The King's Sorcerer

by B. T. Narro

“So you do know something.”

  “Barrett brought it up when I was first tested, but he made it sound as if there were only theories about how it worked.”

  “Theories or facts, I don’t know,” Rueben said, “but I will say this. I bet Leon is decades older than he looks. That explains why he’s so strong when he doesn’t appear a year over thirty. I’ve recently asked my father to find out what he can about a sorcerer with Leon’s name and description, a sorcerer having been arrested by the late king. I expect us to find out more shortly.”

  Reuben was prying into business that wasn’t his own, but I was too curious to try to talk him out of it. Not that I could.

  “So you’re saying I’m going to live longer?” I asked, sloppily changing the subject back to myself. I wouldn’t take anything Reuben said as fact, as I doubted he knew more than Barrett, but it would still be interesting to hear his opinion.

  “You could, I suppose” was all he said before falling silent.

  Kataleya shrugged when I glanced at her. “I don’t know much about uF, either. It’s rare for sorcerers to reach it with their mana and even more rare for them to reach as high as uuD.”

  She was referring to my highest frequency, the final note required to cast Expel. I asked, “Do either of you know anything more about dvinia than the one spell?”

  “I don’t,” Kataleya said while Reuben shook his head.

  “What was Leon saying to you about Fire being one note lower at the third?” I asked.

  Kataleya tilted her head. “You don’t know what a third is?”

  Reuben added, “He doesn’t even know how close Fire and Water are. I’m sure he doesn’t know about a third.”

  “A third was mentioned in a scroll I read about dvinia,” I told them. “It said that Expel is the core of dvinia and it has no third, but I couldn’t figure out what that meant. There are more than three notes to Expel, so there seems to be a third to me.”

  “Are you talking about a scroll the princess gave you?” Reuben asked pointedly.

  “What is going on with you and her?” Kataleya asked as well.

  “Absolutely nothing.”

  “Are you sure?” she prodded.

  “Yes. She wants to be my friend. I have no idea why.”

  “Oh, I have some idea,” Kataleya said as she smirked at me.

  Reuben interjected, “Can we please focus on what we need to do.”

  “It’s going to take a couple hours to reach Koluk, Reuben,” Kataleya informed him. “There’s no need to be snippy. To answer your question, Jon, I can see how it can be confusing. Expel does technically have a third—a third note, but that’s not what Leon was referring to when he mentioned lowering a third of Water. The third note of Expel is not very important. Same with ordia spells. But with most erto spells, altering the third determines how the spell functions. It’s a lot like music. Do you know anything about that?”

  “That’s the second time I’ve heard that. No, unfortunately I don’t.”

  “You don’t have to. It just would make it easier to explain, but understanding music doesn’t change how you use mana.” She paused as she seemed to be in thought. “I think I can best explain this with an example. Take the spell Water. It’s cast with C, E, and G.”

  “No Uppers or Lowers?” I asked.

  “No, the spell is right in the middle range. The note of E, which un-coincidentally is also the name of a note in music, is the third of the spell. Changing E by just a little bit completely alters the spell. It can even change Water into Fire.”

  “How?” I asked.

  “You really don’t know anything,” Reuben complained.

  “Be quiet,” Kataleya snapped at him.

  “I’m just saying he should have already learned this!” Reuben told her over his shoulder.

  “He’s learning now. Ignore him, Jon.”

  I felt pity for Reuben considering how obvious his feelings were for Kataleya, but he wasn’t exactly putting me in a position where I could defend him.

  “You asked how it works,” Kataleya continued. “The vibration of mana converts energy into something else. Different vibrations convert energy into different things, and when mana is combined in specific ways, the energy behaves differently as well. Take the spell of Water, for example. If I was to change the third from E to E min, which is one note lower in frequency, then I would be casting Fire instead of Water.”

  “I understand.”

  “What’s most fascinating to me is that the spell for Water is almost the same as for Air and Ice. The only difference is that they are octaves apart. Do you know what an octave means?”

  “Yes, C and lC are octaves, for example. Oh!” I practically yelled as I realized exactly what she was saying. “That makes complete sense. So the spell for Ice is the same as Water but all notes are one octave lower. So Ice is Lower C, Lower E, and Lower G?”

  “Exactly,” she said.

  “And Air is Upper C, Upper E, Upper G?”

  “Yes! And all of them have a third, actually the same third but at different octaves—E.”

  “What happens if you lower the third of Ice like you did to change Water into Fire?”

  “Are you ready for this?” she asked excitedly.

  “I am.”

  “Absolutely nothing!” she said with a laugh.

  I chuckled. “But why?”

  “Because that spell is too unstable, but! And I’m serious this time. Something incredible happens if you use a rev to lower the third while already casting Ice.”

  “So you’re saying you cast the spell and then change it to an unstable state by using a rev to lower the third?”

  “Exactly. Imagine I’m casting Ice.” She gestured with one hand. “A block of frozen water is just starting to appear in front of me. It quickly forms into the size and shape I desire it to be when suddenly I use a rev. Lower E becomes Lower E min. Now I told you the spell is too unstable to cast. What do you think happens if I make this change while it’s already being cast?”

  “The ice shatters.”

  “Yes! The ice shatters violently. Dangerously violently, actually.”

  “Oh, I’ve been wondering how a sorcerer might injure themselves with their own spell.”

  “There are many ways,” she said with a laugh. “But I think dvinia is different because it, like ordia, uses four notes instead of three. Altering one isn’t going to cause as much of a reaction.”

  “Even with that explanation, I still don’t understand why altering the third of Expel doesn’t have the same effect.”

  “Because of how the spell is composed. Spell structuring is extremely complicated and something I don’t completely understand myself. I think Leon knows a lot about it, though. I was hoping he would teach some to us, but it doesn’t seem like we’re ready yet. Once someone understands spell structuring and mana better, they can compose their own spells.”

  I was just starting to imagine the possibilities when I felt a violent spasm on my finger.

  What the hell? It shook with such ferocity that it scared me. I was a little embarrassed at the scream that came out of my mouth as it started to become painful.

  I stopped my horse and jumped off. I clutched my hand against my body, trying to stop it.

  “What’s wrong?” Kataleya asked as she jumped off her horse and rushed toward me.

  My whole hand was shaking uncontrollably now from the force of my finger twitching.

  “I don’t know! It just started—” Then I noticed the metal ring on the finger that had begun this whole thing. “Damn Charlie! He’s shaking the callring like it’s a matter of life or death!”

  But as I heard the words come out of my own mouth, my personal panic faded and a completely new panic took its place. I cursed as I met Kataleya’s wide eyes with my gaze.

  Reuben had turned his horse around but had not gotten off. “What is it now?” he asked snidely.

  Kataleya ignored him. “What are the odds Charlie’s jus
t fooling around?” she asked me.

  “Extremely slim.”

  “What?” Reuben asked, deadpan now. “It’s Spayker’s ring?”

  I lifted my hand toward Reuben to show him my finger shaking uncontrollably. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

  “Shit.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  We raced back to Newhaven. The guards were just closing the gate in between the city walls, a common occurrence at nightfall, when we came galloping toward them.

  One man jumped into our path and put up his hands. “Stop!”

  “Move or be trampled!” I yelled. “The king is in danger!”

  He dove out of the way. The other city guards started running after us but soon gave up.

  Fortunately, the streets were just about empty. The few people who were still out quickly cleared as we charged all the way to the castle.

  The drawbridge was up when we arrived, which puzzled me. My adrenaline started to drain. Was this all Charlie having a laugh? That didn’t seem like him. Something Michael had told me suddenly popped into my head. Could this have all been Charlie’s mistake? He’d forgotten to take the ring off when—?

  “Look!” Reuben said as he pointed at where the wall turned north. “A ladder.”

  We rode over to the tall ladder. There was a dead armored guard slumped against the wall beside it. The ladder had hooks on its top, clearly designed to attach to the parapets at the top of the castle wall.

  Charlie had not summoned us by mistake.

  “Kataleya, you stay here,” I said as I practically jumped onto the ladder from my horse.

  “Like hell I will.”

  “I might not be able to protect you!” I said as I climbed. “There’s no telling what awaits us.”

  “He’s right, Kataleya,” agreed Reuben, who sounded to be just below me. “Stay here.”

  I didn’t look down to check if she was coming or not as I neared the top of the wall. I halted briefly to draw my sword, then peered across each direction of the battlement. I saw no one.

  “Get out of my way!” Reuben snarled.

  “Quiet.” I listened for sounds of enemies. “Surprise might be the only thing we have on them.”

  I heard a shout deep within the castle.

  I climbed over the parapets and planted my feet on the merlon. I sprinted to the ramp and rushed down it. Soon I was in the courtyard, my breath loud as my heart raced. I could hear them ahead, a banging of some kind, then shouting.

  I could see that the door to the keep was broken in. Where was the guard? Then I saw his body at least ten yards away as if he’d been thrown from his post. Dteria.

  I ran into the lavish ground floor of the keep. Some of the tables and chairs had been turned over. The three fires in the enormous hearth raged. I felt as if I was being cooked, so I unfastened my cloak and tossed it off me as I made it up the stairs to the second floor where the banging was coming from.

  I started past one hall, barely giving it a glance, for I had heard nothing coming from it. But as I crossed, there was a woman with red hair who threw out her hand in my direction.

  I braced myself. Dteria slammed into me.

  It picked me up—it felt like I was flying—as I lost my breath.

  I started to sail high and realized I was going over the damn balcony! I dropped my sword to grab the railings, catching myself firmly with both hands.

  I dangled there as my weapon fell far to the ground floor. I contemplated letting go before the dark mage reached me, as she was coming at me with a knife drawn, but I would probably break an ankle or maybe worse.

  “Jon!” Reuben yelled from below.

  “Grab my sword!” I said as I climbed up the railings.

  Suddenly I recognized the dark mage about to reach me.

  “Scarlett!?”

  She stopped a few yards short. “Jon Oklar? You’re not supposed to be here!”

  She was the very first sorcerer I had ever met. When I’d arrived in Tryn after leaving my home in Bhode, I’d asked around in hope that someone might be able to explain magic to me. She was the one who’d met me briefly in the tavern before Barrett arrived and scared her off. She’d flirted. She was older, but I had thought her to be beautiful. I almost couldn’t believe she was here.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I tried to step back from her, now with my feet on the floor, but she rounded on me slowly, matching my stride.

  “Starting a war, of course. Why are you here?”

  I ignored her question. “Why start a war? What benefit do you get out of it?”

  I backed away from her faster. I could see Reuben coming up the stairs holding his sword and mine. He might be able to ambush Scarlet if she kept her attention on me, but I wasn’t sure I could condone the death of this woman until I figured out exactly what was going on.

  “It’s not too late to join us,” she said, her dagger poised to stab me.

  Still backing away from her, I crossed by the hallway where the pounding ensued. A quick look to my left showed me that a large man with an ax was about to break down a door. There was a smaller man with dark hair beside him.

  “Scarlett?” the man called out when he saw me.

  “I have it under control,” she said.

  Reuben was closing in on her. The sound of his footsteps was masked by the axman slamming his weapon into the splintering wood of the door and then yanking it free.

  None of this made sense. Why was the king here on the second floor instead of in a more secure room on the third? And where were the rest of his guards? I had only seen two bodies. Where was Barrett? Where was Charlie?

  “I’m going to give you one chance, Jon,” Scarlett said. “You don’t have to die here tonight.”

  Reuben closed in on her and lifted his sword. Scarlet spun around and threw him back with dteria. He landed and slid along the floor. Scarlett spun back to me before I had a chance to reach her.

  “Sit in the corner and let this happen, and you will be spared.” She pointed behind me.

  “I can’t do that,” I said.

  “Pity.”

  She suddenly lunged at me with her dagger.

  I sidestepped the attack and grabbed her hand, but she pushed her other hand at me and blasted me with dteria.

  The power of this woman was fearsome. I flew upward away from her.

  My back slammed into a hanging painting, which came down on top of me.

  I grabbed the heavy canvas and held it up as Scarlett thrusted. The blade of the dagger poked through and stopped just before my eyes.

  She pulled it free. I could see her manic aggression to kill me through the small hole in the painting. I tried to get up in hopes of rushing her and possibly throwing her over the railing behind her, but another blast of dteria scooped me up and pinned me against the wall.

  I had not been ready for this one and completely failed to resist. My feet dangled as I tried to make myself drop, but she was too strong. She tried to get close to stab me but I kicked her attacking hand back. She stumbled backward as her spell ended.

  I landed on my feet and charged her while holding the wide painting in front of me. There was a flash of light as a stream of fire shot out at me. I held up my makeshift shield, the fire licking around the edges, and slammed it into her, lifting her up against the railing.

  I couldn’t get her high enough to get her over the railing. She had stopped casting, but it was too late. The painting was now on fire. I had to drop it and back away.

  She had a look of malice as she panted for breath, the tips of her red hair singed black. Then she lifted her hand and shot another stream of fire at me. I darted around her in a wide half circle. I knew that if I just kept moving quickly I wouldn’t be burned too badly.

  Soon she had exhausted herself, her arms hanging as she struggled for breath. She held up her dagger defensively. Reuben appeared at my side and handed me my sword.

  I wished I had some way of detaining her, but it seemed like
the only way to defend ourselves against her magic would be slaying her. She turned and ran the opposite way along the balcony. We chased after her, with me ahead of Reuben.

  I was just about to catch up and stab my sword into her leg when she turned and swiped wildly with her dagger. I leaned back to avoid it and then started my counterattack, but she jumped over the railing as my sword bounced off the wooden barrier where she’d just been.

  Reuben and I watched her fall face down, her arms spread as if hoping she could soar like a bird. Right before she hit the ground, however, her momentum shifted. Her body was scooped upward as she turned in the air and landed miraculously on her feet.

  Dteria, I realized. She had used it on herself to stop the fall in a way that was surely practiced. She started running toward the stairs, her dagger still in hand.

  “I will deal with her,” said Reuben, his bravery coming as a shock. “Stop the other two.”

  “All right. Be careful.”

  We rushed back toward the stairs, but I stopped and turned down the hall. The axman was putting his strength into a final swing that collapsed enough of the door for him to fit through.

  He and the dark-haired man jumped back as a sword jabbed out from the room and nearly caught one of them. The hand holding the weapon was not human.

  Grufaeragar! I realized. The king probably wasn’t even here. They had come to kill the krepp! The war they were trying to start was between us and the krepps.

  I watched the dark-haired man fling his hand through the air, and I heard Grufaeragar shriek. I couldn’t see into the room from here, but I heard him crash into something. The axman and the sorcerer entered the room as I charged down the hall.

  The krepp’s quarters, I soon found, were similar to mine in the apartments. There was considerable space to walk around, but our two enemies already had Grufaeragar—and Charlie, I saw—cornered on the opposite side as the entrance.

  Grufaeragar dodged a slow and lethal strike from the axman. He was about to stab the large bearded man in retaliation, but the sorcerer tossed the krepp against the wall.

  “Hey!” I yelled as the axman was about to strike the pinned krepp. Both enemies turned toward me. I got low and turned my shoulder as I prepared to resist the sorcerer. He cast at me.