Cast Out (The Red Enchanter Book 1)

by Mary Swift

  “Uh-” Finnegan couldn’t think of anything to say. In the distance he heard the sound of horses running. Less than a minute later four more rangers were pointing their crossbows at him.

  “Take him to the council.” the lead ranger said.

  “Listen, there’s been a misunderstanding.” Finnegan said.

  “Take him.”

  “No.” Finnegan started to run. He knew it would be a fruitless effort. His feet were suddenly bound together and he flopped onto the ground like a fish out of water.

  “Get the girl.” he heard the ranger say. “And untie her, she’ll ride with me.”

  One of the other rangers picked Finnegan up as though he weighed no more than a feather. He slung him over the back of a horse. Finnegan tried to roll himself off the animal.

  “There’s no use in fighting.” the lead ranger said.

  “You don’t understand, this isn’t what you think.” Finnegan said desperately. He could not go back to Firesea, not this way.

  “I don’t take too kindly to men tying up young women.” said the ranger.

  Finnegan tried to turn his head to look at the man but it was impossible and he was forced to look at the ground. “I’m a mortal lawyer.”

  The ranger laughed. “As though that’s going to help you.”

  He heard Lucy moan as they picked her up and put her behind the lead ranger. Another man got onto the horse Finnegan was draped over. He felt himself slide forward and he thought for a second that he was going to fall head first onto the ground.

  “Let’s go.” he heard the lead ranger shout. The horses started trotting across the field.

  “I’m innocent. You don’t understand, I was coerced.”

  “Shut up.” someone said.

  Tall grasses tickled his face as the rangers took him and Lucy to Firesea.

  Chapter 49

  Lucy opened her eyes. Something underneath her moved and she grabbed onto an arm in front of her. She was on the back of a horse with a strange man.

  He pulled up on the reins and looked over his shoulder at her. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.” His eyes were green like her father’s.

  She took her hands away and looked around. Four similarly dressed men were next to them on horses. Draped across the rump of one of the animals was Finnegan.

  “He won’t hurt you anymore.” the man with the green eyes said.

  “Are you taking me home?”

  “I’m taking you to see the council.”

  “My mother is on the council.”

  The man frowned. “Your mother? Which one is she?”

  “How far is it to Wildbush?” She had no idea how long she and Finnegan had been travelling.

  “Wildbush? That’s nowhere near here.”

  “That’s my circle.”

  “You’re in occupied territory. This used to belong to the mortals, but now it belongs to us.”

  “Us?”

  “Firesea of course.” He dug his heels into the horse’s side. The entire party began moving contentedly along.

  Her father had always warned her to be wary of other circles. “I’m not going with you. I want you to take me home to Wildbush.”

  “We can’t do that. We are obliged to take you to the council. If you are deemed not a threat they’ll probably let you go.”

  “Probably?” Lucy cried. “I want to go home.” She leaned to one side and let herself fall off of the horse. The fall wasn’t very hard, the ground was covered in clumps of grass and wildflowers. She scrambled to her feet and started running. Lucy forgot she was missing a shoe, she tripped and fell. She stood up, she had no idea which direction would take her home.

  “Wait!” the man called out. The horses stopped and the men jumped to the ground and began to pursue her. It was a losing battle but she ran anyway. They were going to have to fight to get her. It was only a matter of seconds before she felt a hand on her shoulder. The man she had been riding with spun her around.

  “Get back on your mounts.” he shouted to the other men. He gripped Lucy’s shoulders. “You don’t have to worry. I’m sure they’ll let you go as soon as they’ve questioned you.”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “I know. But I have to take you to Firesea, it’s my duty.”

  “Do you promise I can go home to my father after this?”

  “I’ll do what I can to make sure that happens. Perhaps I should introduce myself.” He stuck out his hand. “My name is Arden Cormenic.”

  Lucy tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to erupt at any moment. She shook his hand. “I’m Lucy Cramer.”

  “Nice to meet you Lucy.” He walked her back to his horse. He helped her into the saddle before mounting himself. The five horses and their riders continued on towards Firesea. Lucy wished she could get a message to her father, he must be frantic with worry, but there was nothing she could do but wait until her business with these Firesea enchanters was finished.

  Chapter 50

  Killian was looking queasy. Nora leaned forward and whispered in Tom’s ear. “Pull over as soon as you can.”

  It didn’t take long for Tom to spot a narrow rutted lane next to a field filled with cows.

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” Killian opened the door and vomited. As he sat up Nora gave him her handkerchief. “I’ve lost Lucy and I’ve murdered someone.” he said wiping his mouth.

  “You didn’t murder Maeve. It was an accident.”

  Killian didn’t say anything.

  “We’ll find Lucy.” Her words sounded hollow.

  “How am I going to find her? I don’t even know what happened to her.”

  Nora took out the map. “I know you don’t know where she is, but can you make the map tell you? What if her location appeared on this?”

  Killian scribbled something in his notebook with his pen. They waited. Nothing happened. “I knew it wouldn’t work, it’s an enchanters’ map, it can’t be changed.”

  “What about this?” Tom handed his crumpled road map to Nora. Killian looked at it and then wrote something down. A few seconds passed and then a small red dot appeared on the map, the name Lucy Cramer was written above it.

  Killian smiled. “That means she’s alive.”

  “Can you find out who she’s with?” Nora asked.

  “I think so.” He wrote something else and six more dots appeared, one of them said Finnegan Murphy. “I knew he was rotten.” Killian pointed at the map. “It’s your lawyer, he’s taken Lucy.”

  “What about the other names? Maybe they took Lucy and Finnegan.”

  “Or maybe he’s a fucking kidnapper.”

  “Maybe.” Nora knew it wasn’t the time to start defending Finnegan when she didn’t know what the truth was. She handed both maps to Tom. “Can you figure out if they’re near any of the circles?”

  “I’ll try.” Tom said.

  They waited while Tom looked at the maps. Killian’s hands shook. Nora wasn’t sure what to say to him.

  “When I line up the two maps it looks like Lucy isn’t in any of the circles.” Tom said. “The closest one is Firesea, but she’s miles away from there.”

  Nora took the road map and looked at the tiny dots, she suddenly realized they were moving. “Look.” She showed Killian.

  “I have to get to her. Can I borrow this car?” Killian asked.

  “Do you know how to drive?” Tom asked.

  “No, but I can make myself know.”

  “I’ll do the driving.” Tom said as he started the engine. “I just bought this thing, I’m not ready to let anyone else behind the wheel.”

  “Tom’s a really good driver and he’s really fast.” Nora said. “We’ll catch up to her in no time.”

  Chapter 51

  Lucy’s legs were aching as they rode over the countryside to Firesea, she hadn’t been on a horse for a long time. The landscape was mostly pasture with the odd clapboard farmhouse and barn. Arden explained that they were abandon
ed mortal dwellings.

  Behind her she heard Finnegan moaning and rambling on about this and that. As soon as he began to complain or defend himself one of the other rangers would tell him to stop. Several hours into the ride Lucy began to notice a saltiness to the air. The late afternoon sun was casting long shadows as she heard the sound of water.

  “Have you been to the sea before?” Arden asked looking over his shoulder.

  “No.”

  “I think we’ll be changing that.”

  They rode over the crest of a hill. They were suddenly on top of a rocky cliff, below them the ocean stretched into infinity. Golden sunlight highlighted the cap of each wave.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful.” Lucy admired.

  “Not a bad view huh?” Arden dismounted and helped her off of the horse. She walked stiffly. “You don’t ride much do you?”

  “No, hardly ever.”

  “We can walk the rest of the way, were nearly there.”

  “I want to get off too.” Finnegan whined.

  “Get him down. Keep his hands bound.” Arden told his men.

  “I never would have hurt you Lucy.” Finnegan said as the rangers set him on his feet.

  “Don’t listen to him.” Arden told her. “Come and look at this.” She followed him down a gentle slope and onto a large flat rock. The others rangers and Finnegan stayed with the horses. Lucy watched the water lick the jagged rocks below. “They say there’s a cave under our feet, but I’ve never known anyone who’s actually seen it. And look there.” He pointed to a small island offshore. “That’s where our prison is. With any luck your kidnapper will be in there by tonight.”

  “Where’s the circle?”

  “Over there.” Arden said pointing to a thicket of pine trees. At first Lucy saw nothing, then she noticed glimpses of a tall wooden wall behind the trees. “They had to plant the trees in order to keep the mortals away; they kept knocking on the gate. Of course they still come from time to time.”

  “We live among the mortals.”

  “I’ve heard of mixed circles. It seems strange. And you don’t enslave them?” Arden asked.

  “Of course not. Do you?”

  “I personally don’t, but I can’t control what the council does.”

  Lucy swallowed, maybe he was joking. “Are you sure I can go home after this?”

  “I don’t see why not. As long as you have no connection to Firesea there’s no reason to keep you.”

  “I want to get back to my father as soon as I can. He must be worried sick.”

  Arden offered her his arm. “Then let’s go to the council and get this over with.”

  Together they walked back to the waiting rangers and Finnegan who was once again informing them of his rights.

  “Quiet.” Arden told him. “The council will deal with you shortly. You can stop telling us about your rights, you have none. You’re in Firesea now.”

  Chapter 52

  Finnegan hadn’t seen the Firesea wall in thirty years. The trees were just saplings then. They had been planted to discourage curious mortals. They had done the job, the wooden fortification was barely visible. The dome of the council hall and cathedral spires were only visible once inside the circle.

  For the first time in his life he began to think he might be a fool. He had left a comfortable, if not mundane life, in the mortal world for a trip to Wildbush to satisfy his curiosity about his brother. He had allowed himself to get involved with Maeve, something he had done purely for the sex. Surely he couldn’t be that stupid.

  The blame had to lie on someone else’s shoulders. If Nora hadn’t sent that telegram from Wildbush, if Dante hadn’t died which had given her a reason to go there, if Killian hadn’t been born. The list went on and on. They were all at fault, especially his little brother. Finnegan had vowed to hate him forever and then when he met him as an adult he could not help but admire his reserved and dignified personality and brilliantly complex spell. Killian. Everything always came back to him.

  “Get moving.” one of the rangers said as Finnegan took a hard shove to the back. If that happened in the mortal world he could have brought the brute up on charges. But he knew no such law existed in Firesea. He looked at Lucy who was walking ahead with Arden. He felt sorry for her, at least he knew what to expect.

  They arrived at the red double doors built into the wall. Arden rapped on them with his knuckles. “Open up. Arden Cormenic, chief ranger. I’m bringing in a kidnapper.”

  “That hasn’t been determined yet.” Finnegan said. One of the other rangers poked him in the arm.

  One door opened and a man stared out at them. “What do you want?”

  Arden pointed at Finnegan. “This one had a young woman tied up and was attempting to dump her in a ditch.”

  The man shut the door. A few minutes passed. Suddenly both doors opened. Arden and Lucy stepped into the circle. Finnegan waited until the rangers pushed him before going in. His legs felt like rubber. As he crossed the threshold the red dome of the council hall became visible as did the sixteen amber spires of the cathedral. He heard Lucy gasp. She had probably never seen a circle like this. The residences, timbered buildings with thatched roofs, spread out before them.

  “Move.” said the ranger next to him. The council hall was directly across a brick plaza with a statue of the three Founders. The heavy oak door of the hall was open, two protectors stood on either side in their traditionally scanty uniforms. Several enchanters walked by and stared at him. Finnegan was struck by how old fashioned their clothing was, nothing had changed since he was a boy. The enchanters here had little contact with mortals and were not influenced by them.

  He felt queasy as he was prodded across the plaza and through the council doors. The council dais was semi-circular and took up half the room. The council members, dressed in their usual red tunics, looked down at him and frowned. Above them the red dome soared skywards, crossbow armed protectors lined the walls.

  As soon as they were all inside the door was shut. Finnegan and Lucy were instructed to sit on a hard wooden bench. “Don’t say your last name.” he whispered to her.

  “Why not?”

  “Quiet.” A ranger slapped the back of his head. Finnegan had done what he could, he could only think of himself now. As long as they didn’t find out who he really was he had a chance. He didn’t recognize any of the council members, he might have known them once but everyone had aged thirty years including himself. Curiously the Master Enchanter did not appear to be present; no one was wearing the robe. The Master Enchanter was often called away on important business or maybe Firesea was in the middle of another power struggle.

  An elderly man in a tall red hat with gold trim leaned forward and looked at Arden. “State your name and business.”

  “Commander Cormenic, chief ranger. My men and I were on a routine watch in the occupied territory when we came across this man.” Arden pointed at Finnegan. “He had a young woman bound and was attempting to dump her in a ditch and leave her for dead.”

  “There’s no proof I was going to kill her.” Finnegan said hotly.

  “What else were you going to do?” Lucy snapped.

  The councilman cleared his throat. “Will the accused and the victim please refrain from speaking until called upon? Please continue Commander.”

  “Thank you.” Arden said glaring at Finnegan. “As I said we caught him dumping her from a mortal automobile.”

  “Will the accused please stand?” the councilman asked. Finnegan got to his feet. “State your name please.”

  “John Jones.”

  “Circle?”

  “I’m a mortal. I’m a lawyer in Chilton.”

  “That means nothing to us. What circle are you from?”

  “I’m not an enchanter.”

  “Yes you are.” The councilman leaned over the dais. “I will ask you one last time, what circle are you from?”

  “I’m a mortal. My name is John Jones.” Finnegan said. He wasn’t going to
give up his story until he had to.

  “What you were doing with this young woman?”

  “I was taking her for a drive when we got lost.” Beside him Lucy was fuming.

  “And that caused you to tie her up?” the councilman asked.

  Finnegan swallowed. There was no reasonable explanation for what he had been doing. “I’m not being entirely truthful. I was forced to take her by an enchanter. She threatened to kill me if I didn’t dispose of the girl.”

  The councilman looked down the dais, a woman at the far end picked something up. It was a long gold stick. Finnegan recognized it right away, it was the Truth Staff, it had been used on him once before when he was twelve. He tried bolting for the door. Arden and the other rangers caught him and dragged him towards the end of the dais. The councilwoman was holding the staff out.

  “No!” he cried as the rangers shoved him forward. The end of the Truth Staff touched his forehead and stuck there.

  “Who are you?” the councilwoman spoke to him in his mind. He could sense her probing his brain like a nosy terrier. He closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing else but his life in Chilton, mortals he knew, and the false name of John Jones.

  He felt himself sweating as she pushed deeper into his memories. His head began to ache. Suddenly the pressure of the Truth Staff was gone. He opened his eyes, the councilwoman was smiling. “Finnegan Murphy. You’re Finnegan Murphy, you’re the boy who was exiled because you cast your spell at age twelve.”

  “Finnegan Murphy?” the councilman asked. “I remember you. You forced Killian Cramer from his parents, you selfish boy.”

  Behind him Finnegan heard Lucy gasp. He shut his eyes. It was all over now.

  “Killian Cramer?” Lucy cried. “That’s my father.”

  Chapter 53

  Killian’s stomach flipped and flopped as Tom drove the car over a bumpy dirt road. Nora kept her hand on the back of his neck as he hung his head out of the window. He had to do something. He couldn’t look for Lucy like this.