Vassal

by Sterling D'Este

  She was quickly devolving to sulking.

  “I was looking forward to drinking the mage’s blood and fucking the priestess.” Of course she did. She’d been getting the two of them to give her blood—and therefore, power—the entire trip. The idiot mortals just hadn’t realized that their desperate acts to save Alphonse had been feeding the Goddess all along.

  “There’ll be others.”

  As quickly as she had sunk into pouting, the Goddess’s gaze became assessing and then lecherous. She smiled, rounding on him—a cat remembering the mouse. “I’ve been thinking about your reward, Crael…” she murmured, inching closer, hands coming to entwine in his tunic.

  Now, this was much closer to what Tristan had been looking forward to. He gripped her body, pulled her roughly to him. There was no fear in him now, just a desire for her wildness, for her ferocity.

  “And what would that be, Enyo?”

  “I think you should meet a friend of mine. I’m certain you two would get along swimmingly. He’s a very good friend to have, for rogues like you.” She crooned, tracing her fingers through his blonde hair amorously. Almost tenderly.

  Her eyes took on a glassy look, remembering her past—remembering who she had been left behind.

  Tristan cocked an eyebrow and leaned back so that he could watch the Goddess’s face.

  “A friend to rogues?” He drew out his words, long and languorous even as he tightened his hands around Enyo’s hips. “I know of many friends of rogues. Are you so certain I haven’t met him?”

  Something snapped to focus in her gaze, and Enyo looked up into Tristan’s face with eerie intensity.

  ❂

  She leaned in to sniff him and— “You complete bastard.” Despite her harsh words, they might have been loving compliments as Enyo yanked his face down for a ravishing kiss.

  Releasing him, she laughed, face bright with joy and excitement.

  “You look ridiculous!” She raked her gaze over his strong body, cocky features, and tattooed arm. So mortal. Hiding so well in plain sight. She hadn’t seen him until now—until her senses restored.

  He’d never been able to hide that scent.

  Va'al shrugged, though it was impossible to keep his grin from his face. The cocky prick.

  “You work with what you’ve got. Besides, my transition was decidedly more painless. Tristan was perfectly willing.”

  He sounded smug, but he kissed her again anyway, gripping her chin with a strength that matched her own.

  She scoffed. “The dice worked?” He had always been a gambler, but even she had thought it mad to hide his artifact away in a cave with dragons. He could have been locked away for a millennia before someone ever came across him. Released him.

  And yet somehow, he had gotten out sooner than she—the first to return to their world.

  “Shut up,” she ordered before he could gloat at the brilliance of his trick. Instead, she wrapped her arms tightly about his neck and devoured him.

  ⚀

  For once, Va'al obeyed without any jokes or tricks.

  He leaned into Enyo’s ferocity. Tugged at her lips. Sought after her tongue. He wrapped one arm around her waist and bound her intimately to his body. Freed the other to trace a slow path up her exposed thigh.

  This was what he had been waiting for.

  Centuries in blackest prison. Decades bound within mortal flesh.

  But finally. Finally.

  Enyo was back.

  And he would have her.

  Chapter XXIX

  Eighth Moon, First Quarter: Thloegr

  The moment Delyth landed, Etienne rounded on her. “What have you done?” His voice was desperate, cracking. “You left her! They’ll— He’ll—”

  He cut off, unable to go farther.

  That was still Alphonse’s body, and Enyo had already demonstrated that she meant to bed Tristan. She had commanded Delyth to watch.

  “I left her?” Etienne didn’t think he had ever seen the priestess so angry. She might have yelled, but as it was, she could barely speak. There were bruises splotching her neck and her voice seemed caught at the source. “Like you did?”

  He deflated immediately. She was right. If he had only stayed…

  But then again, there was no telling how long Enyo had known how to bind his magic.

  Perhaps there had never been any hope at all.

  Delyth buried her face in her hands. Her breaths were whistling out past her fingers, but they were even. Her shoulders were moving down away from her neck.

  “Alphonse—Alphonse is still in there,” she said, letting her hands fall. Every word sounded like agony. “I ran because staying wouldn’t protect her. And I need you alive. To fix this.”

  “Fix this?” Etienne’s voice was incredulous. “How, Delyth? Didn’t you see what happened? Hear the explosion? I couldn’t use magic against Enyo. You can’t fight her. Alphonse is lost.”

  Not like he had thought before, but entirely within the Goddess’s power.

  Delyth’s hands clamped down hard on the mage’s shoulders, and she shook him viciously. “You are not giving up. Understand?” She shoved him back against a pine. “Because if you do, I will leave you here. Find a mage that will help me. And when I free her, I will tell her you gave up a second time.”

  Etienne’s head was hanging when she released him. He didn’t know when he had started crying, but tears were coursing down his cheeks. This would be a fool’s errand. Doomed to failure. Two desperate people hunting for a lost soul.

  But they would hunt all the same.

  Translations

  Rhosan

  aderyn bak: little bird

  annwyl: darling, beloved, dear

  Bak un: small one

  Brig'ia: ice peak

  Bykhan: little one

  Caer: fort or stronghold

  Dewr: brave

  Dilynwr: He Who Follows

  Draig Bak: little dragon

  Fford: road

  Mynydd: mountain

  Tref: town/village

  Un Cyntaf: First One, swiftest

  Old Gods

  A: to

  Ahoint: here/now

  Ba’oto: priest/priestess

  Beste: you/your/you’re

  Ca’at: can’t, won’t, don’t

  Crael: posessive pet name

  Eet: who

  Es: is

  Et: or

  Fa: with

  Fein: believe, think, know

  Ja’alt: fear

  Karak: call/summon

  Kran: choose/choice

  Krin: fight/defeat/battle/war

  Ma’oh: home

  Mandi: human

  Meste: me/my/mine/I

  Monan: man/male

  Taouk: god/ruler/master

  Tein: has

  U: of/ for/to

  Wyt: deserve, earn, win

  Yuk: consume

  Pronounciation Guide

  Characters:

  Alphonse: Al- fonz

  Anwen: An-win

  Brande: Brandy

  Branwen: Brahn-win

  Cerys: Kair-iss

  Delyth: Del-ith

  Emhyr: Em-ere

  Etienne: Eh-tee-en

  Rhys: Rise

  Tanwen: Tan-win

  Tristan: Trist- an

  The Gods:

  Aryus: Ar-ee-us

  Enyo: En- Yo

  Esha: Eh-sha

  Iluka: Ill-uke-ah

  Kirit: Keer-it

  Maoz: Ma'oz

  Ruyaa: Rue-yah

  Tha’et: Thah'eht

  Va’al: Vah'all

  Places

  Aberdwir: Ah-ber-dweer

  Aur’Draig Peaks: Our’draeg

  Bwystfil Hilion: Bwist-fill Hil-lee-on

  Caerthleon: kair-thlee-on

  Glynfford: Glen-ford

  Gwynhafan: Gwen-hoff-an

  Ingola: In-gol-a

  Moxous: Mox-us

  Morpentre: Mor-pen-treh

  Mynydd Gwyll
t Clan: My-nid Gwilt Clan

  Thloegr : Thlo-ger

  Thlonandras: Thlan-an-dras

  Tir Maru: Tear Mar-oo

  Nyth’draig: Nith-draeg

  Treffin: Treff-in

  Rhith Gwerin: Rith gwair-in

  The Fundamentals of Magic

  An Essay by Etienne d’Etoile Required in Punishment for Speaking Out in Lecture

  There is no agreement among scholars as to the origin of magic. Some believe that it was a gift made to humanity by the gods, others that it lies in another plane of existence altogether. The only thing that is absolutely certain is that magic is not of Illygad. It is not a resource produced within the confines of this world, nor an element appearing natively therein and so must be torn from beyond the walls of our very reality. This paper does not make so bold a claim as to determine the hazy wellspring of magic, but rather to outline its practical use. These methods, devised and much tested by Moxous scholars, must encompass the best and most efficient magical practices within the world of Illygad.

  The Acquisition of Magic

  Simply put, the practice of magic consists of two distinct portions: the acquisition of magical power and its immediate use. This first section will focus on the first step, on the necessary procedures for pulling magic into our reality from its source, henceforth labeled the Wellspring, as it is often referred to within the halls of Moxous.

  To obtain magic from the Wellspring, a mage must first understand the amount of magic required for their spell. Summoning too much magic without giving it sufficient direction can leave that excess power trapped within the human form to disastrous effect: at the very least, the wreck of the mage’s health, and in best cases, their death. For this reason, every scholar within the Moxous School of Magics first learns to control the amount of magic they will summon before ever attempting to summon it for any given spell. This often takes the form of an incantation that expresses the intent of the caster, though it can also appear as a rune, symbol, or series of these.

  Along with the statement of intent to bend reality and procure the correct amount of magical power, the mage must also provide energy. The Wellspring cannot be breached without some fuel to open the way; no action at all can be completed without energy, whether by the consumption of food by man or wood by fire or light by plants. In this, magic is no different. Energy to open the Wellspring is often provided in the form of several different components, which might be as widely varied as bee’s wing, toadstool, mountain salts, or thrush egg, and might need to be burned or boiled or baked. There are too many options for possible spell component combinations, but it all can be simplified thusly: to procure magic, the mage must announce their intent and fuel the breach into the Wellspring.

  Using Magic

  As the human body is not capable of containing magical power for any length of time, once acquired, this magic must immediately be put to some use. The mage is again required to impose their intent on the world, this time often through the means of a chant or formula. It might seem a slow method to the uneducated reader, but should they take a moment to try and devote their attention to a single object, they would find just how difficult it can be to focus one’s intent so fully. The use of ritual here directs that focus to ensure that the magic is spent on its intended purpose instead of bending towards the mage’s stray thoughts to unforeseeable consequences. The formulaic method has another benefit as well: complexity. A formula might be thought out and edited extensively before its use to create enormous and layered works of magic.

  There is not enough space within the confines of this work to discuss all of the uses to which magic might be put. However, other than the casting of spells mentioned in the previous paragraph, there is one other use that ought not to go unmentioned. Over the course of the five hundred years since its establishment, the scholars of the Moxous School of Magic have refined the methods of placing summoned magic within the confines of a receptacle designed to hold it.

  Surely, the reader can see the possibilities afforded by such a method. Mundane objects might be coaxed into the most extraordinary purposes, or else the magic might be saved to be used in spells later, significantly reducing the time spent in preparing to cast them.

  Notable Exceptions

  It is now widely accepted among the denizens of Moxous that there are those who can perform magic without following the steps listed above. Whereas anyone might cast a spell with enough study (for all that some are more gifted for the work than others), there are three known types of mages that are born with innate magical abilities.

  Born with a birth defect in the form of a kernel of magic within their bodies, healers are capable of using magic to repair the bodies of themselves and others without first delving into the Wellspring. The downside to this magic is that it is finite, so healers in Ingola are trained to use other methods whenever possible. Like healers, seers do not need the Wellspring to be granted their visions; however, it is unclear whether or not they also contain a finite source of magic or if they are just particularly sensitive to the currents of magic within Illygad. The last of these innately talented magic users are those with spiritsight. Less is known about the people who see spirits than any of the other types of mages, and some have even postulated that it is not a form of magic at all. It is certain that those with spiritsight are not capable of producing magic without opening the Wellspring, but they do tend to make particularly gifted mages.

  Though still relatively unstudied, there are those in Moxous who long to recreate the presence of an internal well of power in those who can practice other forms of magic, though so far, this process has been futile. No healer has yet existed that could use their magic in any way not immediately aiding the body’s natural course. Seers may only glimpse the future.

  Conclusion

  An overly curious reader may here begin to wonder what place the magic of the Wildlands might have within this system, and to that, I have only to say that it has no place whatsoever. The heathen clans of the north follow an entirely different practice born in more barbaric times. Fraught with the use of blood and sacrifice, their ‘magic’ (if it indeed might even be called so rather than the scornful and perhaps more accurate term, superstition) has no use to the repertoire of the learned mage.

  That being said, the methods and uses of magic are vast, indeed, limited only to the imagination and skill of the caster. They play a vital role in Ingolan society, from the simplest flame-less lantern to the magics that guard the king himself, and open an avenue of education and advancement to those who undertake to immerse themselves within magic’s extraordinary intricacies.

  Acknowledgements

  When we started out on the journey to Thlonandras, we had no idea that it would become something we shared with the world. It would not have been possible without plenty of help along the way.

  First and foremost, thank you to our families and loved ones for reading all of the stories that came before Vassal. Thank you for putting up with the clacks of keyboard strokes all hours of the night and our endless discussions on characters, plot, and grammar.

  Thank you to our awesome beta readers and editor! Your time and feedback meant the world to us! And thank you to our beautiful cover art designer, Sara.

  Thank you to everyone who supported each or any step of this thrilling/terrifying process.

  And of course, thank you, our readers.

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  Goddess

  Call of Calamity Book 2

  Coming March 2021!

  The adventure continues! Follow Delyth, Enyo, Alphonse, and Etienne in the second book of the Call of Calamity Series.

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  Sterling D'Este, Vassal