by Guy Antibes
When they were halfway up the tower, Trak spelled a teleport shield around the upper part of the tower, hoping it would be strong enough. There was no other way down from the tower, according to Valanna. They found their next three magicians rummaging around in a dresser, stuffing jewelry in their pockets.
Valanna didn’t waste any time in reducing them as a threat.
Now at every level they met with live magicians and more bodies. The magicians, half of them Vashtan, had left no one alive. The top level remained, and Trak wondered if his teleport shield worked. They sat down and rested, hearing voices above them.
Commotion from below reached their place in the hallway stair leading up to Herla’s rooms. Marom stalked up the stairs, sword in hand and red-faced. “You!” He raised his sword and swung at Trak.
The shield stopped his sword.
“You have the Colcanans to thank for all of this. I wouldn’t kill innocent people like they have. We’ve already taken out ten or more. I lost count,” Trak said, putting his hand to his forehead. “I’m collecting my power. I don’t know how many magicians are in that room. It is the last in the tower?”
Marom glared at Trak, but nodded. “My wives,” the king said. Trak didn’t know if tears of anger or of sadness welled up in Marom’s eyes.
Derit and Ferikan entered the room.
“Could you try teleporting to the courtyard?” Trak looked at Ferikan who posed. Nothing happened.
Trak nodded. “We have them trapped then.”
“Another spell?” Debit asked.
“We used it earlier to take care of Riotro.” Trak looked at Marom, flanked by two Ferezan warriors. “Is there another way to the level above?”
Marom nodded and ran to a dresser.
“Don’t go up!” Trak said.
Marom glared at Trak as he disappeared through a sliding panel, followed by the two warriors.
“Now we have to act. Stay behind me,” Trak said, grinding his teeth.
“No, I won’t,” Valanna said, her hand firmly around his arm.
Trak saw the determination in her eyes. “You may be the only royal left,” Trak said.
She just nodded. Derit and Ferikan stood behind him.
“Can you blow the doors open?” Trak asked.
Ferikan nodded and posed while Trak drew his sword. Valanna’s was already unsheathed in her other hand, but she assumed a shield pose.
“Now!” Trak said, pointing his blade towards the doors.
The doors blew open and filled the entry with smoke. Trak blew it aside just as Marom entered the room. Queen Herla lay sprawled on the couch, already dead. The remaining magicians, all Colcanans, huddled in the middle of the room, trying to teleport, but some had already given up and assumed defensive and offensive poses.
Marom jumped through an opening panel, and once his eyes caught Herla’s body, he launched himself at the magicians. He slew two of them, who were trying to teleport. He raised his sword to kill another when a needle of fire struck him. Another magician pierced his body with a bolt of lightning. The other two Ferezan warriors made it to the magicians and cut down two more before being hit and joined their king on the floor.
Trak didn’t waste any time and pulsed needles of lightning into the magicians. The magician’s shields were no match for the concentrated needles of lightning that Trak sent into them. Derit and Ferikan’s attacks splashed uselessly until Trak had taken care of the shield makers. In that moment of intense battle, all of the invading magicians were dead, along with every servant in the Royal Tower, including Marom and all of his wives, save one.
Valanna knelt where she stood and covered her face. Sobs shook her body. She looked up at Trak with a tear-covered face. “I knew those women… each one, and the servants. They weren’t particularly nice to me, but they were still sisters, in a way.”
Trak looked at Marom’s body. He had never expected the King of Warish to die defending his wives. He hung his head and walked down to the next lower level where there were no bodies, helping Valanna, who didn’t seem to have the strength to move.
Ferikan poured wine for them as the room began to fill with Warishian guards.
“Lay the royal bodies in my old quarters on the second level,” Valanna said. “Take the guards and servants to a place of honor and pile the enemy downwind of the palace and set them afire.” She flitted her hand.
Since Marom had killed Nez, his only son, years ago, Valanna was the only Royal personage left.
~
Valanna had never annulled her marriage to Marom, so did that make her the Queen of Warish? She was too tired and too upset to know for sure. All she wanted to do in her present state was to lean against Trak, the only person she wanted to comfort her.
Trak gave her wine, and she drank it all. He hugged her, and she hugged him back, thankful that she had removed her armor. She had another goblet of wine, and then fell asleep at his side.
~
A few days later, Trak stood in King Marom’s throne room, while a Warishian droned on and on in their language about the events of the Battle of Garmez Falls. The Santasians had finally reached Amorim and utterly destroyed the Colcanan army a few leagues from the city.
Trak looked around at the attendees. Many were bandaged. Pestlans stood as a group on one side of the room, with Trak standing next to Neel, Able, and General Danson. Coffun kept making droll remarks to Snively behind him. Trak could barely repress smiling during the solemn occasion. As far as he knew, none of them could speak Warishian. He glanced at Neel, and it seemed that Neel might be listening in.
The droning stopped. Asem stepped up to the throne and spoke some kind of oath and lifted a golden crown and laid it over Valanna’s head.
He looked over at the Pestlans. “Your queen is now Queen of Warish & Pestle.” He bowed deeply to Valanna and stepped back to join Kulara. They held hands and shouted some kind of barbaric chant. Trak thought it might be a Ferezan declaration of fealty.
Asem called over to them from his side of the room. “You may now applaud the Queen.”
Trak had no problem doing so. He didn’t have to worry about someone stealing Valanna from him this time, and this queen had already defeated the army out to get her. The ceremony had ended, and servants brought refreshments into the room.
Trak took a goblet and hobbled to Valanna. His leg felt better, but he wasn’t healed yet. He thought it would take some time to recover from his mad dash up the Royal Tower stairs two days ago.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty,” Trak said grinning at her.
She beamed back at him. “One for Pestle and once for Warish?”
“Something like that.” He took a sip of the drink. “What happens next?”
“I won’t be moving into the Royal Tower, that’s for sure.” Her smile darkened. “Tonight I’ll be in Asem’s tower, and tomorrow?”
“Come to Pestle with me. You have to speak to the people and give them excellent news,” Trak said.
“Not to mention, change quite a few laws and royal decrees. You are very welcome, by the way, to use your magic in both countries.”
Trak nodded. “That makes four countries I am now welcome in, but only conditionally in the city of Espozia, I think.” He smiled at Valanna and took her hand. “Can I take you to Pestledown? We can be there before all of the others.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
~~~
Epilogue
~
Esmera sat with Trak at a table inside The Looking Inn. “Who would have thought?” she said.
Honor and Misson walked in, followed by Rasia, looking surprisingly pretty in a blue gown. Trak looked around at his friends, all dressed up after his wedding to Valanna. The formal reception had been something to endure, but now he was among those he loved. He had a fleeting thought of Lia and felt a flush of sadness, but then this wasn’t her day, it was someone else’s.
Honor walked over to her half-brother and hugged Mori. They five of them sat
at their own table and beamed with good cheer.
Asem and Kulara had their own table together with all four of his children. He looked resplendent in his fancy new uniform as Regent of Warish, ruling the country in behalf of Valanna. A Ferezan as Regent settled any questions of unrest in the Arid Lands.
The Blue Swan Vashtans had left Pestle and returned to Vashta, their tasks completed. Toryans still fought Toryans for control of the East and the West, and Trak really didn’t care. Not much had come out of Colcan except for a mission to Espozia to sue for a long-term peace agreement. Trak assumed they wanted Santasia as an ally in case of any unpleasantness that spilled over from the Toryan civil war. He also suspected that most of their magicians had been killed in Warish.
Trak still missed Tembul, but the Toryan had made plain where his ultimate allegiance lay when Trak left him at Able’s old house in Kizru. He sipped his wine, excellent wine, in fact. He wondered how much of Able’s wheedling persuaded Esmera to serve good drink. He took another sip, waiting for Valanna to arrive. She had insisted that she change from the ornate wedding dress that she had worn when they exchanged vows and at the reception.
He wiped a tear from his eyes, still overcome with emotion. They had finally come together. Trak had thought it an impossibility, but their union had finally happened. He mused over his adventures that began when he was fourteen and shook his head. He went from being a Magician in training, directly into exile, captivity, and finally into a final battle with his true enemy, the Colcanans.
“The Queen!” someone shouted.
Valanna walked into the room wearing the Benninese dress Trak had bought for her months ago. She looked stunning. Escorting her to their table was a limping man with a very familiar face.
Trak shot up. “Tembul!” He wrapped his arms around his old friend. “I thought you had forsaken me!” Tears came to his face and to Tembul’s.
“Valanna arranged it. Derit and Ferikan brought me here.”
Trak looked at the door, and a small Toryan woman, about Tembul’s age, stood between the two Vashtans.
“Were you all there at the wedding?”
Tembul nodded with a twinkle in his eye. “How could I miss such a thing? It’s world history, it is. I couldn’t stand long enough to endure your reception. Can I see you kiss the bride again?”
Trak took Valanna in his arms and kissed her in front of the filled dining room to riotous applause.
Much later, he grabbed Valanna’s hand. “It’s time for us to be alone.” He led her out the door into the stableyard porch and up into their old flat.
Someone had filled the place with flowers. The furniture sparkled with polish, and Trak opened the door to the bedroom. A larger bed filled the space amidst even more flowers.
He took her to the table in the main room, laid out with wine, cheese, fruit, and pastries.
“It might not be the palace at Warish or Pestledown, but this is my favorite place with you,” Trak said. “I hope you don’t mind spending some time reminiscing.”
“Among other things,” Valanna said, standing and holding his face in her hands, “My husband.”
~~~~
This is the last book in the Power of Poses Series.
If you like what you have just read please leave a review at the place where you purchased Magician in Battle.
If you’d like to contact Guy Antibes, you can do so at his website: www.guyantibes.com
Table of Contents
Map of Trak’s World: Pestle, Bennin and Cokasan Continents
Characters, Countries, Locations
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
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Epilogue
Copyright Page
Author’s Note
A Bit About Guy
Books by Guy Antibes
Characters, Locations, Countries
Magician In Battle
Characters
Pestlans
Able Bluntwithe - Innkeeper of the shabby, out-of-the-way inn, The Blunted Sword. Trak’s adoptive father
Trak Bluntwithe – Adopted son of Able and biological son of Neel Cardswallow.
Neel Cardswallow – Trak’s real father. Former magician and is aligned with the Pestlan rebellion.
Honor Fidelia - Mage. Black hair with a coppery strand. Served as a spy for Santasia in Pestledown and fled with Trak to Santasia where she was a double spy for Colcan.
Galinda Youngblood - Trak’s Mother and Neel’s wife. Daughter of the magician that made the mistake, banishing magic from Pestle, leading to the Warish insinuation. Not a character in the books
Esmera Walkalot - innkeeper of The Looking Inn.
Valanna Sleekbottle (Almond) – A Pestlan living in Balbaam, Warish. Spy for Warish in Pestledown.
Harl Crustwillow, King of Pestle.
Lord Puddingfan – Close advisor to King Harl
Snively – Lawyer’s clerk, member of the spy underground in Pestledown
Leaf Gougepenny – Colcan spy living in Pestledown (see Colcanans)
Coffun Cricket – member of the spy underground in Pestledown
Danson Axlewood – leader of the Pestledown rebel forces
Santasians
Misson Dalistro - Geography and History Tutor for Trak and Val. Spy for Santasia.
Sereni Barazzi - Madame Barazzi, a courtesan hired by Misson Dalistro in Espozia to give Trak manners lessons as well as lessons on how to be comfortable in Court.
Senior Garono Dalistro - head of Santasian Council. Father of Misson. Senior is the title of the Council leader.
Mistress Nullia - A high Purple Master, instrumental in Trak’s first escape from the Magicians Guild. A double spy like Honor.
Adolphus Niamo - Military leader of the Loyalist Santasian forces
Riotro – Black Robe and former leader of the Santasian Magicians Guild
Warishians
Nez Ferez - A prince of Warish, killed in book one by Neel’s machinations.
Asem Ferez - A third cousin to the king and one of his tribe. Former fighter and now spy for King Marom
Marom Ferez - King of the Warish - Leader of the Warish Tribes.
Ferezan - Tribe of Nez of whom Asem and the King are members.
Kulara - Asem’s second and most favorite wife. She is adept in magic and ends up mentoring Valanna.
Captain Mizor – soldier in Balbaam’s palace guard loyal to Asem Ferez
Colonel Hazamel – Leader of the Eastern Warish forces
Colcanans
Berin Titrius - Friend of Asem
Service Nomia (Benium or Ben) – Willing Nomia’s father and a retired Innovator, the highest level of magic in Colcan.
Leaf Gougepenny – Spy in Pestledown. Married and linked with Berin Titrius.
Rasia – Scout and soldier in the Colcanan home guard.
Toryans
Tembul - Toryan scout leader
Lenis - To
ryan noble. Has relationship with abducted Princess. Antagonist
Sirul - Young Toryan officer. Assigned as army liaison and becomes friends w/Trak
King Basiul - Elected king of the Eastern Toryans.
Namiul – Lenis’s father
Hana - Maid to Princess Pullia
Princess Pullia – West Toryan princess sold to Emperor of Bennin
King Gastal – Uncle of Pullia and installed as king when Princess Pullia’s father died.
Malkul – Chamberlain to West Toryan monarch
Benninese
Mori – Female merchant who hires Trak as caravan guard
Jomio (Jojo) – Former high-level bureaucrat and prisoner
Shinowa – Court Magician to Benninese Emperor
Vashtans
Derit – female member of the Blue Swan clan
Henrig – Blue Swan in Warish
Canwog – Blue Swan in Warish
Bestik – Blue Swan in Warish
Ferikan – Blue Swan in Bennin
Markik – Blue Swan in Bennin
Boriak – Blue Swan in Bennin
Countries
Torya
Small Indigenous race to the Covansian continent. Reclusive and confined to the Mountainous forests that cling to the borders of Colcan, Santasia and Kandanna. Stronger in magic, not perceived as civilized. Natural culture, not aggressive, but will defend their lives and families. The Toryan nations split by mountains, Eastern Torya and Western Torya
Santasia
Large fertile country. The culture is like a Spanish-Italian mix with people with that kind of appearance. Warm, more hot-blooded. Less magical, but its guild will absorb any magician. Ruled by a Council, appointed from aristocracy and elected headed by the Senior.
Colcan
Emotionally controlled, rigid, land with many magicians. Ruled by a Board of Deans from Bitrium, it’s capital and learning center. Very democratic, but paranoid about invasion from the Santasians. People are slightly lighter complected than the Santasians, but from the same basic stock.
Kandanna