Restriction: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Rise of Magic Book 1)

by CM Raymond

  She turned and placed the creature down on the bed and watched it roll into a ball. It was a lazy beast, and she wasn’t sure, but it looked as though it may have grown since the night he had made himself a part of the family. She thought about rolling him around the bed for a second, a mischievous smile on her face.

  She could barely remember the way he looked when she first saw him, nothing more than a common newt. If Ezekiel was right, then maybe magic was the reason this thing changed into its new form. Either way, Sal didn’t seem too upset with his new lot in life.

  Folding her clothes, she slid them into a drawer and paced the room, wondering what the strange building would have been in the old days, before the Age of Madness. While the walls in Arcadia were made with the precision of magic, the walls of her room were different.

  Somehow even more precise.

  She had heard of machines in the old days that had run on something like magitech but required no magician. There were so many stories floating around Irth about the past—one never knew which were true, and what was so much bullshit.

  People generally chose the ones that were beneficial and discarded the rest.

  After three complete laps around the little room, boredom took its toll. At that time of day, she and Parker would normally be working together, running some con.

  She wasn’t used to taking days off.

  Hannah turned for the door. She walked toward the great hall she had first landed in and marveled at the way the ceiling pushed upward. The pitter-pattering sound of Sal’s footsteps followed behind her and she turned to look at the little guy. “You bored, too?”

  His little tongue flicked in and out of his mouth. She smiled at the memory of Sal tickling her wrist.

  Curiosity had gotten the best of her, so she tried all the doors to the rooms that adjoined the hall, but none of them budged.

  She was unsure if they were shuttered tight before the last humans fled or if Ezekiel had done the job himself. One of the doors must have led into the stairwell because she found herself stuck on the ground level.

  Stay in the tower, the magician’s words echoed through her mind.

  Naturally, she knew that the world outside of Arcadia was different, but certainly, it wouldn’t harm anything to stretch her legs, just for a few steps, right?

  Finding a door to the outside world, she pushed and was surprised to find it unlocked. Hannah’s curious nature trumped caution, and she took the first step.

  ****

  Hannah hadn’t realized just how musty the tower was until the cool afternoon air struck her face. The air itself was altogether different from what she had breathed her entire life in the city.

  She breathed in deeply, a smile lit up her face. It smelled of pine, earth, and freedom. Hannah stretched her arms toward the sky and let the breeze from the forest blow through her hair. It had only been a few hours since she had left her brother on Queen Boulevard, but she already wanted to talk with him, if only to describe what she was seeing right now.

  During their conversation, before he had given his blessing, she was inclined to try to bring him along, but William insisted on her going with the Founder if only to see what he had planned.

  As her mind had contemplated all that had happened and the piece of hope she had from the magician’s healing of her brother, she headed toward the shadows of the trees.

  No more than twenty feet into the forest, Ezekiel’s admonition returned.

  Stay in the tower.

  “As long as I don’t go too far, I’ll be fine.” She looked around, trying to see between some of the branches in the trees.

  Hannah was a kid from the boulevard. She spent her life around dangerous men and women.

  What harm could a few trees do?

  Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the giant door leading into the decrepit tower and convinced herself that she was close enough to the magician’s fortress.

  The little crunching of feet on the forest floor was easily heard as Sal came scampering across from the building and jumped into her arms. She absentmindedly rubbed his scaly body as her eyes scanned the woods.

  He wriggled around as she ran a fingernail down his back, outlining the base of each of the peculiar spikes. He then crawled up onto her shoulder, “Ouch!” She tried to move around as his little claws bit into her shoulder. “I’m not your pincushion.” He settled down, his tail draped down her back.

  Hannah let the pain recede into the background as she considered just how much her life had changed in a few short hours. If it weren’t for the Hunters in the square, or even for William’s seizures, there was a chance that none of this may have happened.

  Life had dealt her a shit hand, and it seemed that she had finally drawn a lucky card.

  Now, the question lingered in her thoughts: Would the luck remain?

  The answer to her question came sooner than she expected. As she stepped further into the trees, a series of grunts echoed around the woods, and she heard what sounded like city goats pawing around in the dusty square of the market.

  Looking up from the pine-needle-covered earth, her eyes fastened on a creature that looked like one of the pigs the farmers brought to Arcadia for slaughter.

  “Oh… this is bad,” she whispered, eyes flitting left and right before locking on the pig.

  Only this pig was twice as big and had tusks jutting from its jaw. Thick black hair ran down its back. The animal continued to kick and snort and roll its massive head as it stared at her, saliva dripped from its tusks.

  While Hannah gawked at the creature, she backed up slowly, until she stood still with her back planted against the tree, Sal moving his tail so it wasn’t squished.

  “It’s OK, boy, girl, whatever you are,” she said in the most soothing voice she could muster, but her words did nothing to calm the beast. Hannah’s eyes cut to the tower’s door, and she wondered how fast the animal was.

  From the looks of the tusks, she assumed the thing could deliver significant damage. She tested a step in the direction of safety and its grunting increased to a frenzy. And then, without warning, the oversized war pig jumped towards her and ran head down in her direction.

  A lifetime of instincts honed by the dangers of the Boulevard pushed Hannah to action. She turned and sprinted back toward safety.

  Sal’s claws tightened on her shoulder.

  Branches whipped across her face and arms, but she ignored the pain. She could hear the pig closing in on her. The tower was just ahead, but she was afraid she wouldn’t make it. She turned to see how much time she had, but as she did, a root caught her foot and sent her sprawling on the ground.

  She landed hard but quickly rolled so she could see behind her. The large beast seemed nearly on top of her, its tusks like two spears. Hannah raised her arms in defense, a pitiful attempt to block the creature’s charge.

  She refused to give up, but she knew in her heart that death was upon her.

  Her eyes caught movement from her left streaking through the air and striking the beast in the head. The animal dropped rolling to a stop just a few feet in front of her, its skull crushed beyond recognition.

  The projectile, a giant metal hammer with a spike on the handle’s end, lay bloodied on the ground to her right.

  As Hannah stared wide-eyed at the weapon, she heard a branch snap behind her shoulder.

  “What da hell is a little lass a doing out in da forest by her lonesome?” a gruff voice with a rearick dialect asked.

  A man with a thick beard and long hair falling over his leather armor approached and passed by the pig to pick up his hammer. He grunted as he took in the pig before he turned to Hannah.

  He was half as wide as he was tall, and his face held no hint of what might be considered kindness as he eyed her up and down.

  He didn’t seem impressed.

  Hannah stammered at her savior. “I…”

  “It ain’t safe out here, as ya now know. And who da hell are ya? And what’s dat?” he
asked, pointing to Sal with the balled head of his hammer.

  The strange feeling of power under her skin enveloped her, and Hannah breathed deeply to stifle it. “That is my pet. And I’m not sure if anyone of your stature should be calling anyone else ‘little,’ sir.” She cracked half a smile and raised an eyebrow at the rearick who would be a few inches shorter than her.

  Without warning, the man pulled a knife from his belt. Hannah jumped backward on the ground, thinking the man was a little monster, saving her from the war pig only for his own vicious pleasure.

  But before she could react, the rearick flipped the knife over and extended it toward her. The blade was made of silver, and its hilt was ornately crafted.

  He spoke while she stood up, knocking the worst of the dirt and needles off her.

  “Ye might not be very smart, but ye sure got some balls, and I like dat. And sassy, too. This is for the next time ya decide to do something as stupid as ye did this day.” He jerked the blade a couple of times in the direction of the pig.

  Hannah accepted the blade and turned it over and over in her hand, eyeing the craftsmanship. To her trained eyes, this knife had some value.

  Holding out a beefy hand, the man said, “Da name’s Karl.”

  Hannah took his hand. Suspicious or not he had just saved her from a proper goring. “Hannah,” she replied with a smile. Looking down at the beast and back at the knife that she wiggled she commented, “I really don’t know what to do with this.”

  Karl shrugged and pointed to the pigs head, “With an animal like dat, always aim for da throat. Works with a man, too, but a wee bit harder to land it.” He winked in fun.

  Her eyes looked back toward the path he had approached from before asking. “Do you live around here?”

  “Around here? Bah. No.” He stretched his arms, “I’m from the heights. But I can make a lot more scratch escorting farmers and traders through these woods to Arcadia. Just dropped a group off, and I’m picking dem up again tomorrow.”

  Though he didn’t say it, Hannah could ascertain from his armor and weapon and the description of his work that he was a mercenary.

  Most rearick made their living from the mines, but Hannah knew that even the young among them had a reputation as fierce warriors. If Karl was someone that the rearick themselves paid to fight for them, then he must be quite the fighter indeed. Her suspicions were aroused again.

  “Oh. Then what are you doing around here?”

  “Have you ever been to Arcadia, lassie?” he asked.

  Hannah laughed. “This is my first time out of Arcadia. Been there all of my life.”

  “Figures. That explains your performance with this boar here. But if you’re from da city, then ya know dat Arcadia is no damn place for a man who loves da shade of trees and da feel of da wind in his beard. Gets so damned claustrophobic in there, I can hardly make it through da gate before I need to get my ass back out of there.”

  “I didn’t know that rearick could get claustrophobic?”

  The man tilted his head. “Under the ground’s different. I trust da earth. People? Not so much. Now, let me escort ye back to your palace, my lady.”

  Hannah flushed a little and tucked the knife in her leather belt that held her cloak in place. “What about that?” she asked, nodding at the boar.

  “Dat’s dinner. If you care to join me.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

  He laughed. “Nope, not gross, good. Damn good meat and she’s a fat one. A little heat and a lot of salt, and I’ll sleep with a full belly.”

  They walked the many steps of the tower.

  She would have been caught by the big pig, boar, whatever for sure.

  The man stopped at the base. “Want to come in?” Hannah asked, pointing inside. “I could introduce you to my friend if he’s up.”

  Karl’s eyes scanned the tower from top to bottom. “Not in there. No dank you.”

  “More claustrophobia,” she asked with a grin.

  “Sure, kid. Something like dat.” Karl nodded then took a couple steps backward. “Pleasure to meet ya, lass.” He pointed at her hand, “Now do me a favor and keep da knife close and stop being so damned stupid in these woods.” His words were gruff, but Hannah could sense a warmth beneath his granite exterior.

  Hannah watched the man sling the giant hammer over his shoulder and disappear back into the woods before she retreated into the safety of the tower with Sal on her heels.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Come on, one more time, sir? Want to give a boy from Queen Bitch Boulevard a chance to win his money back?”

  “Sure. Once more,” the middle-aged man said as he counted the coins in his palm. His fine clothes and trimmed hair indicated he must have been a noble who had wandered out of his quarter. “But, I’ll tell you, son, if I win, I’m keeping the coins. Only way you boys will learn.”

  Parker placed his hands in front of his chest, palms together, and bowed. “I am always willing to take a lesson from an elder. Especially one who is both wise and refined.” He turned to the crowd that had gathered at the corner of the market square. “What do you think, folks? Should I try it again? He’s good, but I only have a handful of coins left.”

  The onlookers hooted and hollered, pressing Parker on.

  “OK, I don’t want to let the good people down. But I can only do ten this time. My dear Ma still needs her medicine.” Parker titled an imaginary glass of mead and tilted it back, pretending to drink.

  The crowd roared.

  “Here we go, then. Three shells, one ball. As everyone can see, the ball is here, under this one.” Parker tilted back the middle shell, showing a tiny green pea. “Now, sir. Last chance and I need the money, so I’m going to make this one a little tougher. Ready?”

  The man kept his eyes on the shells and nodded.

  Parkers hands moved fast, his mouth even faster. “Keep your eyes on the shell as they go around. Where’s the pea? That’s the plea. Where's the pea? Can you tell me?”

  He went on for another thirty seconds before pulling his hands back from the shells. “How do you feel?”

  Sweat glistened on the man’s forehead. “Good. I got this.” His finger hovered over the shells as it finally settled on the one furthest to his right. “This one.”

  “You sure about that?” Parker asked. “Really sure?”

  “Yes. This one. I’m positive.”

  “Last chance.”

  The electricity in the crowd was thick. Everyone leaned in waiting for the reveal. Parker closed his eyes and let his head dip. Flipping the shell, he said, “Well, they say the nobles are smart, kind, and good looking. At least you’re one out of three.”

  The green pea sat under the shell.

  Scooping up his winnings, the nobleman said, “Get an honest job, kid. Sweeping the gutters is a sure thing, and you’re not very good with those shells.”

  As the man cut out of sight, Parker looked back at the gathering. “Well, I guess my ma will go to bed sober tonight. Might as well give it another shot. Who’s feeling smart or at least lucky?”

  The crowd shifted as a man stepped forward, landing twenty coins on Parker’s crate. “I’m in for twenty.”

  “Sorry, sir. After the noble, I need to be cautious. Are you a farmer or something with all of that coin?”

  The man shook his head. “Trapper, and I just dropped off a cartload of furs.”

  “Ah, and you want to go home with even more. Alright, let’s give it a go.”

  Parker shifted the coins to the side of the crate and started the routine again. His hands flew, as did his mouth. Finally, he came to rest. The man inspected each of the shells. After a moment, he pointed. “This one.”

  “Ah, close.” Parker flipped over a different shell showing the tiny pea. He swiped the man’s coins and stuffed them into his bag. He asked, “Try again?”

  “Nah. That’s all. The wife said no gambling.”

  “Perfect,” Parker cried. “This is a
game of skill.” Sliding the pea under the middle shell, he flipped the empty ones over. “You saw it, right? Here, look again.” He tilted the shell back up. “Three moves on this one. No need to put money on it if you’re not sure.”

  Parker slowly slid the shells around, shifting each of them one space. “Last chance for a bet. I’ll let you win it back.”

  The man rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “How about I win it back and more?”