Soul of Magic: Book 1 of the Chronomancer Series

by Mark August

  “And the other wizard scares me, Vedette.”

  “Cormac is still down there with him. He’s the one I think I can trust, and I’m counting on help from him.”

  “Your father assures me that Cormac’s loyalty to the family is still strong, and he can be helpful to you.”

  “Then he hasn’t told you the full story. Perhaps you should ask him about the chains binding him to the floor of our prison. The very chains Cormac forged for another wizard. No, I’m not counting on loyalty to our family. I’m depending on his concern for me.”

  Her mother stepped back and covered the shock with a hand to her mouth.

  “So, he didn’t tell you about that part of the plan? It’s still a part that I can’t figure out, and it’s one more reason I have to go down there, Mom.”

  The matron of House Atros recovered her composure quickly. She organized her thoughts and focused her concern on her daughter, the woman who had too much responsibility too early. “You should take the guard with you, Vedette. Time spent in prison can change a man. Fear starts to set in, and people’s interest changes to survival.”

  The sorceratti shook her head. “Guards won’t last seconds down there if magic flows. They can’t help me.”

  “This is a foolish gamble, and we should execute the prisoner.”

  “I think we have enough leverage with his sister.”

  “That sounds like hope and not a plan. Your father wouldn’t approve.”

  “I’m trying to offset the risk. I’ve seen how he responds when his sister is threatened. I don’t need to be graphic, just realistic.”

  “You could’ve died the last time.” The accusation hung between them.

  “The real threat was my father and brother blasting away in the confines of the cells. If they hadn’t been in front, the guards would have tried to use spears. He may not have told you, but I was the one in control and prevented the magical explosion.”

  “I heard your father’s version of the story, which is slightly different than what you explained.”

  Vedette shook off her sorceratti role and stepped forward to grab her mother’s hands. The young woman remembered the years she looked up into her mother’s eyes and dreamed of the days they could share secrets. Now they stood eye to eye, and Vedette needed to pry secrets loose. “Mom, there’s more going on in there than you or I understand.”

  “So that makes you stride into danger and figure out the truth?”

  A half-smile crept across Vedette’s face. “You taught me well.”

  The daughter mirrored her mother’s strength of will. The houses across the city looked to Attius Atros, Lord of House Atros, to be the icon of leadership and ability. He longed to fill the role and take his house to new heights. And he was strong enough to create that destiny. However, he couldn’t do it without the city's support, and he would fail without the strength of his family.

  Her mother was trained from youth to be a powerful woman. She could run a noble house and maneuver against nations. The woman holding hands with her daughter was so much more than a pretty face or an organizer of social activity. Strength, power, courage. All reflected in her mother’s eyes. Vedette needed her mother’s support.

  “Mom, I’m nervous about going in there. I have more training than anyone else, but it’s still an area I don’t understand.”

  “Which is why I came here.”

  “I need your support. I don’t know what father is planning with the Council. I’m certain you do.”

  “You always sensed more than others did, Vedette. You are so much more than your magical training.”

  “Mom, I need to know what I’m walking into. Does Father have other plans?” The calculus weighed heavily on her mother, but she never let go of Vedette’s hands. The thought of the youngest child going into the lion’s den against power strong enough to destroy a city block was more than a mother could bear.

  “Magi Cormac felt powerful wizards within the city. Beyond the sorceratti. Your father wanted to set a trap for one of the wizards. He wants to assess the threat to the family and the city.”

  “The plan was to set a trap all along?”

  “Right up until the point where he lost control of it.”

  “I never thought that this would start my life as part of a ruling family. What do I do?”

  Her mother pulled her close, and Vedette rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

  “Save your father from himself.”

  Forty-One

  Kincaid - A talk

  The sorceratti of House Atros returned alone, and arcane power flooded her entire being. Without touching the arcane plane, Kincaid was sure she was ready for any misstep. She dismissed the guards with a wave and waited until they complied.

  The young noble approached the bars to Kincaid’s cell. “We’ve not had a formal introduction. I would have your name.”

  “My name is Kincaid, journeyman to Master Barnet, carpenter.”

  “Master Barnet is no more, Kincaid the carpenter.”

  “What?”

  “You killed him with your power in the carpentry shop. When you destroyed the floor with your magic, men and women died in the collapse. Your shop is abandoned, and the place is considered haunted.” Her voice was flat, and she delivered the news without a shred of compassion.

  Kincaid’s tears choked his voice for a moment. He wondered why the family wasn’t using his respect for Master Barnet against him. The last ounce of hope was crushed under the weight of the shop. When they brought Liane out, he assumed the others avoided being smashed by the falling building.

  “How do you know?”

  “I was there this morning.” She was ready for each of his responses.

  “I can’t believe that.”

  “Then, I have proof.” The youngest member of the house reached underneath her cloak and pulled out a wooden cane. A blackwood cane covered in intricate carvings requiring the skill of a master. Kincaid knew one person in the city who had this piece of art. The sorceratti couldn’t have guessed what piece of work would convince the journeyman.

  Kincaid’s legs gave out under the emotional assault on his spirit. As the cane fell to the floor, hope was gone. He collapsed to his pallet, but his bed offered no comfort. He buried his face in his hands, and his willpower to resist crumbled.

  “Your shop is gone, and your master is dead. Your sister is a prisoner, and she is sentenced to die for magic. Your magic.”

  The young man pulled his face from his hands, his tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “What does your house want from me?”

  “The balance of the city is based on treaties and perceptions of power.” She stood closer to the bars and stared down at Kincaid. Without lifting a finger, she was a conqueror. “Wealth and commerce bring money from all over the world. There’s enough here for armies to wage wars across empires. The one force that can change the balance of power is magic.”

  Kincaid nodded and looked toward Magi Cormac. He’d explained the same, and Kincaid wondered if she was repeating a lesson from years gone by. His eyes were closed, but his posture was alert. “And that’s where I come in?”

  “Not yet. When you used magic within the city, the houses knew the balance could change in a moment. Words of treachery are in the air, and the houses are defensive. Change does not come easy to the powerful, especially when that change strikes at the heart of their power.”

  “And public execution solves many of these challenges. A return to the normal way of life while offering a warning to others.” Kincaid got back to his feet. Pride filled the hole left by the loss of his master and the imprisonment of his sister. He couldn’t change the past, but the sorceratti was here for something.

  “Yes, but the execution takes your actions in isolation. There’s more going on in the city that threatens the balance, and my father needs to know more before you hang.”

  Kincaid was past the threats to his life. The type of execution didn’t matter at this point.
“I didn’t get your name.”

  “I’m the sorceratti of House Atros.”

  “That’s still just a title, sorceratti. You are a practitioner of magic, a sorceress. But I’m confident before you became a sorceratti, you had a name.” Kincaid wasn’t sure why it mattered, but her humanity was essential to him.

  “I am Vedette, youngest child of House Atros.”

  “Vedette, your father was so interested in what I know, he decided to shoot me?”

  “That was not his intent.”

  “Until you used your magic to stop those bullets, it was clearly his intent to kill me. The execution would have been instantaneous, and I wonder how two members of a noble family and a few guards would proclaim my death.” Her face hardened with the accusation.

  “I need to know more. A bullet in your heart leaves me without answers. My father doesn’t understand the questions yet.” Her hands were on the bars, and her eyes glowed with blue energy. The flecks were getting bigger as Kincaid imagined the feeling of power coursing through her veins. He took a step closer.

  “Something else happened in your house. Your questions are about those events.”

  “Tell me what you did in the carpentry shop.”

  “I didn’t know what I was doing. When my sister rushed into the room to help me, I thought we were both going to die. What I pulled on was the force of magic to help me survive and kill those people. I can’t explain much else except how the magic came to me in a rush.”

  “I understand what that’s like.”

  “What happened to you, Vedette?”

  “Unimportant.”

  “Everything that I loved was threatened by extortionists. For all the laws and protection, the guard did nothing to help us. When I had to defend my own life from a group of killers, something clicked inside me. And then I woke up in your prison.”

  Vedette nodded her head. “Your power yesterday made everyone think you have the knowledge to do more.”

  “I don’t even know what more could be. I’m scared that your family thinks I do.”

  Forty-Two

  Vedette - A family talk

  The interview was over, and Vedette left the cane behind on the prison floor. Her mind clicked off the facts of her discussion as she considered her next conversation with her parents. Cormac and the young man, Kincaid. She couldn’t see the connection other than some use of magic. But Cormac was cut off from arcane power through those chains, and the man couldn’t use magic reliably. Did she believe either one of the prisoners? She stored that thought as she entered the Great Hall.

  Vedette didn’t remove her outer layer of clothing and remained standing as her parents looked up from their seats at the table. The expanse of wood held papers, inkwells, and quills scattered along the length. The administration of the house and the city required administrative care. Her father glanced at the look on her face and dismissed the servants with a wave.

  They scrambled to gather the paperwork. “Leave it.”

  For the first time, her parents waited for her to start the discussion.

  “He is an untrained wizard, Father.”

  “The young man in our prison who can summon magical fire with his mind. The man I need to have a magi and a sorceratti stand guard over? Forgive me for my skepticism at this point.”

  Her mother was silent but gave Vedette a nod in encouragement.

  “I understand why this is so hard to believe. But he is not trained in the art of arcane power. I rattled his composure with a discussion of his master, and he took the loss poorly. He didn’t know what he was doing with his magic.”

  “That doesn’t change my concern with how much magic he showed us.”

  “Cormac confirmed he is untrained. But that doesn’t mean he can’t summon his power.”

  “You talked to Cormac, Vedette?” Her mother was not happy with this revelation.

  “Talked is an overstatement. With every interrogation, he is watching the prisoner. And us. Magic is more than a power to be wielded for the purpose of a family or army. He looks at magic with an academic interest. He communicated with me through some gestures as I asked the questions. You’re right, father, Cormac is going to help us.”

  Her father leaned back away from the table and stretched his legs under its length. He rested his hands on his chest.

  “Good news. What would we do if he wasn’t?”

  Without hesitation, Vedette responded, “An immediate execution. The house guards are not enough, and I would have to stand permanent watch over him. I don’t know if we have the strength to restrain him and his power.”

  “Which is why your plan worries me, Attius.” Her mother rarely spoke against her father in front of the children. Vedette assumed they discussed the house's plans outside of their earshot, but she was pleased her mother had a substantial role in the house.

  “We’re past my plan now, love. We have a few options to keep things moving. With the help of our daughter and the magi, we can keep our plans on track and influence the city.”

  “Do you really think we can use this wizard to advance our purposes?”

  Her mother leaned forward with her hands on the table. She was engaged in the discussion as her father plotted the next move.

  “Father, I think we can. We have his sister in our control. And he is starting to understand this house can offer him more than a quick execution if he considers his loyalties.”

  “Attius, this changes everything. The agreements, the laws, the balance. Another wizard can’t be in our employ. It would mean war among the houses.” Livia shook her head and pushed back from the table.

  “A war they couldn’t win. But it’s not a war I want. I need a way to win another election and make the role of Duke permanent. From there, we can build this city into the goals we’ve talked about. We can use this crisis to our advantage.”

  “But the wizard is an unknown.”

  “And he’ll get his execution in due time. We need to show that we honor the laws.”

  Vedette was astounded by the frank discussion of the blatant reach for power. The wizards within these walls weren’t game pieces that obeyed rules. They would follow their own interests.

  “Then where do we go from here, sorceratti?”

  She was being asked for her view on strategy. Another first. “I need more time with him, and I may need to talk to the sister. I think we’ll get him to help us, but it will take more than a noble family’s words. The words of a sister might give us the change we need.”

  “Attius, do you think there’s any threat to us from the other houses?” Her mother’s brow was covered in wrinkles, and her eyes were narrowed.

  “There’s always a threat to us from inside and without. But, we can use this opportunity to resolve some of these threats. I’ll be able to get more time with the City Council if I speak about our breakthrough.”

  “The questions from the Council are going to get harder.”

  Livia Atros was no stranger to the City Council. When Attius traveled to the mainland to discuss trade and treaties, she sat in his chair and carried the same respect as the Duke. Her voice of experience rang true.

  “I agree. I have a plan to meet those requests for information.”

  “Care to share, Attius?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Father—” Her mother shot Vedette a warning glance.

  “Let Cormac continue to do his work, Vedette. Right now, I need the family sorceratti to calculate how the other families will respond if we talk about breaking down this new wizard.”

  “I understand, Father. And I have a great deal of work to do. By your leave.” Without waiting for a response, Vedette turned away from her parents. A month ago, she never considered turning her back on her parents. The power of the sorceratti built new confidence in her mind. Her cloak and dress billowed away from her as she strode to the door to the main hall. Words echoed after her.

  “Do you think she can do this, Attius?”

 
She paused before she pulled the doors open.

  “Yes, I do. Cormac was always more interested in her than the rest of us combined. She’s going to show us what she is truly capable of doing.”

  “Even with politics and power?”

  “Especially with politics and power, my love.”

  Vedette wondered if she was meant to hear that part of the conversation.

  Forty-Three

  Kincaid - Magic's Soul

  “Magic is extraordinary.” Cormac paused and observed Kincaid’s response. “Ever present but always somewhere else. Capable of destruction at your command. And it inspires awe in those who don’t understand.”

  Kincaid sat with legs crossed on the floor near the prison bars. He matched Cormac’s body position as they faced one another.

  “I understand. It’s beyond natural forces. More than nature? Maybe even in contrast to nature.”

  “Good. When we reach for magic, we touch an arcane plane. It’s beyond the laws of nature. But reach is a poor choice of words because that implies using hands. The craft of magic demands more than a skilled touch.”

  “As a carpenter, I could handle a piece of wood and know where it fit in any project. Skilled hands can work anything. Can magic be the same?”

  “Skill with magic is not as predictable as a master’s ability with a physical object.”

  “I can find the arcane plane reliably now.” Kincaid glowed with his newly found inner strength. Each time, Cormac observed his efforts. Kincaid would be ready the next time the Duke returned.

  “Kincaid, magic isn’t an inanimate object like a piece of iron or wood. Wanting to do something with your mind doesn’t craft magic. When you knew what you wanted from the wood in your hand. What did you do?”

  “Select the right tools and work each stroke. I revealed the art from the grain of wood.”

  “Magic is similar, except the tool is you. Remember, you are the tool. But you must wield this power. You are both the tool and the hand.”