Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (17 page)

Danny didn't know what to say except, "Thank
you," the short affirmation stuttered from his stunned lips.
Swiveling toward Sabrina, he noticed an approving smile stretch
across her mouth.

"You are welcome," said Tyramear, extending
his hand. "And thank you again," he added as Danny met him in a
shake, gripping his forearm. "Now, I believe you all have a ship to
catch."

With that said, Sabrina moved off toward the
towering masts of the
Radiance.
Danny followed behind,
catching up quickly. Doug, Matt, Chris, and Alonso joined them;
together they began the short trip toward the boat.

"Sabrina," yelled someone, causing the group
to look to the right, a boy of similar age with long blond hair
waved with vigorous energy.

Sabrina waved back as the blond-haired boy
closed the distance at a jog, carrying a brown backpack.

"Hey, Rogen," she said, once the boy stopped
in front of her.

Upon closer inspection, Danny noticed that
the boy was well-muscled with skin tanned to a golden brown. His
deep blue eyes regarded Sabrina excitedly as he dropped his bag and
hugged her. Danny became jealous instantly.

"You know this guy?"

Holding Sabrina at length, Rogen turned
toward Danny, "Who are the newbs?"

"Newbs!" repeated Danny in a raised tone,
wondering if he'd just been insulted.

"Friends," said Sabrina with a smile, pulling
away from Rogen's embrace. "This is Danny Firoth, and behind him,
Doug Garrett, Matt Mickler, Alonso Martinez and Chris Greene."

"What are you doing with a bunch of
first-years?"

"They are my friends," said Sabrina again,
her voice carrying a hint of annoyance at having to repeat
herself.

"Okay," conceded Rogen, scratching his head.
"Well, are you coming?" He motioned toward the
Radiance
.

"I am going to make sure they get on
properly," said Sabrina.

Rogen shrugged, "Okay. I guess I'll see you
when you board." With that, he turned and walked off toward the
awaiting ship.

"Who
was
that?"

"We were both first-year squires together. I
met Rogen at the Academy last year. He is not the brightest of the
lot but he's got decent technique with a sword and he is a good
friend."

"Last year?" repeated Danny, something he
seemed to be doing a lot lately.

"Yes," said Sabrina matter-of-factly, "this
will be my second year at the Academy."

Danny was dumbfounded. He stared at her in
disbelief. He felt betrayed as well as stupid. "Why didn't you tell
me that you had already attended the Academy?"

"You never asked me," she said simply.

Dumbstruck again, Danny kept his words to
himself, they wouldn't have been pleasant spoken aloud.

"So, you've already been through your first
year at the Academy of Illumination?" Matt repeated.

"Yes," said Sabrina in a sharp tone, getting
annoyed, having to repeat herself.

"What's it like?" pressed Matt.

"Challenging," said Sabrina. Matt was clearly
waiting to hear more but she refused to go into detail.

"…How?" Danny asked, still stuck on the
previous subject.

"…How what?" Sabrina inquired, confused by
the sudden shift in topic.

"How'd you get into the school? You would've
been too young. You're the same age as us," Danny added.

"No, I am not the same age as you, I am a
half-blood Dragonic, and as such, I age much faster than Humans. If
I were a pureblood Dragonic, I would practically be an adult by
now."

"Then how old are you?"

"I am half a year away from my tenth
birthday."

"You're only nine and a half years old?" Matt
asked, adjusting the thick lenses of his glasses, in light of the
shocking realization.

Danny's jaw dropped, he shook his head. This
whole time, he'd assumed that Sabrina was about the same age as
himself . . . but to be so much younger? Danny nearly fainted.
However, he felt a steadying hand on his right shoulder. He turned
to find Chris standing next to him.

Chris's expression was empathetic,
acknowledging Danny's inner struggle. However, it vanished as Chris
turned to regard the
Radiance.
"Perhaps we should get on
board."

Danny followed Chris's gaze and noticed that
the line to board had dwindled to but a few, as if to emphasize his
friend's words further, a large golden bell rang out atop the
highest mast, signaling the ship's final preparations for
departure.

"Chris is right, let’s get moving," said
Sabrina with a momentary smile. She turned and headed toward the
ship. Unfazed by Sabrina's age difference, Doug and Alonso followed
behind her. Before Danny could do the same, Chris's hand lingered
and squeezed, holding him in place.

"You should tell her how you feel about her,
man."

"Easier said than done," said Danny, turning
to regard his closest friend.

"The hard things always are and it’s usually
worth the struggle." He gave Danny’s shoulder one final squeeze
before moving toward the others.

Danny lingered for a moment before he
followed in his friend's footsteps. He felt unsure of the events
unfolding around him. Last in the line, he stopped before a man
with a scraggly-looking beard, the man held a worn clipboard with a
yellowed parchment. His friends had already passed this particular
checkpoint and waited for him on the boarding plank. The man wore a
white uniform with the symbol of Light stitched on the upper left
chest, marking him as part of the crew.

"Name," said the man in a rough voice.

"Danny Firoth."

With a swipe of his hand, he made a check
mark on the bottom part of the paper. "Okay, you're the last to
board," he said, looking up, smiling, showing a series of missing
teeth.

Danny couldn't help but stare.

"Well, get on with it, Squire, get on board,"
shooing Danny up the gangplank.

Danny raced up the ramp to join his friends
as they boarded the
Radiance.

"All crew and passengers accounted for,
Captain!" the man yelled from the dock.

"All hands, prepare to cast off!" the captain
boomed in response.

Danny turned toward the sound of the echoing
voice.

Standing at the helm, behind a large wooden
steering wheel, was a man dressed like the other crew, but with
some unsubtle differences. He wore a tall sweeping hat accented
with silver trim, and a series of silver tassels draped on his
shoulders, signifying the rank of captain. But the most
eye-catching piece of equipment he possessed was an ivory-hilted
blade strapped to his side, the pommel was carved to resemble the
head of a great white shark.

"That is Sir Rodrick Hemlin, captain of the
Radiance
," said Sabrina as she followed Danny's gaze.

"He's a Knight of the Light?" Danny
asked.

"Yes."

"Cast off!" Captain Rodrick yelled, stepping
to the side of the boat to investigate the progress of his
crew.

Many more commands followed, most of which
Danny didn't understand. The boat began to rock back and forth with
a soft sway and the crew fell into a standard practiced rhythm,
pulling a rope taut here and wrapping one around there.

"We should get out of their way," said
Sabrina. She began to move toward the bow, the foremost part of the
ship.

Danny followed, moving between the busy crew.
Once at the bow, he noticed that most of the first and second-year
squires had gathered in this area.

"Most of the senior squires are in the
passenger quarters below decks," explained Sabrina as if reading
Danny's thoughts. "I suppose after once or twice, casting off is
not as exciting to them, but it's my favorite part."

Before Danny could ask why, he felt the
Radiance
lurch beneath him.

"Hoist sail!" Captain Rodrick yelled, his
voice was clear and crisp despite his position aft, the back of the
ship. The sails unfurled, draping downward, flapping in a strong
breeze. The crew went to work, pulling the sails taut, catching the
power of the wind. The fabric of the sails ballooned outward,
causing the ship to creak from the pressure of the jerk as the
Radiance
took on a quick forward motion.

The deck groaned beneath Danny's feet as the
ship bounded forward, forcing him to place a steadying foot behind
him. Combined with a mist of seawater, the air smelled salty and
pure as it whipped past his face. It was an exhilarating feeling,
almost as if he was flying. However, due to his recent experience
with flight atop a dragon, Danny had to admit that this experience
fell short, but it was amazing, nonetheless.

"I can see why you like it," conceded Danny,
turning toward Sabrina.

"It gets better," said Sabrina, her smile
widening as the ship swayed back and forth. They passed the
towering cruise ships, navigated the dockyard and then angled out
to sea.

Puzzled by her comment, Danny decided to wait
and see.

"What do you mean, it gets better?" Alonso
asked, unwilling to wait.

"You are about to find out," said Sabrina
cryptically, turning away.

Danny followed her gaze as a man in flowing
white robes with the symbol of Light stitched boldly across his
chest in black thread crossed the deck, heading toward him. Despite
the sway of the ship, the man appeared to be sure-footed. His hood
was folded over his head, hiding his features. He stopped before
Danny and said, "Excuse me, Squire." His voice was deep and
commanding, but polite.

Danny jumped aside, clearing a path.

The robed man nodded his thanks and moved
forward; everyone else parted before him.

"Who's that?" Alonso asked in a whisper, once
he was sure the mysterious man was out of earshot.

Taking his eyes off the robed man, Danny
turned toward Sabrina, also curious.

"He is a Navi."

"What's a Navi?" Matt asked.

"You are about to find out," said Sabrina,
pointing to where the Navi had stopped.

Climbing up a pair of steps, the Navi moved
to the farthest end of the bow, a pointed perch that hung over the
edge of the ocean. Shuffling his robes beneath him, he sat down
cross-legged, rested his closed fists on the tops of his knees and
began to chant in a language Danny didn't recognize.

"What's he doing?" Alonso asked.

"Just watch," Sabrina said, her tone hinting
at her annoyance with Alonso’s constant questions.

Alonso waited a little and said, "I don't see
anything."

However, before Alonso could say anything
else, the Navi's chanting stopped. His hands parted, releasing a
swirl of wind that expanded into a twisting tornado around him. The
tunnel of air caused the Navi's robes to flutter out as the
churning wind ascended into the sky and disappeared.

"That's it?" Alonso questioned.

"Find something to brace yourselves against!"
Sabrina yelled as she wrapped her slender arm around the
foremast.

Danny had spent more than enough time around
Sabrina to know that it was generally a good idea to do as she
said. He rushed forward and gripped the railing. Looking around, he
noticed that others were doing the same, including Matt, Chris and
Doug. Alonso, however, refused to budge, he stood still, with his
arms crossed over his chest.

"All hands trim the boat to the bow and brace
yourselves!" the captain yelled from the rear, most of the crew
went toward the front of the ship and grabbed handfuls of railing
or rigging.

Alonso suddenly thought better of his
judgment as he ran for the railing. However, he was too late, the
wind picked up in earnest, gusting from somewhere behind the ship.
The sails stretched forward and flapped in the gushing flurry of
air, pushing the ship faster and faster. Danny, gripping the
railing tight enough to turn his knuckles white, watched helplessly
as Alonso faltered and tumbled backward, the ship bounding out from
under him. Flailing across the deck, Alonso stopped dead in the air
when Sabrina caught his right arm at the wrist in an iron grip and
hauled him back to safety.

The
Radiance
leveled off as she
reached her peak speed. The wind kept pace, filling the sails with
gusts of endless air.

"Trim the sails!" The crew jumped into
action, removing all the slack from the rigging.

"Thanks," said Alonso in an unconvincing
tone, rubbing his wrist where Sabrina had gripped him hard.

"That was epic," said Matt. "How'd he do
that?"

"A Navi is a navigational wizard," said
Sabrina. "But his main purpose will be revealed once we reach White
Rock Island."

"And what purpose is that?" Matt asked, his
interest piqued as he fiddled with his glasses.

"Why, The Eye of Darkness, Squire," said a
deep voice from behind.

Matt turned to find the Navi standing behind
him, the Navi's white hood still pulled over his head, hiding his
features. Matt's face paled as the Navi placed a heavy hand upon
his shoulder.

"Why didn't someone tell me that he was
standing right behind me?"

A soft chuckle escaped the confines of the
Navi's hood. He pulled back the heavy white cloth, revealing an
inviting smile and bold blue eyes. "I am not one to be feared,
Squire," said the Navi, scratching his short brown hair. "It is the
Eye you should be worried about."

"But I thought the Eye of Darkness was
somewhere on White Rock Island and guarded by Knights of the
Light," said Danny.

"And so it is, Squire," said the Navi,
turning his head in Danny's direction. "However, the Eye's evil
cannot be contained to the island alone. The terrible power of the
Eye is the cause of a storm that has raged around the island for
hundreds of years. When it is time, it will be my responsibility to
protect this vessel from the worst the storm has to unleash."