Magician In Exile (Power of Poses Book 2)

by Guy Antibes

  She stalked off towards their tent, while Asem continued to grin. He would enjoy the fight tonight much more than the battle in the next two days.

  ~

  Valanna flew alongside Nullia over green hills, studded with woods and white clusters of sheep. Neither had seen any sign of rebel forces as they zigzagged their way north. Returning to her small column of mounted forces and infantry, Valanna set her platform down on a cart. Hopping off, she waited for Lieutenant Navino, who commanded the contingent, to ride over to her.

  “Nothing looks out of the ordinary. I don’t even think the revolution has touched this side of Santasia,” she said. She looked out at the rolling hills, so different from the vast plains that ran up and down the center of the country, and took a deep breath. The morning’s flight had been taxing, since she had been up for over three hours. Her stomach growled, reminding her that the long flight had been without food. She would take something with her the next time.

  It didn’t take long for the column to pass them. The force numbered less than three hundred men with only Valanna and Nullia providing any kind of magical support.

  “There is a town up ahead,” she said.

  “Teraviza,” Lieutenant Navino said, looking around at the countryside as she had. “I grew up around here. “Sheep, cows and orchards. The ground isn’t very conducive to farming.”

  Valanna stood for a bit and thought. “How many more towns do we pass through before we reach the River Glazia?

  The Lieutenant shrugged. “Ten on a straight line.”

  “What are you going to do to raise the numbers of your forces?”

  Navino looked at her. “I don’t quite know. My orders just tell me to do my best.”

  She looked up at Navino, who was rather tall and skinny beneath his heavy Santasian uniform. She estimated that he was probably in his mid-twenties. “Do you want to take Espozia back from the rebels? I do. They attacked me just because I lived in Estia. What can we really do if we attack the city from the east? Not much with three hundred men. About all we can do is forestall a retreat, but I’d like to bring the fight to them.” Valanna clinched her fists. This was a time for her to assert her will and prove that she didn’t have to cower to anyone and she vowed she wouldn’t take a no from this officer.

  “It wouldn’t hurt. It will slow us up, but the main force is likely battling its way north.” Navino smiled. “Are you trying to make me look good, Miss Almond?”

  “I’m at least trying to make you look better,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “And it doesn’t hurt to arrive with an unexpectedly larger force, does it?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t. Let’s stop at Teraviza, but we can’t spend too much time recruiting.”

  ~

  Night had just about fallen by the time they entered the town. Navino had the column march straight through, and camp on the north side. He had suggested that a military parade might generate some interest.

  Valanna would rather sleep in a bed, so she talked Nullia into stopping at an inn as their unit moved through town.

  “A bed and a bath, please,” she said to the innkeeper, a woman of considerable girth and a considerable scowl.

  “I’ll need hard coin. No promises in times like these, ladies.”

  Valanna pulled out her purse and shook it. “Hard coin,’ she said smiling. “Can we still get a hot meal tonight?”

  “Always stew warming up. Farmers don’t quit until the sun goes down. If I want their custom, I need to feed and water them,” she said with her face breaking into a bit of a smile. “My men like a good meal to give them enough energy to do tomorrow’s work.”

  Her men. Perhaps if she could win this woman to her side, she could be influential in growing their forces.

  “You a foreigner traveling with Loyalist troops? Not many as have golden locks, like yourself,” the innkeeper said. She ignored Nullia standing next to Valanna.

  “I was thrown out of my sponsor’s house in Estia and had to escape to Nikia by ship and then to Mozira. I want to get back.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes. “Sounds a bit selfish to me. I have friends on the other side that have their own stories.” The woman sighed. “But, I also have friends from your side.”

  “Here in town?”

  The woman laughed. “Now why would I tell you?”

  Valanna didn’t know if she was up to this banter, but she took a deep breath and continued. Valanna had to be brave and assertive. She thought of Kulara and how the Warishian would act. Valanna wasn’t Kulara in many ways, but still, she would force herself to stand up to the woman in front of her. She eyed Nullia who stood a half-pace behind her.

  “Do you want to see them die? The loyalists are heading north and will soon retake Espozia. The more support they have, the fewer lives are lost.”

  The innkeeper put her elbows on the counter. “Same goes for the loyalists. They can retreat just as well as the common folk.”

  Her use of the term ‘common folk’ rather than rebels convinced Valanna that she would have to keep her mouth shut.

  “Master Riotro won’t let them retreat,” Nullia said from behind. “I know him, and he will pursue the loyalists until they are destroyed or have fled to Mozira and further south. Then he’ll have an excuse to invade Colcan.”

  The innkeeper sneered. “Think you are high and mighty dropping our leader’s name. How could you possibly know him?”

  Nullia’s face darkened as she assumed a wind pose and uttered the power word. A breeze blew through the room. “I can do much more. I am a Purple of the Magician’s Guild.” Her eyes looked coldly into the innkeeper’s.

  Valanna saw the woman cringe. “P-P-Purple?”

  Nullia nodded.

  The innkeeper looked at Valanna with fear in her eyes. “And you?”

  Valanna assumed the levitation pose and lifted the innkeeper a few feet off the ground.

  “A Dark Red,” Nullia said. “We fight for Santasia. I know Riotro, and he fights to gain power throwing the lives of the common people in front of him for his own personal protection. He is bringing Kandanna into the war, and between the two of them they will carve up Santasia. Hundreds of thousands will die.”

  “I never quite thought of it that way,” the woman said, clutching her hands just below her neck. She looked genuinely worried, but Valanna didn’t think she read people exceptionally well, especially this woman.

  “We are looking for volunteers to help us retake Espozia. You probably noticed our little force march through town. We’d like to add to it,” Valanna said.

  “I won’t help you, for reasons best left unsaid, but if you go across the street to the feed store, you might meet with a more welcome attitude.” The innkeeper looked down at her ledger. “A room with two beds?”

  “And baths and meals for the both of us. We’ll likely be leaving sometime tomorrow.”

  The woman nodded and made some marks in her book. “You will pay—”

  “In hard coin,” Valanna said, opening her purse again.

  ~

  Valanna had to admit that she didn’t have as forceful a presence as Nullia, so she let the older woman talk in the feed store. She sniffed the air and smiled at the smell of the raw grain. A long counter separated the entryway, about three paces deep all along the front of the store, from the warehouse that extended much further back than she expected.

  “I’d like to speak to the owner,” Nullia said. Valanna could nearly feel the steel in her voice. She had generally associated Garono and Misson’s captain with speaking with such authority. Misson and Asem could speak out of anger, but she had never heard anyone speak with such coldness in their voice.

  The men jumped to attention, and one ran into the back. It didn’t take more than a few moments before a tall well-built man stood in front of them. He’d probably never see fifty again, but he had retained the figure of youth into his middle years. Physically, he reminded her of a stocky Asem.

  “You sum
moned me?” The man had a twinkle in his eyes and grinned when he addressed Nullia.

  Valanna glanced at her companion and saw her blushing. So much for the stern voice, but Valanna was pleased to see the reaction of the disarmed Nullia. The woman often intimidated her with her aura of confidence. The color in her cheeks made Nullia seem more accessible for some reason.

  “I did. You undoubtedly noticed the soldiers passing in the streets earlier today?”

  The man continued to smile. “I did.”

  “We travel with them and are seeking out those who would fight to keep Santasia free.”

  He folded his arms. “Both sides are claiming the same goal. Which side are you on?”

  “Surely you saw the Loyalist uniforms!” Valanna said. Nullia gave her an angry glare.

  “I did.”

  “We were led to believe that you might be of a Loyalist frame of mind.”

  The man threw back his head and laughed. “Finny said that, right? The innkeeper?”

  Nullia nodded tentatively. She clutched her hands. Valanna recognized that as a sign of uncertainty in the woman.

  “Well, she is right! I don’t much like magicians roaming around the countryside up to no good— no way, no how.”

  Nullia stiffened. “We are magicians,” she said stiffly.

  “I am certain you are not up to no good. Am I correct?” He leaned closer to Nullia.

  She blushed again. “You are. Can you find men to join our force? Senior Dalistro gave us only a few.”

  The man’s face darkened. “Too few. I’ll take care of that. My name is Sanda Pillora. My friends call me Sandy, my enemies call me…” He scratched his head. “I can’t think of any enemies.” He grinned again. This time Valanna couldn’t help but let out a giggle. “We’re about done here for the day. Why don’t I escort you back to Finny’s, and I’ll treat you to a better dinner than she would give a couple of Loyalist strangers.”

  “That would be nice,” Nullia said.

  “We’ll be locking up in less than half an hour. Why don’t you get settled, and I’ll have a few words with your hostess and have a maid call you down for a proper dinner. That will give us an opportunity to talk some more about your problem.”

  An hour later, Nullia and Valanna sat on their beds, having taken baths and quickly changed into better clothes. A maid led them down into the common room and on through to a private dining room. Sanda stood up when they arrived, as did Lieutenant Navino.

  “You didn’t tell me you sought out Sandy. My father has done business with his family for as long as I can remember,” the Lieutenant said.

  Sandy grinned. “You didn’t tell me that Palo Navino commanded your forces.” He poked the Lieutenant in the side with his finger. “I rode out to the camp myself, and to my surprise, I know your commanding officer… very well.” He poured wine for them all and took a sip. Evidently he relished the vintage.

  Nullia was about to say something about who was really in charge, but Valanna noticed her holding her tongue. Garono had made it clear to the Lieutenant that both Valanna and Nullia led the expedition.

  “I’m sure he told you what our mission is,” Nullia said, with her voice turned back to steel.

  Sandy looked at Navino with an appraising eye. “Actually, he didn’t.” He turned and smiled at Nullia.

  Valanna looked closely at Nullia and realized that she had turned gray early. These two people might just be of an age. She thought it would be interesting to see how they reacted to one another. Sandy certainly gave Nullia a lot more attention than he did her and as much as Nullia tried to resist, she continued to blush when Sandy’s offhand comments hit home.

  “We had a few of Riotro’s magicians strutting through here a week ago. Acted like they ruled the country.” He looked sideways at Nullia. “Imagine, magicians ruling Santasia.”

  If he sought to anger Nullia, Sandy would be disappointed. “I can’t think of a worse fate. Magicians are trained to serve others using their magic, not posing to dominate,” Nullia said.

  Sandy narrowed his eyes just a bit. “Aren’t you two magicians?”

  Valanna quickly turned to Navino, who just as quickly turned his head. The Lieutenant had a bigger mouth than what he had led them to believe. She sighed. What was done was done. “We are Loyalists. Loyalist magicians help others, just as Nullia said.”

  “What ranks are you?” The banter had lost its lightness.

  “Purple and Dark Red,” Nullia said, her chin lifted just a bit.

  Valanna just about objected. She’d never been truly tested. She didn’t know how she ranked, although she did seem to be able to pull more power from the earth than Nullia when she posed.

  “My, I would have never thought such power packed into two such attractive feminine bodies,” Sandy said.

  Both of them blushed with that compliment. Valanna noticed Nullia fighting not to say anything.

  “You might have gone too far, Sandy,” Navino said. “Garono Dalistro, himself, asked them to lead my forces up this side of Santasia.”

  Sandy took a sip of wine. “You misled me, Palo. I thought you hid behind the skirts of these lovely women when they came into my place of business. I see now why they took such direct action.”

  The time had come to put an end to the bantering, Valanna thought, as she began to fidget with her fingers and stopped it. She took a deep breath. “We seek to enter Espozia from the East, but we’d like a larger force than what we currently have.”

  “A muster? I haven’t seen one of those since the Norlanders attacked Espozia when I was but a boy.” His demeanor turned reflective while he rubbed his chin. “I’m sorry, but Eastern Santasians won’t follow a pair of female magicians.” He looked directly at Nullia while she made a move to get to her feet. Sandy held her wrist to the table. “That’s just the way it is. I doubt they’ll be happy following Palo here, either.” He pressed his lips together and paused again. “I’ll lead the local rabble. I’m known for miles around and served my time in the Council’s Army.”

  “He retired as an officer in the Santasian army before he came to Teraviza to take over his father’s feed business,” Navino said.

  “You know General Niamo?”

  “Adolphus? I entertained him in this very room not two years ago.”

  Valanna sat back. They could use this man to help them. Why didn’t the General tell them about Sandy? But now she wondered why the General had sent them on this mission. They hadn’t seen any rebels. All of the fighting would take place in the central and western parts of Santasia.

  “Why aren’t there rebel forces in the East?” she said.

  Sandy shrugged. “Who wants rolling hills to fight on? Central Santasia is flat, rich farmland with plenty of cities, towns, and more importantly, wealth. “I know full well that Adolphus sent you this way to reconnoiter, thinking that there wouldn’t be any real resistance. Finny is about as much of a rebel as you’ll find, but there are plenty like her. They won’t fight the rebels, but they won’t fight Loyalists, either. When you get to Espozia, he’ll have you guard the Eastern escape route, but there’s nothing much directly east of Espozia except for swamp-filled forests.”

  Valanna nodded. “I escaped from Estia that way and then took Misson’s ship to safety.”

  “Misson, as in Misson Dalistro? You do have connected friends. He’ll probably blockade the river just southeast of Espozia. That’s where your relief will come from, I imagine.”

  The idea of a contingent of ships surprised Valanna. Suddenly she felt lost in the possible strategies that Sandy blurted out, and that deflated her confidence. How could she possibly compete in a world filled with Sanda Pilloras? It dawned on her that the very thought of competing would have never entered her mind before Asem had spirited her out of Warish.

  “You can proceed to Lirazza, and I’ll meet you there with as many men as I can muster. They won’t be armed very well or uniformed, but that’s a problem for another day. I know how to tra
in good soldiers, even if they come to me with nothing in their arms and dressed only in their underclothes.”

  ~~~

  Chapter Ten

  ~

  “What if you cast a shield on the bottom of the platform flyer?” Trak said as he watched Neel and Ben moving around the meadow they had taken over as their training ground. “Could that keep a Western Toryan from bringing it down?”

  Tembul put his hand to his chin. “Never thought to try that.”

  “I also think we can extend the profile of the flyer a bit with wings. It might make the flyers more stable,” Trak said while he signaled Neel down. “Let’s talk about it.”

  A young Toryan man strutted up to Tembul and introduced himself in Toryan while the others assembled. Tembul shrugged his shoulders and continued their conversation.

  “This is Lord Lenis,” Tembul said. “He is a fair magician, so I’ve heard. If Trak goes to Bennin, Lenis will be coming with you. He knows the princess, and the King suggested that he work with us in the field so that we are all comfortable with each other on the quest to come.”

  Trak peered at the newcomer. He didn’t like the man’s posture. It illustrated a feeling of arrogance and entitlement. Lenis didn’t smile as Tembul introduced him. He’d seen Toryans enough to know that they smiled more than Colcanans did and in all the same circumstances. Was this a political appointment? Trak surmised that it must be, since the man purportedly knew the princess that they were to rescue. Having this person along dampened some of the excitement that he had felt about going on an actual quest.

  They all assembled. Tembul went round the group. Lenis still didn’t smile, and Trak wondered if he even listened to the introductions. He went over his ideas, and Tembul helped explain what they were doing to the disinterested Lenis.

  Neel, Able and Trak walked off to talk about building a better flyer while Lenis and Tembul continued to converse in Toryan. Tembul didn’t look any more comfortable with Lenis than Trak.