The Mage Chronicles- The Complete Series

by Lisa Cassidy

  Cayr smoothly changed the subject. “What’s being done to find them?”

  “The Mage Guard is investigating the matter as a priority. Witnesses report that the mage had the ability to fly. It is a unique talent amongst mages, and it shouldn’t take long to identify them if they trained at DarkSkull Hall. Once I have the mage, it won’t be long until we have the Taliath in hand also.”

  “If the Taliath was Shiven, then the mage probably was too,” Garan said dismissively. “Which means it is unlikely they trained at DarkSkull.”

  “Perhaps,” Casovar acknowledged.

  “I will speak to my father about this,” Cayr said. “I’m sure he will devote whatever resources you need to find the intruders.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  “I share your concern over the affair, of course, but is there a reason you’ve come here this morning, Lord-Mage Casovar?” Garan asked.

  Casovar’s cold grey eyes glanced at Alyx for a moment before he turned back to her father, a cool smile on his face.

  “I thought you should know. Whatever prompted the break in may lead these intruders to invade other wealthy residences. You might wish to consider increasing your guard.”

  “Was anything taken from your residence?”

  “Nothing at all.”

  Garan stood. “It sounds to me like the invasion of your home may have been a more personal attack. Perhaps the intruders expected you to be home. I think you’re the one who should increase his guard.”

  Casovar’s mouth thinned. “I have no need of guards with my magic.”

  “Indeed.” Garan smiled. “And as a Taliath, I could say the same. Good day, Lord-Mage.”

  It was a dismissal, albeit a polite one, and Casovar stiffened. Alyx had rarely been more impressed by her father.

  “Good day.” Casovar turned to go, then paused. “I ask that you keep the details of what I’ve told you confidential. It will assist in verifying witness or other reports if it is not widely known that the intruders were mage and Taliath. My servants have already been given strict instructions on the subject.”

  “Nobody will hear anything from us,” Garan said smoothly.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Cayr offered, rising from his chair.

  The room remained silent until the sound of Casovar’s and Cayr’s footsteps had faded from hearing.

  “Tired, was it, Alyx?” Garan said, an edge to his voice. “What were you doing last night?”

  She winced. “It’s probably better you don’t know.”

  His faced hardened. “You and Dashan broke into Casovar’s home, didn’t you?”

  Normally she found her father’s anger intimidating, but no longer. Weariness flooded her at the thought of another argument. “Yes.”

  Garan said nothing for a moment. He lowered himself into his chair, gaze fixed on her the whole time. When he did speak, his voice was low and scathing.

  “What were you thinking to expose Dashan so carelessly? You heard Casovar—now he knows there is a Taliath alive and in the city. How long do you think it will take him to work out who it is?”

  “We didn’t expect to get caught,” she said, warding off the panic rising in her. Dashan would be fine. “He wanted to go with me because we both knew the area better than the others. It made sense at the time.”

  “It was foolish in the extreme,” Garan snapped.

  The door swung open, admitting Cayr. He took one look at both their faces and heaved a sigh. “So it was you last night, then? Who was the... Alyx, you’ve gone white! What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing,” he disagreed. “If you’d been caught last night, all our plans would be ruined.”

  “Two guards were killed!” her father added. He was looking at her like he didn’t know her any more, but that only made her angry at him again.

  “We had good reason for what we did,” she said, trying to defend herself.

  Garan’s mouth thinned, and he stared at her for a long moment before snapping, “Safia!”

  The steward appeared a moment later, serene expression on his face despite the obvious tension in the room. “Yes, sir?”

  “I don’t want any servants near this room until I say otherwise.”

  “Yes, sir.” Safia bowed and disappeared.

  “Talk. Now,” Garan said firmly. “And no more blathering about wanting to find out more before filling us in.”

  Alyx nodded, lowering her voice. “While Tarrick and the twins were in the disputed area, they identified the new leader of the Shiven forces. Worse, they think Casovar is actively working with this leader.”

  “Who is it?” Cayr demanded.

  Alyx looked away from him, meeting her father’s steely gaze. “Shakar.”

  “Shakar?” Garan went rigid in his chair. “That’s not possible.”

  “It’s hard to accept,” she acknowledged. “But the information suggesting Casovar is working against us is close to certain—Dawn is a powerful telepath mage. And if it is Shakar that he’s working with, we need to get proof, or at least some actual evidence, to take to the Mage Council.”

  “And you thought to find that proof in Casovar’s home?”

  “Yes.” She sighed, sinking back in her chair. “But we found nothing.”

  “Who or what is Shakar?” Cayr spoke into the silence.

  Glancing at her father, who nodded slightly, Alyx gave Cayr a succinct rundown of what she’d learned about Shakar at DarkSkull. By the time she’d finished, he looked worried, but it was clear he didn’t understand the implications as well as her father did.

  “Alyx, you’re a noblewoman who will one day be queen,” he said. “No matter what the reason, you can’t go around breaking into lord’s homes. You know as well as I do the consequences if anyone at court found out.”

  “But I’m not just a noblewoman, not anymore.” Alyx looked at them, her voice taking on a pleading quality. “I’ve been trying so hard to make you both understand that. I’ve killed. I’m what DarkSkull made of me—a mage warrior.”

  “Alyx—”

  “You’ve killed people?” Cayr spoke with the same horror in his voice that was clearly written on her father’s face. “I know you said you killed a man who was trying to kill your friend, but… there’s more?”

  Alyx nodded. “Tarrick, the twins, Cario and myself, we were DarkSkull Hall’s Third Patrol. We worked alongside Dashan and his Bluecoats. Our role was to protect DarkSkull. We fought and killed more than once.”

  “Carhall... ” Garan’s voice trailed off. “That’s why you were there. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. You were riding escort duty. I thought it was ceremonial, but it wasn’t, was it?”

  “No. In fact, we were ambushed on the way back. Many died.”

  “And what Lord-Mage Casovar said, about the mage being able to fly?” Cayr asked.

  “I’m a mage of the higher order, like he is,” she replied. “I have many skills, one of which is flying.”

  Garan sat back in his chair, something like the weariness she was feeling settling over his face. “When I sent you there, I never thought… ”

  “You should have.” The words came out more sharply than she’d intended. “But maybe you’ll believe me now. Casovar is a threat to Rionn, and I’m not going to sit idly by and attend social picnics while that continues. And if Shakar truly is back... I’ll be helping the council destroy him.”

  Cayr and her father looked at each other, but neither of them challenged her. Instead, Cayr changed the subject. “What about the Taliath Casovar mentioned? Who is he?”

  Alyx didn’t want to keep the truth from him anymore. Cayr was one of the people she trusted most in the world, but he was no mage that could protect himself with a mental shield.

  “It’s safer for him if you don’t know,” she said gently. “You know why.”

  Cayr’s face twisted. “I’m starting to realise why my father distrusts the mage order so much. I’
m the prince of Rionn, yet I can’t trust my father’s lord-mage not to invade the privacy of my mind. Worse, I’m kept from information I need to know because of it.”

  “Cayr—”

  He waved a hand and stood up. “I hate how all this has changed everything. You’ve become part of a world that I don’t understand and couldn’t even if I wanted to. Lord Egalion, I should go. Thank you for breakfast.”

  “Cayr, wait.” Alyx rose from her chair and caught up to him at the door. “I can’t help any of this, but I hope you know that no matter who I am or what I do, you’re always going to be one of the most important people in my life.”

  “We spoke about mages of the higher order only a few days ago, and you didn’t tell me what you were. Why?” he asked, anger and hurt warring on his face.

  “For the same reasons I can’t tell you who the Taliath is.” She sighed. “It’s dangerous, what I am, more than you realise.”

  “Will you tell me what you mean by that?”

  “I will, but not now. When we have some time.”

  His face softened a little, though he still looked sad. “All right. I’ll see you later.”

  She nodded, leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. “Bye, Cayr.”

  Her father was staring out the window when she returned to the table, and she wondered what he was thinking about.

  “You still angry at me?”

  “Furious,” he said dryly. “And don’t even try to tell me you didn’t say anything because of Casovar’s telepathic ability. I’m immune.”

  “I needed to do something, Papa, and I knew you’d tell us not to.”

  “You were reckless,” he said shortly. “And not only in risking Dashan. You put our plan at risk. If the court finds out you were involved, the lords’ support for your betrothal will vanish in a puff of smoke.”

  “I’d like to know how Casovar knows anything,” Alyx murmured, almost to herself. “Only two guards saw us last night, and they’re both dead.”

  All at once her father sat up straight in his chair, startling her. “Aly-girl, your mother!”

  “My...” Her words faded as she realised what he just had. “I have to go!”

  He reached out—quicker than thought—to take her arm, his eyes serious as he forced her to meet them. “Do what you need to do, but promise me you’ll be careful and discreet,” he urged. “If Casovar is truly working against us, then he’s an adversary, a much more immediate one than Shakar.”

  “I have some experience at dealing with adversaries, Papa.”

  “Not one as dangerous as this, Aly-girl.” His words followed her out the door.

  She stepped outside to find the driveway and green lawn filled with horses and soldiers—Ladan’s men. Romney hovered at the periphery, barking the occasional order to hurry up.

  “Romney!” Alyx strode over to him. “Where’s Ladan?”

  “In the stables, My Lady,” Romney’s scowl faded as he addressed her. “He wants to leave this morning.”

  She managed a smile for him. “I hope we’ll see you back here again soon.”

  His lips twitched, the closest to a smile she’d ever seen on the veteran warrior. “I hope so too, Lady Egalion.”

  Ladan hovered over a table in the tack room of the stables, Dashan at his side. A map lay unrolled on the table before them. Her brother was dressed for riding, heavily armed. Dashan wore his Bluecoat uniform, his hat holding down one corner of the map.

  “You planning to say goodbye before riding off?” Her sharp words caught both men’s attention, and they looked up.

  “Of course I was,” Ladan said in irritation, then seemed to notice her agitated state. “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to talk to you. Papa and I just realised something.”

  Dashan reached for his hat. “I should go.”

  “No, please stay.”

  Their gazes met and held for a moment, and he capitulated with a small smile. Something inside her relaxed.

  “The first thing is that Casovar somehow knows... ” Alyx hesitated—she’d been about to say Taliath, and cursed herself. Tiredness was making her careless. “He knows a mage broke into his home last night.”

  “How?” Dashan demanded. “Only the two guards saw us, and they’re both dead.”

  “I honestly have no idea.”

  Ladan glanced at Dashan, then her. “You’ll have to be careful. More than careful given you don’t know exactly what he knows.”

  “I will.” She brushed off his concern. “More importantly, Papa insisted I tell him the reason we broke in. It made him realise something.”

  “What?” Impatience threaded his tone.

  “The information our mother discovered. Why she left you and went racing off. We thought she learned something about the missing mages—we were right, but it was more than that. Ladan, what if she found out about Shakar being alive!”

  Her brother’s eyes widened, and he absently reached up to run a hand over his short hair. Then, he sat abruptly. “He killed her.”

  “Don’t go racing too far ahead,” Dashan warned. “We don’t know for absolute certain yet that he’s alive. Besides, Romas said your mother was travelling to meet him. It sounds like she was going to warn the council, not confront Shakar.”

  Alyx met her brother’s eyes. Dashan’s words were logical, but they weren’t true. Garan knew their mother better than anyone, and he’d guessed instantly what she would do—confront Shakar.

  “She’s the proof we need for the council. If we find out what happened to her, we find the proof,” she urged.

  “The letter.” Ladan shot back to his feet. “After your visit last year I sent some men searching for the mage named Terin. They didn’t find out much, and then we were so busy with the Shiven on our borders I didn’t do anything further.”

  “What did they find out?”

  “He was a mage, like we guessed, but he retired from the council years ago. Romney heard word of a place he might have gone to, but that was all.”

  “You have to track him down. If you can find Terin, maybe you can learn what he told our mother.”

  “That’s assuming he told her anything.” Dashan weighed in again. “It could have been pure coincidence that he was in the area when your mother learned whatever it was that made her leave.”

  “What other options do we have? There was nothing in Casovar’s home, and he’s so suspicious of us now, we can’t do much more here.”

  Ladan began pacing. “I need to get home. Widow Falls is vulnerable as long as I’m away.”

  “This is more important, and I can’t go. Casovar would never give permission for me to leave Alistriem for an extended time without good reason, and I’m still technically under his command,” she said.

  “Romney is capable, Lord Mirren,” Dashan said. “Send him back to Widow Falls to manage things until you get back.”

  Ladan stayed silent, staring grimly at the floor, and Dashan glanced between them. “I should get going. My shift starts soon.”

  “You’ve been assigned back to Alistriem?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Lord Mirren and I surveyed the border area to the north of Widow Falls and put together a plan for the king. Those plans have been passed to Prince Cayr. It is now for the king to decide what to do.”

  “Be safe, Dash,” she said softly. “You don’t need me to tell you to keep your head down after last night. Casovar is already searching the city for those responsible.”

  “You too. Lord Mirren, best of luck.”

  Once he’d gone, Alyx spoke into the ensuing silence. “I know it’s a longshot, but we need to do something, Ladan.”

  “I agree. I’ll do as you ask.” Ladan nodded.

  Alyx hesitated. “You spoke to Cayr about your plans?”

  “I did.” Ladan rolled up the map and turned to stuff it into one of his saddlebags. “He is a good man. I sense that he will do everything he can to make you happy.”

  She shook her head, dismissing
those words as something she didn’t want to deal with. “He mentioned the other day that he wanted to send more resources to Widow Falls?”

  Ladan’s jaw clenched. “He gave me little choice in the matter. In fact, I need to make sure I get back in time for the arrival of new soldiers.”

  “Tell me as soon as you find out anything about Terin.”

  “If I can find the blasted man. I can’t spend too long searching,” he warned, then hesitated. “I offered Dashan the position of Romney’s second. Romney is getting older, and his job is a dangerous one. After Romney’s retirement, Dashan would head my forces.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she turned away to hide them, leaning her palms on the table for support. “Ladan, he’s a Taliath.”

  For a moment there was silence, then a warm arm wrapped around her shoulders. “I know.”

  “Tell me you didn’t hide it from me too,” she whispered.

  His arm around her tightened. “No. I suspected, and so I spoke to Papa about it. It’s part of why I came here—he told me you knew already.”

  Nodding, she turned into his chest, taking the comfort he was offering. Ladan’s gruff voice spoke over her shoulder. “The Bluecoats will never make full use of Dashan’s skills, and if he stays in Alistriem he will always have the taint of his half-Shiven blood hanging over him. I hope he takes me up on my offer. He’s become a... friend.”

  “Look at you, making friends.” She smiled through her tears, then wiped them away and stood back. “Thanks, big brother.”

  He nodded, hesitating. “If he chooses to join me, I’m going to tell him. I won’t hide things from someone I expect to trust me implicitly.”

  “I think you should,” she said. “If he wasn’t in so much danger here in the city, I would have told him already. I hate keeping it from him. But with you he’ll be as safe as he can be.”

  His hard face softened. “Be careful, Aly-girl. I hate leaving you here alone with that snake of a lord-mage.”

  “I’m not alone, and I’ll be fine. I look forward to hearing from you.”

  He hugged her once more, and then he was gone.

  Chapter 28

  The following week passed uneventfully. While the Mage Guard investigation continued, no arrests were made, and Casovar’s attitude towards Alyx and her friends didn’t change in any meaningful way.