Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  With Benoit!

  This sucks.

  It’s my punishment, I’m thinking. For losing my cool with the elders. All night last night, I tossed and turned, certain I’d screwed up any chance I had at specializing as a tank. That could still be the case. No one’s said anything yet. But Elder Kit’sanari did have some interesting news at the town meeting this morning.

  A few corrupted questmasters formed a group and attacked the southern border last night. We’re going to have to step up our game.

  Kit’sanari says there are three ways to learn: by watching, by doing, and by teaching.

  We’ve been watching and doing for a long as anyone alive can remember. Usually, the guildmasters are the ones doing the teaching. Kit’sanari believes we’re missing out on a vital element that could make each of us far better at our chosen professions. And in light of recent events, we need to do a hell of a lot better than we’ve been doing.

  No one dies permanently in Neissfold, but dying ain’t fun, regardless.

  So, the twelve potential questmasters have become teachers. The main quest to find the next questmaster has been put on hold, “until further notice.” Whatever that means.

  I’m assuming that goes for my tank quest as well. At least I get to teach a fighting class, which should count as experience toward earning my tank badge. I hope so, anyway.

  Elder Kit’sanari is lecturing a group of twelve-year-olds in Building A.

  When she finally realizes I’ve joined them, she pauses in the middle of her lecture to give me a confused look. “Tier’an, shouldn’t you be at the interior courtyard with the rangers?”

  Rangers? Oh, hell no. I’m trying my best to hold my temper, but if I somehow get screwed out of this... “I thought I was training fighters.”

  Benoit’s snort makes me want to punch him, but I manage to keep my curled fists at my side.

  Kit’sanari sighs, clearly exasperated with us both already, but I’m the only one who blushes a deep scarlet. The heat burns my cheeks, further embarrassing me.

  “You are training fighters, Tier’an. In Building B, during the afternoon block.”

  “Oh.”

  “Courtyard. Rangers. Go.” Without another word, she returns to her lecture.

  I guess I’ve been dismissed.

  Leaving Building A, I pass by Building B on my way to the group of rangers I’ll be training. If the fighters are in A and the rangers in the courtyard, then that leaves the casters in B. Kanaan’s in there. I could pop in and say hi, but I’m already late enough as it is.

  Besides, Elder Dannison is probably leading that group and I just cannot handle that much nervous energy first thing in the morning.

  So, I proceed to the courtyard to find Ranger Guildmaster Thoram Burgess himself surrounded by my fellow ranger trainers. The man is more beautiful than any man has a right to be. I’m not the least bit ashamed to admit, if only to myself, I’ve had daydreams. But, that’s neither here nor there.

  Naturally, I’m the last to arrive.

  Eli, Jozani, and Sam are there, as well as Kimber and Alya. Coolness. At least I won’t be teaching a class with Benoit. The classes seem to be set up the same as they were when we were in training. That’ll be easy to remember.

  Sidling up next to Jozani, with Sam and Eli between her and Guildmaster Thoram, I try to pretend I’ve been here the whole time.

  Guildmaster Thoram isn’t having it.

  “Tier’an Bai. Nice of you to join us. You’re late.”

  After he pauses for about nine hours, I open my mouth to respond.

  He cuts me off. Unbelievable. It’s like he deliberately waited until I tried to speak just so he could interrupt me.

  “I’m not interested in excuses, only results. As a result of your tardy arrival, you will run one lap for each student whose training you have interrupted.”

  You have got to be kidding me. I’m not a kid anymore, I’m a freaking trainer now. Before I can think of a non-smartass way to phrase that and end up in even more trouble, he’s talking again.

  “I’d like to resume our training, if you don’t mind. So, whenever you’re ready to begin...”

  Wow. What. An. Ass. A gorgeous ass, but still.

  I have to face the kids to count them, and when I do, I’m looking at about a dozen or so young faces staring at me. Three of them are clearly trying not to laugh. I pay special attention to those faces as I get an exact count. I give them each an extra moment’s appraisal and a nickname.

  First, there’s Slim Jim. Slim for obvious reasons, and Jim because I happen to know that’s his dad’s name.

  Then, we’ve got Chickenleg. Seriously, this girl’s ankles are so tiny, I’m baffled as to how she manages to stand at all, much less walk.

  Lastly, okay I’m going to give Richard a pass. He’s already got a horrible nickname. I can’t do any worse than Dick. What were his parents thinking?

  The final count comes up to sixteen. Sixteen laps I’ve got to run. That’s actually not half-bad. I think I may sleep in late every morning just to make sure I get a good workout every day.

  With a smile, I begin what I sincerely hope will become my daily run.

  I can’t wait for tomorrow morning’s class.

  Take that, Guildmaster McGorgeouson.

  After running my laps, I catch up with my co-trainers. Sam and Alya have been paired off with a small group of kids, as have Eli and Jozani. Those two are always together. The whole town assumes they’ll end up married, but even that doesn’t get Eli off my back. I don’t know what his deal is. You’d think he had a thing for Jozani, they’re practically joined at the hip. But he says they’re more like brother and sister than anything else.

  Whatever.

  That leaves me to partner with Kimber. Same as when we were training. Also cool. She and I have been best friends since birth, basically. Hey, it’s a small world. And she’s Kanaan’s sister.

  It’s like there’s a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach at the thought of Kanaan. I don’t know where I stand with the quests anymore. Not with my personal quest to become a tank or the main quests to become a questmaster. I’m not sure if I even have a group anymore, much less if Kanaan is still a part of it.

  That hurts a lot more than I thought it would.

  Kimber’s doing her best to wrangle the small knot of kids assigned to us, but they’re getting feisty, it looks like. Two of the bigger boys are looking particularly rowdy.

  Aaaand now one of them is swinging. Great. Day one and our group is already making trouble.

  Kimber is so not cut out for separating a couple of sparring kids, so I rush to assist her.

  “Get those four over there, by the washbasins. You two, stop it right now or you’ll be sorry.”

  They won’t stop. I knew that before I opened my mouth, but I have to make at least minimal effort to verbally stop the fight before I step in. That’s what my old trainer used to say anyway, and I’m going to handle these kids the same way he handled me.

  As the rest of our group reaches a safe distance, I watch the two boys as they tire themselves out. When their swinging slows significantly, I pull my belt free and drop my pouch so that all I have in my hand is a broad, thick strip of tough leather.

  Doubling the belt up, I take a moment to make a nice, round bulbous shape at the curved end and give it a few firm but brief tugs to ensure it’s properly aligned.

  The boys are doubled over, gasping for air, when I pop the leather. With a satisfying snap, the boys jerk to attention.

  “Who’s first?”

  The kid on the left faints outright. No need to whip that one. Fear of the belt is sufficient. I highly doubt he’ll be fighting again any time soon, not unless I tell him to.

  The boy on the right won’t quite meet my eye, but he isn’t blabbering or peeing himself, either. I doubt he’ll be much of a problem, I just need to put the fear in him to make sure I never have to actually use the belt.

  Before I can get anoth
er word out, Guildmaster Thoram storms over to us and runs right over whatever I might have said.

  “We do not punish physically, Tier’an. Boys.” He turns to the two kids. The one who remained standing is helping the other one rise. “Go over there with Kimber. You’ll finish the day with her.

  “Tier’an,” he said, turning his piercing blue eyes my way again, “you’re dismissed for today. Don’t be late tomorrow.”

  “That was a stupid move, you know.” Screw it. I’ve had it with this day and these stupid power plays. No wonder this island is so screwed.

  “Excuse me?” He’s turning a quite satisfying shade of purple.

  I can almost feel the malice in my smile, but I can no sooner stop it than I can control the tides.

  “I wasn’t actually going to hit him. The threat is enough to make them obey. But now, I don’t have even that at my disposal.”

  I’ve seen Guildmaster Thoram up close, but he leans in so near to me that we’re nose-to-nose. Being this close to him is nothing like in my fantasies. All thoughts fly right out of my head. Not even sure how to feel right now. Scared, mostly.

  Please, oh please, don’t pee.

  “You think fear and respect are synonymous?”

  I don’t know. What were we talking about? “Uh, yes?”

  “You’re wrong, and the difference could mean your corruption—If you even make it past the quests to become the next questmaster.”

  I’m not going to pee. It’s worse. I think I’m going to puke.

  He straightens up, leaning out of my space again. “You’re looking a little pale. Go check in with the casters in B. The healers should be in there this morning. I’ll see you first thing tomorrow.”

  As he walks away, all I can think is thank goodness I didn’t pee or puke. I mean, I should feel relief right now. Right?

  I don’t. I feel really, very disappointed.

  Maybe he’s right. Maybe I’m easily corrupted. Maybe I’d be the worst questmaster Neissfold has ever known.

  I should just quit now.

  After I see Kanaan, I’ll go talk to Elder Kit’sanari. See if maybe I can’t specialize as a cook or something. If I can’t be a tank, I don’t want to get into blacksmithery either. It’d just be too painful.

  I’m not sure what Guildmaster Thoram thinks a healer can do for nausea. It’s not exactly a life-threatening wound. Unless something’s broken or punctured, I’m good. I’d like to go see Kanaan, but he’s busy teaching. I could see him being good at that. No need to interrupt him. I can always talk to him later.

  I should probably let Elder Kit’sanari know I’ve decided... well, I’m not sure what exactly. A fresh wave of nausea confirms my indecision. The sweltering heat today isn’t helping. Usually, there’s a nice breeze and enough cloud cover to block out the sun. Today, everything just seems to be against me, even the weather.

  The glare of the sun reflects off of every metal and glass surface around, and in Neissfold, that crap is everywhere. The whole town is basically just this school campus from before The Corruption. Every building is reinforced with steel plates or bars or whatever we can find. It’s just metal and filthy glass everywhere.

  In Building A, Baezu and Benoit are sparring while their students sit and watch. Kit’sanari isn’t there.

  The bar to open the door squeals when I push it, and everyone stops to look my way except Baezu. While Benoit’s distracted, Baezu sweeps his legs out from under him.

  Benoit really isn’t a very good tank.

  “Hey, Tier’an!” Baezu jogs over to me, leaving Benoit to deal with the newbs. “Whatcha doing here?”

  “Just looking for Elder Kit’sanari. Do you know where she is?”

  “Southern Border. Are you okay?”

  Ugh, I must be pale or something. “Yeah, just hot. I’m fine.”

  “All right. It’s just... you look like someone killed your best friend.” He really does look worried.

  “Uh, I think I’d be crying if that was the case.”

  “Crying? Not you.” He isn’t trying to be funny, but I chuckle anyway and he shrugs it off. “Maybe it is just the heat. Take care of yourself, Tier’an. Your group needs you.”

  My group. Now I do feel like crying.

  “Will do.” I have to get out of here quick, just in case the waterworks break through.

  I make it out of Building A without breaking down, and the tiny burst of adrenaline from rushing chases away that feeling of despair just as I reach the cafeteria. Passing by, I take a peek inside.

  The youngest kids are in there today. Those who are old enough to start with basic training, around age five, and up to those who are almost ready for intermediate at age nine. Even without looking in through the grime-spattered windows, I can tell it’s that group. You can hear them all the way from the apartments. They almost sound like a group of mutated hornets, the really big ones. Intermittent shrieks give the impression that someone’s being attacked, but I know they aren’t. Kids just scream a lot at that age. I don’t ever remember being that annoying.

  I pick up the pace to escape the range of the little banshees’ high-pitched roar and reach the southern border within a few minutes. In just those few minutes, I’ve sweated so much my top is nearly drenched. I bet I smell just lovely.

  Two foot guards come running my way.

  “Hey, you there! Halt!”

  Halt? Who the hell says halt? “Just looking for Elder Kit’sanari. I’m not going far.”

  One guard angles ahead of me while the other keeps running directly toward me. One way or another, they’re going to cut me off. Since I didn’t come here for a fight, especially with my own people, I stop jogging and walk toward them instead.

  We meet in the shade of the evergreen trees just beyond their tower. I thought guards were required to be in better shape, but one of these doubles over to catch his breath. The other one—Sandeep, if I remember correctly—rolls his eyes and ignores his partner.

  “No one’s allowed past the southern border until the hunting party returns.”

  Chills run down my spine. “Hunting party? We only hunt the northern forest.”

  He continues to ignore the other guard—who is finally breathing normally—and, without missing a beat, says, “For food.”

  What would they be hunting in the south?

  Before anyone can say anything else, a scream pierces the silence. Even wailing in pain, I can tell who that voice belongs to.

  “Elder Kit’sanari’s in trouble. We need to go. Now.”

  The breathless guard grabs my arm. “No. We are under strict orders to stay put.”

  Sandeep’s dark gaze hasn’t left mine.

  “Sandeep, whatever they’re hunting out there, I don’t think they knew what they were up against. We have to help.”

  He nods once, and his partner moans—probably because he has to run again. What the hell is going on around here?

  “Stay here,” Sandeep orders him.

  The guy couldn’t have looked more relieved. He takes a deep breath and actually smiles. Some guard.

  Sandeep and I run toward the forest, hoping the sounds of battle will indicate if we’re getting closer. A deep, male voice behind me scares the mess out of me.

  “Sandeep, who’s with Elder Kit’sanari?”

  Sandeep doesn’t have time to answer his question. Grunting and clanging sounds guide our hurried footsteps the rest of the way.

  “Benoit? You asshat! Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.”

  In a whisper, Benoit says, “Slow down a bit. If we can assess the situation and surprise the mobs, we have a better chance of succeeding.”

  As much as I hate taking orders from him, of all people, I’ll do it this time because I agree.

  From the edge of a clearing, we watch as two guards hack away at a small group of corrupted questmasters, doing their best to keep them away from Kit’sanari. Corpses litter the ground: three of our own people and a few corrupted questmasters.

/>   One of the mobs casts a spell on a corpse and I immediately realize just how bad this is. The caster is a necromancer, able to raise the dead to do her bidding. The other questmasters keep Kit’sanari’s guards busy while the necro adds to their numbers with each fallen body.

  Kit’sanari is down to two guards, and, pretty soon, those two will be corrupted as well.

  Benoit murmurs my next thought aloud as if he’s read my mind. “We have to kill the necro.”

  “Agreed,” Sandeep and I whisper simultaneously.

  Closing my eyes, I welcome the darkness and pull the shadows closer to me. Freeing my daggers, I take a fighter’s stance and prepare my rush attack. Benoit has almost reached the necro. Sandeep has cast a thick tangle of roots at her feet, trapping her in place.

  Releasing my hold on my power, I allow the shadows to propel me to my target. The strike lands directly, and it’s a devastating critical hit. With one blow, the necro is almost dead.

  Then a wave of blue healing magic washes over her.

  What the hell?

  “She’s got a healer!” Benoit yells.

  “Of course she does.” Shit. This changes everything. I keep swinging my blades, doing as much damage as possible, but it’s not nearly enough. Even Benoit’s two-hander can’t work as fast as that healing magic does. One of those corrupted questmasters is a healer and unless we can figure out who, we’re at a stalemate. But we can’t take our eyes off of her. Worse, they’re just going to keep wearing us down until each and every one of us is dead and at the necromancer’s mercy.

  “Retreat!” Benoit says.

  I follow Benoit back to Sandeep, and the necromancer returns to summoning corpses—not the least bit worried about us—while her army continues the assault on Kit’sanari’s guards.

  Kit’sanari is keeping them alive with her own healing spells, but how long can she keep that up?

  “There’s no winning this, Benoit. We need to get Kit’sanari out of here.”

  “I can root the necro again,” Sandeep says, “slow the rest of them, and we can make a run for it.”

  Benoit shakes his head. “We’ll be leading a group of mobs, of corrupted questmasters, right to the southern border of Neissfold. Then what? No, we can’t put the whole town at risk. Better we abandon them here and now.”