Magnus asked, ‘Can you not turn the wind, blow it back on itself?’
‘I can command it,’ answered the elf, ‘but not over so wide a front. And, like all things with fundamental elements, there is always a price to pay.’
‘So rain is out of the question?’ asked Amirantha, looking at the rapidly approaching inferno.
‘There is no hope of rain,’ said Temar.
‘Perhaps I can help,’ said Amirantha. ‘Please stand away from me.’
Pug, Magnus, and Temar moved as Amirantha motioned them to move further back. When he judged them to be at a safe distance, he held up his hand, closed his eyes and incanted a spell. Brilliant white light shot from his hand and burnt a line in the ground. In seconds it encircled the Warlock. He nodded in satisfaction, then stepped out of the circle, being careful not to step on the burned line as he took up a position between it and the people watching him.
He began another spell, this one longer and more involved, and then something huge appeared in the circle. For lack of a better description, Pug saw it as a thing of water, a huge being roughly man-like in shape, but clearly fluid. Ripples across the surface held surging waves within its form, and bubbles and foam seemed to deck its shoulders like a mantle. It cried out in a language that sounded like the roar of rapids or the pounding of waves, and rushed Amirantha. The warlock stood motionless for when the creature reached the boundary of the circle, it recoiled.
Amirantha said, ‘Summoned you, I have; and my bidding you will do.’ The creature seemed disinclined to agree. Amirantha began another spell, and then it grew quiet. Amirantha pointed to the advancing flames and said one word, then the circle vanished.
The water creature grew. Pug and the others stepped back in amazement as it doubled in size in a few seconds. Amirantha turned his back and walked slowly to where the others stood and said, ‘This should take care of the problem.’
The water-being continued to grow and was soon over twenty feet in height; then it sprang into the air. Like a bowshot it was gone, arching high into the sky and then suddenly it vanished. Rain fell.
There was not a cloud in the sky yet rain poured down over the flames.
Amirantha said, ‘It won’t be enough to extinguish the fire completely, but it should stop the flames spreading this far.’ He glanced at Temar. ‘And perhaps it will give our friend here the time he needs to select a more permanent solution?’
Temar nodded, ‘I can feel the weather changing. In a half-day, there will be enough moisture in the air for me to call the rain. Thank you.’
Amirantha nodded and smiled. Pug said, ‘What was that creature? I’ve never seen one like it before.’
‘It was a simple water elemental. A very minor demon. Nasty if you don’t contain it immediately as it can fill your lungs with water very fast. My first encounter with one was most painful.’ He glanced at the falling water and said, ‘Water and fire elementals are natural enemies. Once I made it listen, just pointing out the fire made it eager to kill it.’ He chuckled. ‘Elementals are not among the brightest of creatures.’
‘Will you have any problem controlling it?’ asked Magnus, obviously curious.
‘No,’ said Amirantha. ‘The elemental will give itself up to the fire once it runs out of water . . . well, it saves me the trouble of banishing it back to the demon realm.’
‘It’s a demon?’ asked Pug.
‘Not entirely, but close in some respects.’ He glanced around. ‘Interesting place. I don’t believe I’ve ever been here before.’
‘You travel a lot?’ asked Pug, finding something about this newcomer’s manner wryly amusing.
‘Many years ago. I have settled down a bit, recently.’ He looked around some more and said, ‘Given when we arrived at your very interesting island, the time of day we departed, and the position of the sun here, I assume we are many miles to the east of where we were a few minutes ago.’ He glanced at Pug and said, ‘Somewhere in Kesh.’ Then he added, ‘Perhaps the Peaks of the Quor.’
‘I’m impressed,’ said Pug. ‘Seeing as you claim to have never been here before.’
‘I haven’t,’ said Amirantha with a friendly smile. ‘But given the angle of the sun and the time of day, and the fact we’re standing on a mountainside, looking down at what can only be sea coast, there weren’t a lot of other likely places. I may not have been here, but I have studied a map or two.’
Pug glanced at his son. ‘My demon expert?’ His son nodded. ‘Where did you find him?’
Magnus said, ‘Actually, Kaspar brought him to the island last night.’
Amirantha smiled, it was morning when we left Maharta.’
‘Maharta?’ asked Pug.