The Dark Mage

by Jace Mitchell

  “Nice try,” the mage quipped as he wrapped his arm around Mason’s throat, a small blade in his hand.

  Riley remained frozen in the air.

  “This isn’t over, Right Hand. In fact, it’s just getting started.”

  “MASON!” Riley shouted from twenty feet in the air.

  A blinding light flashed from where Rendal stood, spreading out and masking everything else around it. One second, the bright light was there, and the next it was gone.

  The mage was no more. Mason was no more. They were both gone.

  Riley fell, landing without injury. Dust floated up around her. She wasted no time, lunging to where Mason had been.

  The fire on the left had stopped growing, but she cared nothing for that. She looked wildly around her, trying to find Mason; trying to understand where he could have gone.

  The soldiers were fleeing, running since their leader was now gone.

  Riley saw all of this, but not where her leader was. She couldn’t see Mason anywhere.

  William jogged up, his huge feet shaking the ground. “Where are they? Where did he go?”

  The bald man—Riley still didn’t know his name—moved closer. “He gone. Teleport.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Riley shrieked. “WHERE DID HE GO?”

  “There,” the bald man pointed. Riley turned around, dust, smoke, and flames partly clouding her vision. A large boat was pulling out from behind the compound. “That him. He there.”

  Riley’s eyes flashed to the top of the compound. Lucie was there, discarded just as the axe had been.

  And then she understood. He’d planned this. The mage had lured them all here, every single one of them, and for what?

  To get Mason.

  And now he had him. The compound was deserted—she felt sure of that, at least every part of the compound that mattered. Rendal was gone, Harold with him.

  And Mason.

  Riley fell to her knees, tears flooding her eyes.

  William was at her side. “It’s okay, Riley. Listen to me. It’s okay. We’re going to get him back, just like we got you back.”

  She shook her head, hardly hearing the big man. “He’s one step ahead. He’s always one step ahead.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The boat rocked slightly with the waves. It was a large boat so Harold couldn’t feel the rocking motion much, but he hated what he did feel. He’d been on the boat for two nights, and he woke up each night with the slightest tossing.

  He’d been called to his master now, and Harold thought it couldn’t possibly be a good thing.

  Rendal’s room on the boat was the largest, nearly the size of three regular rooms.

  “Harold, welcome. Please, have a seat.”

  Rendal was lounging on a large couch, blowing smoke rings. He held no cigarette or tobacco pipe, he was simply blowing them.

  In the back corner, Harold saw Mason Ire. The Assistant Prefect. He was chained, and glared at Harold. He wore no green necklace, meaning Rendal saw no magical threat from him.

  Harold made his way to the chair that was clearly for him. It sat in the middle of the room with nothing around it.

  He sat down.

  “Harold, you’ve been loyal to me for a long time, and I’ve appreciated that loyalty. Truly. You’ve helped me build this enterprise as much as anyone else. I don’t want you to think I don’t recognize that, you know?”

  “Yes, sir.” Harold didn’t move an inch.

  “I know that you’ve been wondering things lately, Harold. You follow power, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve felt so secure in our relationship. I know me, and I know my capabilities. New Perth is just the beginning. I know there is no one more powerful, but you’ve had doubts lately, haven’t you?”

  This room was no longer safe, and Harold knew it.

  “The woman is powerful.”

  “Indeed, she is.” Rendal blew a giant smoke ring, watching it spread through the air. “That’s why I want her, Harold. But you’ve been doubting me; doubting whether I was more powerful.”

  “It is true. It is my nature. I cannot help it.”

  “I know, buddy. That’s why I don’t blame you. That’s why I called you here instead of throwing you over the side. We can’t help who we are. But you and I, we need to talk. To come to an understanding, okay?”

  “Yes, sir.” Harold watched a smoke ring hit the ceiling and spread to nothing.

  “I need you to consider what just happened. To truly consider it.”

  Rendal sat up.

  “The girl burnt me before, did she not?”

  “She did.”

  “And do you see burns on my skin now?”

  “No, sir.” And Harold didn’t. The mage had healed perfectly.

  “And behind me, do you see New Perth’s royalty chained up?”

  “I do.”

  “And why is he chained? Why do I have him and not the woman? Do you think she escaped again?”

  “I...I don’t know, sir.”

  Rendal nodded and stood. “I know you don’t, and that’s what we need to talk about. You have begun doubting my power, yet you don’t understand what’s happening around you. Let me ask, Harold—did you realize that I had been building the necessary technology into this ship? The same technology that was in the compound?”

  “No, sir.”

  “No, you didn’t. You had no idea because I did it without your knowledge. I used other people for it and kept you in the dark. And now we’re on this ship, and true, I couldn’t bring everyone, but I have enough soldiers and prisoners to continue basically as if nothing happened. Even better, New Perth won’t know where I am.”

  Harold nodded, absolutely certain he wasn’t seeing everything yet.

  “I’ll introduce you soon to the person in charge of that feat. I won’t hide her from you. But my point is, you don’t see everything that I do. Your vantage point isn’t wide enough. You see only the piece I allow you.”

  Rendal turned and looked at the Assistant Prefect.

  “Case in point: do you know why he’s here?”

  Harold shook his head.

  “Guess.”

  “You want to use him for ransom.”

  Rendal sighed. “No, Harold. No, not at all. You see? You questioning my power is like an ant questioning a god’s power. You see nothing. I have this man here because he is the way to Riley’s heart. He is how I will bend her to my will. She’s powerful, goodness, yes. But like you, she can’t see as far as I can. All that nonsense outside the compound last evening? That was show, my friend. I only wanted him. I didn’t care about keeping Riley or I would have locked her up in the ship. I wanted her to see me take him.”

  He turned back to Harold.

  “I want her to understand there’s no hope. That her only chance of peace is joining me. Do you see that?”

  Harold nodded. He did.

  “We are not at the end but the beginning, and the game will be a long one. From this boat, we’ll move to the next stage, and in the end, the Right Hand will stand by my side and do my bidding. The question I need you to answer, Harold, is where you’re going to be in all this? Are you with me, or do you think she’s more powerful?”

  Harold glanced at the silent Mason and back at Rendal.

  Harold had been wrong. The woman could not beat this man, this mage. Everything bent to his will, even if it took some longer than others. Eventually, they would fall.

  “Forgive me, master.” Harold dropped to his knees. “I serve you.”

  “Good, Harold. Good. I’m glad to keep you around. You’re a valuable member of this team, and I’d hate to see you leave. Now, stand. I want you and Mason here to come see my new army. One of the reasons I was able to leave so many people behind.”

  Rendal smiled wildly as he reached down and took Harold’s hand, lifting him up.

  Riley held the sword in her hand. She stared at it intently, with a focus that predators in the wild would understand.r />
  She placed one finger under the base of the blade, right where it met the hilt.

  It balanced perfectly, not swaying at all.

  Three men stood behind her, all of them silent. Riley wasn’t paying them any attention, but truthfully, two of them were somewhat frightened.

  William and Goland.

  The woman who stood in front of them wasn’t the woman they’d known a month ago, and the intensity in the room now was beyond uncomfortable.

  “When you magic,” Worth told her, “sword be magic too. You magic…or you will be. You be magic soon.”

  Riley nodded, her back still to them.

  Her previous sword—her fucking lifeline—was gone, and Worth had spent the past three days creating this. He’d gone to New Perth’s blacksmith, and according to the blacksmith, hadn’t stopped working for seventy-two solid hours. Now this sword was in her hand.

  “It’s magic, huh, Worth?”

  “Aye. When you magic, it magic.”

  The blacksmith said Worth had done, “All manner of crazy shit ‘round that melted steel. I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout what he was doin’, so don’t blame me if that thing breaks.”

  And now Riley held his work in her hands. It didn’t feel like her last sword, but then, no two swords were ever the same.

  Something was different about it, though. She could tell that much. Green lines ran through the sword’s hilt.

  Riley knew what they looked like: Rendal’s bracelets and necklaces.

  She didn’t give a single fuck, because she trusted Worth. She had seen him throw electricity at Rendal and witnessed his loved ones die. If he said this sword was fucking magic, then it was fucking magic.

  She turned around, sheathing the sword at her side, and stepped forward.

  “The horses are still in the stables, right? Wind Whisper and Broadsword?” She knew they were here; she’d helped bring them back, but part of her wanted to make sure again. That Rendal hadn’t stolen them and Mason.

  “We got ‘em,’ Riley,” William told her. “They’re safe."

  She looked at the Prefect and fell to one knee.

  “I have failed you, Your Grace. I did not protect your son, and I therefore offer you my resignation as Right Hand. I do not deserve to serve you or your family.”

  “Oh, Riley, get up. Get up right now. You’re not resigning anything.” Goland pulled on her purple robe, raising her to her feet.

  She met his eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, I’m sure, Riley.”

  She sighed and looked at her feet. “That’s good, because if you had accepted I was going to steal one of New Perth’s boats and go get him anyway. I just figured I didn’t want to break laws if I didn’t have to.”

  William snorted. “And then I’d have to break laws, because I’m goin’ with you, skinny. You might have a magic sword, but I’m the one with fire. You’re going to need it.”

  She looked at him. “We’re getting him back. Do you understand that? We’re getting Mason back, and we’re going to kill Rendal.”

  “Oh, I understand. The only thing I’m concerned about is you admitting it in the end when my body count is higher than yours. I need someone to count fair, and I don’t trust Worth over here.”

  “Worth count good, wood-for-brains.”

  “I’ll beat you, chubby. I have no doubt about that, but there’s one other thing you need to understand. Two names. Belarus and Rendal. I kill them both.”

  “Fine by me, skinny, but enough jibber-jabber. We need to get movin’.”

  Riley turned to Worth. “Thank you for this weapon.”

  “Thank later. Now we go.”

  “We?” Riley’s eyebrows raised.

  “Yes. We. More tent people come. More magic. We move to New Perth. We help, aye?”

  Riley looked at Goland. “What’s he talking about?”

  “I worked it out with him.” The Prefect nodded. “He and his clan are moving to New Perth. We have another eighty mages coming to help us. Thirty are already here.”

  Riley closed her eyes, smiling broadly. “Rendal doesn’t stand a fucking chance.”

  FINIS

  Author Notes - Jace Mitchell

  November 25, 2018

  First, I’d like to say thanks for trying out this new series! It means the world to me (and Michael) that you were willing to venture into a new land with us.

  It was really exciting writing this book, and a major reason for that was leaving the area that most of the Age of Magic takes place in. With this series, we were exploring how other parts of Earth had evolved and changed since the WWDE.

  The other reason I enjoyed this book so much was learning about Riley. I think she’s different than some of the other female leads inside the Age of Magic. She’s still a badass, but she doesn’t fully believe in that badass-ness yet. I also fell in love with her sense of duty, her willingness to sacrifice everything for both Mason and New Perth.

  I’m looking forward to going deeper with Riley and her crew; I think Rendal is a worthy opponent, if completely fucking evil. He’s crafty as well as powerful, and I think he’s got a lot more tricks up his sleeve.

  I’ve done my best here to mimic Michael’s style while also keeping the story fresh and interesting. Too often when you have co-authors (not in Michael’s world, he takes great care with his books), stories can get redundant, with the exact same thing happening in each book. What I wanted to do here was bring the excitement, humor, and sense of adventure that permeates Michael’s own writing, but throw some new ideas into it.

  I’m really excited about where this story is going. I think the Right Hands are going to have their hand’s full (UH-MAZING PUN!) with Rendal, and Riley’s definitely going to need to be able to use her magic if they’re going to have a chance. Will she be able to unleash the power inside her?

  If you enjoyed this book, PLEASE leave a review. Michael and I are independent authors, and each 5-star review really does help us move units!

  Thanks again, and I can’t wait to continue you this journey with the Right Hands as well as you!

  All the best,

  Jace

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  December 4, 2018

  THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.

  (I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)

  RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?

  From David’s Author Notes: “I think Rendal is a worthy opponent, if completely fucking evil.”

  I laughed out loud (in a restaurant) when I read that line. But then I wondered, what is “completely fucking evil?”

  Is evil (like porn) something that “you know it when you see it?” Is it the act of killing sentient beings the ultimate in evil? Well, we would argue no (think wars) when you know the other side has decent people, but they are throwing lead at you, so you throw lead back at them.

  We know that isn’t completely fucking evil.

  Does it (in the end) boil down to the capability of someone to ignore all repercussions (including death and destruction) on their way to their goals? If so, then is it just the act of ignoring all repercussions enough to say someone is completely fucking evil?

  For example, if someone is so truly focused on their goal that they have no second thoughts about possible repercussions evil?

  Or was it that sometimes normal, non-evil persons act like someone who is completely fucking evil and only by good luck, fortune, or grace nothing horrible happens and their moment of evilness is never unveiled?

  Damn, I need to drink more Coke and not ponder this deep stuff so often. I’ll bet you it’s the tea I’m drinking.

  HOW TO MARKET FOR BOOKS YOU LOVE

  We are able to support our efforts with you reading our books, and we appreciate you doing this!

  If you enjoyed this or ANY book by any author, especially Indie-published, we always appreciate if y
ou make the time to review a book, since it lets other readers who might be on the fence to take a chance on it as well.

  AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

  One of the interesting (at least to me) aspects of my life is my ability to work from anywhere and at any time. In the future, I hope to re-read my own Author Notes and remember my life as a diary entry.

  Dinner at Five50 (Aria Hotel Pizza Place)

  So, I left the Vegas Condo office to finish work down here in Five50. For whatever reason, I can often work here for hours and the time just melts away in the background. The service is good, and the tea (I think) has a boost of caffeine a lot of tea doesn’t contain. Some nights, I’ll sit here and work for a few hours and then be up all night until 2:00 in the morning.

  I have Five50 tea to blame.

  On or around the 23rd of December, I’ll be traveling to La Puente (LA area) for Christmas, and then getting on a plane to Australia (and a 20Books event in Adelaide!) for New Year’s. Then on to Bali for a 20Books event on January 4th.

  I’m hoping the trips will provide more fodder for my active imagination and I’ll be able to bring new and fresh content to you for years to come.

  FAN PRICING

  If you would like to find out what LMBPN is doing and the books we will be publishing, just sign up at http://lmbpn.com/email/. When you sign up, we notify you of books coming out for the week, any new posts of interest in the books and pop culture arena, and the fan pricing on Saturday.

  Ad Aeternitatem,

  Michael Anderle

  Other Age of Magic Books

  THE RISE OF MAGIC

  *with CM Raymond and LE Barbant*

  Restriction (1) – Reawakening (2) – Rebellion (3) – Revolution (4) – Unlawful Passage (5) – Darkness Rises (6) – The Gods Beneath (7) – Reborn (8)