Island Shifters: Book 02 - An Oath of the Mage

by Valerie Zambito

  “Your Grace.”

  Roman Traynor materialized at his side so quietly that Beck almost flinched. He had long ago instructed Roman never to kneel to him and was pleased that the Saber obliged. He was the only Saber Captain that did.

  “Still up, Captain?” he asked.

  Roman laughed, and it was nice to see gaiety on the Saber’s normally severe countenance. “If you are up, I am up, Your Grace.”

  “Well, I apologize for that then. We are at the home of a friend, Roman, why don’t you get some sleep?”

  “You?”

  “Headed there now.”

  Roman looked around and his narrowed gaze did not miss one detail of the ongoing party. “There are six Sabers stationed here at the palace.”

  Beck’s eyebrows rose. “Six. I have not seen a single Saber tonight.”

  “Your point, Your Grace?”

  It was Beck’s turn to laugh. He knew that it was unlikely anyone had seen a black and scarlet tunic this night as skilled as the guards were at disappearing into the background. “Never mind. Go to bed, Roman. We are in friendly territory.”

  The Saber nodded. “Very well. I will name a replacement and be at your door by sunrise.”

  “That is fine.”

  Roman walked off, and Beck looked down to make sure that Kenley had not awakened. When he glanced back up, a movement to the left captured his attention. He thought he saw a shadow moving among the grove of boulders that surrounded the courtyard of the palace. Alert, he shifted Kenley’s weight and continued to peer into the dark recesses. He almost called Roman back, but seeing no further activity, he finally decided that it was probably just reflected shadows from the revelers dancing or an elusive Scarlet Saber making his rounds.

  Airron picked that moment to rush over and plop down in a chair next to him.

  “Bloody great party, isn’t it, Beck?”

  “Airron!” he whispered harshly and nodded his head down toward Kenley. “Ssh!”

  Airron shrugged his shoulders and his pointed ears shrank back. “Oops.”

  Beck shook his head affectionately at his lifelong friend. Since the war, Airron had made quite a name for himself as a premier Gladewatcher, the elite Calvary regiment of the Haventhal Army and King Jerund J’El’s personal warriors.

  Airron leaned back in his chair and sighed, his voice hushed now. “Ah, what a life, my friend! A cup that overflows with wine and plenty of pretty girls to kiss. Who could ask for more?”

  It was almost as if Airron was trying to convince himself of his great life as a bachelor rather than Beck. “Is there anything you would like to talk about, Airron? You seem on edge lately.”

  The purple eyes blazed and the pretense disappeared in a flash as the chair thumped back down to the ground. “You think? You would be on edge, too, Beck, if…”

  “If what?”

  “There you are!” A redheaded woman sauntered over and ran her fingers through Airron’s silver hair. “Ready for another go, darling? You promised.”

  Airron stood with a flourish and took the woman’s hand in his to bring it to his lips. “It would be my pleasure, fair maiden.” He took a few steps and then tossed a look back at Beck. “We will talk in the morning.”

  Beck watched the duo disappear into the gyrating mob. I will be here for you, my friend. Tomorrow, you can tell me all about your problems. He stood, and Kenley stretched in his arms. “Time for bed, little one.”

  Shadowy motion to the left caught his attention once again. “What?…”

  He would never remember this later, but he remained frozen in place for several long moments, his stare fixed on a trio of large boulders.

  Finally, he sat back down on his chair.

  “Kenley, wake up.”

  Kenley came awake with a start. “Daddy?”

  “Yes, Kenley. You must wake up now. Please go into the palace and go to sleep. Maman is there and you can crawl into bed beside her.”

  “What about you, Daddy? I want you to take me there.”

  Her father shook his head. “I must do something else right now, Kenley. It is important.”

  “But, Daddy…”

  “Do as I say!” His voice was harsh. He had never been unkind to her before. Not even when he caught her with stolen cookies from the kitchens instead of working on her studies.

  She nodded to him sadly and watched him walk away into the night beyond the torchlight. A tear slipped down her face. Something was wrong, but she did not know what.

  Baya!

  Within seconds, the Draca Cat was by her side.

  Where were you?

  Sleeping. The cat opened her mouth in a large yawn as proof. Same as you.

  Daddy woke me up and left me here by myself. He walked into those boulders over there, she said, pointing.

  Would you like me to follow him?

  Yes.

  I will go.

  I am going, too.

  As you wish.

  Hurry.

  Baya put her nose down to the ground and stepped in front of her. I have his scent. Follow me.

  Kenley put her hand on Baya’s back and walked beside her, careful to be very quiet like Captain Franck taught her to be when tracking an animal.

  Not far into the warren of rocks, she caught a glimpse of her Daddy up ahead. He was walking normally and then abruptly he stopped and turned to a voice that spoke to him. He was meeting someone! She could not see who it was, but Baya had the same idea as her and turned in the other direction to come around the boulders from the other side.

  “Well, that was easy enough,” said a female voice.

  Kenley and Baya crept low to the ground and then peered through a crevice in between the rocks. A woman was there, but Kenley had never seen her before. She was wearing a heavy cloak with the hood up over her head.

  “Mistress,” her Daddy said, lowering the woman’s hood. Kenley watched him put both hands on her face and begin to kiss her the same way he kissed her Maman.

  CHAPTER 6

  Missing

  Diamond sat at her desk in her office at the Bardot Academy and listened to her fellow Sect Leaders gathered at the large table in front of her fireplace argue. The sorceresses traveled to Bardot immediately upon learning of Gemini’s death and had not agreed on much since.

  It was still hard for her to believe that Gemini was dead. Murdered. Right here under all of their noses, but especially hers. As the Divination Leader, she should have foreseen this monstrous act, but instead had been caught completely unawares. It was almost as though blinders had been placed over her eyes, veiling her abilities. Of all the times for her magic to fail her, it had to happen when Gemini was murdered? She was not a fool. She did not believe it was coincidence and neither did any of the Sect Leaders, and that is what was causing them to argue so passionately.

  As High Priestess, Gemini was ruler of the coven, but she was also their friend and a mother figure for many of them. With the loss of their beloved leader, Diamond worried what would become of the coven now. Who would be raised High Priestess? Maybe no one, she thought regretfully. The island had rid itself of the last Mage six years ago and now the only High Priestess was gone.

  The door to her office slammed open and Sapphire, the Spell Casting Sect Leader, stormed in. Her eyes were red and puffy, but her expression was angry. Gemini had been her mother.

  “You were right, Diamond. A spell had been cast over all of the diamonds used by you and your entire Sect. The traces were faint, but I can confirm without a doubt that they were there. The counterspell has been delivered and the stones are now clear.” She paused, but Diamond could tell there was more and gestured impatiently for her to continue. “Once cleared, the stones revealed devastating news. There is an army headed for Nysa’s gates.”

  The arguments began anew.

  “I say we step out to meet this force!” It was the new Combat Sect Leader, Citrine. Unlike her redheaded predecessor, she was dark-skinned with dark-hair. She was, howeve
r, just as fiery in temperament.

  The Sect Leader for Runes, Ruby, shook her head. “No. For whatever reason this army is on the march, it will be up to King Maximus and his soldiers to deal with them. The sorceresses and shifters will have no part in this. It is the law. It is Prince Beck’s law.”

  Ruby was right, of course, thought Diamond. Practitioners of magic were to remain neutral in any political discord of the lands. Unless magic was being used for harm, they could not intervene in the upcoming conflict, if indeed that is what it would turn out to be.

  She wished Kiernan and Beck would hurry back. She sent Seana, once a member of her Sect but now a student of fireshifting, to Kondor to inform the four Savitars of Gemini’s murder. She loathed to dispatch such devastating news during Rogan’s celebration, but what else was she to do?

  And, now this new evidence pointed to the fact that magic was indeed in play when a spell had been cast to intentionally confuse and deceive her. Citrine’s suggestion may very well be justified after all. She never thought she would have to worry about this fact, but a chilling truth blossomed in her mind.

  The sorceresses were never marked with the athame after the Demon War.

  They were not bound by a blood oath.

  It now appeared as though that had been a fatal oversight.

  Kiernan opened her eyes and it felt like she had never gone to sleep, although she could tell by the faint pink light through her chamber window that she had. It was sunrise.

  The baby kicked and she groaned in discomfort. This child must have ten arms and legs, she mused to herself as she sat up. Kenley was snuggled up in the blankets beside her and Baya was lying on the rug, but Beck was not in the room. The bed was large enough to hold all three of them, but he probably did not want to wake her and Kenley when he returned to their rooms from the celebration last night and slept in the sitting room.

  A faint musical chant sounded outside the palace. Curious, she got out of bed and picked up her cloak to throw over her nightdress. Padding quietly to the window, she smiled when she saw the Elves performing their Morning Song to Elán. It was a ritual that all Elves in Massa performed at sunrise—a tender and moving prayer to their woodland deity. It always threatened to bring to tears to Kiernan’s eyes whenever she heard it, so pure and stirring it was in tone and lyrics.

  With a lighter heart, she turned from the window and walked into the sitting room. “Beck?” she whispered, looking around the large room that held a couch and two chairs that faced a fireplace and a serving table that, she could now see and smell, held their morning breakfast.

  He was not there.

  She went back into the bedroom and slipped into a dress and soft leather sandals that laced to her knees. Returning once again to the sitting room, she crossed quickly to the outer chamber doors and opened them, surprised to see Roman Traynor outside along with Saber Anton LaFrae who Kirby Nash had assigned as her guard in his absence.

  “Roman, why are you here and not with Beck?”

  The dark Saber was instantly alert and walked past her into the room. “He is not in here?”

  “No. I was on my way to look for him.”

  Roman turned to Anton. “Gather up the Sabers. I want every inch of this palace searched for Prince Beck.”

  Kiernan was surprised by the Captain’s ardent response. “Roman, is that necessary? I am sure he is here somewhere. If I know my husband, he is probably downstairs stealing sweets from the kitchen.”

  Roman did not respond as he turned and stormed down the wide stone corridor. She had to run to keep up with his long, angry strides. At the top of the stairs, she saw Rogan and Airron, who must have just returned from his morning prayers, standing at the front doors. They were talking to someone else and, although the voices were not raised, their tones sounded anxious.

  She continued down the stairs behind Roman, and Rogan turned and nodded to them in relief. “Good, you are awake.” He stepped aside, and Kiernan now saw that it was Seana they were talking to, one of the sorceresses from the Academy. What was she doing in Kondor?

  “What is it? What has happened, Seana?” she demanded.

  Seana bowed her head in greeting. “Your Grace.” That was as much as she would ever receive from a sorceress. “Terrible news, I am afraid. Diamond sent me.”

  Kiernan immediately thought it had something to do with her father and braced herself for whatever Seana had to say.

  “There is no easy way to prepare for news like this, Your Grace, so I will say it straight out. Gemini Starr is dead.”

  Kiernan felt the blood rush to her head and reached out to grab Roman’s arm. “What!”

  “On the day you left for Kondor, she was found dead from a stab wound in Prince Beck’s office.”

  Kiernan shook her head in disbelief. “But, who…?”

  Seana shrugged. “We are unsure, but that is not all.”

  Kiernan scrubbed a tear from her eye. “Go on.”

  “As I was traveling through Aquataine, one of the watershifters informed me that an army is on the march toward Nysa, although Diamond said nothing of this to me. It is possible that even she does not yet know.”

  Kiernan was dumfounded. “An army?” She looked at Rogan and Airron. “Why would the Dwarves or Elves be marching against Nysa?”

  Seana shook her head. “Not Dwarves or Elves. Mostly, soldiers of House Etin, but there are also legionnaires from House Everard and even an angry mob of Iserport citizens.”

  So, the civil unrest that had been simmering had boiled over, but the grievances, it seemed, were directed at House Everard. And, what of the soldiers? Were they along simply to keep the peace during the civil protest of the people or was this something more? As Kiernan tried to process her thoughts, Airron asked, “Where is Beck?”

  “He…he was not in our room, so Roman and I were just coming to look for him.”

  Rogan turned to Roman. “When you find him, bring him to the great hall.” He turned back to Kiernan and Airron. “I will meet you there in a few moments with Erik. As my King, it is my duty to let him know of this at once.”

  She nodded glumly. Her intuitions had never let her down, and she had known for some time now that the intrigues of the Court were becoming more malignant. From Lord Davad Etin’s machinations to the murdered man in the forest and now to this news of Gemini. As if that were not enough, for the second time in her life, an army was on the move against those she loved. An army of her own people apparently. To make matters worse, she could not shift to save her own life due to her pregnancy.

  Regardless, she would find a way to save her land.

  Find a way to stop whoever was responsible for these events.

  And, find a way to find her husband.

  When Davad heard the shouts and cries coming from the guardroom up the short stairs from the cells, his heart began to race. He knew in that instant that either Abram or Ava had come through with their promise to get him out of this dungeon. Most likely Abram. The Lord had predicted that Davad’s release would not come without bloodshed and evidently, he had been correct.

  Davad rose from his cot, anxious to confirm that this was indeed a rescue.

  He did not have to wait long. A soldier in the gray and white tunic of House Winslow appeared at his cell with a victorious grin on his young face. He inserted a key into the lock. “My Lord, if you will come with me. Your release comes at the compliments of Lord Winslow.” The soldier threw the cell door open wide.

  “About bloody time. What have you to report?”

  “The Houses of Winslow and Conry hold Nysa. The gates are secured.”

  Davad was impressed. He had not hoped to gain the city until after his army arrived. “Maximus?”

  “He is being detained in his chambers under heavy guard. Lord Hamilton and Lady Knapp are also being held separately in their estates, their soldiers all secured. But, Gregaros is missing. He could not be located here in the city or in his home city of York. Curiously, not one soldier fr
om House Gregaros has been seen in Nysa.”

  “Casualties?”

  “Quite a few. Mostly the Scarlet Sabers of the Royal Guard. Maximus’ Lions reluctantly laid down their arms when they realized they were outnumbered.”

  “Very good. Well done, soldier. Now, for the moment I have been looking forward to for a very long time. Take me to our prisoner.”

  The soldier nodded and proceeded up the stairs to the guardroom. Davad noticed several guards sprawled dead on the floor, including his brutish aggressor. He stepped over to the man’s body and kicked him in the head with a forceful blow. Immensely satisfied with that small victory, he ignored the look from Winslow’s man and gestured for him to lead the way out.

  Emerging onto the main floor of the palace, he was pleased to see the corridors teeming with the colors of House Winslow and House Conry and even some of his Flying Eagles who had traveled to the city with him to attend Court.

  Winslow’s second, Commander Raj Mendel, noticed him and jogged over to fall into step beside him. “Good to see you, my Lord.”

  He nodded. “Commander.”

  “Commander Bassus sends his regards. He should arrive with your army in eight to nine days.”

  “Good. Walk with me.”

  The Commander simply nodded without asking questions.

  “Do you know what happened to the three Saber Captains?” questioned Davad.

  “Roman Traynor is in Kondor, Kirby Nash, we believe, is still in Bardot, and Darin Morel is dead, killed during the siege.”

  “Bo Franck?”

  “Confined with King Maximus.”

  Davad looked over at Abram’s man. “Where is Lord Winslow?”

  “Seeing to the security of the city. He should be along any time.”

  “Very well. I shall see him then. Oh, one other thing. After our visit with King Maximus, you will see to another task right away.”

  “It will be as you command, my Lord.”

  “I want you to bring me my brother’s head.”

  Narrowed eyes darted his way. “I will see to it, my Lord.”