Master of Tomes

by Raconteur, Honor

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Acknowledgement

  Map

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  Guide

  Thanks for reading the conclusion to The Tomes of Kaleria.

  Other books by Honor Raconteur

  Author

  Copyright Acknowledgement

  Published by Raconteur House

  Murfreesboro, TN

  MASTER OF TOMES

  The Tomes of Kaleria: Tome 3

  A Raconteur House book/ published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2021 by Honor Raconteur

  Cover by Katie Griffin

  chinese element of lotus by poppindx/Shutterstock; Set of traditional oriental chinese golden rectangle frames on pattern red background for decoration. by shlyapanama /Shutterstock; Brushed Painted Abstract Background. Brush stroked painting by Hybrid_Graphics/Shutterstock; Gray industry wall by mxbfilms/Shutterstock

  This book is a work of fiction, so please treat it like a work of fiction. Seriously. References to real people, dead people, good guys, bad guys, stupid politicians, companies, restaurants, cats with attitudes, events, products, dragons, locations, pop culture references, or wacky historical events are intended to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. Or because I wanted it in the story. Characters, names, story, location, dialogue, weird humor and strange incidents all come from the author’s very fertile imagination and are not to be construed as real. No, I don’t believe in killing off main characters. Villains are a totally different story.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  Purchase only authorized editions.

  For information address: www.raconteurhouse.com

  Mei Li lay flat on her back, panting for breath. She felt so magically deprived that she was almost shaking.

  But they’d done it. They’d sealed Zaffi.

  Even without the records or teachings to guide them, they’d figured it out. It had taken every ounce of genius on Kiyo’s part, every shred of determination on the party’s to back their mage up, but they’d done it.

  Although the cost….

  The cost had been dear indeed. Since they’d defeated Jingfei in the present, they’d managed to seal her in the past without any major injuries. But Zaffi…

  Mei Li had known from the records that Zaffi had destroyed a city, nearly destroyed a country before he could be sealed. But knowing that intellectually and seeing it with her own eyes were two totally different things. The destruction lay around them like a shoreline that had been smashed by a tidal wave. Hundreds of people lay dead just within her sightlines. Buildings were smashed down to rubble, and the stench of sulfur, of blood, reeked in the air. This was the destruction she could see right now; it didn’t even encompass the area she’d traveled through just to get to Zaffi.

  Many would be burying their dead this week. Whole new graveyards would need to be made to encompass all those lives lost. And some of the mages who had volunteered to seal Zaffi had died in the process—something else she’d known intellectually.

  But as she turned her head, taking in those who had survived, her eyes burned with tears. This was precisely why she’d come into the past to begin with, to avoid this scene. Because defeating Jingfei in the future had led to injured friends and comrades. Mei Li felt the bitterness of defeat in her mouth despite their victory over Zaffi. She hated this scene.

  She’d be able to avoid it in the future. She now knew what to do. But gods above, the lesson was hard won.

  Shunlei rolled in closer at her side, his hand coming out to rest on her stomach. “Alright?”

  She let her head flop over so she could see him. Her husband looked absolutely done in. Considering he’d been flying like a madman the entire fight, that wasn’t too surprising. Still, his red hair was a rat’s nest around his head, which would be fun to comb out later. She knew him to be just as heartsore, but still, he smiled at her. She could only do the same for him.

  “I need to sleep for two days, but I’m alright. You?”

  “Sleep,” he said, groaning with a sigh of pleasure. “Gods, but sleep sounds delightful.”

  Hawes’ voice came from…there, somewhere on the slopes of the volcanic mountain they currently sat on. “If anyone’s in danger of losing life and limb, speak up now! No? Excellent. Alright, rest for five more minutes, then let’s get off this oversized rock. Melchior, with me. We need to attend to our dead.”

  That sobered them all for a moment, as they had lost two mages in this battle. Melchior heaved himself up, as did Nord, and they wrapped the dead in their own cloaks, preparing them for transport. Shunlei would likely be transporting them, as neither cart nor horse was anywhere nearby. Zaffi had been too fierce, his burning influence too wide around this area to allow anything to live. Only a dragon or a mage wrapped in protective gear stood a chance.

  No one could stomach staying here, near where Zaffi was sealed, for much longer. He was right at the base of a mountain, a strong river flowing into the basin he now resided in. But there was such destruction all around him, with trees smoking and melting, that it was thick with smoke and not safe to linger.

  When the dead were wrapped in their shrouds, Shunlei helped carry them, everyone trudging exhaustedly along the coastline. Mei Li privately thought everyone had the same wish: Maybe the coastal air would clear the smog out and let them take off these protective masks soon, so they could breathe crisp, clean air.

  Eventually, that wish was fulfilled. They reached a spot where vegetation grew once more without wilting, and upon testing it, Kiyo announced that the air was safe to breathe. Everyone was so exhausted they plopped down right there on the grass, shedding masks and protective layers, then sprawling in order to catch their wind back.

  Perhaps trying to jostle them out of their somber mood, Hawes piped up. “I want to lie on something soft. And baths.”

  “Baths,” Mei Li agreed fervently. “I might be able to keep walking for a bath. And a bed.”

  Shunlei grunted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. “Food.”

  “Fooood,” she seconded, her stomach plaintively asking for something. Anything. Magical drain would do that to you. “I’ve got snacks in my bag.”

  “You brought snacks?” Shunlei leaned over and smacked a kiss against her mouth. “You’re truly a brilliant woman.”

  “That’s why you married me,” Mei Li deadpanned back. “And if you’re fetching them, hand some here.”

  Being a good husband, he brought her back snacks. And their canteen. Mei Li had brought enough for everyone, and they all were glad for the rice balls and pickled plums. Not to mention the water.

  Turns out, if you’re fighting a volcanic demon, you get very hot during the fight. And parched.

  Fortified with food and water, they found the energy to drag themselves the rest of the way to the nearest town, where they’d left their
horses. They hadn’t tried to ride in close to Zaffi, afraid the horses would bolt. All things considered, the safer way to go—no one wanted to be around a rampaging demon if they could help it. Still, it was tiring to drag herself down, and Mei Li knew everyone shared that opinion.

  It was good, though. With Zaffi’s defeat, she had succeeded in the last task she had here in the past. She now knew how to defeat Zaffi, and Odom. She could restore the records lost to the ocean. Well, the really serious ones. The ones that could potentially destroy countries. The only serious one she had no record for was Kovel Below, but she had heard from her master how it was designed. She more or less knew what to expect there. It was more a magical puzzle than anything. And it hadn’t happened in the far past, anyway. Another four thousand years in the future, to be exact.

  Her eyes went to Hawes, studying his sad expression. It was so different in the future. She could rely on records to tell her what to do. But this group had no such option. They had to figure it all out the hard way. And lose people—good people—in the process. She knew the deaths weighed heavy on him. They weighed even more heavily on her. Mei Li always felt that she should be able to give them some kind of insight, being from the future. But it was precisely because she didn’t know what to do with these particular dangers that she’d traveled into the past.

  It was precisely because she didn’t want to suffer these kinds of losses that she’d engaged that time-traveling spell.

  For Hawes, and herself, and the families of the mages, who had lost a child this day, she silently grieved. She wished there had been some other answer than try your best and see.

  Thinking of the future made her realize just what she would leave behind here. When she first embarked on this journey, she had only expected to be gone a few weeks. Not ten years. She’d made a whole life here with a career, friends, husband, the works. She would miss the tight-knit bonds she had with these people when she left. No doubt about that. They were good people, and she felt very strong affection for them.

  She’d miss Shunlei, too—this version of Shunlei. She’d never see him as a Red again. When it came to her husband, she felt conflicted. Because, while she loved being with him as a Red, she missed the older Shunlei, too. There were so many things she could say to Shunlei the Black that she could not say to Shunlei the Red. So many things she had to bite her tongue on, or only hint at. It was maddening and frustrating sometimes.

  If Mei Li could marry the two timelines together so she didn’t lose anything, she’d do so in a heartbeat. But there were things magic could not do, and this was definitely one of them. Enjoying everyone to the fullest now, while she could, was her only option.

  At this point, Mei Li had no idea what to expect. She knew the spell would engage on its own and drag her back to her own time. She knew she had no control over it. But future Shunlei hadn’t even hinted at when she would return. Was it directly after the battle with Zaffi?

  Clearly not, as she was in that moment and still in the past.

  Was it several days from now?

  That was what Mei Li hoped for. Because just disappearing without a word to her husband would be the height of cruelty. She’d written a letter to him, which was stowed in her pack, in anticipation of her departure. But the more she thought of her letter, the more doubtful she became about it. Had she said enough? She’d worded it so carefully, going through multiple drafts, to avoid triggering the spell and having it erased entirely. But she’d tried to give enough information so he would know what had happened, or at least be able to figure it out.

  It was bad enough that she would leave her husband alone for five thousand years. But to do so while making him guess what had happened to her? No, that was too cruel.

  Unless the spell intended to keep her here in the past until after they managed Kovel Below. Which. Urk. Was quite the thought.

  Surely not, right?

  The time-traveling spell suspended her own time, so she wouldn’t age, but…four thousand years of being in the past?

  No, surely not.

  “Alright there?”

  She blinked up at Kare, their First of Tomes, and came back to the moment. Since she could hardly confess she was worrying about disappearing via a time-travel spell, she frantically tried to come up with something.

  “I just wondered if there was perhaps a better way to battle Odom in the future.”

  “Odom, not Zaffi?”

  “Zaffi is problematic, certainly, but Odom did more damage. And if I can figure out Odom, maybe I can figure out Jingfei and Zaffi, too.”

  “Ahh, I follow your logic. But they’re nicely sealed now.”

  “I know we sealed him—and well—but the seal will break eventually. The next time someone has to battle him, would there be a better way to go about it?”

  “Hmm. In hindsight, you can always find a better method.” Kare generally had an affable sort of look to him, like the boy next door, but at the moment he looked the worse for wear with a three-day beard and his dark hair sticking to his skin, glued by sweat. “I’d say, if anything, stronger use of elements. If we’d been able to put up a proper ice shield—a truly elemental ice, like arctic ice—we’d have been far more effective in caging his movements. Or even been able to engage the ocean water. Just getting him to the ocean was a battle in and of itself, but if we’d been able to utilize it from the beginning, we could have done a better job of it. And not have worn Shunlei’s wings off.”

  She made a mental note of that. “I think it’s a sound suggestion. When you write the record, will you note it down?”

  “I will, for all the good it will do. Who knows if the next generation will heed our advice?”

  This amused her greatly. Oh, if he only had an inkling of what the future held. “I think you’ll find that your records are far more precious than you realize now.”

  Kare’s eyes focused on her and narrowed suspiciously. “Sometimes, when I talk to you, I get this funny feeling that you are a seer. You seem to know far too much of what the future holds.”

  “I wish I did,” she responded a little sadly, looking ahead to where Shunlei was walking and talking with Hawes. “I wish I could see exactly what the future holds.”

  “I’m not sure I wish for that.” Kare shook his head. “Hard enough to manage the present without worrying about the future hanging around my neck as well.”

  The truth of that statement hit right in the heart. That was precisely the issue now. The looming future weighed on her in the present. But there wasn’t a single thing Mei Li could do about it. All possibilities were entirely out of her hands.

  And it was irritating, truth be told. Mei Li was used to making her own decisions. To choosing the consequences of her own life. Not being yanked around by a non-sentient spell. As much as she had gained by coming back—and she wouldn’t unwish being married to Shunlei for anything—this situation did grate on her.

  They got lucky once they reached the base of the mountain—a logger spied them, offering them a ride on his cart. They took it with heartfelt thanks, and he took them to the nearest town, which was where they’d stowed their horses and most of their bags before the battle. The innkeeper excitedly asked about Zaffi, and they were able to give him the good news of the demon’s defeat.

  The man was so excited, he promised them a grand feast, baths, and a free stay, all on the house. Being low on funds—they were late into the fall season now, almost to the stopping point for the year—Hawes readily accepted the offer. The dead, they laid out at the local church for burial in the morning.

  It was pretty much unanimous that baths would happen first. They were all drenched in sweat and covered in ash. Mei Li wouldn’t be able to rest or eat until she had cleaned up, at least. Although she was feeling better, now—no longer as shaky or drained. The food and resting in the cart on the way to the town had helped her.

  Kiyo was in the mood for silence in the bath, and Mei Li didn’t have the energy to come up with a topic, so sh
e didn’t try. She poured salts into the bath water and a dab of elixir to restore energy and sooth sore muscles. Then she slipped in and soaked to her heart’s content.

  It may have been an hour. It may have been a year. When one is enjoying a truly excellent, well-earned bath, petty things like time become inconsequential.

  Refreshed, she finally got out and dressed in clean clothes. If the spell wasn’t going to take her immediately, she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. She’d celebrate a hard-won victory with her husband and friends, sleep well, and try not to worry about things she had no control over.

  So, she joined the party in the main room. Shunlei was already in place, damp hair trailing down his back. He gestured her closer and then pointed to a temporary altar set up on a table nearby.

  “There are candles we can light to guide the deceased, and Hawes started a letter to each of their families if you want to add a word.”

  “That was kind. I’ll do that.” She scurried around the tables and serving girls, then bent at the waist to add several lines to each letter. It wasn’t anything elaborate—just a summary of how she knew them, how each mage had been extraordinary for volunteering.

  How they’d saved tens of thousands of lives.

  It wasn’t enough to replace a lost child; no amount of words could do that. But Mei Li hoped it would help.

  Satisfied she’d done as much as she could, she lit a candle for each fallen comrade and added them to the sand box in front of the little wooden altar. She came back to sit with her husband, who had piled up a plate of food just for her. Shunlei was ever thoughtful that way.

  She was exhausted right down to her bones. Even her hair felt heavy with fatigue, which was saying something. But she pushed every worry aside for now. Clearly, the spell would not return her to the present tonight. And that was all Mei Li had the room to worry about.

  Shunlei leaned in so he could speak privately with her under the din as the rest of the tables engaged in loud conversation. “Tomorrow, let’s take a day for ourselves.”