War of Magic (Dual Magics Book 4)

by Meredith Mansfield

  Montibeus: Long-time friend of Veleus. Third most Talented among the Fasallon. High Priest and member of the Fasallon High Council. He originally supported Veleus in allowing Vatar to continue outside the rigid control of the Fasallon. Since discovering just how Talented Vatar is, he regrets that decision and continually tries to bring Vatar deeper into the Fasallon fold—usually with the exactly opposite result.

  Dinus: Cestus’s stepfather and supporter in the revolution.

  Lancera: Cestus’s wife. She was unfaithful during his absence and bore a still-born child as a result.

  Jana: Daughter of Cestus and Lancera.

  Arus: Son of Cestus and Lancera.

  Among the Caereans:

  Arcas: Vatar’s cousin, son of Lucina’s brother Lanark and his wife, Castalia. Adopted into the Lion Clan. A member of the Merchant Guild and the only merchant to trade with the Dardani and Modgud. He and Vatar are business partners and co-own a farm outside the walls of Caere which is the center of their business.

  Elaria: Arcas’s wife. Daughter of a prosperous merchant.

  Caslar: Young son of Arcas and Elaria, just about a year older than Jadar. Lion Clan by birth, but he’s never been onto the plains.

  Lanark: Vatar’s uncle, brother to Lucina. A master smith and Vatar’s original mentor and sponsor in the Smiths’ Guild. Arcas’s father.

  Castalia: Vatar’s aunt, wife to Lanark, and mother to Arcas. Great cook. Vatar has a weakness for her berry pies.

  Fowin: Vatar’s first friend in Caere when they were apprentice smiths together. A master smith.

  Gafar: Fowin’s younger brother. Theklan’s first friend in Caere who shut Theklan out after finding out about his magic.

  Among the Valson:

  Quetza: Thekila’s oldest and best friend. In the Valley, she was also a teacher at the Academy, specializing in shape changes. Avid outdoorswoman. She came along with Vatar and Thekila when they left the Valley. She’s in the process of forming a lasting relationship with Orleus. Her avatar is a white wyvern, which is just small enough to allow her to fly.

  Teran: One of Thekila’s oldest friends and one-time rival for her affections. Also a teacher at the Academy, specializing in the Tenets which govern magic use among the Valson. Twin to Terania. His avatar is a black-striped white Forest tiger, which he enhances to make it appear larger than it is. Sometimes, he adds other effects, too.

  Terania: Another of Thekila’s oldest friends. Also a teacher at the Academy, where she specialized in calming and focus techniques. Her avatar is a white mountain cat.

  Sharila: A student at the Academy. Sister to Sharlin and a student in his class. Friend to Theklan.

  Sharlin: A teacher at the Academy, dealing with students with special aptitudes. Brother to Sharila.

  Zoria: Originally one of the five Valson youths who harassed and attacked Vatar. She was trapped in her avatar—a white mountain antelope—for years and remained on the grounds of the Academy in hopes that someone would discover how to free her. Eventually, Vatar did. Sister of Zoridan.

  Zoridan: A recent graduate of the Academy. Brother to Zoria. His avatar is a black wyvern too large to fly.

  Balan: Another recent graduate of the Academy. His avatar is a white giant lake otter, which pretty accurately reflects his personality.

  Among the Exiles:

  Platan: One of the original Valson youths who attacked Vatar and were exiled for it. His avatar is a black wolf. Now husband to Lorania.

  Loran: Another of the youths exiled for attacking Vatar. Actually the leader of the group. His avatar is a black bear. Twin to Lorania.

  Lorania: A member of the group that attacked Vatar. Lover of the youth who died during the attack. Her avatar is a white doe. Twin to Loran.

  Nertan: Father of Loran and Lorania and one of the leaders of the Exiles. The planner.

  Wartan: Father of the boy who died. Co-leader of the Exiles. The firebrand.

  Peoples

  Dardani: A semi-nomadic plains-dwelling tribe who survive mainly by keeping herds of cattle, horses, and goats. Until Vatar was accepted as an apprentice to the Smiths’ Guild, the Dardani only knew how to work copper and bronze. The Dardani have a deep-seated, superstitious fear of magic. The Dardani are divided into six clans—Lion, Eagle, Horse, Raven, Bear, and Wolf. Each clan has an initiation rite that forges a bond with the clan’s totem spirit. So, for example, a member of the Lion Clan can sense the presence of lions and usually tell whether they’re hunting or resting. Though they would be horrified by the thought, this is a form of magic. Most Dardani would identify first as a member of his or her clan and second as a Dardani. Dardani couples typically begin as year mates, during which time the woman is expected to chew an herb that prevents pregnancy. Generally after two years, the couple declare themselves life mates.

  Caereans: A general term for the non-magical residents of all the sea coast cities, not just the chief city, Caere. Caerean life is organized around the family and the guilds. The various craft guilds—Smiths, Merchants, Weavers, etc.—wield most of the day-to-day power in the cities. They pay a “tribute” to the Fasallon during the Festival in which their Sea Gods parade through the streets. In addition to supporting the Fasallon, whom the Caereans believe to be descendants of the Sea Gods, this tribute is also used to provide the services of the Healers and the Temple Guard, which serves as the police force of the cities. The Fasallon also facilitate trade between the cities. Thanks to the Fasallon, the Caereans are also adept at working iron and steel, which they trade to the Dardani.

  Fasallon: The ruling class in Caere and all the cities along the sea coast—and up the rivers. The Fasallon place greatest value on their hereditary magic, which they have used to make them the (mostly beneficent) rulers in the cities by impersonating the Caereans’ Sea Gods. The most common manifestations of this magic allow them to speak to each other across distance and sense things far away. Exceptionally Talented Fasallon can also take another form—either human or animal—or project an image to fool the eye. Other, rarer Talents allow a few individuals to predict the future, read when another person is lying, or perform magical healing. Other Talents are believed to have been lost over time.

  The greatest fear of the Fasallon was a prophesied “Fasallon who is not a Fasallon” who would reveal their secrets and end their rule. Because of this, they insisted that all half Fasallon children be raised and remain under Fasallon control within the Temple.

  Valson: Distant relations of the Fasallon, the Valson have similar magical Powers, with two exceptions. The Valson have no Power of prophecy. And they have an additional Power that the Fasallon know nothing of, the ability to move objects their magic alone. The Valson have been isolated in a distant mountain valley (called, simply, the Valley) for hundreds of years. They remained unknown to and unaware of any of the other peoples of their world until Vatar arrived in the Valley in THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. They still prefer to remain aloof from the troubles of the outside world.

  Modgud: Once the seventh clan of the Dardani, the Modgud left the plains hundreds of years ago for a more isolated life on a dry plateau, which is also mineral-rich. They subsist mainly by raising sheep and trade only with the Dardani—and with Caere through the Dardani. The Modgud continue to practice a Spirit magic similar to the Dardani. Arcas is the only outsider to have spent time among the Modgud and the most trusted by them because he originated the trade for “useless” gold from the Modgud Plateau in return for iron and steel knives and arrowheads.

  Themyri: The most technologically primitive people of this world, the Themyri still use flint weapons, though they’ll gladly steal bronze or iron weapons given the chance. They lived mainly as hunter-gatherers in the rich land between the two rivers that feed the lake on which Tysoe is situated. When they could, they raided Dardani herds or outlying farms around Tysoe. A volcanic eruption drove them out of their hereditary lands into a wider and richer land on the far side of the mountains.

  Exiles: A group of di
scontented Valson who believe their magical Powers should give them the right to rule the other, non-magical peoples. They were exiled from the Valley for their views and have been plotting a triumphant return—after subjugating the (to them) inferior races. They are united in their hatred of Vatar.

  Much more information about these groups can be found on my blog under the Worlds.

  The Story So Far

  (Or What You’ll Need to Know if You Didn’t Read The First Three Books)

  From The Shaman’s Curse:

  When the Dardani shaman wrongly blames Vatar for the death of the shaman’s son, Vatar’s parents decide that it’s best to take him away from the plains for a while. Left with his uncle in Caere, Vatar learns to be a blacksmith. He also discovers that his real father is one of the magic-wielding Fasallon ruling class. The Fasallon aggressively control all half-breed children for fear of a prophecy about a Fasallon who is not a Fasallon who will end their rule. Vatar escaped this control because he was born on the plains. Raised with the Dardani’s intense fear of magic, Vatar rejects the idea of magic and denies his visions of a red-haired girl. Mollified by his perceived lack of magic and wary of the complications of tangling with the powerful Smiths’ Guild, the Fasallon settle for merely keeping an eye on Vatar.

  He returns to the Dardani the following year when he receives word that his mother is ill. Time hasn’t dulled the shaman’s desire for revenge. He forces Vatar into a suicidal hunt as part of the Dardani manhood rites. Vatar unknowingly uses magic to succeed against all odds and wins the attention of a beautiful Dardani girl, Avaza. When Vatar returns to Caere to complete his training, Avaza goes with him as his year mate. Without the herbs available to the Dardani, Avaza accidentally becomes pregnant. This is against tradition for year mates and also exacerbates the differences between Avaza and Vatar. Upon their return to the Dardani, Avaza leaves Vatar, which is her right. But Vatar feels strongly that their twins need to be protected from the shaman, who belongs to the Raven Clan, along with Avaza. He insists that the twins stay with his Lion Clan relatives where they can be protected while Vatar returns again to the city for the winter.

  Upon his return the following summer, Avaza rejoins her own clan, perforce leaving the twins behind. Her bitterness over this leads her to tell the shaman things about Vatar’s life in the city. The shaman uses this knowledge to weave lies intended to turn the Dardani against Vatar. The only recourse open to Vatar is to challenge the shaman to an Ordeal to prove which is telling the truth. Vatar’s Ordeal is to spend a year alone in the place most feared by his people—the Great Forest. The shaman’s is to spend a year alone in the Northern Wilderness.

  In the Forest, Vatar runs afoul of an unknown group of youngsters who have magic similar to the Fasallon. These Valson harass Vatar and pursue him across the Forest. He’s rescued and taken into their snowbound Valley to heal by another group of Valson which includes Thekila, the red-haired girl from his visions. When Vatar senses that his twins are in danger, Thekila teaches him to use his magic to see that they have been saved by his family.

  The families of the youngsters who attacked Vatar in the Forest try to make trouble for him and are exiled from the Valley for flouting the Tenets by which the Valson live.

  His year of exile completed, Vatar returns to the Dardani with Thekila as his wife. Vatar is accepted back, but the shaman is to be permanently exiled for cheating on his Ordeal and inciting the attack on Vatar’s twins. The shaman attempts a death curse as a final desperate act of revenge. Vatar distracts him with his newly-learned magic. The shaman dies of a stroke before completing the curse.

  From The Voice of Prophecy:

  Soon after his return to the Dardani, Vatar’s magic begins to do strange and unexplained things. Instead of merely sensing lions, as any member of the Lion Clan could do, he sees the hunt through their eyes. His transformation into his avatar—a lion, naturally—should only be as large as Vatar himself, but it’s the size of a full-grown male lion. He instinctively uses magic no one—Fasallon or Valson—has ever heard of before. Worst of all, he hears a mysterious voice in his head, which makes him question his own sanity. In addition to this, Vatar and Thekila are bonding—a process that will forge an unbreakable connection between them. That, at least, has an explanation, though Vatar worries what will happen to her if he is losing his mind.

  They return to Caere in hopes that they may find some answers there with the help of Vatar’s father, Veleus, who agrees to see what he can find in the archives. Veleus discovers explanations for at least some of the unusual manifestations of Vatar’s magic. They are actually ancient Fasallon Talents that have been believed lost. Others remain mysterious and no one yet can give a reason for the voice he sometimes hears.

  Thekila’s younger brother, Theklan, gets into trouble and uses his magic. The Valson have one ability that the Fasallon lack, the ability to move objects without touching them. This attracts the attention of Veleus’s archenemy—his ex-wife. She has both Theklan and Vatar arrested and brought before the Fasallon High Council. Vatar settles into a weird calm state. Pushed by Gerusa, he demonstrates his own unusual magic and issues his first prophecy—that the Fasallon will cause their own destruction if they harm him or his family. Much to Gerusa’s chagrin, the prophecy is recognized as valid. Veleus presents evidence that Vatar is himself foretold in a prophecy. Not the Fasallon who is not a Fasallon who will end their rule in Caere, but the Harbinger who precedes him. And, according to the prophecy, the Harbinger will point the way to avoiding the destruction portended by the Fasallon who is not a Fasallon. The High Council again settles for merely keeping a watch on Vatar. Gerusa fumes, but can do nothing yet.

  After the voice takes control of Vatar for a moment, Vatar’s worries increase. He and Thekila and Theklan return to the Dardani over the summer, where Vatar consults with the new shaman. The ritual proposed by the shaman to identify the voice forces Vatar to reveal his magic to his immediate Dardani family—his mother, stepfather, and younger sister. The ritual is inconclusive. A final answer will require an exorcism, which can only be safely performed with both Vatar’s parents present. Since Veleus cannot travel to the plains, they make plans for the shaman to come to Caere with Vatar’s Dardani family the following spring.

  However, the shaman proposes that some of the manifestations that Vatar has experienced, such as seeing through the eyes of the lions, are a result of the interaction of the two kinds of magic—Fasallon and the Dardani Spirit magic involved in the clan initiations. Thekila and Theklan are initiated into the Eagle Clan and experience similar effects, providing evidence for that theory.

  Given the High Council’s pledge to leave his family alone, Vatar finally feels comfortable bringing the twins back to Caere when they return. Gerusa hears of it and determines to use the twins to strike back at Vatar and as a means to control him. When Vatar and Thekila are away, she sends the Temple Guard to kidnap the children.

  Vatar gathers allies to help him take back his children—his father, his half-brother Orleus, and Quetza, a Valson friend of Thekila’s. Thekila isn’t able to go with them, but she and Vatar complete their bond so that he will be able to access her unique magic. Another half-brother, Cestus, sets off the revolution he has been planning to assist them. Cestus, a half-Fasallon with nearly no magical Talent, is the prophesied Fasallon who is not a Fasallon.

  Vatar rescues his twins. Gerusa is arrested and removed from the High Council for acting against the dictates of the Council. Veleus hopes that cooperation may still make it possible to avoid the worst of the prophecy that has now been triggered.

  The exorcism reveals that the voice belongs to Taleus, a distant and nearly forgotten ancestor of Vatar’s who was killed by a sea dragon. Taleus’s spirit became accidentally bound to Vatar during Vatar’s first winter in Caere. That voice is the final proof that Vatar was in fact the Harbinger of prophecy. Vatar elects to allow Taleus to remain with him.

  From Beyond the Prophecy:

/>   On their way across the plains to visit and trade with the Dardani, Vatar and his family are unsuccessfully attacked by assassins sent by Gerusa. Before she can be arrested for the crime, Gerusa escapes to the next-largest city down the coast, Kausalya. There, Gerusa maneuvers herself into a position of power on the local Council and sets trade policies in motion intended to weaken Caere so that she can return and take back her power there.

  An earthquake causes a landslide that blocks the entrance to Caere’s harbor. Vatar, Thekila, and Theklan volunteer to use Valson magic to move the rockslide out of the harbor. Desperate to prop up faith in themselves as descendants of the Caereans’ Sea Gods, the Fasallon take Theklan out of their school and force him to help them by putting on a demonstration of his ability to move objects at a distance—one of the few magical abilities visible to the non-magical. On top of the work he had done helping to clear the harbor, the additional stress comes close to burning out his magic. As soon as Theklan recovers, Vatar takes him across the plains to stay with Vatar’s Dardani family, safely out of reach of the Fasallon. During the winter, Theklan and Vatar’s younger sister, Kiara, grow closer.

  Shortly after Vatar’s return to Caere, they receive news of attacks on the frontier farms of Tysoe, a lakeside town allied with Caere. The main force appears to be Themyri raiders, but they’re being led—or driven—by others who can only be the Exiles who had been banished by the Valson in The Shaman’s Curse.

  The following summer, Theklan passes his manhood test among the Dardani and prepares to leave with Vatar and Thekila, who are going to take him back to the Valley to finish his education there. Before he leaves, Kiara accepts a courting gift from him, promising to wait for his return.