by Guy Antibes
“And you have a lot of magic,” Okiku said. “You are welcome to return to Masukai at any time.”
“I have a favor to ask,” Jack said. “There isn’t any trading permitted between Corand and Masukai. Could you reconsider the ban?”
Okiku smiled. “I will. You may leave. I have more than enough advisors already.”
Chapter Forty
~
J ack used the Battlebone to locate Penny. It was easier, this time. She was still kept unconscious and still on a ship on a heading that appeared to take her to Reoja. Jack sighed. They had no choice but to go after her.
Jack contacted Fasher, who congratulated him on retrieving the Battlebone. When Jack told him about Penny, Fasher concurred that Jack should use the object of power to rescue her. Jack closed, asking Fasher to tell Penny’s father to attempt to re-initiate trade with Kiro Ganshi in Masukai.
The five of them, including little Jackie, prepared to leave Yomomai. Jack considered going on his own to save Penny, but Helen and Tanner insisted on accompanying Grigar and him.
If the journey became too dangerous, Grigar assured Helen and Tanner that there would be reliable Soffez family members close to wherever they were who could care for the little girl.
Jack tried on Deep Mist wizard-warrior clothing that was tailored to be closer to Corandian style in his room when there was a knock on the door. He opened it and looked into the eyes of Namori.
She stepped into his room, looking sorrowful.
“I can’t go with you,” Namori said. “Empress Okiku has appointed me to be one of her bodyguards. If I accept, my mother and brother can come and go in Yomomai as they please.”
Jack had wondered how he could let Namori down. He just didn’t feel the same way about her that she did about him, but he played along. He had forgotten the promise to free Namori’s mother and brother, but he was glad he had done his part to enable their freedom.
“But you said…” Jack took her into his arms, wincing at the stinging on his still tender wound.
She hugged him tightly but pushed him off. “There are higher callings in life,” Namori said. “I couldn’t refuse Okiku…I mean Empress Okiku. I honor my father and mother more by accepting Okiku’s offer.”
Jack sighed. He hoped it wasn’t too dramatic. “Then you must do what your duty tells you. I can’t say if I will return to Masukai or not.”
The girl brushed away a few tears. “I—”
“Don’t wait for something that may never happen,” Jack said. “I will always remember you,” he was absolutely sincere with that comment, “and I wish you the best. I have communicated with Fasher Tempest and asked him to tell Reginart Ephram to contact your father. Knowing Okiku, I think trade with Corand will pick up again.”
Namori sniffed but looked a bit relieved. “When you go through Taiyo, will you escort my mother and brother and tell my father of my adventures? ”
Jack nodded. “I will. They were rather wonderful, weren’t they?” Again, Jack was sincere. He was happy that Kiro Ganshi wouldn’t have to have them abduct his wife and son.
“They were marvelous experiences. They really were,” Namori said. “I must return to the palace.” She walked to the door but turned around to give him a long lingering kiss. “Live well, my hero.”
She left him, smiling. His Masukaian adventure started with a kiss and ended with an even better one. Sincere kisses were always better, he thought, as he whistled a Corandian tune while he continued his packing.
The End
Character List
The Serpent’s Orb
Jack Winder – Our hero and the wizard’s helper
Penneta Ephram – A girl in Jack’s village
Fasher Tempest – The village wizard
Tanner Simple – A wandering mercenary
Helen Rafter – A wandering mercenary
Ozzie Quist – A burnt-out wizard
Aramore Gant – Patriarch of the church of Alderach
Derr Mason – Wizard in possession of the Serpent’s Orb
Simara Khotes – Lajian wizardess in Dorkansee
Henry Oppen – Simara’s companion
Heros Soffez – A leader among the Soffez Family
Igar Khotes – Simara’s father
Grigar Soffez – Wizard relative of Heros
Amara Soffez – Wizardess
~
The Warded Box
Lark Handercraft – Tesorian wizard
Ralinn Bonarin – Lark’s apprentice
Eldora – Goddess of Water
Amee Newbright – Leader of the Morakans
Jim Lessikan – A Morakan
Pakara Jimaroon – Priestess of Eldora
Corina Bell – Former priestess of Eldora
Baron Overvale – Tesorian noble and leader of an army
Whelham Waterford – Wizard and brother of the King Kaleen
King Kaleen – King of Tesoria
Jorey Balcon – Grand Wizard of Tesoria
Wessa Fanstrong – Archpriestess of Eldora
Harida Maltwill – Noble and sister to the late Queen
Norris Everlight – Leader of Tesoria’s criminal underworld
Ran Maltwill – Chancellor and brother of Harida and the late Queen
Panderites – A Tesorian insurgent faction
Sparrows – A Tesorian insurgent faction
~
Grishel’s Feather
Myra Pulini - Passoranian wizardess
Harria Wovenbottom – Furniture maker in mid-Corand.
Ferrio Lorina - Priest of Grishel
Barria Torito - Torito sibling
Carlo Torito - Torito sibling
Sammo Torito – Torito sibling
Addio Barumi - Claustral Prior of Ullori
Bracco - A monk
Tunno - A monk
Rucco Simmia - Black Finger member
Torlo Arroca - Monk and Rucco’s friend
Head Garolla - Leader of the Black Fingers
Battlebone
Kiro Ganshi - Wealthy merchant at the port of Taiyo
Namori Ganshi -Member of the Pearl Mist
Haruno - Head steward at Kiro Ganshi’s manor
Iraishi Ranturo - Master of the Pearl Mist
Torii Ishoru - Yomomai Pearl Mist leader
Keneto Kaseru - Masukai high noble
Akkora - Goddess of the Mist
Zukori - God of Battle
Okiku - Senior Pearl Mist wizardess
Gigaru Zinza - Grigar’s Masukaian name
Sakoru Sinda - Jack’s Masukaian name
Ruki Sinda - Master of Deep Mist
Miru - Jack’s Deep Mist mentor
Zeki - Grigar’s Deep Mist mentor
Rekori - Deep Mist wizardry instructor
Yoki Tirashima - Pine Bear coordinator
Takatai Minza - Pine Bear General
Rakota Yomoko - Emperor of Masukai
Simaru - Deep Mist wizard-warrior
Hidori - Deep Mist wizard-warrior
Excerpt from The Polished Penny
Chapter One
~
T he gray skies perfectly aligned with Penneta Ephram’s current state of mind. She gazed at the drops of rain skittering down the glass window of the carriage that currently took her toward Dorkansee and the end of life as she knew it. If sighs were miles, she would have already traveled around the world.
How could Uncle Fasher, the cold-hearted man, have sent her away from Raker Falls? She pressed her lips together, hard, and balled her hands into fists as she recalled the dinner with Uncle Fasher, his new wife Corina, and her father and mother. They all celebrated her finally giving in to her uncle’s awful idea.
Her sister Liddy seemed to have joined in the betrayal. Penny hadn’t realized how much Liddy missed the capital of Corand. As for her, Penny celebrated leaving Dorkansee three years ago. The emerging social demands on her as an affluent young woman had suffocated her.
Penny pulled out the silver-ha
ndled dagger her father had given her just before she boarded. She didn’t tell him that her sword had joined her on her journey. Jack Winder, her rival at Fasher Tempest’s wizard healing clinic, had improved his swordsmanship on the errands her uncle assigned him. It grated on her that she had fallen behind. She would find a suitable fencing instructor once she reached Dorkansee, but she wouldn’t tell anyone, not even Liddy.
An errant ray of sunshine brightened up the polished blade. Inspired, she decided right then that she would polish herself while she was gone and return bright and sharp. A wisp of a smile crossed her face. Now she had a secret goal to keep her sanity. While she learned how to heal others, she would learn how to heal the pain she currently felt, even if it meant learning how to be a proper young woman and an expert swordswoman.
~
By the time the carriage clattered on the cobbles of Dorkansee, Penny had come to terms with her banishment. The sighs were left far behind as she let the excitement of returning to Dorkansee overtake her. Memories she had repressed came back. She looked at women strolling in the First Ring of the city and realized that styles had changed in two years. Wouldn’t Liddy be jealous. No, Penny thought. Liddy was jealous as soon as she heard Penny was heading for Dorkansee.
The large square close to the king’s castle brought a jolt of more excitement coupled with shocks of fear. She would be spending the next two years, at a minimum, Uncle Fasher told her, learning at the Dorkansee Healing Institute. In a few moments, the carriage stopped, and Penny looked up at her new home.
She jumped out the door with her bags and went to help the driver remove her heavy trunk from the roof. The man frowned and shushed her away.
“I am paid to take these off, young lady. I’ll not have you hurting yourself before you even go inside to learn how to heal.”
Penny nodded and gently clamped her teeth on the tip of her tongue. “Polished,” she said, restraining from telling the driver how wrong he was.
“What?” the driver asked.
“Famished.” Penny smiled at the man. “You are right. I will let you take the risk. I realized that I am very hungry.”
The man managed to wrestle the trunk down from the roof. He wiped off his hands and gave Penny a little bow.
“Don’t worry about a tip. I was paid well to take you here. I must be off and catch my next fare to Bartonsee,” the driver said.
He waved to her as he drove away. She stood in front of the institute with two bags and a heavy trunk at her feet.
A young man ran from the building. “New student?” he asked.
“Penneta Ephram,” she said.
The young man looked at her blankly.
“I am a new student,” Penny said.
“Oh, right,” the young man said, smiling brightly now that his question had been answered. “If you can manage the bags, I’ll manage the trunk.
No wonder he was carrying bags for the institute, Penny thought. She walked ahead of him to a large front counter.
“I am Penneta Ephram from Raker Falls. I am a new student at the Healing Institute,” she said to an older woman shuffling papers behind a counter.
“You can put the trunk there, Griff.”
Penneta looked behind her to see the young man levitate the trunk across the hall and lower it just behind Penny. Her jaw about dropped open. She had never seen levitation done so well.
The young man smiled. “Just wanted to help,” he said as he ran up the stairs.
“Griff is a second-year healer. Bright as the sun, but a little too helpful.” The older woman said. “You will be staying with us, I see. Take your bags to the third floor steward’s office. He will show you to your rooms. Your trunk will get there eventually.”
Penny felt helpless all of a sudden. “Do I get some information about how things work here?”
The lady took a sheaf of papers bound with a green cord from a drawer and wrote B10 on the front. She went to a different drawer and withdrew a key. “Don’t lose it!” She tied it to the cord. “Up the stairs and to your left. There are signs after that.”
After looking at the hallway to see what she had missed when she first entered, she trudged up the stairs, gazing back at her trunk standing all by itself in the middle of the lobby, and found her room without any trouble.
The steward merely pointed her down the hall and left her to find room B10 all by herself. Penny tried the door and found it unlocked. She frowned and pushed the door open.
“Don’t you have the decency to knock?” a voice called out from the other side of the door.
Penny gasped. Was she to have a roommate? That wasn’t a female voice.
She stepped inside to see a young man and a young woman, sitting on an old couch in a tiny sitting room, just decoupling from hugging each other. Penny guessed they were doing more than hugging. She tapped on the open door with her knuckles.
“Is this a little better?” she said. She wanted to put her hands to her face to cool her hot cheeks.
“You are the new roommate?” the girl said. She stood up and straightened out her dress.
“Penneta Ephram. I’m generally called Penny.”
“Trinita Limpet,” she smiled. “You can call me Nita.”
Penny pulled her bags from the hallway and closed the door behind her, but she didn’t want to walk farther into the room.
“Your bedroom is over there,” Nita said. “Mine is on the other side.”
“I’ll take these with me,” Penny said.
“You aren’t going to want to leave them there,” the young man said, laughing. If Jack Winder had said it, she could have responded with something just as sarcastic, but this person’s comments seemed to have too mean of an undercurrent.
Penny bit her tongue again. She had a proper retort on that tongue, but she reminded herself, that she needed polish, and it seemed she was going to work harder than she thought to get it.
Her room was about the same size as the sitting room. A single unmade bed shared the room with a desk, chair, washstand, and a wardrobe that might fit her clothes. Everything was shabby.
She frowned and plopped on the lumpy mattress. The room didn’t meet the expectations that she had built up in her mind. The institute was in the First Ring. This room belonged in the Fourth or Fifth.
Penny stared at her bags. Did she even want to unpack?
“Henry’s gone,” Nita’s voice called from the sitting room.
Penny poked her head out the door and looked at Nita smiling at her from the couch.
“You’ll have to get used to him, I’m afraid. We are getting married when we both finish our training. He may not seem like it, but he ranks high at the institute. We are joining his father’s clinic in Shuttingsee.”
Penny looked back at her room and sat in an easy chair. She could feel a hole in the cushion.
Nita laughed. “Don’t worry about the state of the room. I’m buying new furniture. Want to pitch in?”
“You can buy what you want?”
“I can, and I want,” Nita said. “I moved in a week ago and moped around until I found I can change things.”
Penny sighed. Her first since she had made her decision to become polished. “Count me in. I have funds.”
Nita brightened. “So do I! Let’s do some planning.”
Penny smiled, but put up her hand. “I need to find out what to do first.”
Nita gave Penny a negligent wave. “Don’t worry. I’ve looked everything over. Our first orientation is the day after tomorrow. We have lots of time to get things started.”
“Can I start with something to eat?” Penny asked.
“Generally I eat with Henry, but he has an errand. He’ll never tell you, but he was glad you barged in, or he would have been late.” Nita smiled coyly. Penny suspected Nita didn’t care if Henry was late to his appointment.
“Then let’s go,” Penny said. She hurried back to her room and grabbed her key.
“Don’t worry about locking our
door. Nothing is ever stolen.”
Penny pursed her lips and returned to her room, stuffing money and valuables into her purse before leaving. She might be naïve about some things, but Penny had experienced unexpected misfortunes enough on her errand with Jack Winder earlier in the year. She had learned that a few precautions never hurt.
A Bit About Guy
~
With a lifelong passion for speculative fiction, Guy Antibes found that he rather enjoyed writing fantasy, as well as reading it. So a career was born, and Guy anxiously engaged in adding his own flavor of writing to the world. Guy lives in the western part of the United States and is happily married with enough children to meet or exceed the human replacement rate.
You can contact Guy at his website: www.guyantibes.com.
†
Books By Guy Antibes
WIZARD’S HELPER
Book 1: The Serpent’s Orb
Book 2: The Warded Box
Book 3: Grishel’s Feather
MAGIC MISSING
Book One: A Boy Without Magic
Book Two: An Apprentice Without Magic
Book Three: A Voyager Without Magic
Book Four: A Scholar Without Magic
Book Five: A Snoop Without Magic
~
SONG OF SORCERY
Book One: A Sorcerer Rises
Book Two: A Sorcerer Imprisoned
Book Three: A Sorcerer’s Diplomacy
Book Four: A Sorcerer’s Rings
Book Five: A Sorcerer’s Fist
~
THE DISINHERITED PRINCE
Book One: The Disinherited Prince
Book Two: The Monk’s Habit
Book Three: A Sip of Magic
Book Four: The Sleeping God
Demeron: A Horse’s Tale - A Disinherited Prince Novella
Book Five: The Emperor’s Pet
Book Six: The Misplaced Prince
Book Seven: The Fractured Empire
