Tales of Canai
The Tomes of Magic
By Cody Sherer
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
Tales of Canai
The Tomes of Magic
Copyright ©2014 by Cody Sherer
All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
Map of Canai
The Hunt Begins
Battles in the Dark
The Tome of Illusion
A Time of Changes
Alliances are Born
The Coming Storm
An Emperor is Born
Betrayal, Assassination, and Treaties
Death
Preparations for War
A Dance with the Dragon King
Battle is Joined
Mourning, Marriage, Missions, and Madness
Author Bio
Map of Canai
The Hunt Begins
Septimus leaned up against the crate near the end of the dock. He looked longingly out to sea. Two months had passed since he had set out on his journey. The promise of adventure and the lure of treasure seemed like distant memories. His traveling companion, the former Wielder named Talia, had stuck by him the entire time. Her fascination with the Warlock was puzzling to him, but he welcomed the company. All the other Wielders he had heard of had hated Warlocks. In fact, the group was formed for the very purpose of opposing the Warlocks. The pair had stumbled upon a ship Captain who had promised them a great many things. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to pan out. Though they had been able to leave the mainland behind, but they had not gotten as far as Septimus would have liked. Their journey had dropped them off at the Valorian Isles. Each island was home to a warlord that claimed kinghood over the entire island group, resulting in frequent raids between islands. One such raid had cost Septimus his ship and forced him to throw his lot in with a Captain whose reputation was less than stellar (though still better than any other Captain among the Valorian Isles).
“I’m afraid Captain Ryan has, once again, left us high and dry. He promises that he’ll have a boat at the end of the week. If empty promises could sustain a voyage, he’d be the best Captain on the high seas.” Septimus let out a sigh.
“It is all right, we’ve only been at this for two months. There has to be a usable boat out there somewhere.” Talia placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.
“I hope you are right. Rumor has it there have been dragon sightings on the western most isles. It’d really be something if they have returned. My information is spotty at best, but I’ve also heard that they invaded the mainland. Much of Canai is abuzz with talk of the flying beasts.”
“Why does this worry you so?” Talia asked.
“The people of these islands are pirates, scoundrels, and ruffians. They would stop at nothing to loot a dragon’s treasure hoard. I’m sure the thought of dragon treasure has many of them riled up already. If even just one of the warlords were to get a hold of a dragon or its treasure, he would be able to wrest control over the entire island group.”
“Perhaps we should look to our old allies for means of transport. You’ve mastered the art of teleportation. Can’t you return to the mainland and procure us a boat?”
“I could, but I don’t think that would be prudent. Things are far too tumultuous for me to safely visit. I’d prefer not to bring attention to us, the Wielders, or the Warlocks. We need to look into sending a message via a bird. Thanos already knows much of keeping a low profile. If he survived that incursion from the Holy Order, it is possible he would be willing to provide us with information.”
“Trusting a Necromancer? Is that wise?”
“Not a Necromancer, an Archwizard. He has always skirted the line between Wizard and Warlock. We are no enemy to him.”
*
Thanos looked out over the vast lands below him. The small Phoenix had grown in size and was now nearly three feet tall. It stood on his left while the skeletal dragon stood on his right. Taleveth and Rowles had been instrumental in the Archwizard’s survival. He used the Phoenix as a scout and a distraction when needed. The skeletal dragon was used to bring terror to the nearby villages, allowing Thanos to harvest enough food to survive the past two months. It was a way of life that was becoming quite the burden on the Archwizard. He still clung to his title as if it meant what it did not so long ago. Few approached him long enough for him to invoke the title, but those who did often treated him with a heightened respect. He had expected the Holy Order to be searching high and low for him, but they had set their sights on the dragon council. It was something of a relief to the Wizard, but a part of him knew that either side winning was a losing prospect for him. He wanted to war to continue so that he could fade into obscurity. Never again will you be able to live a normal life, he thought as he rubbed his hand against the skull side of his face.
A bird approaches, bloodkin, it appears to be propelled by magic, Thanos was interrupted by the dragon’s telepathy.
“Hold,” Thanos commanded the Phoenix. What makes you so sure? He inquired of the dragon.
It appears to be homing in on our location. Should we destroy it? The dragon asked.
No, but be prepared to hunt it down if it shows any sign of giving away our position, Thanos examined the bird as it slowly drifted down toward them.
He reached out his arm to the side and, much to his surprise, the bird landed on his forearm. It bit at the small scroll on its left leg, begging Thanos to remove it. He gently pulled the scroll from its holder and began to unfurl it. Where most would feel empty eye sockets, the Archwizard could feel the eyes of the long dead dragon staring at him in disapproval. He shrugged it off and unrolled the rest of the scroll. It read “Thanos, my friend. You may not recall me, but I am in need of assistance. My colleague and I are stranded on the Valorian Isles without a ship. It is a bit of a story, but we are on a quest for a great book of power. I am of the belief that it could change the balance of power on the mainland and perhaps the surrounding isles. We do not want to attract attention with the use of magic, it would be preferred if you would answer by using the bird that delivered the message. Again, we need your help.” It was signed “Septimus, Grand Warlock.” Thanos turned to his two companions and addressed them.
“I need to look into this. Septimus may be a Warlock, but we are in desperate need of allies. The two of you need to stay here and be my eyes and ears. I will need information on this council the dragons have formed, but it is far too dangerous for either of you to spy on them. You will need to be extremely careful and keep out of sight. Report to me on the major news of the day and I will fill in the details when I return.”
Thanos caught Rowles as the Phoenix flew up toward him. The fire bird had grown faster than the Archwizard had ever expected. He had heard stories of the Phoenixes, but had dismissed them as legends. Not even Taleveth could provide him with solid information on the fire bird. I had no idea Rolin’s Phoenix was a real creature, he thought as he gently ran his fingers along the bird’s back. The Phoenix’s feathers glowed orange as he touched them. It chirped softly before jumping back down to the floor. The Archwizard turned to face the dragon, ready for a reprimanding. Much to his surprised, Taleveth just nodded slowly. Thanos placed his hand on the head of the dragon. You will be missed, my friend. The dragon made no reply, but he could tell that the once majestic beast felt that way too.
“I won’t be gone too long and Taleveth and I should be able to communicate when needed. Stay out of trouble, both of you.” Thanos grabbed his staff before turning to leave.
*
Grand Cleric Bartholomew flipped through t
he papers on his table. The disappearance of Gareth had been both a blessing and a curse. It had allowed him to solidify power and assign a Grand Crusader of his choosing, but it also struck fear into many of the Holy Order’s soldiers. The new Grand Crusader, a man named Xander, had been placed in charge of building the Fortress of Exaltation in the Telmac Valley. It was so named because the Holy Order was billing their victory there as a gift from the Creator. Bartholomew shoved aside the letters and looked down at the map laid out before him. The Holy Order had been in conflict with the newly established Dragonwizard Council and both sides were taking a beating. The dragonwizards had far inferior armies, but their magic was making up for that. In a stroke of genius, the Grand Cleric had forged an alliance with the Barbarians. In exchange for assistance against the dragonwizards, the Holy Order had sent some of their best soldiers to fight the ogres. Serith, one of his more competent Crusaders, had been assigned to lead the army.
Timothy, one of the monks of the Holy Order, entered the war room and bowed to the Grand Cleric. Bartholomew waved him forward as he continued to study the maps. They had been created after the return of the dragons. Things were much simpler than they had been before. The north was largely owned by the Holy Order and its allies while the south mostly belonged to the Dragonwizard Council. There were small pockets of resistance against both groups, but they were mostly ignored. The elves and the dwarves had not yet been heard from and both sides desperately wanted more information on each group. All of the Holy Order’s attempts to contact them had been unsuccessful. It seemed that the dwarves were staying underground and that the elves did not want to be found.
“Any news, Brother Timothy?” Bartholomew asked.
“The Fortress of Exaltation is nearly finished. Gareth remains missing. Our enemies have put down several more rebellions. Ever since the Barbarians entered the fray, they seem as apprehensive as we are to continue this war. I can only imagine that both sides are close to equally matched. We will need to find a way to gain the upper hand,” Timothy didn’t seem to care that his words annoyed Bartholomew.
“We are stronger than this. We should not be cowering behind our walls. Perhaps we should look to bolster the rebelling factions. Our people are too afraid to face their dragons. I will not sit by and let them gain power. Get me the Swords of Justice. Their skills are required.”
*
When the bird had failed to return after a week of waiting, Septimus mood changed for the worse. He had already been terribly on edge, but now he was going to extremes so that others wouldn’t learn what he was. It was rare that either he or Talia went into town and when they did they stayed for only short periods of time. Their Captain had, once again, failed to live up to his many promises. The Warlock’s mood changed when he had heard a rumor of a newcomer entering town on a ship. It was something he would have normally passed over, except for the fact that many had said the man was a walking skeleton. A smile crept onto his face as he began to gather up his belongings. In his rush to leave, he had forgotten to inform Talia of what was happening.
“Where are you going?” She asked.
“We are going to meet Thanos!” He replied, face alight with excitement.
“He contacted you?”
“No, the town is abuzz with rumors of a skeleton. It must have something to do with him.”
Septimus kicked dirt over the smoldering remains of the fire in the middle of their campsite before turning toward the path. Talia sighed as she picked up her things and began to follow. The Warlock had made an effort to investigate some of him books while they had been waiting. Though Talia had requested he fill her in on his finding, he had been cryptic at best. His insistence that he would inform her once they embarked further on their journey was the only thing that kept her from arguing with him on the matter. She was relieved to know that with Thanos’ arrival, they would be under way shortly. This meant that Septimus would divulge his information and it would also mean a much needed break from the Valorian Isles. The winding path down from the hilltop was short and they had arrived near the port town or Kellim within half an hour.
“Tell me, have there been any visitors to the town of late?” Septimus asked one of the guards.
“There is a man that has arrived recently, he is causing quite a stir among the populace,” the guard answered.
“Where might I find him?”
“In the jail, of course.”
Septimus gritted his teeth and tugged at his goatee. It was all that he could do to stop from unleashing a flurry of spells on the man. As he attempted to enter the city, the guards lowered their spears to block his path. He looked from one to the other, trying to ascertain if they were going to inform him why they were impeding his task. Talia growled as she joined Septimus in front of the guards. They appeared to be no more likely to let her enter than the Warlock. In fact, they seemed to gain some sense of pleasure from seeing her adverse reaction. Septimus let out a chuckle as he took a step back and let Talia handle the situation. Those two don’t know what they are getting themselves into, he thought as he watched things unfold. Talia turned to the larger of the two guards and cleared her throat before addressing him.
“I demand entrance into Kellim,” She said in a remarkably calm voice.
“I’m afraid the town is off limits on account of recent events. You see, there is an execution scheduled for later and we can’t have anyone disrupting it,” the guard replied.
“What prevented you from informing us this earlier?”
“You didn’t ask,” the guard’s reply drew a chuckle from his colleague.
“Let us in or face the consequences!” Talia said, her eyes flashing green for a moment.
“Is that a threat?”
Talia placed her palm on the man’s chest and shoved ever so slightly. The guard was knocked back against the wall and held in place. She turned to face her next opponent and dodged as he thrust his spear at her. The guard reared back and attacked again. Talia’s hand morphed into metal as he reached out and grabbed the oncoming spearhead. She snapped the spearhead off of the shaft and tossed it onto the ground. Undeterred by the far better opponent, the guard sidestepped and swung the shaft of his spear at her left temple. Septimus stepped forward and grabbed hold of the shaft before it connected with its target. He tightened his grip and the spear disintegrated into ashes. The Warlock took a step forward and grabbed the guard by his collar.
“It was a promise, not a threat,” he said before shoving him back against the wall.
“What now?” Talia asked.
“We interrupt this execution,”
*
Thanos struggled against the magic dampening shackles. His appearance on the island had stirred up trouble and it seemed that, in his ignorance, he had underestimated the locals. The nefarious warlords and their pirate allies had long since uprooted any form of magic that they could not control. Septimus and Talia’s time spent on the island had already put the residents on high alert, but it was Thanos’ appearance that ultimately landed him in trouble. A rival to the ruling warlord had approached him with the proposition of assisting with the overthrowing of the current ruler. The Archwizard refused the offer and nearly killed the man with his spells. This drew the attention of the warlord, who in turn tried to jail Thanos. He fought off the warlord’s men for several minutes before one of them was able to get the magic dampening shackles onto him. After that, things just got worse.
The Archwizard stood at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the gallows. He glanced up at the hangman’s noose, wondering if his body would be able to survive the ordeal. His enemies had never tried to hang him before. It was not a pleasant thought, but the question of his ability to survive was difficult to ignore. His thought process naturally jumped to whether or not he could even be killed by conventional means. The Holy Order had attempted to burn him at the stake, but Taleveth had come to his rescue. He made a mental note to study the dragon mindmeld process if he survived his adventur
e on the Valorian Isles. The crowd erupted in cheers as he was forced up the stairs and onto the platform. A large man in executioner’s garb grabbed hold of him and pulled the noose around his neck.
“What greets those that conspire against our beloved Leoth? The executioner asked.
“DEATH!” The reply from the crowd was astounding.
Thanos took a deep breath as the executioner continued to rile up the crowd. It seemed that treason was a common crime in the Valorian Isles. The locals had turned it into a form of entertainment, which Thanos found disgusting. The Archwizard was blindfolded and the executioner turned back to the crowd a final time. He tried one final time to break free from the magic dampening shackles, but it was no use. A loud crack sounded underneath Thanos’ feet, but he didn’t fall. There was a loud commotion and he felt somebody grab his arm. A cold wind whipped around him and was gone as soon as it came. The noose was yanked out from around his neck and the blindfold was taken away. Thanos was standing in a clearing with Septimus and a woman he didn’t recognize. The Warlock looked exhausted as he motioned for the other two to follow him.
“Where are we headed?” Thanos asked as he followed.
“They will be on the lookout for us. I found a cave that we can take cover until things boil over,” Septimus replied.
“Good idea. Who is your friend?”
“I am Talia of Alamor. You must be Thanos,” Talia replied.
“That I am, but we best keep up with Septimus and leave the introductions for later.”
The three magicians headed off into the forest with Septimus at the lead. Thanos, like most citizens of Canai, had never been to the Valorian Isles. He looked down at his wrists, wondering how Septimus had freed him from the shackles. A shiver went down his spine as he remembered what it felt like to wear them. He felt a mixture of fear and anger as he followed the Warlock. His former colleagues would find the information to be quite valuable, but he could no longer seek their assistance. They’ve made their choice, he thought. The Archwizards siding with the dragons had more of an effect on Thanos than he was willing to admit. Though he had often felt the black sheep of the group, they had been his family for some time. Septimus motioned for the others to stop as they got closer to the lone mountain on the island. He turned to face both of them and paused for a moment before addressing them.
The Tomes Of Magic Page 1
