The Mage Breaker

by Whiskey Flowers

  “No of course not but I am a cultured lady when I need to be” Claudia said. “And I was coming here to surprise Baron Collier and you agreed to accompany me to ward off any thugs. No one knows how old you are here and I would appreciate it if you do not do anything to prove it different. You are just being a gentlemen protector to give Queen Caroline and Duchess Soves peace of mind.”

  “Well this ought to be good, when did you send the message?” Tanner asked.

  “As soon as we arrived in town it was sent” Claudia replied. “The rest of our people should be here shortly, hopefully they can beat Baron Collier here.”

  “Looks like you are too late” Tanner said. “I hear someone outside and your servant just opened the front door.”

  “Well let me pretend like I have been cooking” Claudia said. “All men tend to like their meals prepared by their beloved, gives it an extra bit of love.”

  “You are every bit of the conniver your mother is” Tanner laughed. “That little bit probably would have worked on me back in the day. Even when my wife’s food was horrible I still loved it because I knew she made it from a place of love.”

  “Well go greet our guest” Claudia said as she walked towards the kitchen.

  “Hello” Tanner said as he saw a well-dressed man flanked by three women. The man he guessed was the Baron was a short man who was dressed in a light blue robe and holding a staff that looked old and well worn. He was a strawberry blonde and so were all of his daughters, he had a close-cropped beard and would have avoided eye contact with Tanner if Tanner hadn’t stuck out his hand.

  “Uh, hello” Baron Collier said. “I was invited here for dinner by Lady Soves.”

  “Then you are in the right place” Tanner said as he noticed Baron Collier had not shook his hand. “My name is Tanner to all my friends but since you have me here holding my hand out like a perfect fool you can call me Earl Tox.”

  “I apologize Your Lordship” Baron Collier said as he hurriedly shook Tanner’s hand. “You just caught me by surprise.”

  “Well then call me Tanner” Tanner replied. “I don't use fancy titles to anyone I consider a friend.”

  “Tanner this is my eldest daughter Minnova” Baron Collier said pointing to a thin girl who looked around the place like something was going to jump out and bite her. She held her staff like it was made of gold and gave a little wave with the hand holding it, it reminded Tanner of why he hated mages. “My second daughter Marrin and my youngest Elgie.” Both girls smiled when they looked at him, neither of them were put out by the plain exterior. Tanner thought the oldest was in her early twenties or late teens, Baron Collier had to have fathered her early. The other two didn't look much younger and Tanner thought the youngest any of them could have been was sixteen.

  “Nice to meet you all” Tanner replied. “Claudia is in the kitchen, she will be out soon.”

  “What is she doing in the kitchen?” Minnova asked.

  “Trying to impress your Da” Tanner replied.

  “You look a little young to be Earl” Minnova said. “Where is your father?”

  “Long dead along with my Ma” Tanner replied. “Like I was saying earlier I don't put too much weight on titles.”

  “Tanner” Baron Collier said. “I admit I wasn't expecting to see Lady Soves, we have only corresponded for a few months.”

  “Well she wanted to surprise you so here she is” Tanner said. “I just came along because her mother and the Queen asked me to.”

  “The Queen?” Minnova asked. “You know the Queen?”

  “Something like that” Tanner replied.

  “The Queen is a mage,” Minnova said. “I didn't know she kept company with mundanes.”

  “Listen you” Tanner said. “You have been a little shit since you came in the door. You don't have something nice to say then get the hell out. I don't care that you are a mage, not even a little bit.”

  “My betrothed will hear you spoke to me in this manner” Minnova said as her father held up his hand.

  “You tell him” Tanner replied. “What exactly is he going to do? Challenge an Earl? He is going to do nothing, that is what he is going to do.”

  “You shouldn't even have the title, you are not even a mage” Minnova said angrily. “No one here will respect the title of some Ketian.”

  “Minnie that is enough” Baron Collier said softly. “You are embarrassing our family.”

  “I won't engage this oaf because you asked me to” Minnova said as Tanner quickly crossed the room, snatched away her staff and broke it over his knee. Minnova stood there in shock as Tanner tossed the two pieces to the ground.

  “Your girl call me another name and it will be her last time” Tanner said angrily as Elgie screamed. “I don't give two shits whether or not your girl respects folks that aren't mages or if she cares about titles or nobility. She will respect me though or she will leave, only thing she is going to do is get whatever little man she has so spun up that he is going to be in a fight he can't get out of.”

  “What is the commotion in here?” Claudia said as she came into the room and locked eyes with Baron Collier.

  Tanner wanted to laugh, Claudia had flour on her face that looked too perfect. She looked messy and classy at the same time and had a fake shocked look on her face. Tanner thought she looked cuter than he had ever seen her and the Baron looked like he had saw a goddess land in front of him.

  “This girl is trying to get her man killed” Tanner said. “She is going to spin him up like a top and send him to get killed.”

  “Claudia” Baron Collier said shocked.

  “Daniel” Claudia said then covered her mouth. “How did I let you see me in such a state, I need to go freshen up.”

  “No you don't” Baron Collier said. “You look beautiful the way you are.”

  “She looks my age” Minnova said. “Father you can't be serious in marrying this girl, she isn’t even a mage.”

  “Neither are your sisters” Baron Collier said as he walked over to Claudia who was blushing furiously. “And she is beautiful, one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.”

  “You spoil me Your Lordship” Claudia said and shied away.

  “Claudia these are my daughters Minnie, Marrin and Elgie” Baron Collier said.

  “Hello ladies” Claudia said then did a small curtsy. “Won't you come sit down?”

  CHAPTER 11

  “Tanner thank you for joining me” Claudia said. “And thank you for not beating my future daughter in law despite her many slights.”

  “It took all I had not to fly across your dinner table and smack her around a bit” Tanner said. “If she had something swinging between her legs she would have gotten flattened like an ugly bug under a fat woman’s shoe.”

  “Well she is bound to be here and so is her Victor” Claudia said with a sigh.

  “Oh I can't wait to meet this idiot” Tanner said. “Main reason I am here is because I don’t want the girl to think I am scared since all she talked about at dinner is how strong her man is. Her Da ignored most of it since he had his eye on a pretty little thing across from him that kept batting her eyelashes.”

  “If you have it” Claudia said then smiled. “You should flaunt it. Now are you ready to step out of this carriage? You look absolutely dashing in that outfit. Maybe you will catch some pretty mage girl’s eye. There are not going to be many people here that do not have the gift and any mundanes you see will be in the immediate family of a mage.”

  “Me with some mage girl?” Tanner said laughing. “You have a better chance of seeing a rich fat man become celibate and a vegetarian. Let me know if you see any fat mouths that need closing, my sword has been agitated since we stepped into this place.”

  Tanner got out of the carriage and helped Claudia down. He thought it was a little weird that there were no guards around, Tanner had to be the only person holding steel. He shook his head at the stupidity, the mages thought they were so great and powerful they di
dn’t need guards. If Golden really had a problem with these folks he could have sent a bunch of the Hand to kill everyone inside of the building Claudia called a Ball Hall. Claudia took Tanner’s arm and led him into the building. The building was one big room for the most part with a door inside that looked like it could have led to a kitchen. Tanner held his head high and could see many eyes were on him, he and Claudia were probably the only people native to Ket in the building. The place looked as fancy as Tanner expected it to be and was happy there wasn’t anyone at the door calling out names.

  “Excuse me, are you in the right place?” a female said as she blocked Tanner’s path. She was around thirty with long red hair and bright green eyes. Tanner thought she was an okay looking woman if not for the fact she had a staff that was slightly pointed at him.

  “Of course” Tanner replied and let a small smile play on his face. “I am the Earl of Tox and I accompany the future Duchess Soves.”

  “You are Ketians?” the woman stated. “Mundane Ketians.”

  “And you are?” Tanner said getting a little angry.

  “I am just wondering what you are doing here” the woman said as Tanner snatched her staff away and snapped it in two pieces with his hands.

  “I don’t give a shit what you want or why” Tanner said angrily. “No sour faced shrew that looks like she hasn’t had it cracked open properly in a while is going to dress me down. I am normally not one for fancy titles and shit but I can tell when someone thinks they are better than me. Now get out of my face before I get you out of my face.”

  “Calm down Tanner” Claudia said. “Perhaps whoever this woman is just needs to know your name. She is probably is the help and you just broke her broom.”

  “How dare you!” the red haired woman said shouting. “I am the second daughter of Baronet Dales, not some servant!”

  “Oh excuse me Milady” Claudia replied. “I thought since you failed to use the Earl’s title that you were some uncultured greeter. I never dreamed that you were so daft that you would approach and question a man of higher status than you are that looks like he does.”

  “Did you just call me daft?” the woman said seething in rage.

  “I guess I did” Claudia said innocently. “But don’t worry dear, just have your people teach you lessons in etiquette and no one would be the wiser.”

  “What is this all about?” said an older man holding on to a staff. Claudia had coached Tanner to watch out for Duke Pithington as he was the most power noble in Tavor.

  “Duke Pithington, pleased to finally make you acquaintance” Tanner said and gave a slight bow. “Hopefully this was just a misunderstanding.”

  “The pleasure is yours” Duke Pithington said. “Now answer my question.”

  “Who the pit do you think you are?” Tanner said as he got into the Duke’s face. “I am not one of these idiots that bow and scrape down to you.”

  “You think your title means something in this room Ketian?” Duke Pithington said. “I’ll roast your ass alive.”

  “No man threatens me” Tanner said as grabbed the Duke by his shoulders then brought his knee hard into the Duke’s belly. The man vomited from the blow as Tanner held him at arm’s length then backhanded the man to the floor. Tanner stomped hard on the man’s staff and broke it in two pieces. Just as he was about to turn around he felt something slam into his back.

  The feeling was warm, it bathed his body in power and Tanner knew at once what it was. It was a fire spell, meant to kill and give a painful death. Tanner could feel his clothes being burned and turned to face the caster. A short dark haired man was standing next to the Baron’s eldest daughter pouring his all into a spell. Tanner let his magic latch on to any mage he could find and drained them including his attacker. The man had decent magic, he was powerful and against anyone else he would have killed them without getting a scratch on him. Against Tanner he was out of his league and knew it when his magic abruptly cut off thanks to Tanner’s anti-magic field.

  “Mage Breaker!” the man called out as Tanner’s fist slammed into his face. Tanner did not let up, hard kicks peppered the man’s chest as Tanner picked him up by the neck and pressed his head down on a table.

  “I’ll show you how to properly kill a man” Tanner said as he unsheathed the Sword of Ages.”

  “Stop!” Minnova screamed as she threw herself across the man.

  “If you or this piece of shit insult me again I will cut into you like a beggar on a fine steak” Tanner said then looked for the woman who started it all.

  “We didn’t finish our conversation” Tanner said angrily. “Go ahead and run your mouth. My mood is already spoiled and I am in a killing mood.”

  The woman fainted on the spot as Claudia tugged at Tanner’s arm. Tanner looked down and could see most of his clothing was burned to ash. His sword belt fell off of him as soon as he unsheathed his sword. Tanner was practically naked, a condition that did not escape Claudia as Tanner could tell she was using all of her willpower not to look and the sight made him smile a bit.

  “Alright girl I think these people have ruined my good mood” Tanner said. “You tell Duke Pithington if he ever disrespects me again I will cut off his cobblers and stick them in his mouth. That idiot of Minnova’s owes me a new set of clothes and if a week goes by and I don’t have them I am going to take his head off like I am plucking a grape from the vine.”

  “You don’t want to stay?” Claudia asked. “Who will I talk to?”

  “Daniel is here somewhere” Tanner replied. “If his girls are here then so is he.”

  “Mage Breaker” came a man’s voice from behind Tanner. Tanner turned around and could see a nervous looking man gripping his staff so hard that it turned his knuckles white.

  “The name is Tanner or Milord” Tanner said looking at the man. “If you got some fancy words to say about how great you think you are, I would save them.”

  “I-I just wanted to know why you are here?” the man stammered. “Has the king sent you to kill us? I am a good man and I have never done anything to hurt the kingdom.”

  Tanner shook his head at how he had been played again. Jennifer was behind it and knew Tanner would go off as soon as someone needed punched in the mouth. A room full of Tavorian mages wouldn’t be able to help themselves in dressing down a big man with a sword. They would want to let him know that his size meant nothing when it came to magic and Tanner would likely kill a few of them before they left him alone.

  “I came to enjoy myself” Tanner said loudly. “But the next sneer I see on any face, the next slippery comment or insult that comes to my attention I will make sure the one I catch will not take another breath. You enjoy the rest of your evening Sir. Claudia I will be back at home, if there is any ale there it won't be by the time you get there.”

  “I will see you later Your Lordship” Claudia said as Tanner left the place.

  The walk to the house wasn’t all that long, the town was tiny and Claudia only insisted on taking a carriage just to show she could. Tanner left that carriage for her and the air did him good, his name would be all over the tongues of the Tavorians and he would be surprised if assassins were not sent out. They wouldn’t ever get close enough though, the Black Hand would take them out long before anyone could kill him. Tanner got into the house and went straight to his room. The pretend servants that were there did not seem shocked by his appearance or that he was back early. Tanner called for one of them to bring him some ale and slept with his sword close.

  The next day Tanner awakened and could hear there were people in the house not a part of his retinue from Tox. The first hint was that the fake servants hardly ever talked within earshot of him and whoever was in the house was both loud and possibly angry. Tanner shut his eyes and could hear Claudia’s voice followed by the sound of a slap then a scream and finally a moan. Tanner slipped on a robe and followed the voices to see what was happening. Claudia was there holding her face, Duke Pithington was there with six mages but he
was in no position to fight. He had small blade sticking out of his stomach and the servants each had a crossbow out and ready to use. The mages had their staves out but looked unsure now that the Duke had been stuck, the wound wasn’t fatal from a blade as small as what Claudia used but the Duke was probably surprised the girl used a blade on him at all.

  “What is this all about then?” Tanner asked.

  “This man said he wanted you here right now to pay for your crimes then slapped me” Claudia said.

  “Well here I am” Tanner said. “So now what?”

  “This whore stabbed me” Duke Pithington said as he raised his staff and muttered a few words. Tanner cast his anti-magic field then shook his head.

  “Bolt of lightning” Tanner said in recognition of the words. “That is a good killing spell but you can't always rely on magic. To come here after insulting me and then trying to kill takes cobblers. I want you six to go back and tell everyone you know that Earl Tox is nastier than a whore’s small clothes and doesn’t give a shit about fancy titles.”

  Tanner heard the Duke repeat the spell and blurred towards him. Tanner grabbed the man by the head and used his knee to pin the Duke to the floor. Tanner twisted his head hard until a sickening snap was heard and got up. Tanner recognized Victor and started draining his magic. The man realized what was happening and tried to flee as his friends were clueless they had their magic back. Tanner drained every last drop then continued on, it would give him a headache to break a mage this way but he could destroy the man’s ability to hold magical energy. Victor cried out as he collapsed to the floor, the other mages in the room did nothing to help him as Tanner turned his attention to them.

  “You all are safe for the moment” Tanner said. “That Victor fellow let a woman spin him all up and now he has paid the price for it. You can go back and tell everyone that I can cancel the magic of a hundred mages if need be and sending seven was idiotic. Let them know if any assassins try to off me that I will personally come back to Tavor and start killing mages whether they had anything to do with it or not. And please let them know that I always start at the top.”