The slaughter was progressing swiftly. A few of the tytans left it to their fellows and were attempting to wade into the deep gulf water, their eyeless heads staring in the direction of the opposite shore.
“I’ve got to get back to Equilan,” said Paithan, drawing out his etherilite and studying it intently. “There isn’t much time. And I think we’re too far north.”
“Don’t worry.” Zifnab rolled up his sleeves, rubbed his hands together eagerly. “I’ll take over. Highly competent. Frequent flyer. Over forty hours in the air. DC-three. First class, of course. I had a superb view of the control panel every time the stewardess opened the curtain. Let’s see.” The wizard took a step toward the steering stone, hands outstretched. “Flaps up. Nose down. I just-”
“Don’t touch it, old man!”
Zifnab started, snatched his hands back, and attempted to look innocent. “I was just-”
“Not even the tip of your little finger. Unless you think you’d enjoy watching your flesh melt and drop off your bones.”
The old man glowered at the stone fiercely, eyebrows bristling. “You shouldn’t leave a thing that dangerous lying around! Someone could get hurt!”
“Someone nearly did. Don’t try that again, old man. The stone’s magically protected. I’m the only one who can use it.”
Groggy, Haplo sat up, stifling a groan. The dog licked his face, and he put his arm around the animal’s body for support, hiding his weakness. The urgency had subsided, his injuries needed healing-not a difficult task for his magic, but one that he preferred undertaking without an audience.
Fighting dizziness and pain, he buried his face in the dog’s flank, the animal’s body warm beneath his hands. What did it matter if they saw? He’d already revealed himself to them, revealed to them the use of rune magic, of Patryn rune magic, that had been absent from their world for countless generations. These people might not recognize it, but a Sartan would. A Sartan . . . like the old man. . . .
“Come, come. We’re most grateful that you rescued us and we’re all extremely sorry for-your suffering but we don’t have time to watch you wallow in it. Heal yourself, and let’s get this ship back on the right heading,” stated Zifnab.
Haplo looked up, fixed the old man with a narrow-eyed stare.
“After all, you are a god!” Zifnab winked several times.
A god? Hell, why not. Haplo was too tired, too drained to worry about where deification might lead him.
“Good boy.” He patted the dog, eased the animal away from him. The dog looked around worriedly, and whined. “It’ll be all right.” Haplo lifted his left hand, placed it-runes down-over his right hand. He closed his eyes, relaxed, let his mind flow into the channels of renewal, revival, rest.
The circle was formed. He felt the sigla on the back of his hands grow warm to the touch. The runes would glow as they did their work, smoothing, healing. The glow would spread over his entire body, replacing damaged skin with whole. A murmur of voices told him that this sight was not lost on the audience.
“Blessed Thillia, look at that!”
Haplo couldn’t think about the mensch, couldn’t deal with them now. He didn’t dare break the concentration.
“Quite well done,” crowed Zifnab, beaming at Haplo as if the Patryn were a work of art he, the wizard, had conjured. “The nose could use a little touching up.”
Lifting his hands to his face, Haplo examined himself with his fingers. His nose was broken, a cut on his forehead dripped blood into his eye. One cheekbone appeared to be fractured. He would have to perform superficial repair for the moment. Anything more would send him into a healing sleep.
“If he is a god,” questioned Drugar suddenly, only the second time the dwarf had spoken since the rescue, “then why couldn’t he stop the tytans? Why did he run away?”
“Because those creatures are spawns of evil,” answered Paithan. “All know that Mother Peytin and her sons have spent eternity battling evil.”
Which puts me on the side of good, thought Haplo, with weary amusement.
“He fought them single-handedly, didn’t he?” the elf was continuing. “He held them off so that we could escape, and now he’s using the power of the wind to fly us to safety. He has come to save my people-“