Free Anilyia by John H. Carroll Page A

was
another fact she and Vevin had kept to themselves. “I’m guessing
it’ll be at this lake tonight or tomorrow.”
    “You mean it’s still moving?” Tathan asked,
getting up to gaze back the way they had come. “Why didn’t you stop
it?”
    Liselle shrugged helplessly and Vevin came
to her rescue. “Oh no! Last night I told her not to. Peace is a
good thing to spread.”
    “So there’s a rogue spell loose and you have
no idea how powerful it is or how long it’ll last. Do I have that
correct?” Tathan asked sternly with folded arms.
    They both looked at the ground. Liselle’s
flower moved forward in her hair in a protective gesture. “It’s a
spell of peace that will make everyone feel better,” Vevin said
obstinately.
    “Yeah, it sounds nice, but it’s an unchecked
spell that has no end in sight,” Tathan said in frustration. “One
thing I learned from the wizards I’ve known is that you must always
identify the beginning and end of a spell. It’s like a fire. If you
leave it unchecked, it can burn down the forest.”
    Vevin put his elbows on his knees and hung
his head. Liselle looked up at Tathan with worry in her eyes. “It
was a spell of peace. That can’t be bad, can it?” she asked in
despair.
    Tathan sighed and went back to the log he
had sat on while eating. He didn’t like to upset Liselle. “I don’t
know, Cousin,” he said with arms out to the side. “I was wondering
why I was so relaxed this morning. Do you have any idea how long it
will last? Did you give it any kind of an end?”
    Liselle thought back before shaking her
head. She looked at Vevin, hoping he would know. He considered the
question for a moment then said, “I didn’t see a specific end to
it. I assumed it would die out after a certain distance like dragon
fear does, but . . . sometimes I forget how powerful Liselle is . .
.” he trailed off, looking in the direction of the lake.
    “Surely it will have to fade at some point,”
Sir Danth said encouragingly.
    “Yes . . .” Vevin said slowly, still staring
off into the distance. He didn’t sound convinced.
    “So when do you think it will end, or is it
possible that it could just go on forever?” Tathan asked them both
in the hopes that one would be able to answer.
    Vevin shrugged. “It was a little thinner the
last time we passed it, but just as strong. I don’t know that it’ll
end anytime soon,” he admitted.
    Liselle chewed on her lower lip as she
considered. “I think there might be a little bit of a problem.”
    “Oh?” Tathan asked with a raised
eyebrow.
    “Sometimes I use the energy of flowers to
help me,” she said slowly. “I did this time too.”
    “So your spells have flower power, Milady?”
Sir Danth asked with a chuckle.
    Liselle giggled and nodded. “Yes, flower
power.” She looked at Tathan who was not amused. “When I used the
energy of the flowers, it gave the spell ‘flower power’ as Sir
Danth said.” Liselle gestured to the knight. “As long as there are
flowers around, the spell will stay strong.”
    Tathan frowned. “So it’ll die as soon as it
hits the oceans or desert?”
    “I don’t think so,” she answered
thoughtfully. “The plants and trees like to help my spells too, so
as long as there’s a living plant of any sort it’ll continue. I’ve
heard that oceans have plants in them, so it could keep going even
underwater.” She looked at her hands, not wanting to see anyone’s
reaction to that.
    “But not the desert?” Tathan asked.
    Liselle thought about that for a moment
before shrugging. “It’s a ring.”
    “A ring?” Tathan persisted.
    “Yes, a ring, a circle. The spell centered
from me in a circle and as long as any part of it is touching plant
life of any sort, the entire thing will continue. It could even
last a day or two without touching plant life.” As the full impact
of what she said dawned upon them, awe began to show in their eyes,
except for Sir Danth, but awe seeped from the helmet