New Dawn (Divine War Book 1)

by Tor, Magus

Maicee nodded.

  “Because of that, it seems that you have more of the potential of an Archangel than of a Magi Lord. Though as yet, I'm not exactly certain how far the comparison goes, how strong your powers will be.”

  This was just sinking in when soft footsteps sounded on the deck.

  “Princess,” said Kabi, getting up and giving her a half-hearted bow. “I shall leave you two alone.” He leaned closer to Maicee. “We shall discuss more of this later,” he said.

  He left, and Ausanne, giving Maicee a grin, hopped up onto the crate beside him. “Fun training?” she asked.

  “Mmmm. I could use a little rest, though,” said Maicee, hoping she would take the hint.

  He'd been avoiding her, not wanting to have to speak with her in the way he knew he must. But now he'd been cornered. His heart was thudding, and he knew that he had to say what he had to say, but still, it was hard.

  Ausanne gave him another smile and shuffled a little closer, her arm warm against his. It’s now or never, he thought.

  He gave a short cough, then said: “Princess Ausanne... there, well, there is something that I must tell you.”

  “And what is that?” asked Ausanne, her eyebrow arched provocatively, her face edging closer to Maicee's.

  “I... you...” he stuttered. Then he took a breath. Just spit it out, he scolded himself. “I mean, we cannot be lovers. I, I do love you, just, well, more as a brother-sister relationship, if you see what I mean.”

  He let his voice trail off, hoping against hope that she wasn't going to be too angry. But hoping was futile. The princess jumped down from the crate.

  “Do I look like I'm in love with you?” she demanded.

  Maicee knew better than to answer that question.

  “As you may be aware, I am a princess, one of royal blood, the future ruler of my country. I have no say in my marriage; that will be decided by my father. And when I do marry, it will be to a man of noble blood,” she said haughtily. “Not to a... a... pirate like you.”

  She gave him a brisk incline of her head, then stalked off back towards the inside of the ship. But Maicee had seen the emotion in her eyes. He knew that he'd humiliated her, that he'd hurt her dreadfully. He sighed. But what could he do? Maybe the long voyage would be enough to calm her feelings a little. Maybe one day she would forgive him.

  *

  “No, no,” said Kabi, irritated. “Don't force your mind. Let it travel slowly.”

  Maicee gritted his teeth and tried again.

  They were sitting in a quiet corner of the deck, cross-legged as though meditating. Focus, Kabi had told him, was the key to channelling his psychic energy. The only thing he needed to do was to shut out all outside noises and thoughts from his head. That, however, was easier said than done. The harder Maicee tried not to think about Ausanne, the more he thought about her and how hurt she must be feeling. It was like saying ‘Don't think of apples’ and then expecting him not to think about apples. He sighed.

  “Again,” said Kabi.

  Okay, this time he had it. He took a deep breath and concentrated on letting his thoughts slip out of his mind. To his surprise, it began to work. Images, ideas, words started to slip away from him, and he felt the place of focus tantalisingly close. His mind now was feeling light, free, and empty of troubles and worries. His eyes were closed, but he began to see the flickering outline of his surroundings in varying hues of colour. He reached out towards the place of focus, drawn to it.

  “You are a fast learner,” commented Kabi.

  Through his closed eyelids, Maicee saw Kabi place a glass of water on the deck between them.

  “This is the next stage,” he said quietly. “Find that place of focus, feel the power, then let that power flow down, through you, and into the water inside this glass. Just let things move naturally. Do what feels right.”

  Obediently, Maicee manipulated his mind to do as he'd been asked. And slowly, ice crystals began to form on the surface of the water. And then the water completely solidified, expanding outwards until the glass container smashed, causing Maicee to lose his concentration and open his eyes.

  “As I expected,” said Kabi, looking at the shards on the deck. “Your natural power lies in ice.” He smiled at Maicee. “Your mother's power was water; my speciality is earth.” He nodded as though satisfied that his guess had been correct. “That will be all for today, I think,” he said, standing up.

  Maicee sat, exhausted, on the deck. He felt so drained, it was all he could do to keep his eyes open.

  “Don't forget to clean that glass up,” Kabi shouted over his shoulder.

  Maicee groaned and began to move.

  And so, for the next few days, Kabi trained Maicee in focussing his psychic force. And Ausanne avoided Maicee like the plague. It was, Maicee feared, going to be a very, very long voyage.

  Chapter Eleven

  It took a full sixteen days of sailing before the Freedom reached the coordinates that Kabi had given. Sixteen days of sailing through seas that were calmer than anything Lucia had ever encountered before. She prayed that this was not the calm before the storm, that their uneventful journey was not a curse aimed at their intended destination. As the Freedom slowed engines, approaching Kabi's coordinates, Major Ulsa'hi was almost spitting with frustration. Looking at the radar screen, Lucia could see why. There was nothing there. No land mass, no vessels, simply nothing.

  “There isn't even an ambush here!” Ulsa’hi shouted.

  “Be patient, young one,” said Kabi, slightly patronisingly. “You will see nothing on your radar, since this whole area is covered with digital camouflage. Turn on visual search and proceed forward with care,” he said to the ship's navigator. “Slow ahead—the waters here are loaded with mines. The only route in is the one we're taking.” He was quiet for a moment. “Unless, of course, they've changed it,” he added thoughtfully.

  Fantastic, thought Lucia. Not much she could do about it now, though. “Follow Commander Kabi's orders,” she told the navigator.

  It was late morning, and the first sun was high in the sky, sparkling off the water. There was nothing to be seen except for the endless expanse of ocean and a thin veil of morning mist that had yet to be burnt off by the sun. The crew waited patiently as the Freedom proceeded at the slowest possible speed until Kabi shouted.

  “There,” he said, pointing at a small dot that had appeared on the visual search monitor. “That,” he explained, “is the cloaking mechanism, where the digital camouflage originates from. We should be fairly safe from this point in. Unless there are enemy patrols, but I really don't think there will be.”

  “And why not?” asked Major Ulsa'hi, his beetle-like eyebrows frowning in suspicion.

  “Because if any vessel does show up, the mines destroy them before they can get anywhere even close to where we are now,” Kabi said equably, not offended by the officer's suspicion. “The only way to the island is by the route that we're currently taking. It's not worth their while to patrol for unwanted visitors. Unwanted visitors should be choking on seawater at the bottom of the ocean by now.”

  The major stared at Kabi, a niggling doubt growing in the back of his mind, his military training kicking in. Silently, he pulled a dagger from his belt and, before anyone knew what was happening, had its tip pointed directly at Kabi's throat.

  “Then how come,” the major hissed, “you know all of this?”

  He was breathing heavily, his dagger arm shaking slightly, although Kabi himself seemed perfectly at ease.

  “It seems awfully strange to me that someone such as you should know all the secret defences of this island,” the major went on. “Could it be, is it possible that you, my friend, are in fact an agent of the Supreme Emperor? Explain yourself.”

  Kabi rolled his eyes and sighed. “This island is called New Heaven,” he said slowly as though explaining to a small child. “I stayed here for some part of my life, and I personally set up the defence mechanisms around the island.”

&
nbsp; “Go on,” said the major, his hand aching to thrust the dagger into the man's throat.

  “Look, even if I tell you the details, you won't believe them,” Kabi said, beginning to get irritated. “This is too long a story to tell, and we do not have the luxury of time.”

  “Major Ulsa'hi, drop your weapon!”

  Ausanne's voice was sharp and authoritative as she entered the bridge and saw what was happening.

  “What is the meaning of all this?” she said, approaching Kabi's side.

  “Your Highness,” said the major, between gritted teeth and not lowering his knife. “I have reason to believe that this man is an agent of the Supreme Emperor and therefore a traitor to Britannia. He knows too much of this place.”

  Ausanne gave Ulsa'hi a long, cold stare. “This man,” she said, in a frozen voice, “is my uncle, and you will treat him with the respect that he deserves. Now lower your weapon before I have you court-martialled and shot!”

  The major slowly lowered his dagger, re-sheathing it reluctantly.

  “My abject apologies, KabiOnn,” he said, though his tone was far from apologetic. “I beg for your forgiveness.”

  Kabi waved a hand as though brushing the words away. “There is no need for apologies. You were doing your job, I suppose. Though I would prefer if you could be a little less zealous next time.” He rubbed his neck where the dagger had touched his flesh. “The fact of the matter is that the Supreme Emperor is my brother. We grew up here together, something that not many are aware of. But I can assure you that my brother and I are now no longer in accordance.”

  Every face on the bridge turned towards Kabi, mouths open in shock, no one able to speak. What they had just heard was beyond their imagination. Who would have thought it? The gentle and mysterious Kabi the brother of the Supreme Emperor?

  Kabi viewed their shock with some satisfaction. Though he did not like having to share his history with others, he did enjoy surprising people to the point that they were speechless. He did not, however, wish to elaborate any further on what he had just said.

  “I suggest that, should any of you have any doubts about my fealty to the King, then you should speak to me individually about them,” he said brusquely. “For now, though, I suggest we proceed as planned.”

  He turned and strode away from the bridge, needing the fresh air of the deck for a while. His face reflected a momentary sadness as he left.

  *

  Lucia was the only one with the nerve to question Kabi. What he had said intrigued her, not that she distrusted him. It did appear, however, that Kabi was just as adept at living a double life as she herself was, and that was curious.

  Kabi navigated the Freedom to a remote beach, where he ordered the engines powered down, though the ship's cloaking device would remain in place. Once they were anchored, Major Ulsa'hi disembarked his team and began setting up a temporary command post. Lucia took the opportunity to scout the area for enemy presence, asking Kabi to join her.

  Leaving the beach, she spotted a narrow, steep trail leading up to what looked to be the highest point in the immediate vicinity. She began to climb, Kabi following close behind. The track was physically demanding, and there was no breath for conversation as they climbed. Once they reached the top, Lucia scanned her surroundings, seeing nothing that perked her interest. There was no sign of people and nothing suspicious close to their landing site. Only when she was satisfied that her ship and crew were safe did she finally turn to Kabi.

  “Why do you oppose your own brother?” she asked bluntly.

  Kabi was sitting on a rock, carefully removing a stone from his sandal, and he kept his eyes on what he was doing as he spoke.

  “We have opposite ideals,” he said matter-of-factly. “He has killed eleven of our siblings already, simply because they did not agree with him, did not approve of what he was doing.” He shrugged as if this was the most natural thing in the world. “He's a murderous bastard, and I wish desperately to take him down.” He paused, then added: “With my own hands.”

  It was only when she stepped forward that Lucia saw the anger burning in Kabi's eyes, fury that belied the calm of his speech. She considered saying more but decided against it, not wanting to provoke Kabi more than she already had.

  “There is nothing here,” she said with finality. “Let us return to our ship. We have plans to make.”

  Kabi nodded and rose. He was about to step onto the trail downwards when he caught a sparkle in the corner of his vision. Pulling out a pair of binoculars and aiming them at the site, he sucked air in over his teeth and tutted. A small convoy was approaching the landing site from the southeast. Up until now, they had been under cover of the thick foliage surrounding the beach, but now they were fully visible. He passed the binoculars to Lucia, who swore.

  “Looks like we have visitors,” he said.

  “Around twenty men,” agreed Lucia.

  She knew that they wouldn't be able to reach the landing site in time to stop the convoy or to warn the others, but still she began to descend the trail at a run, her sandals skidding and slipping on the loose gravel. Kabi followed, hoping that the crew below would be able to defend themselves.

  *

  “Prepare for combat! All hands prepare for combat!” shouted the major.

  The convoy had been spotted from the beach only moments after Kabi and Lucia had seen it, and the small band was preparing as best they could for what was to come. Major Ulsa'hi and his men set up defensive positions, installing sonic mines wherever they could; and within five minutes of the incoming forces’ being seen, everyone had taken cover.

  All held weapons, and Ausanne was gripping the hilt of her sword, fingers white-knuckled. Adrenaline was already beginning to pump through her veins, and remembering her last run-in with the Imperial Navy, she was anxious to avenge herself.

  Knowing they must have been seen by now, the Black Knights made no attempt to ambush the landing party. Their steps sounded loudly, their marching orders rang out over the beach. Closer and closer they came, and Ausanne watched, her breath stuck in her throat as they approached.

  Then one unlucky Knight stepped on the first of the sonic mines, and the battle began. The Imperial soldiers charged straight into the landing site, sonic mines and bolt blasters taking down man after man, but they seemed not to care. Ausanne cringed at the way the Knights so resolutely marched into death, as though they were controlled by something other than themselves. Those who made it past the mines were ejected into the firing range of Ulsa'hi and his men and were immediately shot at. But wave after wave of men came. It was like the small convoy was endless, and Ulsa'hi's positions were soon overcome by the Black Knights, the men now engaged in close combat.

  Ausanne had to shake her head to rid herself of the memory of what had happened that day on the Sanosis. Her ship. Her men. Taking a deep, gulping breath, she grasped her sword even more firmly and stepped out of her cover. She slashed at a Knight, who had been surprised by her appearance, and scored a killing hit. Just as the man was sinking to the ground, a fire whip snaked out of the dark foliage and cut deep into the arm of one of the major's men. When they saw this, the Black Knights began to back up, forming a defensive perimeter around the small landing site.

  Following their eyes, Ausanne saw movement in the foliage. Then a tall figure in a long grey robe stepped out, a fire whip in one hand, his other hand curiously busy with something.

  “Mageling!” shouted Ulsa'hi in warning to his men.

  The word caught Maicee's attention. He'd been so focussed on hand-to-hand combat that he'd barely noticed the fire whip as it slithered past him, but now he looked up to see the man who wielded it. The fire whip twirled in one of the Mageling's hands, his other hand delicately clutching a small fireball that seemed to be buzzing inside his palm like an insect. Magelings, he knew, were not yet fully fledged Magi Lords, but they could be dangerous, nevertheless.

  The Mageling flicked his wrist, and the small fireball shot up in
to the air, flying directly at one of Ulsa'hi's men. It exploded on impact with the man's body, blowing his right arm completely off. The man crouched, screaming in agony as he clutched the stump of what had once been his arm, blood gushing through his fingers.

  The Mageling laughed. “Do you like my creations?” he asked insolently. “I call them Fire Flies.”

  Not close enough to use her sword, Ausanne grabbed her bolt blaster from her belt and fired a shot at the still-laughing Mageling. He laughed even harder, delicately avoiding the blast whilst simultaneously creating two more Fire Flies out of thin air and hurling them at the young woman.

  She had not been expecting him to conjure up more of the Flies so easily and so quickly, and suddenly, shockingly, she found that she was paralysed. Her brain screamed at her to run, but her body simply wouldn't obey.

  It was Maicee who moved. Throwing himself in front of the princess, using his body as a shield, the only thing he knew was that he needed to protect his sister. Sharp pain pierced his back, and then, without realising it, he lost consciousness, his mind going blank.

  *

  A knock on the door startled the old man out of sleep. Lifting his head from his desk, he rubbed his eyes with aged, bony fingers. Time had not been kind to him.

  “Enter!”

  He straightened up in his chair so that the young man entering wouldn't see his frailty.

  “Good morning, My Lord,” said the soldier, saluting.

  The old man waved his hand, prompting the man to continue.

  “We have lost contact with Mageling Randale.”

  The young soldier stared straight ahead, not making eye contact with his lord, who sat back in his chair to think.

  “He was supposed to be conducting a small training exercise with his men, correct?”

  The young soldier nodded. “He should have returned yesterday evening, but there has been no report. We attempted radio contact but got no response.”

  The older man frowned, then nodded. “Very well. Send in a recovery team. I want to know what happened to him.” His clouded eyes brightened, sensing something amiss in the situation. “And put everyone on high alert. There's a possibility that we have an intruder.”