Stranded Mage Read Online Free PDF Page B

staff and reached out his hand.
    His empty hand was soon filled with the familiar feel of smooth wood. There had been no sound, no flash of light, one moment his hand had been empty and the next the staff was there.
    “How did that happen?” Thad asked out loud, forgetting in his moment of excitement that his staff could hear the words in his mind.
    You called so I thought I better come. Thad briefly wondered if his staff was avoiding the question on purpose to annoy him.
    “How?” Thad asked again, letting his irritation ring clearly within his mind.
    If you don’t know, how am I supposed to? All I know is that we are linked much like my gems.
    Thad thought about what his Staff had said as he opened the door to his chambers. Brianna looked up from her spot huddled in the corner. Her face showed that she was happy to see him again but from the color Thad didn’t expect that she would jump up and embrace him any time soon. Thad sat his staff against the wall and bent down to give her a slight peck on the cheek.
    Thad’s stomach growled, reminding him that it had been days since he had last eaten. He was tired and didn’t want to move much more, but the demands of his stomach were too pressing for him to ignore.
    Rubbing his hand across his brow, Thad turned back toward the door and started on his way to the galley. Luckily, the ship’s cook usually kept something on the fire. Thad’s only wish was that it wouldn’t be fish stew.
    “Good to see you back on your feet,” Thad heard a cheerful voice say as soon as he entered the small galley.
    Thad gave the portly cook a large smile. He was a hearty man who was always ready with a joke and a laugh. “I am glad to be back among the living but if all you have is that deplorable fish stew, I think I will go back to my sick bed.”
    “I do have a large pot of some fresh fish stew,” the portly cook said with a slight chuckle. “Though I think I might have some chicken in the ice room if you don’t mind waiting a bit.”
    “I will wait all day if it means I don’t have to eat any more fish stew,” Thad said gratefully.
    The cook brought Thad a large mug of spiced cider, knowing that the young mage preferred it to the strong ale the sailors tended to favor. The cider stung his dry throat as it went down making Thad cough after the first few gulps. After nearly half an hour the cook brought out a bowl of chicken with noodles and a light yellow broth.
    Thad took a tentative bite of the unfamiliar food. It had a rich flavor and the broth was tasty and went down smooth warming him down to the core. Thad quickly gulped down the rest of the food then started on his way back toward his room.
    Back in his chambers Thad found Brianna sleeping peacefully. Walking quietly, he carefully crawled into his hammock. The ship’s light rocking made his hammock sway from side to side. Thad found the movement relaxing and had to fight off the urge to slip into sleep, instead he focused his attention to the problems with his staff
    Closing his eyes Thad let his mind spread out and grasp the subtle flows of magical energy that flowed all around him. His own magical aura and that of his staff shone brightly, but Thad was more interested in the small lines, the ones he normally overlooked.
    It didn’t take long for him to find what he had been looking for. A light multicolored strand ran from Thad to his staff. He let himself flow into the small strand of energy. Down deeper and deeper Thad pushed himself into the flow of energy. There was a little resistance once he reached the staff, and then he broke through. Inside the staff there were so many different strands of energy. It looked like much like a spider’s web. The complexity of the staff was much more than anything he had done on his own. Somehow, the magical energies had expanded on his design and grown of their own accord.
    Thad opened his eyes and looked over at his staff. He was no longer sure that his staff was simply just a