by CM Raymond
CONTENTS
LMBPN Publishing
Dedication
Legal
Map
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Notes LE Barbant
Notes CM Raymond
Notes Michael Anderle
Also by Raymond & Barbant
Also by Michael Anderle
Connect with Us
REBORN
Rise of Magic Book Eight
By CM Raymond, LE Barbant and Michael Anderle
A part of
The Kurtherian Gambit Universe
Written and Created
by Michael Anderle
DEDICATION
To Family, Friends and
Those Who Love
To Read.
May We All Enjoy Grace
To Live The Life We Are
Called.
The REBORN Team
JIT Beta Readers
John Findlay
Paul Westman
Tim Bischoff
Sarah Weir
Kelly O’Donnell
John Ashmore
Mickey Cocker
Eric Cushman
Larry Omans
Thomas Ogden
If we missed anyone, please let us know!
Editor
Lynne Stiegler
REBORN (this book) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2017 CM Raymond, LE Barbant and Michael T. Anderle
Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109
First US edition, December 2017
The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2017 by Michael T. Anderle.
CHAPTER ONE
Karl closed one eye, tracing a constellation of stars with his fat forefinger as the wind whipped through his hair. The people in the Heights called it the “Cup and Handle,” but it looked more like the biggest smoking pipe he’d ever seen. Something that maybe the Matriarch would draw on after a long fight out in the galaxy, if she were disposed to.
“Maybe I’ll join ‘er,” Karl said, drawing his own pipe from his pouch.
He filled the bowl with some of the weed given to him by the people of Heema before he left. It was a dry smoke with a tart bite at the end and like nothing he had ever tasted, though it suited him well.
Just like the people there.
He blew a long plume of smoke between his lips in an elongated sigh and watched the wind grab it and pull it toward Unlawful‘s stern.
“Are you still moping about your forsaken princess?” a voice asked from behind him.
Karl spun and found Hannah approaching the bow.
He waved his hand at her. “Princess? I dunno what yer talkin’ about. Just goin’ over battle tactics in me mind. That’s what a true warrior does when he’s alone.”
Hannah laughed as she pulled the pipe from his hand and took a deep drag. Her lungs rebelled, and she coughed smoke into the summer night air. “Never understood why you guys liked to smoke this shit,” she said, eyes narrowed on Karl’s pipe. “Worse than breathing in Sal’s gas, if you ask me.”
He snatched his pipe back from her and smirked. “’Tis an acquired taste. Only comes with experience.”
“Just like herpes.” She grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “And battle-tactics, my ass—I know a lovelorn face when I see one. You’re out here pining over that short little package you left behind on the mountain.”
“Women! Can’t help it if they find me irresistible. Doesn’t mean I repay the favor.”
Hannah laughed again. “That’s not the way the others tell it.” She leaned against the railing, her lips pursed. “You could have asked her to come with us you know. This ship is plenty large.”
Karl stood quietly for a moment, then sighed. “I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t think about askin’ ‘er. She was lovely, and as strong as they come. Ye would’ve liked ‘er. But I watched ‘er after the fightin’ was all done and the Heemites were helpin’ us mine some o’ those damned crystals fer Gregory. I could see it, not only in ‘er eyes but in the eyes of all the others.”
“What?” she asked.
“Leadership. It’s the same look ye get in yer eyes.”
Hannah opened her eyes super-wide and leaned in close.
Karl laughed. “Aye, that’s the one. They were all lookin’ at ‘er to tell ‘em what to do, and I don’t blame ‘em. We kinda upended their whole religion and culture when we killed their gods. Her pa’s a good man, but he was a king of the old ways. He doesn’t have the vision ta lead ‘is people inta a new future, or the grit. And she’s got grit in spades. I knew right then and there that ‘er place was with ‘er people.”
They stood quietly and watched the stars, and finally Hannah said, “And what about your place, Karl? You could have stayed with her, you know. Made a life of it among people like your own. Speaking from experience, you make a pretty good righthand man.”
Snorting, Karl said, “And let ye and these bastards try ta save Irth without me? Not on yer bloody life, sweet pea. I’ll be at yer side until all this is over.” He drew long on his pipe as his eyes drifted toward the horizon. “That’s me place. That’s where I belong. Clarissa... Who knows? Maybe I’ll see ‘er again when times are different, but until then there ain’t a force in Irth can pull me away from ye.”
Hannah couldn’t hold back her smile, but as her mouth turned up at the edges her throat grew tight and she felt the surprise of tears striking her eyes. It was just about their anniversary—a year since Karl had saved her from a raging boar in the woods outside Arcadia near the tower. She let out a tiny laugh, just thinking that it hadn’t been so long ago that an animal from the brush nearly killed her. Now she was possibly the most powerful magician in Irth—depending on Ezekiel’s mood.
It had only been a year, but it felt like a thousand lifetimes.
Hannah grabbed the hilt of the rearick knife at her belt and drew it. The blade caught the night’s full moon.
“Scheisse, magician—I take it all back. Ye don’t want me here, ye just hafta say so,” he said with his hand
s raised and a grin that could raise the dead.
“Thank you for this, Karl,” she said, glancing at the knife, “and for saving me that night and a dozen others. I owe you. I’m glad you came.”
He looked down at the cracking leather of his boots. “’Twas nothin’, lass. Just doin’ what any rearick ought.”
Hannah shrugged. “Maybe, but you’ve done what most haven’t. I wouldn’t be here without you, ya salty sonofabitch.”
He waved his hand at her again. “Eh, I’m window dressin’. We all know that. But you… You’re like the Matriarch ‘erself come to right every wrong and take names in the process. Aye, yer just as—”
Hannah raised the blade, stopping the rearick mid-sentence. “Careful, wouldn’t want to speak blasphemy against our great Queen Bitch.”
Karl’s face grew deadly serious. Eyes widening, he looked at the blade and wondered if she might even use it. He gave a slight nod. “Yer a true believer now, eh?”
She sheathed it again and exhaled long and hard. “It is difficult not to believe after all we have seen and heard.”
“Aye, ‘tis faith ta believe in things unseen, Hannah, and yer gettin’ there.” He laughed, easing the tension. “And there’s many damn things less worth believin’ in than Bethany Anne and Michael—like the fact that ye grew a dragon from a lizard, and that ye might just love that little douche from Arcadia.”
If it hadn’t been so dark he would have seen her blush. “Love? It’s a strong word.”
“That’s right. Ye know strength of magic and justice, but maybe ye need to realize yer more taken by ‘im than ye even know.”
Hannah jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “You speaking from experience, little guy?”
“Gah! Don’t turn this back on me.”
“You can always go back—to Heema, I mean—after we’re done with this whole ‘end of the world’ business. I’m sure you could hitch a ride with Gregory on Unlawful. Who knows, by then they might be ready for their honeymoon?”
Karl snorted a laugh. “Those damned kids.” He looked into the clear night sky, tracing again the constellations that were fading with the light of the moon rising behind them. “Ye know there might not be an end to this war, right? I might just keep swingin’ me hammer until one o’ the bastards takes me down, or until I’m too old to lift ‘er. Either way, I might not be in shape ta get back ta Clarissa by then.”
Hannah nodded as she followed his gaze. She knew deep down that he could be right, that the fight to save Irth might not have a clear end—but she had to try. She had to fight for all that she loved, and for a future she might never see.
Even after his words, she dreamed of a place where there was no more war. A city without walls or defenses, a New Arcadia for a new age.
“You blokes sure did kick some ass up there in the mountains though, right?”
A smile stretched through Karl’s beard. “Aye, we did a pretty good job, all right.” When he turned Hannah could have sworn his eyes were a little glassy, but he blinked the gloss away. “I didn’t know what ta think when ye set me up with the brain, the freak, and the mental case, but in the end we made one hell of a team—even that little rat o’ Laurel’s.”
Hannah laughed. “Yeah, you did. And how about Gregory?”
“Shite. Hard ta call ‘im a kid anymore, ain’t it? He’s grown some stones as big as Aysa’s bolas. Combine a little courage wi’ the stuff between his ears and he’ll be a force to reckon with. Even the pretty boy pulled his weight this time.”
Hannah snickered. “Well, that’s saying something. Not even I can get Hadley to do that. I’ll have to put Gregory in charge more often. When I’m leading the BBB Hadley spends most of the time fixing his hair.”
“Aye. It was good ta—”
Before Karl could finish a crack like thunder tore through the ink-blue sky. Instinctively they ducked, and Karl had his hammer in hand before Hannah’d had the chance to take a breath.
“The hell?” she finally said, searching the night sky for signs of a storm, but there was nothing.
Karl nudged her and pointed. “Tell me that ain’t what I think it is.”
Their eyes fixed on an impossible-to-imagine spot in the heavens. A swath of sky nearly as big as Unlawful floated on the horizon a few hundred yards in front of them—a tear in the universe, whose background was darker than dark.
And it was opening.
Hannah felt the waves of Etheric energy surge through her body from head to toe, and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. She wanted to turn to her friend, but she couldn’t peel her eyes from the dangerous abnormality so close to them.
“I’m afraid so, Karl.”
“B-but,” he stammered, “that’s impossible.”
“Impossible or not, that’s a bloody rift.”
****
“Well, one thing I can say about you cat people is, you sure know how to drink!”
Aysa stared in awe as Vitali continued to tilt the mug of ale back, rivulets of the sweet elixir sliding out of the edges and making the fur around his mouth darker than the rest. He almost slammed the mug on the oak table and followed it up with a deep belch.
“Why thank you, Long Arms.” He grinned, and a gentle purr emanated from his chest. “And we prefer ‘Lynqi,’ not ‘cat people.’”
“You say ‘potato.’” Aysa winked to insure he knew she was being playful. “Seriously though, do you have nine lives? How many have you used?” Aysa leaned in, her mouth slightly open as she waited for a response. She looked at Vitali as if he were from an alien planet, which he might as well have been.
The Lynqi’s yellow eyes narrowed and his whiskers twitched as he glanced quickly at the rest of the party seated around the table. Hadley gave him a “what can I say” kind of shrug, and Vitali looked back at her. “No, only one life just like you, but some would say I’ve gotten lucky a few times.”
Aysa nodded, looking up at the ceiling as if thinking about the answer. “Right. Of course. I guess that makes sense.” She paused and looked him up and down. “Can you see in the dark?”
Vitali rolled his eyes. “Can the house cats in Baseek see in the dark, Aysa?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. Never had one, but my friend Tia did and I swear that little bitch could see me coming on a jet-black night. The cat, that is, not Tia.”
“Really?” Vitali asked, looking at Laurel.
“She has a point,” the druid replied. “We had a few cats in the Dark Forest and those buggers could run through the trees like nobody’s business.”
As if to save Vitali from any more of Aysa’s probing questions, Hadley refilled everyone’s mugs and asked, “Where’s Gregory, anyway? I haven’t seen that mental giant for more than a few hours since we left Kaskara.”
Laurel frowned. “You and me both.”
“Getting cold at night?” Aysa asked, raising her brows.
Laurel ignored her. “He’s been holed up working on that tech we pulled out of the tower ever since we left, at least whenever he can talk Aysa here into flying Unlawful for him. But he’s taking a little break in the cockpit tonight.”
“And thank the gods,” Aysa said. “I mean, I’m pretty good behind the stick, but flying the ship straight toward Archangelsk is a little boring, if you ask me. Now if I got a chance to fly it into battle, that might be something completely different.”
Hadley laughed. “Please don’t jinx us, Aysa. I could use a few days without someone trying to kill me, if you don’t mind.”
“I’m with you, Had,” Laurel said, “but I wouldn’t mind getting to spend at least a few hours of those days with my boyfriend. I’m starting to think that Gregory is only using me for my kaffe!”
A low growl rose from the other side of the room, which was almost exclusively occupied by Sal. Thankfully the dragon had finally stopped growing. Any bigger, and the ship would have ridden him back to Archangelsk.
He sat up, beady black eyes blinking as his head twitched ba
ck and forth.
“No way, Sal,” Laurel said with a grin. “Strict orders from Hannah. No kaffe for you! I’m sorry I even mentioned it.”
Sal growled before walking in a circle and lying down in a tight ball.
Devin crawled out of Laurel’s cloak and leapt to the floor. Her nails clicked on the wooden floorboards as she scampered over to Sal and climbed into the crook of the dragon’s front leg.
“Well, if that isn’t cute,” Vitali said, “I don’t know what is.”
Devin climbed onto Sal’s back and sat up on her hind legs. She bared her teeth at Vitali and chattered in an almost violent way.
Everyone else laughed wildly.
“Not sure Dev likes you, Vitali,” Aysa said, “but don’t mind her—she’s a bit of a racist. And by the way, do you have opposable thumbs?”
Before he could answer, the door flew open with a crash.
Karl, eyes wild, stood before them breathing heavily. “We have a situation!”
CHAPTER TWO
Parker heard Karl yelling from his room and sprinted toward the deck of the ship, not knowing what to expect.
There was no way he could have anticipated what he found.
Hannah stood at the rail. Her arms were spread and she had a large fireball in each hand, both of which spun and danced and grew in power.
But that wasn’t what held his attention. In front of her, pouring out of a dark crack in the sky, was a flock of creatures unlike anything he had ever seen. They were huge, with wingspans almost as wide as Sal’s. Their faces looked smashed, and they were ugly things with hateful teeth pushing out of their mouths at wild angles.
And the swarm was flying straight for Unlawful.
Hannah decided to fight first and ask questions later. She threw both fireballs at the leader of the pack, sending it plunging into the darkness screaming in agony.
Parker was by her side in an instant and blasted his magitech spear into the fray. “What the hell’s going on?” he managed to ask as he joined the assault.