Rage of the Diamond's Eye (The Guildsmen Series Book 1)

by Becker, Shawn

  “DO NOT TOUCH ME!!”

  The female’s command was followed by a bright flash of purple and a man’s cry of pain.

  “Grab her arm. Grab it!” The voice of an apparent leader ordered.

  Grunts and a muffled scream came from around the corner as Tienn carefully edged his head to see what was happening. Years of adventuring had taught him to assess a situation before charging headlong into it. Tienn, however, knew what the circumstances were before his eyes cleared the corner. He knew that Magi were not welcomed in Kaalé any longer and that some of the city’s inhabitants preyed upon the weaker and younger ones that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sure enough, two men were holding a female Amethyst Magi’s arms behind her back, keeping her from bringing her foci to bear on them. A third man, presumably the leader of the three, was in front of her with a dagger in his hand, wiggling it menacingly in her face.

  The Magi was young and quite beautiful. The hood of her deep violet cloak had been yanked back, her golden hair in disarray. The Magi’s eyes were still insolent and Tienn was not sure whether that came from bold will or arrogant foolishness. The two men holding her were unfamiliar to him. The one with the knife, though, Tienn recognized quite well. The hunched shoulders and bald pate could have come from anyone, but the man wore a tabard of stained white lined with silver.

  His name was Fargas Pim, a self-proclaimed acolyte of Diathanos. Tienn was quite sure that he had no affiliation with the church. He was a simple thug who bullied people whenever he had the backing of someone important. Fargas had approached the Guild shortly after it had reopened, touting his importance and how they could use a man who knew how the city worked. According to Fargas, he had connections with the King, Master Knight Greeve, and Chancellor Tevic. These connections could make it easy for the Guild to thrive in Kaalé – or so Fargas stated.

  Cassius saw through the little man’s schemes and chased him out of the Guild with a promise to severely beat him if he ever returned. Every so often, Tienn and Ayce would find him drinking at MacGrunn’s, spreading vicious rumors about the Guild or the knights, depending on which one had angered him most recently. Lately, he had been seen as the church’s errand boy, a position that had apparently given him delusions of power.

  “You’re a pretty one,” he said with a sickening glee. “Pretty Magi shouldn’t be wandering in Kaalé. Shouldn’t be here t’all. Gonna teach you a lesson not to come here. Gonna see what pretty Magi wear under their robes.”

  The girl struggled harder as Fargas moved in on her. The sound of tearing fabric was enough for Tienn and he stepped away from the corner, coming fully out of the shadows with his rapier ready. “That is enough,” he said loudly, startling all four of them.

  Fargas squinted into the night, his dagger waving the air before him as if he could part the darkness and see more clearly. His eyes widened in surprise as Tienn stepped closer. The little man looked over at his companions, both of whom were quite unhappy with this turn of events. “Purple-skinned freak!” Fargas shouted. “You know Magi ain’t welcome no more!”

  “The House of Diathanos might well have told you to discourage Magi from loitering in Kaalé, but I will not stand idly by and watch you attack someone like this,” Tienn said, taking two more steps forward.

  Fargas grinned, exposing crooked, yellowed teeth. “It be three ‘gainst one, hero,” he cackled with a wave of his dagger. The voice of one his henchmen, however, quickly turned his grin into a fear-tinged scowl. “I ain’t signed to fight ‘gainst no Guildsman, Fargas,” he said.

  The third male, a humongous looking farm hand with patchy black stubble all over his face, let the Magi go and stepped toward Tienn. His meaty hands clenched as the large local sized up the much thinner and shorter intruder that threatened them with a sword he could use to clean his teeth with. “You afraid of this lil’ sugar plum, Marl?” he asked with slow drawl. “I’ll break both his arms and make him watch.”

  “Beddag! No!” The man still holding the Magi tried to warn his companion, but the hulking mass that was Beddag lunged forward and attempted to pin Tienn’s arms to his sides, rendering his blade useless. Beddag was quite surprised when the nimble ‘sugar plum’ seemed to slide sideways, spin on his heel, and kick him in the kidneys, causing him to crash into the ground, grazing his chin upon the cobblestones of the alley.

  Fargas stepped in quickly, his dagger arcing up to slice Tienn in the belly. With one swift stroke Tienn’s rapier cut through the fabric on Fargas’s right forearm, slicing neatly into his flesh, causing him to drop his dagger. Another deft jab had the razor sharp point of his blade pressed against Fargas’s throat, halting any further movement. A flash of purple light followed by a noisy crack told Tienn that the Magi had been released. Marl and Beddag had already fled, their heavy footfalls fading into the darkness. Fargas was alone and he knew it.

  “Are you injured?” Tienn asked the Magi. She was staring angrily after where Marl had run and was rubbing her right arm with her left hand. She shook her head, keeping her eyes locked behind Tienn with an almost eager gleam. Tienn returned his attention to Fargas, who had his arms outstretched and his palms up in supplication. His face was turned up, his chin pointed away from Tienn’s blade, but his eyes were on the rapier and fear seeped from him almost like a fetid sweat. “You have much to answer for,” Tienn said angrily.

  “I wuz doin’ what I wuz told ta’ do!” he said with a whining voice that was borderline hysterical. “Church don’t want no Magi in their city. I didn’t mean no harm.”

  “No harm!?” the Magi suddenly said with an explosive force. “You were going to rape me!” She had marched up behind Fargas. Her right arm was slightly extended from her cloak, exposing the gleaming silver bracer that Tienn guessed was her foci.

  “Nu-uh!” he cried emphatically. “Just gonna scare ya’. That’s all. Scare ya’ and then bring you to ‘em. That’s what they want. Magi ain’t welcome.”

  Tienn turned his wrist to the left, letting the point dig in until a slow trickle of blood began to flow down Fargas’s neck. “Who are you supposed to bring them to?”

  “The church!” Fargas squealed, his arms stretching out further.

  “Is Chancellor Tevic ordering you to round up Magi in the city and bring them to him?” Tienn asked incredulously.

  “It would explain quite a bit,” the Magi said behind him.

  Fargas’s eyes widened with the sudden understanding that he had just jumped from one problem to another by implicating the House of Diathanos. All he could do was shake his head, his entire body trembling with the effort.

  “Answer me!” Tienn ordered.

  Fargas continued to shake his head and actually took a step backward. “I can’t…I can’t…” he repeated over and over. He then bolted; jumping back and away from Tienn’s rapier and then sprinted past the Draaken. The Magi lifted her arm, but Tienn stepped in front of her, “He’s not worth it,” he ordered.

  She sighed disgustedly as Fargas disappeared around the corner. “You let him escape. He could have told me what I needed to know.”

  “You should be thankful that I happened upon your situation,” Tienn said as he sheathed his rapier.

  “I am,” she replied curtly. “Did I hear one of those fools call you a Guildsman?”

  Tienn sighed. He was not in the mood to deal with a sycophantic admirer, especially one that he helped rescue. Another thought struck him almost instantaneously – perhaps she wanted to join? “I am Tienn Draanyr of the Defender’s Guild,” he announced.

  “How fortunate,” Kaelyn said; all thoughts of the recent attack forgotten. “I have need of the Guild’s assistance. I was told that they once frequented this establishment,” she gestured to the inn.

  Tienn chuckled wistfully. “Sadly, the Dragon’s Tale has been shuttered for many years. What can the Defender’s Guild do for you…?”

  “Kaelyn Caydriss, Apprentice Magi of the Amethyst Order,” she formally introduced her
self. “My Dhama is being held within the High Temple of Diathanos against his will and I need help to retrieve him.”

  Tienn stared at the Magi as if she had grown another head. His white eyes glowed eerily in the black night of the alley. A sudden feeling of dread began to form in his stomach, a warning signal that rocketed up his spine into the base of his brain and screamed for him to simply turn around and walk calmly away from this woman and the trouble that accompanied her. He felt the hand of the gods turn this moment in time until it clicked into place as though it were meant to happen. He knew the answer to his next question before he even asked it. “Your Dhama is…”

  “Yes,” she replied, reading his sudden comprehension. “It is Sajiix Mirhan.”

  15

  Tienn closed the door behind Kaelyn as she stepped into the Guild, tugging her torn cloak across the threshold. No one else had accosted them as they walked along the empty streets, keeping close to the shadows in case Fargas decided to return with more help. Along the way, the young Magi had told Tienn that Sajiix had left the Arcanum in order to warn the Knights of Kaalé that the Zynnashans were planning to attack Kaalmoore. This verified Sajiix’s story and allowed Tienn’s guilt about not aiding him to swell even further. The problem, Kaelyn told him, was that her foci began to flash in a pattern that meant Sajiix’s own foci had been removed from his person. It was a spell Sajiix had devised, she said, to alert a Dhama if their student were in any danger. In this case, it had worked just as well in reverse. Kaelyn then followed the signal to Kaalé and then to the gates of the High Temple of Diathanos, where the signal was at its strongest.

  Tienn knew he had to escort the young woman to safety. He and Ayce had heard rumors that the Palidiamos were abducting Magi, but Cassius was quick to refute it – stating that such a dark deed was not within the mindset of the church. It seemed the church had decided to change their mindset. House Diathanos was playing a dangerous game. Any outward hostility toward a Magi would result in retaliation by the Arcanum and if they had truly captured Sajiix, it would not be long before that fool did something dangerously unpredictable – such as killing clerics of Diathanos.

  The young Kaelyn cleared her throat expectantly, drawing Tienn away from his thoughts. They were still in the empty reception room, his hand still on the door he had just closed and secured. She stood on the main floor near the table where her Dhama had recently fought Cassius. She was gazing up at him with an almost imperial air, but her hazel eyes scanned him curiously. It was a stare that Tienn was all too familiar with – and one he disliked immensely.

  “My apologies Magi Caydriss,” he said roughly. “Let me escort you into the common room of the Guild.” He leapt down the small staircase and nodded to her as he passed, marching up the steeper stairs that led into the common room.

  “Your skin,” she said brusquely. “It is not something I have encountered before in a Draaken.”

  Tienn paused at the top of the stairs and turned his head to acknowledge her. “Has your teacher not told you of his past? I am quite unique as Draakens go,” he replied coolly. “Your Dhama did this to my skin, allowing me to move freely in the sunlight without hindrance or pain.”

  “Sajiix rarely speaks of his past. He grows angry when I pursue it.” She was suddenly up the stairs next to Tienn, her pale hand reaching out to touch the violet skin of her savior. “Amazing,” she whispered as her hand slid down a well-defined arm. Tienn was quite sure that her wonder was reserved more for Sajiix’s power than for the skin that was protected.

  “Yes, I like to think so,” Tienn said, pulling his arm away from the young woman. “Now, if you will please follow me. If Sajiix is truly being held prisoner within House Diathanos, then we have much to do to get him out.” He stepped through the curtain and down a similar staircase on the other side, ignoring the slight smirk that sprung from her mouth. She was reminding Tienn more and more of Sajiix, which was going to make it harder to convince Cassius of what they needed to do.

  The common room of the Defenders Guild once housed grand dinners and bawdy parties. There were times when the entire room was filled with light, life, and laughter. For Tienn, it was filled now with nothing but regret. It was a long room with a high ceiling with walls that were constructed in a classical style with individual stones braced with thick beams of stained oak which arced over the wooden ceiling to the opposite wall. The floor was also made of dark gray flagstone, covered here and there with thick rugs of animal hide. Four of the same brackets found in the entry hall lined each side of this room, their magical light also dimmed for the night. Fine woven tapestries were hung along the walls, some of them with intricate designs, others with art depicting some of the Guild’s more famous (or infamous) acts of valor.

  In the center of the room was a long table of sturdy wood that was wiped clean and stood unused, its eight high-backed chairs tucked neatly under it. A round white stone hearth sat like a giant gourd nearby, its fire pit dark, and its coals as cold and gloomy as the atmosphere that permeated the room. Comfortable chairs and sofas of fine cloth and leather encircled the unique fireplace, offering a tranquil respite for those that would sit there. And though the hired servants lit and stoked the fire each night, Tienn could not recall anyone sitting there since the Guild had been reopened.

  Tucked in a corner, adjacent to the fire, was a short, rickety bar topped with an oaken barrel of mead. Standing next to the table, silhouetted by the dying firelight, was Ayce, draining the last of a pewter mug full of the stuff. He turned to face Tienn and Kaelyn as they approached. “Ah,” he belched. “I was wondering how I came to be here before you.” His brown eyes scanned Kaelyn up and down and he flashed a white-toothed grin at her. “Since when do you go wenching for Magi? Granted, she’s quite striking for a gem-keeper.”

  If Kaelyn took offense, she showed no sign of it. She only examined Ayce with a mild curiosity. Tienn, however, rolled his eyes and took the empty mug out of Ayce’s hand. “This is Kaelyn Caydriss. She is an apprentice to a certain Amethyst Magi that visited recently.”

  Ayce’s dark eyebrows shot up and he took another look at the voluptuous Magi. “How does he do it?” he muttered into his beard.

  Kaelyn’s own amber brows rose, not in surprise, but in agitation. “Would you care to repeat that?”

  Ayce’s eyes found the jagged rips on the seams of her shirt and cloak, which caused him to throw a questioning gaze at Tienn. “What happened?” His flirtatious mood was gone in an instant.

  “Fargas,” Tienn answered. “He and two of his hired hands were given orders to bring in any Magi walking the streets. We convinced them otherwise.”

  “Given orders? By the light-chasers?” Ayce’s voice was skeptical. He knew Fargas well enough to know that the little rat would lie about the color of the sky to get out of trouble.

  “There is more,” Tienn sighed as he used Ayce’s mug to pour himself a small amount of mead. He retold Kaelyn’s story, emphasizing the fact that Sajiix was possibly being held against his will in the High Temple of Diathanos.

  “Tevic is getting bold,” Ayce commented after a moment of contemplation. “His connection with the King must be pretty strong if he can snatch up Magi off the street and scare them out of Kaalé.”

  “My Dhama is still within the walls of that temple,” Kaelyn snapped with a defiant air.

  “Maybe they just took his ring and made him leave?” Ayce suggested weakly.

  Tienn shook his head. “Do you honestly think Sajiix would allow them to take his foci and then just walk away?”

  Ayce conceded immediately. “Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed. “So, what are we supposed to do about it?”

  Tienn was at a loss to answer. They could not just charge into the temple and demand to have Sajiix released – and that was assuming they would admit to having him. If they tried to use Kaelyn’s sensing ability as proof, they would argue that it was her word against the church. They could not go to the recently converted King, nor could the
y count on any assistance from Sir Greeve or the banished knights.

  “We are on our own,” Tienn whispered.

  “We have the Defender’s Guild,” said Ayce triumphantly.

  Tienn once again nodded his head, “No, we do not,” he said carefully. “Cassius will not come to his aid, and he will not allow the initiates to help us.”

  Kaelyn looked at both men with a defiant air and nodded. “If it is beyond your ability to aid me, then I will be forced to return to the Arcanum and return with enough Magi to garner the church’s attention.”

  Tienn whirled to face her, his face a mask of unfeigned horror. “No!” he shouted, startling everyone. “That is the last thing we need right now! If you bring in a cadre of Magi, that will only agitate the situation further. One young Magi or cleric starts a fight and it becomes a battle that starts another gem war.”

  “Then what is to be done, Draaken?” Kaelyn snipped. “I cannot wait for you to make a decision while my Dhama rots in a dungeon – no matter how divine it may be.”

  “You’re assuming he’s still alive,” Ayce said grimly.

  Kaelyn’s youthful face hardened into a mask of fury at the thought. “No,” she finally said to him. “If my Dhama’s life were extinguished, there would be no energy signature for the foci to pick up on.” As if on cue, the silver bracer that adorned Kaelyn’s right wrist flashed a dull purple.

  “I cannot fathom the thought that the God of Light and Life is ordering its patrons to discriminately assault any who possess the ability to use magic,” Tienn added with a visible shudder.

  “You may be different than other Draakens, but you still live in the dark if you believe that a holy man would not strike down a Magi,” Kaelyn spat. “Even those that worship the Light Bringer are not immune to that opportunity.”

  Tienn stared at Kaelyn with a mixture of shock and pity. How sad it was for one so young to already be so jaded. Tienn would not, could not, believe that House Diathanos would resort to such methods. Sajiix was still alive, that much Kaelyn proved was true. But what was he doing at the High Temple? What had he done to bring on the wrath of Chancellor Tevic? Tienn didn’t know, neither did he care to find out. All he knew was that Kaalé and its people would be in peril if Kaelyn returned with a small force of Magi. In order to resolve this situation, he would need to choose the lesser of each evil.