Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3

by Mark E. Cooper

  “That’s it!” Mathius said in delight.

  Just moments later, Lucius studied the candles resting upon his table side-by-side. Experimentally he blew one of the flames gently expecting the other to flicker but it didn’t.

  Most strange that.

  Stroking his beard, Lucius thought for a moment then nodded. “The flames are not twinned—only the candles themselves. They light at the same time, and if we measure the amounts consumed, I would be willing to wager five—

  *—ius!*

  “What’s the matter, Lucius, re-thinking the wager?” Mathius said grinning, but the smile wilted. “Lucius?”

  Lucius listened with his head cocked, but then he shrugged. “Sorry, I thought I heard… never mind. Now, I was saying that I would be willing to wager that equal amounts of each candle are used.”

  “That’s not much of a wager!” Mathius snorted. “They lit together, they’re burning together. They must use an equal amount of wax.”

  “Ah… no. If we restrict one candle to half its length say, but leave the other as it is, I believe they will still use equal amounts and burn for the same length of time.”

  Mathius was having trouble believing that, but he dragged the candles toward him. “Let us try that, but not using a half—it will take too long. How about two stubs, one half the size of the other?”

  “Fine,” Lucius said.

  Mathius cut two stubs from one of the candles—about a thumbnail in length for one, and half that for the second. “I’m lighting the one on the right with magic,” Mathius said and lit the candle.

  Lucius watched closely, but neither Mathius’s spell nor the matrix within the candles was distorted in any way. However, not everything went to plan. Both stubs lit as expected, but so too did the longer candles.

  “Would you look at that!” Mathius said in wonder.

  Lucius wrinkled his nose then laughed. “We should really have expected that, but I must admit to being somewhat surprised.”

  Mathius was nodding, but then he frowned. “It will give us a false result.”

  Lucius snuffed one of the candles, and the others winked out together. “Submerge the larger two in water then try to light these.” He said pointing to the two stubs. Mathius did that, but the second stub seemed to hesitate before it lit. “Do that again would you, Mathius?”

  Lucius watched closely. Yes, there was definitely a slight hesitation. He checked the submerged candles but as expected, they were not lit. “The stub on the left hesitated for just the blink of an eye before lighting. I wonder if the candles are not actually lighting at the same instant, but sequentially. If we call the candle on the left number four, then it would light last. By submerging two and three we can see the delay, where before we couldn’t.”

  “You’ve lost me, Lucius. How does this help with the mirrors?”

  “Beats me,” Lucius said grinning. “But it’s fun isn’t it?”

  *Luciuuussss!*

  Lucius staggered under the hammer blow of Julia’s scream. It was as if she had screamed directly in his ear and inside his head at the same time.

  “Lucius! Are you all right?”

  Lucius leaned against the table clutching his pounding head. “Julia!” he gasped.

  “What about her?!”

  Lucius waved Mathius away trying to calm himself enough to grasp his magic. He succeeded finally, and tried to contact Julia mind to mind.

  *Julia! What’s wrong?*

  *Lucius help—*

  Lucius waited, but she didn’t come back. *Julia? Why don’t you answer me? Where are you?*

  Mathius was pacing fit to wear a trench in the floor.

  “Julia’s in trouble,” Lucius said. “I don’t know where she is. She broke off almost as soon as she began.”

  Lucius swept his table clear ignoring the clatter as everything tumbled to the floor. He placed his mirror in the experiment’s place. He barely noticed Mathius slam out the door, he was too busy trying to find Julia in the mirror. He was being blocked! Demophon, it must be him.

  “I’ll kill you deader than dead for this!” Lucius snarled and stormed out of his room. He ran down to the courtyard shouting for the guards all the way. “Athione to me, the God blast you all! Athione!” he shouted again and heard the name repeated as guardsmen took up the cry and gave chase.

  People popped their heads out the doors to their rooms as he ran by shouting for all he was worth. When he reached the courtyard Mathius was on a horse and riding out the gate.

  “Mathius, you God cursed fool, wait!”

  His friend ignored him and galloped out onto the cobbled street. The horse slipped badly, and he held his breath, but Mathius gained control and the horse did not go down. Mathius was glowing brighter than he had ever seen him. He must be using his sensing spell, but charging out on his own was stupid—the others would be unable to follow.

  “What’s amiss?” Sergeant Burke said as he ran up to Lucius.

  Lucius saddled his horse in record time. “Julia’s in the city somewhere and in serious trouble! Send to your lord that I’m going out after her.”

  He mounted his horse and charged out of the palace grounds as Burke began shouting orders to every guardsman in sight. Lucius ignored everything but his inner senses. He wasn’t as good as Mathius with sensing, but he could feel his friend racing ahead. He followed him, it was all he could do.

  He pushed his horse faster than was safe to keep from losing his sense of where Mathius was. He used his magic to keep his horse upright as he careened down alleys and cross streets jumping piles of junk accumulated over the years. He reined his horse to an abrupt stop, and nearly ended his journey right there as his horse reared. He glanced down the alley to his right and frowned—he had felt a glimmer of magic just then… he thought he had at least, but Mathius had not gone that way he was sure. Lucius bit his lip in indecision, but he had to follow the sure course. He turned his horse to the west and rode after Mathius. He found his friend kneeling next to a badly burned corpse.

  “No…” Lucius whispered in horror and jumped down from his horse to kneel opposite Mathius.

  Mathius sat slumped forward. “She’s gone, Lucius. I never really believed she could lose. Stupid isn’t it? She nearly died that first time in Athione, but somehow that didn’t seem to matter…” he broke off and sobbed into his fist trying to stifle his cries.

  The stench of burned pork was terrible. Lucius tried to make sense of what he saw. Men, Red Guard if he wasn’t mistaken, had died instantly while still in formation it looked like. The bodies were mostly ash, but a piece of red uniform here and there lent him enough to identify them. The halberd blades were partially melted, and the shafts were completely gone. Demophon had taken no chances it seemed.

  Fireballs could melt rock if the mage was strong enough, but Demophon wasn’t that strong. More than one mage linked would be needed. Four would do it, which was worth knowing. A flash of white robe made him think of Lorcan, but no, it must have been Gideon from the size of the corpse and what was left of a rope belt. That made sense. Julia had probably intended to visit the Holy Father.

  “I know them,” Mathius said nodding at the two guardsmen. “Halbert and Moriz. Hit in the chest first… before Julia I think.”

  Lucius nodded. “Yes, I think so. Julia… what’s left… we need to do something for her…” he trailed off.

  She was beyond help. The fireball had hit her full in the face. Her head… Lucius gulped hastily as his gorge rose. Her head was mostly gone. He could see the corpse was she from her small size and her dress. Lucius leaned forward and picked up a melted brooch—from her cloak he thought it must be.

  He squeezed the brooch and blood dripped from clenched fist onto the ash-covered street. “Demophon dies this night.”

  “Oh yessss,” Mathius whispered almost reverently.

  * * *

  The news raced through the palace and found Keverin in council with the lords of the realm. The doors burst open
to admit Brian, white faced and in shock. He stormed by the startled guards at the door. Both men would be all right in a few days, but they really should have known better than to try to stop an Athione captain in pursuit of his duty. The instant they laid hands on him, Brian erupted in fury, and both men were left in his wake unconscious.

  “I protest this outrage. Guards, have that man arrested!” Lord Karel shouted.

  Karel was a middling powerful lord, one of Ascol’s lackeys, but Brian didn’t know or care about that. He drew his sword to warn the other guards off then stood before Keverin and saluted.

  “Report Brian!”

  “Lord… we have failed you. Julia… our lady is… was murdered in the streets by sorcerers,” Brian said trembling in his need to rend and kill something.

  “Impossible, she wouldn’t do this to me, no she wouldn’t. I would know it the instant—” Keverin mumbled.

  The lords were silent for a moment before strident laughter burst forth from Ascol. It was taken up uncertainly by his lackeys. That was the signal for absolute bedlam. Swords were drawn on both sides of the hall. Ascol had more men, but Gylaren’s faction had the better fighters. Jihan jumped over the railing and onto the floor from the stands, followed by Purcell, his great sword in hand ready for mayhem, but Jihan had no such intention.

  “I call for a recess!” Jihan shouted loud enough for his voice to echo, and stunned silence fell.

  Halden jumped up. “Seconded!”

  Purcell rumbled to life preventing objection by waving his sword. “It’s unanimous!”

  Keverin heard the last part and stood to stride out the door. Now he was pushing through a crowd of panicking women who had heard a distorted version of events. They were frightened of an imminent invasion if he had their fears correct.

  “—sorcerers are going to kill us all—”

  “I don’t want to die!”

  “Where are the guardsmen?”

  “—Julia’s dead, burnt to nothing they say—”

  “—knew she wasn’t special like they said. No such thing as a lady mage. It was all lies I tell you—probably a peasant as well!”

  Keverin stumbled to a stop and looked for the one who had said that. “All of you get out of my sight!” he roared at the top of his voice.

  The crowd stopped pushing at the guardsmen and backed away in stunned silence. Keverin glared when no one moved to leave. He spun on his heel and strode out into the courtyard. Cavell was waiting for him when he emerged from the palace. He mounted and was out the gate before his guard could move. Brian overtook him easily. Keverin didn’t want to push Cavell on such unsure footing. He followed as more and more of his guardsmen filed by until he was sandwiched between a strong force.

  “Kev… Kev!”

  “What!” Keverin snarled at Jihan who had just then caught up.

  Jihan rode by Keverin’s side with his face full of sympathy. Next to Jihan, Purcell and Gylaren rode grim faced. Everywhere Keverin looked he saw grim certainty of Julia’s death, but that didn’t matter. He knew she wouldn’t do that to him, so it was all right.

  “I’m sorry Kev, Julia was…” Jihan didn’t continue, he couldn’t. He had no words to express his anger and sadness for his friend.

  Keverin blinked at Jihan, and uncertainty threatened to take him, but he forced it down with images of Julia surviving much worse than a Devarr street. He looked only ahead from then on. Images of Julia on the gate tower flashed before his eyes. Yes, she survived a tower falling on her. If she could do that she could by the God survive a street in Devarr! Then there was Malcor’s training room—that was a good one! Three sorcerers couldn’t hurt her then. Julia had killed them all and made a hole in the fortress a hundred yards long in her anger. Devarr was still here, so she must be all right you see? Then there was the big one. She destroyed only the God knew how many sorcerers when she destroyed the Third Legion in Camorin. If she could do that, why, Demophon and his ilk had no chance at all!

  It was the smell that first brought him up short. The roaring in his ears threatened to get worse. A mixture of Athione and Malcor guardsmen had sectioned off the street ahead. Cavell refused to move on, and Keverin impatiently jumped down dropping the reins to hobble her. Cavell snorted and banged a hoof down in annoyance, but Keverin simply walked away. The guardsmen moved to open a corridor in their silent ranks, and he walked through along with Jihan, Purcell, and Gylaren. The scene before him was worse than reported. He recognised Halbert and Moriz instantly, and his hold on sanity slipped a little more. The white robe of a priest caught his eye next. No one had mentioned Gideon to him, but that was he. He stumbled to a stop. If Halbert, Moriz, and Gideon were here, then… No, she wouldn’t do that to him. He moved forward to see. His world narrowed to the dress and the child sized form that wore it.

  It was Julia.

  No, she wouldn’t do that to him. He moved closer and knelt beside her. He groaned in grief and pain. Her beautiful face… her head… He was breathing deeply now, almost panting, but still holding on. This was his Julia. No she—the roaring stopped, and he snapped alert for the first time since hearing the news.

  “It’s not her,” he breathed with relief so great he almost collapsed to the cobbles.

  The others looked at him then at the remains of Julia.

  “I’m sorry Kev, but that is Julia,” Purcell said and Gylaren nodded.

  Jihan looked closer but reluctantly nodded. “It is Julia.”

  The guardsmen heard, and a rumble of voices spoke Julia’s name and revenge in the same few instants.

  He smiled. “It’s not. She’s the same size, and the dress is hers I grant you, but that is not Julia!”

  Jihan and the others nodded at each other and moved to take his arms.

  “What are you doing you fools? That’s not Julia I tell you!” he yelled in rage.

  “It’s all right, Kev We’ll take care of her,” Jihan said kindly lifting him to his feet with a grip like steel.

  “Guards! Have them release me,” he roared out of patience with these fools.

  Jihan turned to find hundreds of Athione guardsmen with swords bared. Purcell and Gylaren backed off slowly, but Jihan remained where he was, steadfastly refusing to yield.

  “Your lord is ill—the shock of losing Julia. Let us pass!” Jihan ordered loudly.

  The guardsmen shifted and their murmurs sounded like a growl, but they failed to give way. Jihan turned to his own men and nodded. With a whisking sound Malcor swords faced down Athione.

  Brian as senior captain present for Athione gave the order, “Change front!”

  The Athione men were alert for the order, and moved ready to attack.

  “Hold Brian!” Keverin said. “Jihan, believe me. That’s not Julia and I can prove it.”

  Jihan hesitated. “Show me.”

  “Brian to me, everyone else stand down!” he ordered.

  The guardsmen sheathed their blades in relief. They would have fought and died at their lord’s orders, but dying to kill men who were friends a moment earlier was a waste.

  The lords spoke in a huddle.

  “Do you remember when Julia first arrived, Brian?” Keverin said intently willing his captain to say he did.

  “Of course!”

  “Good Brian,” he said in relief. “You remember her clothes do you not, she called it a leotard did she not?”

  Brian blushed and nodded.

  “Udall saw her and he’s dead now. So are all the others except you and Burke. Burke is in the palace somewhere so it’s up to you. I want you to examine this woman, closely examine, and tell me if this is my Julia. I’m counting on you Brian.”

  “Yes my lord, but if it is…”

  Keverin grimaced and raised his voice, “Guards! Make a wall around us face out!”

  The guardsmen were puzzled but did as they were bid. Closely packed, none could see inside and the torches they held flooded the enclosed space with light. Brian set about his grizzly task. At first, he w
as reluctant, but the task accelerated when he decided to get it over and done. The dress was discarded and he looked.

  “It’s not her,” Brian breathed in shock. “It really isn’t. I’m sorry my lord. I thought you crazed, but this poor girl is not Lady Julia.”

  Keverin closed his eyes and nodded. He knew it!

  “Come on man! How can you tell? Her head… it’s not there by the God!” Gylaren said in a sick voice.

  Brian grimaced. “I had noticed that. Julia is strong, m’lord, not just strong in magic, but strong in body. She told me when we first met that she competed in tournaments against men and women on her world. If you had seen her in her leotard, you would understand. She has very muscular arms and legs. Her arms are like a guardsman’s arms—almost as if she wielded a sword every day! This girl has none! This is not Julia!” he was almost shouting at the end and the word rushed through the men.

  The mood lightened for a moment, but then it darkened again as the guardsmen looked at each other in puzzlement. If Julia was alive, where by the God was she?

  * * *

  “Are you ready?” Lucius said.

  “Ready,” Mathius said and kicked the door in.

  Lord Ascol jumped up and shouted in anger, but Mathius and Lucius ignored him as the non-entity he was. Their attention was fixed firmly upon the six men at the back of the room. Before the sorcerers could attack, Mathius took the link from Lucius, given freely, and focused his hate into heat.

  A column of flame roared toward the sorcerers. Mathius had decided not to bother with fireballs or the like before he came here. Fireballs could be deflected away, or worse, back to him. The lance of flame was so hot, the windows exploded outward. Neither Lucius nor he took any notice as Ascol bolted out the door. Adrik stood against the wall grinning for a moment before following his father out. The flames ignited the furniture. Priceless tables and chairs made in the first years after Deva’s founding succumbed and were turned to ash, paintings shrivelled, and tapestries fell from their mountings onto burning rugs. He felt the first shield fail closely followed by two others, but there were no screams. The three sorcerers died before they knew it was time to scream.