by Mary Swift
Cast Out
Mary Swift
to John and Lisa
for their love and support
books
by Mary Swift
The Man Upstairs
Watching Time
short
stories by Mary Swift
The Rocket Club
The Brothers MacPherson
Chapter 1
The greatest of the enchanters’ circles was Firesea. That was the opinion of every enchanter who lived there. They believed completely in their superiority and anyone who thought different needed to mind their own business or be dominated.
Firesea was in the middle of a war with two other circles. They were resisting Firesea’s attempts to take them over. Wildbush and Greenhill were small and insignificant. Their enchanters were weak and untalented, but they had extensive lands, Wildbush in the flat country and Greenhill in the mountains, and Firesea wanted them.
The war had been long and hard fought. Finnegan Murphy often heard his mother Leah and his father Seamus discussing the situation at night when they thought he was asleep. A third circle, Ambersea, was considering joining the fight even though they weren’t directly threatened by invasion, if they did it could mean defeat for Firesea. Ambersea was stronger than Wildbush and Greenhill put together.
Finnegan’s father was the Master Enchanter of Firesea. The Master Enchanter was the leader of the circle. The fate of the war was in his hands. A diplomatic party made up of enchanters from Wildbush and Greenhill were coming to try and settle the matter. The Firesea council, a group of ten of the most important enchanters in the circle, had reluctantly agreed to meet with them. Firesea wasn’t in the habit of negotiating with other circles. They saw no need for it, they should be in charge and that was that. But things were different now that Ambersea was threatening to get involved.
They arrived on a bright summer day. Finnegan accompanied his father to the council hall. As the heir to the Master Enchanter’s robe it was important for him to be there and learn protocol, even though he was only six years old. His father carried him through the streets of Firesea. Enchanters bowed as they passed.
The red glass dome of the Firesea council hall was the largest in all of the circles. The red doors were open for the Master Enchanter. The council was lined up next to them. They bowed as Finnegan and his father approached.
“Master Enchanter, they are waiting inside.” Devin Cramer said.
“What sort of enchanters are they?” Seamus asked.
Another man stepped forward. “They’re weak Master. They’re no match for us.”
“I shouldn’t expect them to be.” Seamus put Finnegan on the ground. “Come and I’ll show you how Firesea negotiates with lesser enchanters.” He took Finnegan’s hand and they entered the council hall.
The main meeting room was round with wooden benches in the center for visitors and prisoners. There was a tall semicircular dais on one wall where the council members and the Master Enchanter sat.
Finnegan and his father climbed onto the dais. Seamus took his place in the Master Enchanter’s chair. Behind the chair was an ancient map of Maine’s sixteen enchanters’ circles. Finnegan loved looking at the map. He hoped someday he would get to visit all of the circles. He had heard that some, including Wildbush, were built alongside of mortal towns.
There were two kinds of people in the world, mortals and enchanters. Although they looked the same they were vastly different. Mortals were short lived and had no skills or powers beyond what their own two hands and their inferior brains could accomplish. Enchanters lived for hundreds of years, and more importantly they could harness the energy in the air around them and cast one magical spell, if cast with thought and care the spell would last a lifetime and benefit the entire circle.
Finnegan didn’t know what his spell would be. He wasn’t allowed to cast it until he was eighteen and the council would decide what it would be. Technically he could cast it at any time, but no one did. The Founders’ Code, their ancient laws, was to be abided by. For Finnegan his own spell was not that important. Someday he would be the Master Enchanter and possess the robe. The robe was very old and extremely powerful; it came directly from the Founders, the three original enchanters.
Finnegan stood by his father’s chair. They looked down at the diplomatic contingent. “Who is the leader among you?” Seamus asked.
A thin man with brown hair stepped forward. He leaned on a walking stick although he seemed too young to need one. “It is I Master Enchanter. My name is Henry Collins. I’m from Wildbush. I have come here to offer you peace.”
“Peace?” Seamus scoffed. “Why should I negotiate with an inferior circle like yours?”
“Because Ambersea is soon to join our cause and you will be defeated.”
Seamus laughed. “Ambersea? Why do they want to fight for you?”
Henry took a few steps forward. Finnegan began to sense something, there was magic at work. He looked at his father. If Seamus was aware of it he didn’t let it show, but he was the cleverest of all enchanters so there was no need to warn him.
“Ambersea believes in the sovereignty of all circles.” Henry bellowed. “They will fight on our behalf because it’s the right thing to do.”
“We should consider his offer, let’s end this war.” Devin said quietly.
Seamus looked down at Henry. “Your offer is rejected. Go back to your circle and prepare for battle.”
Henry glanced at his fellow party members, a knowing look passed between them. He raised his walking stick and pointed it at Finnegan. “Agree or I will Mortalize the boy.”
The entire council got to their feet. “What’s the meaning of this?” Seamus cried.
Finnegan knew what Mortalizing was. It was a spell that could take away the powers of a young enchanter who had not yet cast and make them a mortal.
“He’s lying!” one of the council members shouted.
Finnegan wasn’t so sure. The walking stick was extremely powerful, he could sense it.
“Do you want to take a chance?” Henry asked. “It is peace or the boy, take your pick.”
“Agree to it.” Devin urged.
“Take this inferior enchanter away.” Seamus shouted to the guards, called protectors, which stood in each corner of the room. They sprang into action.
As the protectors rushed at him Henry raised the stick and pointed it at Seamus. There was loud boom, like thunder. Seamus fell to the floor. Finnegan never saw what happened to Henry after that, the council hall became complete chaos. There was shouting and shuffling and angry words but Finnegan didn’t care about any of it. His father was dead. It seemed unbelievable. His father, the Master Enchanter of Firesea, the greatest enchanter in the entire world, was dead. He was taken down, not by a heroic deed on the battlefield but by a lesser enchanter from an obscure circle. By someone who should never have been able to defeat the power of Firesea and the Master Enchanter’s robe.
Finnegan held his father’s hand as the council argued and fought around him for the robe. At some point his mother came and took him home. He had never given a thought to the fact that his father could die. Fathers didn’t die, especially not his. Finnegan didn’t want to believe it was true, he wanted to believe that he was dreaming. If he was dreaming he could wake up from the nightmare his life had suddenly become.
Chapter 2
There were a lot of beautiful women in Firesea but none was as beautiful as Maeve. She had been told that fact all of her life and she saw no reason to doubt it. Everyone in the circle had been waiting for her marriage to be arranged. The traditional marriage age for enchanters was sixteen, it had been decided so by the Founders.
>
When the time came for Maeve’s engagement to be announced it was a surprise to everyone including herself. She was betrothed to Devin Cramer. He was ten years older than her, he had been married once before, his wife had died a few years later and he had been alone ever since. In that time he had been busy working his way up the council. He was now second only to the Master Enchanter.
Maeve didn’t care much for Devin. He was always spouting nonsense about peace. He was currently campaigning for an end to the ongoing war with Wildbush, Greenhill, and Ambersea. Maeve didn’t care if the war ever ended. She believed like most Firesea enchanters that the other circles needed to be brought under control and if it had to be done by force then it should be.
After Seamus Murphy was killed there had been a power struggle in Firesea. There had been five different Master Enchanters in the last three years. The rightful heir, Finnegan Murphy, was now nine years old and had little support from the rest of Firesea. His father had been unpopular and there was no interest in putting his son in the robe.
Despite her dislike of him Maeve was anxious to marry Devin and help make him the Master Enchanter. She was a powerful enchanter herself and together they could rule the circle. She was willing to overlook his mousy brown hair and dull looks. She was gorgeous enough for both of them. Her long hair was red, a color prized in Firesea, her skin was ivory and unblemished and her body made men weak in the knees, at least she thought so.
Her future looked bright indeed. She was on the path to becoming the most important woman in Firesea when the council called her to a special meeting one afternoon. Her wedding was only a week away. She hadn’t done anything wrong that she was aware of, but she was still nervous. The council didn’t summon citizens to the hall for just anything.
Two Firesea protectors stood in front of the council hall doors. Outside of the circle they were called rangers and wore red leather armor, inside they dressed in considerably less, tiny suede shorts that laced up the front, sandals, and nothing else. Maeve took a moment to appreciate each protectors’ attributes before she went through the door. The council was waiting for her. She immediately noticed that Devin was not there.
“Good morning.” said the current Master Enchanter. “Please have a seat.”
Maeve sat on a hard wooden bench. The council members stared down at her.
The Master Enchanter cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming.”
“Why am I here?”
Another council member glared at her. “It is not your place to question us. The Master Enchanter will tell you why.”
Maeve swallowed. She had heard of the interrogations people received from the council but she had never experienced one herself. She racked her brain trying to think of what she had done wrong.
“A development has occurred.” the Master Enchanter said. “Your marriage to Devin Cramer is no longer tenable.”
Maeve stood up. “Why not?”
“Sit down girl.” a man at the very of the dais said.
Maeve sat down. Unless Devin was dead there was no reason for them not to get married.
“It has come to our attention that Devin Cramer has been carrying on with another woman.” the Master Enchanter told her.
“Is that all?” Maeve didn’t care about that. She didn’t plan on being faithful to him either.
“No, that’s not all. The woman is pregnant with his child. She has come to the council and asked that he be made to marry her.”
“Let her have a bastard.” Maeve muttered. There were plenty of them in Firesea.
“This woman is different.” The Master Enchanter hesitated. “It’s Leah Murphy.”
Maeve couldn’t believe it. Leah Murphy was a dumpy middle aged frump. What could Devin possibly see in her?
“Leah’s son Finnegan has certain claims to the robe.” the Master Enchanter said anxiously. “If we don’t appease her she could make trouble for the entire circle. We have agreed to her request, she and Devin were wed this morning in the cathedral. You will be betrothed to another enchanter of our choosing.”
Maeve leapt to her feet. “This isn’t fair!” she cried. The protectors stepped forward. She had to be careful.
“You will marry who we tell you to.” the Master Enchanter said. “You have no right to question the council. You are dismissed.”
Maeve left the hall. She wasn’t going to be the wife of the Master Enchanter. She wasn’t going to be anything. It was all because of Leah Murphy and that baby of hers. Maeve looked up at the cathedral that sat in the center of Firesea, its sixteen amber spires shone in the late day sun. That was where she was supposed to have been married the following week, but that wasn’t going to happen now. She would end up engaged to a nobody who would do nothing for her.
A man walked by and smiled at her. The most beautiful woman in Firesea would be married to a nobody. If she was going to plunge into obscurity then she was going to take someone else with her and she knew who it was going to be. That baby Leah was carrying. The little brat would rue the day he was ever conceived.
Chapter 3
Finnegan had a baby brother. It was bad enough that his mother had remarried and he had a stepfather he was expected to call Father, but now there was this. They named the baby Killian. Leah spent all of her time fussing over him. She barely took any notice of Finnegan at all. After his father died it had been just the two of them. Finnegan had been the person his mother had relied on, the one she confided in. He didn’t understand why she took up with Devin Cramer; she didn’t need him.
Killian was noisy, fussy, and demanding. He spit up and he smelled bad, but Leah doted on him anyway. She seemed to think he was the most remarkable thing she had ever seen. Even Devin, who had never paid much attention to Finnegan, found his new son fascinating.
Finnegan hated Killian. If it wasn’t for him Devin would have married someone else and he would have his mother to himself. When Leah went to the council to insist Devin marry her she had agreed to give up pursuing the robe for her son. She denied Finnegan his rightful inheritance. He was supposed to be the Master Enchanter. The fact that he was only a child made no difference, there had been younger Master Enchanters than him in the past. His father would have hated what his mother had done, and he would have hated the person who caused it, so Finnegan did the hating for him.
Over the next few years the loathing for his younger brother grew. The council tested all Firesea children on their first birthday and they proclaimed that Killian showed signs of being an extremely powerful enchanter. They said he was naturally intuitive, meaning that he had an innate sense of how to use energy and magic. They were already talking about what kind of spell he would cast when he turned eighteen.
Finnegan had had the same test on his first birthday. He was considered an average enchanter. Average and nothing more. Now that he wasn’t the heir to the robe no one talked about what sort of enchanter he was going to become. Nobody cared.
Outside of Firesea the war with the other circles raged on. Everyone was weary and there seemed to be no end in sight. As soon as one side made a gain the other took it back. Even the Firesea council was beginning to talk of peace. So many young enchanters had been killed they were starting to worry about the future and who would lead the circle in the coming years.
Devin began drawing up a peace treaty. He and Leah talked about it every night. As Finnegan listened to them he learned that the treaty included gifts of goodwill that would be exchanged between each circle.
“What about something from the treasury?” Leah suggested as they sat in the living room after dinner. Finnegan was sitting on the floor studying, like all enchanters he was educated at home. Devin had assigned him a boring book to read by the end of the week. Killian was nearby playing with a toy horse, he was almost three years old.
“The Master Enchanter will never let us take something from the treasury.” Devin said. “We could get a goldsmith to make something up. A platter is traditional.”
&nbs
p; “It would be nice if it had more meaning than that.” Leah said.
Killian stood up and toddled towards Finnegan. He was holding his toy horse above his head. “Finn, Finn.”
Finnegan didn’t look up. He hated being called Finn almost as much as he hated his brother.
“Finn!” Killian cried. He tossed the horse at Finnegan, it hit him in the face. Finnegan grabbed it and threw it across the room.
“Finnegan Murphy!” Leah scolded. “Stop teasing your brother.”
“He hit me.” Finnegan complained. “You always take his side.”
“He’s just a child.”
“So am I.”
“You’re a young man.” Devin said. “Killian is your brother; you should love and protect him.”
“I hate him.” Finnegan muttered.
“Hate is a powerful word.” Devin said calmly. “When your mother and I are gone Killian is all you will have in this world. There will be a day that you’ll be glad for him.”
“Never.”
“Finn!” Killian screamed. He ripped the book from Finnegan’s hands and threw it on the floor. He started laughing.
Finnegan grabbed Killian’s arm and slapped his brother across the face. Killian fell down and began sobbing. Leah picked him up. “Finnegan, how dare you!”
Devin yanked Finnegan to his feet. “You need to be taught a lesson young man.” He dragged him out of the living room to the backdoor. They went outside. Devin had never hit him before but Finnegan expected that was about to change.
As soon as the backdoor shut Devin let go of him. “You have to accept the fact that Killian and I are in your life and we’re here to stay.”
“You’re not my father.”
“No, I’m not, but I would like to be.” Devin sighed. “We can be happy Finnegan. But you can’t treat Killian that way. I won’t tolerate you striking him.”
