Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3

by Mark E. Cooper

  She didn’t laugh at the boy. Alvin was serious. She hadn’t expected the nod from Burke though; she’d thought he had more sense.

  “Well I… thank you,” she said flustered.

  Burke and Alvin grinned at her embarrassment. They waited for her to enter the women’s quarter before leaving. She nodded to Elise and continued on, hearing it boom shut behind her like the door to a prison cell. It did feel like a prison to her. At home in Athione, the women’s quarter had a different feel to it. It was somehow lighter, though the corridors were dimly lit. Athione left a person with no doubts it was a fortress built for war, but she felt happy there and not at all out of place. She did feel that way in the palace. Here, people knew her only from stories retold of her actions last year, and they were afraid. Her reputation had more than a few people scurrying from her path when she walked through the palace. The scowl she often wore made it worse, she knew, but she couldn’t help it sometimes. The wall she had cultivated to keep people at a distance back in England, had long since eroded to nothing. It still surprised her how much it hurt when a mother snatched a child from her path in fear of what the ferocious sorceress might do.

  Julia nodded at the ever-present guardsmen standing either side of her door. Halbert and Moriz were old hands at being bodyguards; they had often shadowed Keverin when he was younger. They were good with their swords even now, but they were getting on a bit for a guardsman’s life. She wouldn’t hurt their feelings by offering to have chairs brought out for them, but it made her uncomfortable to ignore them.

  “How’s the arm today, Halbert?”

  “Fine, Lady, thank you. It was right nice of you to fix it up for me—might have missed duty else.”

  “Glad to help. I like healing people, it makes me feel useful. No doubt Moriz here will be more careful with that scythe he calls a sword from now on!”

  Halbert grinned at the spluttering coming from Moriz.

  “There’s nothing wrong with this blade, Lady,” Moriz said stoutly and patting the weapon affectionately. “I’ve ridden to battle many a time with Lord Keverin and his father afore him. This here blade has saved me more than once. It’s better than those tiny things the youngsters are carrying these days!”

  “I wish we were home,” Julia said wistfully. “I wonder if Adara has her first tooth yet. What do you think?” She winked at Halbert who rolled his eyes. Adara was Moriz’ great granddaughter. He doted on all his family, but his second born granddaughter was special in his eyes.

  A dreamy look came over Moriz’ face as he imagined the baby safe in her crib. “I would hear her even here, Lady!”

  Julia laughed. “You might at that!”

  Still laughing, she entered her room closing the door behind her. Both men were acutely uncomfortable being in the women’s quarter of the palace, but she refused to sympathise with them too much. She had put up with the nonsense of bodyguards for almost two years now. They deserved being uncomfortable after dogging her heels around Devarr all yesterday. She chuckled remembering their aggrieved comments about aching feet as she aimlessly walked around the city sightseeing.

  Julia wandered through her empty rooms trying to find something to do. She could have a bath and change her dress for dinner, but no, Jessica had reminded her not long ago that Kev wouldn’t be there. He was still trying to persuade Ascol’s allies to break with him. She could help Lucius with his experiments… only she didn’t know a fraction of what was necessary to help. She had raw strength and little else. She could maybe visit Lysara and Ahnao, but they would be with the others, and she wasn’t very popular with many of the lord’s consorts. Besides, she didn’t know any gossip, and half what they thought funny made no sense to her.

  She stopped before the open windows and watched the guardsmen pacing the palace wall. She wished Keverin would come by. He had stayed away every night of their stay. He said it wouldn’t be proper for him to spend the night with her. She knew he was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She wanted to be with him day and night and never let him out of her sight, but she wasn’t getting her way. Deva could be prudish about some things. A lord could dally with a peasant woman, but marrying one was shocking. Jihan was still receiving strange looks for marrying Ahnao, but he ignored them. A Lord Protector could do that. He had six thousand guardsmen who said he could! Another thing was sex outside of marriage. Again, a double standard reared its head. Lords received a boys will be boys attitude, but noble ladies… well, even a hint of that kind of thing would be a major scandal, which meant she had slept alone for well over a year! Ahnao’s pregnancy only reminded her of her own lack of intimacy.

  It was infuriating! She wasn’t even a real noble, but Keverin said she was, her guardsmen knew beyond doubt that she was, so that was that as far as they were concerned. She was trapped by people’s expectations.

  With nothing to do, she settled herself to read a book she had borrowed from Jessica. Poetry was not to her taste, but she could hardly turn on the radio and listen to music. At home, she would use her spare time working on her gymnastics. She still trained. She was determined not to lose her ability without a fight, but it was a more relaxed kind of training—more for enjoyment and fitness than anything. She had discussed adding a new event to next year’s tournament with Jessica, and she had loved the idea. Julia wondered what Keverin would say when he heard that she wanted to train others in gymnastics? She had a feeling he wouldn’t like the idea. He’d nearly had apoplexy when he first saw her in a leotard.

  She settled down and tried to concentrate on her book, but after reading the same paragraph twice, and still not remembering its content, she gave it up as a bad job. She rubbed chilled arms and gestured at the logs in the fireplace. It took only a little magic to create a nice blaze. The evenings could be chilly here.

  There came a tap on her door and it opened to admit Gideon. He was in a dither. He was wringing his hands fit to twist them off, and his face showed a deep worry.

  “I have terrible news. A Red Guard captain informs me the Holy Father has taken ill. Will you come?”

  “Of course I’ll come!” Julia said and snatched up her cloak.

  Gideon helped her with the brooch that fastened her cloak, and then hurried to follow her. She collected her guardsmen and rushed through the halls with the cloak billowing behind her.

  “Dugan must be frantic,” she said.

  Gideon puffed along beside her, but when she made to slow her pace, he urged her on. “The captain made no mention, Lady, but I imagine you’re right. Dugan loves the Holy Father—we all do.”

  Julia wouldn’t say that she loved the old man, respected him certainly, liked… maybe, but not loved. To her the Holy Father seemed too preoccupied with inconsequential matters, such as why Malcor town didn’t have three chapels instead of two larger ones. What difference to the world did that make? Still, she didn’t have to love someone to offer them her skills. She would heal a sorcerer if asked, she had once, and Lucius had become a good friend.

  They left the palace proper and entered the grounds in a whirl. Startled people jumped out of her way as they realised who she was. Halbert and Moriz, with heads swinging side-to-side, kept the people back. A large contingent of Red Guards stood uneasily watching her sweep toward them. There were twelve men with halberds and a thirteenth in front wearing a gold sash of rank. Julia frowned at the slovenly soldiers at the captain’s back. Her guardsmen always looked professional. Whether standing at their ease or fighting a battle, they looked ready for whatever might come. These men looked nothing like her guardsmen, which Moriz and Halbert had noted.

  “Look at them pretty boys, Moriz,” Halbert whispered. “Have you ever seen worse?”

  Moriz grunted he hadn’t. “Keep your eyes moving. They ain’t gonna be worth shit in a fight!”

  Julia tuned out their conversation. The captain was a big man, but surely they could have found him a uniform that fit better than this. The red tunic was fairly bursting at the sea
ms where the his belly stressed the material. He wasn’t wearing the shiny breastplate the others wore either. Maybe they couldn’t find enough metal to cover that belly. He was sweating and breathing heavily, he must have been marching at the double.

  “What news of the Holy Father?”

  “Captain Kell, Lady, at your service,” he said and performed an awkward bow. “He be dying they say.”

  Julia blinked in surprise. She had never heard the peasant twang from an officer before. Even Brian, a newly minted captain, was losing his as greater contact and speech with Keverin rubbed off on him. The Red Guard must be different from other guard companies, less… prejudiced was too strong a word, but they were obviously less concerned with class. That was all to the good to her way of thinking.

  “As bad as that?” she asked. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “I… I’m not sure, Lady. You should come and see.”

  “Well, if you don’t know then you don’t. Have you horses ready?”

  “Er no, Lady… we marched.”

  Halbert and Moriz snickered but she ignored them. “All right we can—”

  “Can I come, Lady?” Lorcan said panting as he ran to catch her.

  “I don’t—”

  “We’re only supposed to bring you and the priest, Lady,” Captain Kell said.

  “You can come, Lorcan,” she said smiling, and totally ignoring the captain’s squawk. “We had better leave for the ferry… now, Captain!” she said firmly brooking no argument.

  Kell nodded jerkily, and with more confusion from his men and more snorts of laughter from Moriz, they turned about and marched out the gate. Julia shook her head at Halbert and Moriz. They were smirking and pointing at this or that Red Guard’s attempt at a proper marching formation like children at a funfair.

  Captain Kell and his men led the way through the darkening streets. Julia muttered to herself about the dark and how there was nothing to be scared about. She had always feared the dark. Back in England she would usually carry a torch with her, but here she had nothing… she realised she did have something better than a torch—she had magic! Her preoccupation with ways and means of producing light without fire caused her downfall. She wasn’t ready when dark robed forms glowing for all they were worth suddenly surrounded her group. She snatched at her magic, but it was too late—far too late for her friends.

  Vrooosh!

  Two small fireballs arced toward her. She threw herself to one side and they struck Halbert and Moriz in the chest throwing them to the cobbles burning. They screamed rolling on the ground trying to beat out the flames, but magic fire could not be extinguished that way. Her hand was coming up, oh so slowly. Her power reached out and the flames died, but so did her friends with a last gasp of pain. All she could see was Moriz and Halbert lying dead before her. Gideon was dropping to his knees reaching for the guardsmen in an effort to help them while Lorcan moved toward her in a rush slowed by her shock into a snail-like dash.

  Time snapped back to normal as Julia recognised Demophon. “You bastard! I’ll—” she began in a towering rage.

  “Do nothing or the priest and boy die!” Demophon yelled quickly.

  She was drawing deep enough to obliterate this murderer and the entire street he stood upon, but Lorcan… Gideon. She might—only might—be able to shield one of them along with herself in time to stop the fireballs that would surely rain upon them. She couldn’t choose!

  Demophon stepped toward her and she did nothing to prevent him. Captain Kell and his men dropped their weapons and she thought that wise of them, until the smirking captain received a pouch of gold.

  “Traitors!” she screamed. “Keverin will track you down and hang you all!”

  Demophon chuckled as the Red Guards looked nervously at each other.

  “The Holy Father?” Gideon breathed in hope.

  “Your Holy Father has never been better, I assure you Gideon,” Demophon said in a surprisingly kind way.

  Mathius was beyond her range, but perhaps Lucius? Julia strained to reach him but he wasn’t near enough! She could sense he was just out of range. She strained with all her being, but she couldn’t quite grasp his mind.

  While Demophon gloated over his success, the other sorcerers stood immobile watching her intently. She frowned at them; something wasn’t right about them and she couldn’t think what it was, but then she realised what had caught her attention. Every one of the black robed men was exactly the same strength! Not possible! If not for the evidence of her eyes, she would have said they were brothers as alike as twins. In reality, they diverged widely from one another. She couldn’t see faces in the dark, but they were of widely varying builds. She had the answer after a moment of thought. They were linking their magic and it had equalised them to the weakest of their group. None could stand against Mathius let alone her alone, but together… she was no match and they knew it.

  The Red Guards were dragging something from the alley on her right. Her gorge rose as she realised why Kell’s uniform didn’t fit. Thirteen unclothed and very dead men were dragged onto the street and positioned in rows with a halberd close to hand.

  “Just drop the uniforms on top of each one. Time is critical,” Demophon said impatiently.

  The fake guards stripped and did as Demophon bid them, then hurriedly dressed in ordinary cotton shirts and trousers.

  “If you hurt her, you die!” Lorcan snarled.

  Demophon raised an eyebrow at Lorcan. “Well said young man. Not that you could stop me, but well said nevertheless. She will not be harmed; she’s going on a little trip with my friends here,” he said waving a hand at the sorcerers.

  “And what of your friend Ascol?” Julia said stalling for time. Surely Lucius would move a little closer soon.

  Demophon snorted. “Ascol has no friends, as you’re well aware, but he won’t be abandoned I assure you. With you out of the way, he won’t need so many of us to hold his hand.”

  “It’s done as you wanted,” Kell said.

  “The woman?” Demophon said turning to look. “No I see her. You can go.”

  Without a word, the traitors ran off.

  Julia stared at the dead woman. She was the right weight and general build, but no one who knew her would ever believe this poor woman was she.

  “Take off your dress—you as well, Father. Don’t worry about modesty, Lady. We’ve all seen you practising.” Demophon smiled lewdly. “Very nice by the by.”

  Julia’s rage peaked higher than ever but there was nothing she could do. She slowly began to undress. If they wanted her nude, they would get a fight that would make her and the Third Legion last year seem a mere side show! She threw her dress and cloak at Demophon who gave them to one of his men. The sorcerer clothed the dead woman in the dress and fastened the cloak about her throat grimacing all the while. When he was finished, he fastidiously wiped his hands.

  Demophon smirked at Julia’s shivering. Her underskirt was cotton, but she was still cold. She vowed that one slip by any of these men, would see them turned to ash on the wind. The silent houses each side of the street seemed to mock her, as she frantically sought a way out of the trap. A face appeared at an upstairs window then ducked away lending her hope of rescue, but it almost had to be a peasant’s face and none but guardsmen could save her now.

  Another sorcerer came forward and handed a water bag to Demophon.

  “Drink,” Demophon said handing it to her.

  “What’s in it?” Julia said warily.

  “Tancred—Stop!” Demophon snarled as she made to dash it upon the cobbles. “If you do that, the boy dies. Refuse to drink, and they both die, you included. Now drink it!”

  Julia lowered her arm. She couldn’t drink, she mustn’t! But they would kill her friends if she didn’t.

  “Don’t you do it, Lady! Kill them all!” Lorcan shouted pulling a dagger and lunging at Demophon.

  A tiny arc of light connected Demophon to Lorcan’s dagger.

  “Arghhh!�
� the boy howled shaking his hand as the dagger flew through the air to land a few yards up the street.

  “That was your only warning, boy.” Demophon held up a hand crackling with lightning barely contained. “Don’t try my patience further. I will kill you next time. Believe it!”

  Julia raised the bag to her lips all the while screaming for Lucius in her mind. One sip and the acrid fumes flooded her mouth making her want to gag.

  *Lucius help me, Luciuuussss!* she screamed into the void as she swallowed a mouthful. She lowered the bag coughing. She wanted to heave up the vile stuff, but she forced her stomach not to humiliate her further. *Lucius for the God’s sake answer me!*

  “More!” Demophon demanded.

  She shook her head playing for time, but Demophon threatened Gideon. Her hold on her magic was slipping! She struggled to hold on.

  *Luciuuussss!* she screamed even as she gagged on the vile brew.

  *Julia! What’s wrong?*

  *Lucius help—* she began but she lost her struggle. Her magic abandoned her, and with it her ability to reply.

  *Julia? Why don’t you answer?* Lucius’s voice was diminished now but not gone. *Tell me where you are… what’s happening? Juliaaa!*

  The world was spinning and she staggered into someone’s arms. She looked up and saw Demophon smiling down at her. She pushed away and sprawled to the ground falling over a body. In the distance, she heard yelling and cursing, but it was far away and getting further every moment.

  She looked blearily into a face. It was her own face lying there all cold and dead. Poor Keverin…

  * * *

  “Well it’s something at least, but how it helps I have not the slightest idea,” Mathius said scratching his head.

  Lucius nodded. The something was their latest experiment in contagion magic. They had exhausted the possibilities concerning mirrors without success and had proposed testing the spell’s validity by experimenting on something simple. Simple is a relative term, they had found, but it had been simpler to make the candles. Mathius lit one of the candles with a mundane striker not wishing to contaminate the experiment with his magic. As the candle took flame, its twin on another table sprang alight also.