Avondale

by Toby Neighbors

  The Fourth Ordained Order of Magic

  Nativus Magicus

  The pinnacle of all known magic is Nativus Magicus. It must only be practiced by the most dedicated of wizards. In some ways, Nativus Magicus is simple; as wielding the following spells are in many ways as easy as basic Sana Magus. The true power and inherent danger of Nativus Magicus comes when these simple spells break the laws of nature, unleashing the power of creation if the wizard is not careful. Many have been consumed by the power they are trying to wield; only the strongest minds have the focus and force of will to control the elements.

  In the earliest times, when magic was thought to be a lost art, the following spells revealed the true nature and incredible power of our world. As the third principle of magic states, magic is available to all. The reason that magic is so readily available is because it is all around us. As you will know by now, a wizard can sense magic, feel it coming and going, discern its intent. Nativus Magicus takes what many have called common magic, and uses it to tap into the very elements all around us. Any novice wizard can conjure fire, but a Wizard of the Fourth Order can control fire, shape it, send it raging across the world, or halt it in its tracks. These spells should only be attempted after years of painstaking study and proven mastery of the first three Orders of Magic.

  The Fourth Order is composed of sets of three, which reflects nature. For instance there are three natural states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Likewise, there are three states of raw power: fire, lightning, and magic. For our purposes, Nativus Magicus is divided into three sections, basic spells, intermediate spells, and advanced spells. Like each of the proceeding Orders, Nativus Magicus spells a progression in power and should be practiced in order with mastery of the first being achieved before practice of the second is begun.

  Accendo

  Fire is universally known and used, from a cook using fire to roast meat, to a blacksmith manipulating fire in a forge. Yet, very few truly understand fire, and as the second principle of magic states, Magic begins with knowledge. Fire occurs when combustable matter loses its magical energy. For instance, wood when heated, will shed its inherent magical energy (the spark of life that causes it to grow) producing fire. Accendo summons that energy. The wizard should feel the pull of magic from the unseen, into the physical world as fire.

  The focus of this spell must be control. A novice wizard may conjure Accendo. But depending on the wizard’s aptitude, they may summon a tiny flame, or send flame erupting all around them. The wizard must will only as much flame as needed through the veil that separates the physical from the mystical. And just as a wizard’s will can bend and control magic, likewise when that magical energy enters the world of men, it can be bent and controlled by the conjuring wizard.

  It is best to practice this spell in a confined area where combustable materials are not present, such as a cave, or a small room made of stone. A wizard should be able to conjure both small and large flames, move them around in space, shape them, and extinguish them, before moving on to the next spell.

  Tiberius considered trying the spell; the book had said it was a basic spell that every wizard should know. But he hesitated. He wanted to know the spells and use them, but he had barely been practicing magic for a week. Healing Rafe and healing himself had been difficult, almost more than he could handle. What if conjuring fire set the whole castle ablaze, or worse, the whole city? He was still so angry at his family that the thought of destroying them seemed almost desirable, but then he felt ashamed. He wasn’t a killer and his family, no matter how cruel to him, didn’t deserve to die.

  He pushed his chair back from the table and rested his head in his hands. He was so tired. It was still early and he hadn’t eaten supper, but his whole body ached with minor muscle pains and bruises. He sat down on his bed and then fell back onto the soft mattress filled with goose down. He closed his eyes.

  “Master Tiberius!” Robere announced as he came sweeping into the room. “Are you ill?”

  “What?” Ti said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  “You were missed at dinner,” the servant said. “Your mother worries about you.”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost time for the weekly offering. I’ve barely enough time to see you dressed and fed. Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Yes, yes,” Tiberius said sitting on the edge of his bed and noticing the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

  “Your mother will be displeased if you miss the offering,” Robere said, throwing open the wardrobe and pulling out clothes.

  “I’m training to be a Paladin,” Tiberius said. “My whole life is an offering.”

  “Don’t be trite, my lord. You know how the Marquess feels about her family attending the temple with her.”

  “Yes, I know,” Tiberius said sourly.

  Robere kept talking, but Tiberius was no longer listening. The second half of the book of magic lay open on his table, right next to the porcelain basin that Robere was about to pour water into. There was no time to hide the book and Tiberius mentally kicked himself for leaving it out. It was a stupid mistake and he wracked his brain to come up with an excuse.

  Robere carried a large pitcher of water to the basin and began pouring it in, his eyes wandering over the contents lying on the table.

  “What is that old book, my lord?” he asked. “I hope that’s not from your father’s library.”

  “No!” Tiberius said, hurrying over and plucking it off the table. He quickly turned away from the aging servant.

  “This is part of an ancient text from the temple. I’m studying it for one of the disciplines there,” he lied. “They don’t usually let texts like this leave the temple, but they made an exception for me.”

  “As they should,” Robere said, seemingly convinced by Tiberius’ lie.

  He set the book down on the bed and went back to the table. He washed quickly and then Robere dressed him and combed his hair while Tiberius stood in front of the long dressing mirror, examining his appearance.

  “There,” Robere said. “Now you look presentable. You go ahead and I’ll tidy up here.”

  “No,” Tiberius said. “You’ve done enough. I’ll clean my room this afternoon.”

  “Are you sure?” Robere asked surprised. “It’s no trouble.”

  “I insist,” Tiberius said. “Please, I can’t rely on you forever. Soon I’ll be cleaning up all my own messes and those of half the people in Avondale.”

  Robere pursed his lips, and Tiberius couldn’t tell if the look was suspicion or sadness.

  “I can’t believe you’ll be leaving the palace,” the elderly servant said. “You make us all proud.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Tiberius said. “I doubt I’ll even be remembered by my family unless they need something from me.”

  Robere had a pained look, one that said he felt sorry for Tiberius while confirming his suspicions about the royal family. The aging servant smiled sadly.

  “You will be missed,” he said in thick voice.

  “Thank you, Robere. I’ll miss you too.”

  Robere left the room and Tiberius sighed. He’d planned to leave without seeing his family again. He would miss his mother, despite the fact that she had rarely shown much interest in him. He had no desire to ever see his brothers or his father again, even though that fact made him sad. Still, he couldn’t go marching out of the palace with a travel sack on a holy day without arousing suspicion. He would go to the temple with his family one last time, then he would leave the palace forever.

  He quickly stashed the second half of the book of magic in his pack, which he then stuffed under his bed just in case Robere came back to clean up his room. After one final look around his small quarters for any sign that he intended to leave, he walked down the hall toward the banquet room where the family gathered each week before traveling together to the temple for worship.

  He felt good knowing that he had made the decision t
o leave. It was liberating to know he wasn’t stuck and perhaps part of it was that he wouldn’t be living according to his family’s expectations. It was really the first time in his life that he was being openly rebellious, and that made him smile. He tried not to think about how close he’d come to being caught with the book of magic when Robere had come in unexpectedly that morning. Tiberius hadn’t meant to fall asleep and the night had passed before he’d known it. He took a deep breath and decided that worrying about how close he’d come to being caught would only make him feel guilty around his family. The last thing he wanted was to be questioned about why he looked down, or to arouse suspicion before he made his escape.

  He didn’t smile, but he did his best to look unconcerned as he walked into the banquet room. It was a large space, with several plush sitting areas and a table against one wall that was laden with food. There were fruits, cheeses, fresh baked breads, delicate soufflés, and pitchers of juice, wine, and ale. Tiberius’ sisters were already there, sitting stiffly in a group of chairs, nibbling fruit from small plates. Brutas was inhaling food as he grazed along the table. Tiberius didn’t feel like eating and sat down on a thickly padded bench in one corner. He watched his family and a few invited guests moving about the room. A wealthy merchant and his son stood against a wall and spied on Tiberius’ sisters. The oldest girls would be married to other royal families in one of the Nine Cities around Valana, but the younger girls would be married to wealthy merchants or land barons with enough coin to purchase a bride with ties to the Earl’s family to enhance their own status.

  There was a dignitary slowly filling a plate with food, but his eyes studied the people in the room, not the delicacies on the table before him. Tiberius didn’t recognize the man, not that Ti had ever been privy to the business at court, but he had watched with mild curiosity the comings and goings of the various dignitaries and officials that visited his father. Tiberius had never seen this man before, he was certain of that.

  When Leonosis came into the room, Tiberius stiffened. Just seeing his oldest brother made him angry. Leonosis had been given everything he ever wanted. No girl ever denied him, no gift was ever withheld once he made it known he wanted it. And now that he was taking on more of their father’s duties, he was treated with the kind of respect only an Earl could garner, despite the fact that Tiberius knew his brother had done nothing to earn that respect. His sole accomplishment had been that he was born first. Tiberius had to force himself to relax and not let his temper get the best of him.

  When Leonosis spotted Tiberius in the corner he smiled. He filled two goblets with freshly squeezed juice and brought them to Tiberius.

  “Brother, I brought you some refreshment,” he said as he sat down next to Tiberius.

  “I don’t want it,” Tiberius said through clenched teeth.

  “Oh, don’t be such a sore loser. Drink some juice and act civil for once.”

  Tiberius took the goblet Leonosis handed him, but didn’t drink it.

  “Do you know who that is?” Leonosis asked, pointing to the strange dignitary.

  “No,” Tiberius said.

  “It’s King Aethel’s emissary. The King will be here sometime tomorrow. I plan on presenting him with the Graypee hides I killed. It will be a fitting gift for the King, don’t you think.”

  “Shut up,” Tiberius said.

  “His daughter is coming as well. It is rumored that the King’s son is ill. He was always sickly and weak. I doubt he’ll survive long enough to become King. Then it will be up to the Earls to choose a new sovereign.”

  “I don’t care,” Tiberius said.

  “Well, you should. I know you don’t care for me. You’ve always been jealous, I know, but you need to start thinking long term. If the King dies without an heir, and I am chosen to take his place—”

  “That will never happen,” Tiberius said a little louder than he meant to.

  “Keep your voice down, brother,” Leonosis hissed. “I’m only trying to help you. If I become King, then Brutas will become Earl of Avondale and you will be elevated, perhaps even taking his place as Captain of the Guard. It might even be possible that you would become Earl. Surely you see the possibilities of that.”

  “I don’t want to be Earl.”

  “Of course you do. Everyone does. And every Earl wants to be King. It’s the way of the world, Tiberius. Now, I know you’re still mad at me, but with the Graypee hides my stock among the Earls of the other eight cities will rise. If the King will accept my proposal for his daughter’s hand in marriage, then I’ll be in the perfect position to become the next King of Valana. And believe me, I won’t forget those who have helped me along the way.”

  “You make me sick,” Tiberius grumbled.

  “No, let’s be fair. It was Rafe who caved. I never could have pulled it off if the Sword Master’s son didn’t support my story about the Graypees. Now, I know you’re mad at me, but it’s really Rafe who you should be angry with. And trust me, his time is coming.”

  “What are you going to do?” Tiberius said, unable to hide the desperation in his voice.

  “Ah, wouldn’t you like to know. All in good time, brother. Just know that his treachery will be punished. Now here’s mother, let’s go to the temple and make her happy.”

  Leonosis rose in one fluid motion. He wasn’t strong like Rafe, but just one look made it clear that he was dangerous. It was like watching a viper moving in for the kill. Tiberius stood slowly, his head spinning with the news Leonosis had just told him. Ti was still angry with Rafe. He couldn’t imagine what Leonosis had done to convince Rafe to go along with his story about killing the Graypees, and the pain of that betrayal was still agonizing to Tiberius. Still, he didn’t think he wanted to see his friend hurt, but he wasn’t sure what to do. The only thing he knew for certain was that he couldn’t leave the palace, not yet anyway. Not with the King coming and a very real threat hanging over the head of Tiberius’ best friend.

  Chapter 16

  Lexi

  It had been nearly a week since she had killed the two men. She had hidden in a small inn for three days, waiting for her eye to heal and any suspicion about the murder of the two men to fade. She doubted the Paladins would spend much time worrying about who killed two men who were obviously criminals. There would be no outcry over their deaths, no family to appease by naming the killer. She had acted in self-defense when they accosted her, but she didn’t trust anyone to believe her story, so she hid until she felt a little more secure.

  She had ventured out a little every day since, always in the late afternoon and never going far from the seedy inn that she had paid for in advance. The gold crown she had taken from the Earl’s palace had secured her a room for two weeks, including meals in the filthy common room if she wanted them. Lexi didn’t care for the greasy heavy meals the innkeeper cooked, preferring to eat food that was fresh from the market. So each day she went out and bought a few things, but she was always alert for any sign of danger.

  She didn’t have much to trade, the tavern keeper she’d helped paid her a handful of copper pennies. Her clothes were stained with the blood of the men who’d attacked her. She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders to hide the stains. She hoped that anyone who noticed the bloody splotches on her clothes would guess it came from the cut on her own face. The gash on her check and the bruising around her eye was common enough. Beatings in the lower part of the city were an everyday occurrence.

  She bought new clothes, at least clothes that were new to her. Thick, wool pants that were probably made for an adolescent boy. A tunic that was too large, but a good price. It had a hood and plenty of room for improvements, which she could make in the privacy of her room. Best of all, it hid her figure and made her a little more anonymous. Finally, she spent the last of her money on a pair of used, but well-maintained boots. When she was finished, she looked less like a young woman than a teenage boy. She kept the Wangorian blade close, but hidden inside her tunic. She had carefully sewn a
special pocket just for it, so that she could retrieve it easily if she needed to.

  Finally, after almost a week had passed since she’d seen Tiberius, she went up to the broad avenue that led to the Earl’s palace. Tiberius would often meet her in the afternoons after his family visited the temple together. The holy day often provided Tiberius some free time which they usually spent exploring the shadier side of the city. For Lexi, it had become one of the few things she actually looked forward to. Her life was dangerous, and she had learned early to keep a constant watch on her surroundings, never letting her guard down for long. One of the few exceptions was her outings with Tiberius. He wasn’t boisterous or arrogant, but his confidence was contagious. He never acted as if anything were beyond his reach, even though there were so many things that he didn’t know. Life in the Earl’s palace was sheltered from the harsh realities on the streets of the lower levels of Avondale, but it had given Tiberius the idea that anything was possible. Lexi often felt stuck, as if she’d never rise above the barely legal life she’d carved out for herself. Not that she wanted to marry a wealthy man and spend her life worrying about domestic affairs, but when she was with Tiberius, she felt like her life could be great somehow.

  She adamantly refused to consider the fact that she might have romantic feelings for him. She despised the thought of being dependent on someone other than herself and she feared the idea of commitment. In her experience, people simply couldn’t be relied on. They always let her down when she needed them, so she determined never to need anyone… ever. Still, she had wanted to see Tiberius, to spend time with him before he was trapped in the life of Paladin, and she refused to think that perhaps she wanted to be more than just friends.