The first annoyed the ever loving crap out of me. A ship showed up from sorceress haven and dropped off Caroline. Apparently, her and Amara’s council posts had been replaced by two others when Caroline was appointed to be the grand council councilor for sorceress haven. Katie and Genevieve were the replacements according to what Caroline said, but neither name really rang a bell for me.

  Caroline had always been my least favorite on the council, and that opinion didn’t change. She was actually kind of a pain in the ass, and always had advice for the young inexperienced queen.

  The bitch set my teeth on edge. Luckily Daphne dealt with it much more gracefully.

  A part of me suspected that Matthew and Bernard had appointed her just to get rid of her. I believe the corporate term is failing upward.

  I could barely imagine what it would be like, when there were fifty of them following Daphne around. I wondered how disruptive that would be to her while trying to set up new councils. Eventually, we’d have to set some ground rules.

  It wasn’t all bad though, an older fire sorceress by the name of Ruth was appointed to the Aramore grand council position, and she was a canny old bird that took delight in shutting down Caroline, and even ran interference at times for our sanity.

  I stayed away from Ruth too though, and was merely polite and friendly. Since I figured Ruth’s help with Caroline was just another political angle, a much less annoying one, but one still designed to ingratiate herself, and her island, to the queen. I was extremely glad I wasn’t a political advisor, and generally left that political crap to the others. I was the military and guard protection advisor, thank the goddess.

  I did have a crude understanding of the power of politics of course, and I couldn’t help but pick up some things being in Daphne’s company all day every day, but I figured there was a lot of subtlety going on that was over my head. That was okay, no one was good at everything, and I had my place.

  Still, whatever Caroline’s strategy was by being an annoying snooty bitch, I couldn’t even guess…

  Chapter Twenty

  It was the evening before we left, the core group was gathered together in Daphne’s receiving room. It was Lia, Sharon, Amara, Marie, Jenna, Melinda, Daphne, and myself. We were doing it here, because even Caroline wasn’t arrogant enough to invade the queen’s private quarters without an invitation.

  Daphne smiled, it was genuine and unguarded in this company.

  “Things went really well I think, and I’m excited that we’re moving on to the next island. The reason I brought us all together tonight was to discuss any changes we should make for the next island. Did we do everything right? Things went well, but what can we do to make the second time smoother?”

  I frowned in thought, “Security wise I’ve already made those changes. No more assassin teams will be able to fly over our wards. I’ve also gone over many diversionary tactics with your protection team, and if a similar attack happens, they won’t lose focus, or focus on the wrong things. I really don’t see anything else we could tighten up security wise, but we’ll remain alert, and be flexible when they find a new way to come at us.”

  Melinda said, “If we can, we should try and capture kingdom ships intact. I’d like to get the fleet training into a more practical setting faster next time. There sailing skills are adequate, but without part of my crew aboard it would be a problem. Sooner or later my crew will run thin. The next island should have more volunteers at more than three times the population here. We’ll build two or three more ships if we have to, but it would help if we didn’t have to.”

  Lia nodded, “The guard will be three times bigger as well as the population, almost three hundred instead of one hundred. To keep the battle deaths down we could try the new sonic weapon technique. I know it’s meant for use out on the sea, but it could also help our ground invasion go a lot more smoothly.

  “An air wielder to incapacitate, along with an earth wielder to slap on bracelets from a distance could make things radically faster, easier, and safer. We also won’t have to worry as much about collateral damage. Of course, I don’t know if you want more trials to go through.”

  Daphne smirked, “It doesn’t sound fun, but better that then more dead on our side too, make it happen. Anything else?”

  Sharon said, “We got lucky. With that whole Dina word of mouth thing? We need to put people we trust out in the city to gauge the citizen’s reactions, perhaps on one of the merchant vessels in the sorceress haven fleet? It could sail in a day or two after we arrive, and trade like a normal merchant.”

  Melinda grunted, “Easier said than done, the council isn’t happy about all the resources we’re already using. Perhaps the ship that carries the instructors. We could make that ship appear to be a merchant, and the trainers just passengers. We could also take on cargo from here, they’re staying another day after all.”

  Daphne nodded, “We’ll try it, but that could backfire if we’re caught in a lie. Let the crew know to allow assumptions as they loiter in the inn and trade, but no lies if directly asked.”

  Melinda replied, “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Amara said, “Gorwin, Ashera, and I can help with that as well, one of us at a time so were still around to protect if a diviner shows up.”

  Daphne nodded, “Good. Anything else?”

  I knew the elves would make great spies. Amara had managed to be Mary for sixty years after all, and no one had ever guessed before me. I hadn’t had to guess, because their illusion magic didn’t work on a diviner. Between their illusions and their nature magic to loosen tongues, they’d be very good at it.

  Marie said, “I’m pregnant.”

  Everyone looked at her, and then we all slowly smiled as we realized she wasn’t joking.

  “Congratulations.”

  She smiled wistfully, “My husband gave me a hell of a goodbye. Anyway, I was thinking maybe we could arrange a family visit, after the first few weeks when things are under control?”

  Daphne nodded, “Of course, but I thought there was already plans for that.”

  Jenna replied, “It’s in the plans, but no one’s mentioned it yet, or tried to make it happen.”

  Melinda nodded and took responsibility for it.

  “I’ll add it to the next dispatch, that will give them a few weeks to schedule things and get here, or rather there, to Emelle.”

  Daphne, “Alright, unless anyone else has an idea, let’s get some sleep. We’re leaving on the morning tide.”

  Jenna asked in wistful humor, “Can we accidentally leave Caroline behind?”

  Daphne giggled, “Get out of here.”

  Jenna managed to pull off a look of complete innocence before sauntering out of the room, she was really good at it…

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It seemed like we’d just started out the next morning, when I heard the alarm bell go off. It truly couldn’t have been longer than a half hour, at the most. I turned my gaze along the horizon, until I saw about twenty dots out there, which were slowly growing larger.

  Of course, I should have seen it coming. They hadn’t found a way to get around my wards, so they’d set a trap for when we left, to fight us on the open sea. At ten to one odds, I was surprised there weren’t more of them. Not that I was complaining, that was bad enough as it was.

  We were ready for them though, planned or not Melinda’s crew was sharp, and though I hadn’t anticipated this, I wasn’t taken off guard or surprised by it either. Plus, they were so far away right now I had time to take a nap before the battle started. I didn’t of course, but it was a point.

  Amara moved so silently, I wouldn’t have known she was there save for her alluring scent, and her magic.

  “So, think there’s a diviner out there?”

  I shrugged, “We’ll find out shortly. Maybe with the new tactic we’ll kill him before we even know he’s there.”

  I doubted it though, not if he wasn’t in the front row. I realized it was unlikely all of the ships would be in sonic weapon range, but not magic range at the same time. They’d be spread apart in waves of three to five. I also realized, that if the weaker sonic signal hit the other ships behind those in front, and even one enemy air wielder had a hold of air, which was likely, that they’d feel the sound wave vibrations and immediately identify the issue, if not how to solve it. That latter part would come whole seconds later.

  As my last trick, it should be devastatingly effective, but only at first. And if any of these ships escaped the battle it would never work again. Assuming of course, that we won the battle at all. Even if we could take the first two waves, as I expected to, that would leave between ten to fourteen ships against our two.

  Those odds weren’t bad if I was the only diviner on the board though, which is why I suspected Amara was right.

  Amara asked, “I don’t suppose we could use that spare ward to surround the ship, instead of an island?”

  I smiled, “That’s an idea. But no. The spell is designed to surround a large piece of earth, so it would have to be modified to work around a ship. Plus, the ship moves, which adds new complications the spell doesn’t account for.”

  If things got desperate enough, I’d have no choice but to use the laser, which I was really hesitant to do. I didn’t even really want my side to know about that little trick. It was too dangerous. With a little thought and spell work I could make it as powerful as a scoped sniper rifle was on my old world. No defense, no warning, just dead from some shmuck a thousand yards away.

  If that got out, how the fuck would I keep my mates or Daphne safe?

  Speaking of which, I frowned and turned, “Shouldn’t you be below decks?” I asked pointedly as Daphne walked up to Amara and I.

  It wasn’t that safe, but it was safer than being on deck during a battle. Though I had to admit, she had a much better handle on her magic now, than she did two months ago when we’d left sorceress haven. Plus, we were surrounded by her element.

  My words and stern gaze had absolutely no effect on her, or her smile. I thought I was more intimidating than that.

  “Hello to you too Tony. I have time, they’re at least twenty minutes out, more than that if we change heading.”

  I gave up, I only won the battles she let me win lately, so far that only included when there was a real viable danger. As long as she went below before the battle started, I’d save my breath, and the frustration. While I was happy to see her confidence growing, it was also annoying at the same time.

  I looked back out and studied the ships, which were slowly coming into focus, and I smiled. The outside ships were closer, their formation kind of like the open end of a horseshoe coming at us.

  “They’re going to surround us.”

  Daphne nodded, but her tone of voice questioned my sanity.

  “And, that’s good news how?”

  “Because we’ll take out more ships with the initial barrage. Closer to ten, instead of four or five. That will greatly increase the chances of surviving the rest of the battle. If the plan works I mean. If it doesn’t we’re screwed.”

  Daphne shook her head, “You need to sugar coat things more.”

  I grinned, “Yes your majesty.”

  Her glare didn’t bother me either.

  “We’ll be fine Daphne, I have an oh crap plan. Even if we lose, which we won’t.”

  Assuming I’m alive long enough to implement it I mean, but I left that part off. The rest of the people on deck were busy running around and getting ready for the battle. I was already channeling air, fire, and earth, and trying to focus and meditate to prepare for battle. If there was a diviner out there, I couldn’t depend on getting lucky.

  I could however, depend on the elves. They wouldn’t guarantee a win, but they’d put the other diviner and I on equal ground. I wouldn’t be able to suppress his magic, and he wouldn’t be able to suppress mine. At that point, it would be up to me.

  Amara said, “I need to take my place on the bow.”

  I nodded, “Be careful.”

  She asked, “Aren’t I always?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that, so I just grinned and winked.

  She pouted, leaned closer, and kissed my cheek before she danced off.

  Ashera and Gorwin were on either sides of the stern, and a moment later I felt their magic start to flow in a triangular formation which pretty much surrounded the whole ship. Their magic wouldn’t just be protecting me from the other diviner, though I worried about the other ship. They had just as many wielders as we did, the whole crew as opposed to the enemies mix of wielder and normal humans, but they were far less experienced in true battle.

  Daphne said in a soft voice, “You be careful too Tony, I hate this part, stuck downstairs with nothing to do while I wait.”

  I looked over at her, “I know, it isn’t fair, and if you were anyone else but queen, I’d be proud to have you stand next to us all. But… you’re too important to risk on deck in battle. I kind of wish you weren’t even on board right now.”

  She frowned, “Because I’m queen?”

  I sighed, “Partly. I wish I could protect all the people I care about that much, but I can only get away with it with you because your queen.”

  She smirked, “So you care about me?”

  I snorted, “You know I do, stop distracting me, I’m trying to get ready for the battle.”

  She sighed and said contritely, “Sorry, I’m mostly trying to distract myself, and teasing you seemed like a good idea.”

  I looked over at her. Her smile was dazzlingly mischievous, and the angle of the morning sun made her honey blonde hair shine. I shook my head, and felt sorry for whatever poor slob she set her eyes on, he wouldn’t have a chance.

  The enemy was getting closer, Melinda had actually turned us toward them to close faster, and I didn’t have time to play anymore.

  I got why she did it, we could run back to Aramore and possibly reach the ward, but the Iziral ships wouldn’t take the bait, and we’d have to face them eventually. Why not head on?

  “Get to your cabin, now Daphne,” I said rather firmly in my best scary cop voice.

  She looked like she might object, but then smiled even wider and walked off without a word.

  Women were so damned confusing, and none more than teenage women. She was a good friend, but perplexed the hell out of me sometimes, and right now I needed to concentrate…

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The ships were moving in range, ten of them. They were just over three hundred yards out, and the plan was simple enough. Several teams on both ships would form a blast wave, and then release it a second or two after I started the sonic wave weapon about a hundred feet above us. It was omnidirectional, and our ships already had protections up against them.

  A second or so after the weapon took effect, they’d all release waves into the ten ships, which were all ranged around us in a semi-circle. The other ten ships were almost a thousand yards behind them, in two rows of five ships.

  They say a plan never survives contact with the enemy, in this case not even the start went to plan. Before I felt our teams gather magic for the heated shock waves, I saw several balls of compressed and heated air being created above the enemy ships.

  It looked like Murphy had arrived on scene, and this time he’d fucked our opponents.

  I laughed, probably a bit darkly, because others around me that heard it gave me a strange look.

  The whole concept of the heated shock wave was to only drop a small portion of the sphere that faced the enemy, so all that pressure was loosed in one direction.

  I used the air I channeled from Lia to build the sonic weapon, even while chuckling under my breath.

  The balls of compressed and heated air were released above the enemy when the sound waves hit them. Several cried out as they lost concentration. The problem of course for them, was that they dropped the entire shield holding the pressured air in confinement. It exploded in all directions as I raised my defense against the shock waves. I’d had a long time to come up with my own defense.

  I created a fifty-foot-deep wall of pure vacuum that was taller than the ship, and the width was curved around the ship to cover three sides. It was enough to cover the ship and then some. The negative air pressure would simply suck up all that over pressure in the wave, and distribute it in that wall. It was a lot of magic to make it that big, but I was channeling the most powerful air wielder known, and I was also enhancing her magic by opening Lia’s channels even further.

  We didn’t even feel a warm breeze. Our other ship was tossed slightly, but otherwise unharmed, as the fire wielders sucked out the heat, and the air wielders caught and dispersed the wave the best they could while the water wielders created walls of ice.

  The ten enemy ships turned to splinters, by their own attack.

  I snickered. I knew it wasn’t funny, a lot of people had just died, but for some reason it just… was in that moment.

  I’d also stopped the sonic weapon, it had only been on for two seconds, and the blast wave had interrupted it anyway. That might have made a few people on the farther ships feel the back of their necks tingle, but hopefully they didn’t know how we accomplished that.

  Melinda yelled, “Fire at the other ships, now!”

  They were still a thousand yards out, but all the teams had their attacks built, but their original targets were gone. A thousand yards wasn’t that far for a heated shock wave to travel though. The enemy would probably block it, but Melinda probably figured what the hell, it wouldn’t hurt anything.

  Ten shock waves, five from each ship, exploded outward toward the other ten ships.

  As expected, they were ready. Ice, air, and even fire was utilized to protect their ships, and they sailed through the attack without a scratch.

  Melinda yelled, “Again, keep up a barrage, time it.”