Welcome To The Age of Magic

by C M Raymond et al.

  “Incredible, isn’t it?” Dustin hadn’t addressed the question to anyone in particular, but it was his new captain that answered.

  “She’s a fine, fine ship for sure. But don’t be too caught up in the glamor. It’s the men and women aboard and the work they do that makes a ship great.”

  Dustin glanced at Roy, not sure what to make of that comment. Before he could respond, someone else spoke.

  “There’s another ship coming.” It was Thomas, the old Storm Caller who’d rowed Dustin to Testing Rock.

  Dustin turned his eyes seaward. Thomas was right. A smaller fishing vessel was pulling into harbor behind Thunderclap.

  Roy squinted at the ship. “Why, I do believe that’s Bass Mouth.”

  “Bass Mouth?” Dustin asked.

  “It’s the missing ship. The one we were meant to go after.”

  A cheer went up through the crowd as two figures appeared on the gangplank. The first was a tall, broadly built man with slicked-back blond hair and a sword at his hip. The most famous Storm Captain in Holdgate. Tor.

  The woman behind him was almost as tall. She, too, had blond hair, but she wore hers long, and it blew freely in the breeze. Her delicate features belied her legendary power. Dahlia, Thunderclap’s Storm Caller.

  Tor waved at the crowd, a wide smile on his face. Dahlia acknowledged them with just a nod.

  The pair made their way down the gangplank and over to the Magistrate and the group of captains and Storm Callers.

  “Magistrate!” Tor spoke in a loud, friendly voice that carried across the dock. “I found your missing ship.”

  “So I see! Welcome back.” The Magistrate greeted Tor and Dahlia with a pair of hearty handshakes.

  “We swung south on a rumor of a Barskall ship that had snuck past us. The rumor turned out to be false, but we found that Bass Mouth had been damaged by a storm. We helped repair it, and Dahlia gave it the wind to send it on its way.”

  “Wonderful!” the Magistrate said.

  Tor’s gaze settled on Dustin. “What’s this? A new member in the brotherhood of Storm Callers?”

  Dustin held out his hand and did his best to sound confident. “I’m Dustin, sir. Storm Caller of The Foggy Day.”

  “Ah, excellent. You’ll be sailing with Roy, then. Perhaps you can bring that ship some much-needed glory.”

  Dahlia greeted him next, and Dustin’s heart clenched in his chest as he shook her cold, delicate hand. “Welcome to the family of Storm Callers.”

  Dustin grinned dumbly, the day’s troubles suddenly forgotten.

  5

  Abbey and Benjamin walked through the festival in the dim light of the torches. All around them they heard angry shouts, hearty laughter, and cries of pain that accompanied all Holdgate gatherings of significance.

  Tonight, the crowd was especially raucous. The festival was held annually, a celebration of the men and woman lost at sea over the last year. Despite the dour theme, the festival was anything but sad. On top of the normal festival celebrations, the people were celebrating the safe return of Thunderclap, the pride of Holdgate and the best stormship in the fleet. Its Captain Tor and its Storm Caller Dahlia were both major celebrities in the city.

  On the rare occasion they ventured into the street, they couldn’t make it more than a few feet without a woman wanting to touch their clothes or a child wanting a blessing from them. They were considered blessed by the sea, and the sea was the only god most in Holdgate worshiped. Most of the Holdgate economy came from the sea, whether it was trade, fishing, or spoils of war. The stormships were the primary drivers of income, and they were treated with respect for it.

  Abbey didn’t see what all the fuss was about. So they kept the Kaldfell peninsula clear of Barskall Warriors. She’d like to see them work in her father’s shop and produce enough swords to keep the stormships supplied. Then she’d be impressed.

  Benjamin nudged her and pointed toward a gathering off to the left. “Care to join in the fun?”

  A group of three men, each fatter than the last, was participating in a competition where they would down a giant mug of mead, then throw an ax at a target. From the way the men were staggering, this was not the first round of play. Amazingly, they were still hitting the targets dead center. Abbey recognized one of the men; it was Bronson, the Magistrate’s son.

  Abbey shook her head and laughed. Holdgatesmen could turn anything into a competition. So far tonight, she’d already witnessed drinking contests, barrel throwing tournaments, and rope climbing showdowns. Even though most in Holdgate considered her an outsider, she loved the spirit in this city. There was a sense of joy in everything they did. They worked hard, and whether it was fishing, hunting, or fighting, and they seemed to take pleasure in the work. And when the work was finished, they definitely played hard.

  But just because she respected it, that didn’t mean she was going to make an ass of herself by getting drunk and throwing axes.

  A group of children was gathered in a tent up ahead, listening to a storyteller. Abbey slipped in to join them.

  The storyteller was a woman with long, braided hair. She wore a brightly colored dress, as was common in her trade. She was crouched low and she spoke in hushed tones that somehow carried through the tent.

  “Barskall is a cold, harsh land cursed by the sea with harsh waters all year long. It’s made the people who live there angry and bitter. Many plants grow on Barskall that aren’t found on the Kaldfell peninsula. Perhaps they aren’t found anywhere in the world. The brewmasters use these plants to blend a special drink called seiderdrek that turns the usually timid and fearful Barskall into fierce warriors with the strength of ten ordinary men. Or five Holdgatesmen.”

  The children laughed at that, and Abbey laughed along with them. The storyteller held up a finger and looked at them sternly. This was no laughing matter.

  “It’s said the Barskall draught bubbles and burns in their stomach, filling them with pain, but also with an unquenchable bloodlust. Killing is the only thing that gives them pleasure. Since their land is so inhospitable, they come to the Kaldfell peninsula and take what the sea has blessed us with. Or they try. But who protects us from these monsters?”

  The children all answered in unison. “The stormships!”

  “That’s right. Storm Callers work to conjure constant storms between Kaldfell and the island of Barskall. That stops most of them, but a few determined ships still get through. That’s when we send our best after them. Ships like Thunderclap and Summer Wind. The Barskall Warriors are powerful, but they are no match for our ships. Not even when they drink their nasty seiderdrek. Our stormships fall on them with a combination of swords and lightning, attacking without mercy until they are either dead or have fled back to their island in the west.”

  She looked the children over, making sure they were watching her. She needn’t have worried. They were all enraptured.

  “So it is that the world is kept safe. The Ronelanders on their isle and the rich Arcadians in their luxury may not understand what we do for them, but we do it all the same. And that’s why Holdgate is blessed by the sea.”

  Abbey felt her father at her shoulder.

  “That’s not how they tell it in Arcadia.” He spoke quietly so only she could hear.

  Abbey knew that the Arcadians had a less than positive view of the people of the Kaldfell peninsula. They called them Storm Raiders, and they told their children stories about how Storm Raiders would attack innocent villages by night, stealing everything valuable, including women and children, and using storm magic to cover their escape. It was preposterous, and yet, according to her father, people actually believed it.

  Abbey often wondered why her father had decided to move here after a lifetime of hearing those tall tales. Or maybe that was why he’d moved here?

  He didn’t like to talk about the past. Tears filled his eyes when he spoke about Abbey’s mother, so she never pushed him on the matter. One of these days, she was going to sit him dow
n and get the real story.

  A hand touched her arm, and she turned, expecting to see her father. To her surprise, Dustin stood behind her, his windblown hair a mess, and his eyes still bloodshot from the saltwater that morning.

  He glared at her. “We need to talk. Now.”

  Dustin led her out behind a tent off the beaten path where they weren’t likely to be seen. He was wearing a blue cloak and carrying the long, twisted staff of a Storm Caller.

  “So, I take it the Testing went well?” Abbey asked.

  “Not as well as I would have liked. That’s what I want to talk to you about. What the hell did you do out there?”

  Abbey raised an eyebrow. “You saw my eyes were black. You really want to pretend you don’t know?”

  Dustin grimaced. “I’m honestly not sure. I was swimming for shore, and the waves were really rough, and then… I don’t know. Something pulled me.”

  “You were drowning is what happened. I saved you!” She placed her hands on her hips and stood tall.

  “That’s impossible!” he hissed. “Storm Callers are blessed by the sea. We can’t drown.”

  She began to get angry. It was one thing not to thank her, but it was another to pull her aside at the festival just to yell at her. “You call it what you want, you stubborn ass. The fact is, I saw your head go under, and it didn’t look like you were coming up again. So, I helped you out. I used magic to pull you toward shore.”

  She could see in his eyes that he knew the truth in her words.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,”

  “I should have let you die?”

  “Yes! If I drowned, that would have proven I wasn’t meant to be a Storm Caller. Now, I’m wearing the cloak and carrying the staff, but I’m not even sure I really passed the test. Do you know what will happen to me if they find out I had help on my Testing? They’ll string me up on a mast and let the crows have me.”

  Abbey took a deep breath and put a hand on Dustin’s shoulder. “You need to calm the hell down. Nobody’s going to know. Besides, you’ve been the best Storm Caller your age since your first day as an apprentice. You told me that yourself. Back when you still talked to me.”

  He looked away, ashamed. “I just wanted to help people. I want to protect the world from the Barskall. Now, everything’s messed up.”

  “Who cares about some stupid Testing? You have the job you always wanted, right? Go do it.”

  Dustin narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re an Arcadian.”

  The words stung. Especially coming from him. “I’m not going to tell your damn secret if that’s what you’re worried about. “

  “Thank you.” He sighed, looking away from her. “I shouldn’t have said that about you being an Arcadian. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  They stood there in awkward silence for a moment. Then they heard a gruff voice from a nearby tent.

  “Where is that boy? He’s been a Storm Caller all of three hours, and he thinks he can just run off? It’s dereliction of duty, I tell you.”

  Dustin winced. “I better go. Thanks again for not telling anyone what happened at the Testing.”

  He turned and walked away without waiting for a response.

  6

  Abbey woke to a pounding sound just before sunrise. She sat up with a start.

  They lived in small but comfortable quarters above the blacksmith’s shop. Abbey’s room was at the back, opposite the door where someone was knocking. She jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen in the front of the apartment. Her father was already standing at the window. He wore a grim expression as he stared down into the street.

  “Open up!” a deep voice called. “Don’t make us break down this door.”

  Abbey squeezed in next to her father and looked into the street. What she saw made her gasp.

  Six city guards stood gathered by the door. Two held torches, and all of them held swords.

  “This can’t be good,” Abbey said.

  Benjamin kept his eyes fixed on the guards. “In my experience, guards showing up at your house in the middle of the night is generally not a good thing.” He turned to Abbey. “I’m going to let them in. You stay up here. Don’t start any trouble unless I give you the signal. Understand?”

  Abbey nodded.

  As Benjamin went downstairs, Abbey scurried to her room and got her sword. The city guards worked for the Magistrate, which meant they could do just about anything they wanted. She’d never had any trouble with them personally, but she’d heard stories.

  Sword in hand, she made her way to the top of the stairs and crouched in the shadows.

  Benjamin opened the door. “Good evening, gentlemen.”

  “Not for you, it isn’t,” the first guard snarled. He was wearing a more elaborate helmet, which Abbey took to mean he was in charge. “We know what you did.”

  “Then you have me at a disadvantage. But if there’s a misunderstanding, I’m happy to discuss it.”

  “There’s no misunderstanding.” The guard pushed past Benjamin, shoving his way inside. The other guards followed.

  Abbey gripped her sword. Her father may have told her not to start any trouble, but she wasn’t going to let these jerks bully him.

  “Please, come in.” Benjamin shut the door after the last guard stepped inside. “Care to tell me what this about?”

  The head guard sneered at him. “I think you know. Care to tell us where you’ve been for the last two hours?”

  “I’ve been asleep.”

  “And can anyone verify that?”

  Another guard chimed in. “Where’s that pretty daughter of yours?”

  Abbey fought back the urge to show him exactly where she was, pointy end of her sword first. But she’d do as her father asked and stay quiet for now.

  Benjamin held up his open hands, clearly trying to defuse the situation. “Gentlemen, please. Just tell me what you think I did.”

  “Not think. Know.” The head guard marched up to him and leaned close to his face. “We know you murdered Bronson tonight. We just need to figure out why.”

  Abbey sat up a bit straighter, shocked at the accusation. Bronson? The Magistrate’s son?

  Her father blinked hard, clearly as surprised as she was. “I didn’t murder anyone. I barely even know Bronson. Why would I kill him?”

  “That’s the very question we came here to answer.” The head guard nodded toward the biggest of his companions. “Tommy, if you would.”

  The big guard stepped forward, drew back his mammoth fist, and slammed it into Benjamin’s stomach. The air rushed out of the blacksmith’s lungs, and he doubled over in pain.

  Abbey started to stand, ready to lunge at the man who’d punched her father, but Benjamin looked toward her hiding place and gave his head the slightest of shakes. Rage filled Abbey, but she stayed put. For now. She knew she couldn’t watch much more of this without taking action.

  “Now, let’s talk about this like civilized men.” The head guard grabbed Benjamin by the hair and raised his head so that their eyes met. “Why’d you kill Bronson?”

  “I didn’t.” Benjamin’s voice sounded weak, his breath still short. “If you’ll just tell me why you think I did, we can resolve this.”

  Tommy started to step forward again, but the head guard held up a hand to stop him. “Let me make sure I understand. According to you, you did not kill Bronson. You were here for the past two hours. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” Benjamin wheezed.

  “Interesting. Then answer one question for me. Where’s your sword?”

  Abbey’s eyes darted to the spot behind the counter where the sword always hung. She had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp.

  Her father’s sword was gone.

  “We have your sword,” the head guard said. “Found it at the scene of the murder, covered in Bronson’s blood, lying next to his dead body.”

  Abbey couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t just
some misunderstanding. Someone had stolen her father’s sword and used it to commit murder. Not only that, but they’d left the sword at the crime scene. Why? Were they trying to set up her father? Who would want to do that?

  “I think I’ve had enough of your lies for one night.” The head guard pointed to the spot where Benjamin’s sword usually hung. “The way I figure it, only two people had access to your sword. Either you killed Bronson, or your daughter did.”

  Benjamin looked up at the guard, and for the first time tonight, there was real anger on his face. “Leave her out if this.”

  The head guard laughed. “I don’t think so. As you might imagine, the Magistrate is a bit upset at tonight’s events. I don’t think it would be wise for us to come back with only one of the two suspects.” He turned toward two of the guards. “Go upstairs and find the girl.”

  Benjamin looked toward the shadows at the top of the stairs and gave his head the slightest of nods.

  A grim smile cut across Abbey’s face. She couldn’t wait to take these guys out.

  From where she crouched in the shadows, she knew the guards wouldn’t be able to see her until they reached the bottom of the stairs. One of them was carrying a torch, and as soon as they started up the steps, the torchlight would hit her. She had to wait for the perfect moment to attack.

  Benjamin was unarmed, and there were four guards around him, but he moved his hands into a position Abbey had seen hundreds of times. She knew what was coming. Those guards were in trouble.

  Abbey drew a deep breath and waited.

  The first guard stepped onto the bottom stair, and Abbey sprang into action.

  She lunged down the stairs, launching her body through the air toward the guard who wasn’t carrying the torch. Her shoulder connected with his chest, and he fell onto his ass with a decidedly unmanly squeal. His body cushioned Abbey’s landing.

  She quickly got her feet under her and spun toward the other guard. Her gaze settled on his torch, and she hesitated for a moment. As much as she wanted to gut this bastard, she didn’t want to burn down her home.