “No, just wishful thinking; I’m putting Descartes before the horse.” There was a short, nasty buzzing in Rod’s ear; Fess didn’t think much of his sense of humor. “Seriously, though, Your Majesty, that Page 18
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    shouldn’t be a problem. Anything alive and moving under its own power has some sort of neurological activity. I’ve got one young witch who can read an earthworm’s thoughts, and they don’t even have any.”
    “But can they hear thoughts far enough away to give us time to set our battle line where they mean to land?”
    “Don’t worry about that one, either. I had another young lady listen to the thoughts of one of the dino…
    uh, ‘terrible lizard’ giants over on the mainland, once. She wasn’t herself again for three days…”
    “Then thou hast thy sentry-force made.”
    Rod frowned. “Yeah, but I just had another nasty thought. How come none of the witches ever heard beastman thoughts before?”
    That stopped Tuan, too. He frowned and thought it over for a few seconds. Then he looked up with a bright smile. “Mayhap because they were not there?”
    Rod sat still for a moment. Then he sighed and shrugged. “Why not? On Gramarye, anyway.” There was a local variety of fungus that was very sensitive. Not that its feelings could be hurt or anything; but if a projective telepath thought at it hard enough, it would turn into whatever the projective was think-ing about. Yes, it was very possible that the beastmen hadn’t been there before. All it would take was an old granny, one who didn’t know her own strength, telling horror stories to amuse the children…
    He didn’t think he wanted to meet that granny. “Say, uh, Your Majesty… what happens when our sentries do find them?”
    “Why, then we ride against them with steel and fire,” Tuan said grimly.
    “Yes, but—Gramarye is a moderately big island. What if they strike some-place where our army isn’t?”
    “As they have indeed done.” Tuan nodded. “Well, I have commanded each of the seacoast lords to muster a force of worthy size, and keep it ever ready. E’en so, the best of barons’ forces can only hold them till my armies come; if it can do more, I have more than beastmen to worry me.”
    It was a good point; a baron who could defeat a party of raiders was bound to think of taking on the royal army. “But it could take a while for your army to get there—say, a few days.”
    “Indeed.” Tuan turned to him, frowning. “Canst thou not discover a spell to