by R N Skye
The Laws of Elios - The Glyph Mage Book II
By RN Skye
Published by Richard E Benedict
Copyright RN Skye 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Genus Pica Del Mundus
This is a work of fiction. All characters, scenes, dialogue, and descriptions are purely the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, real events, or actual places is entirely coincidental.
Books by R N Skye:
The Glyph Mage Books
The Artifacts of Elios
The Laws of Elios
Science Fiction Shorts
Episode I – The Abduction
Episode II – Mister Fixit
FORTHCOMING:
The Glyph Mage Books
The Enemy of Elios
The Ballads of the Bard
The Wand
An often over looked Eternal Axiom: There is an opposition in all things; particularly good and evil. Denying good doesn’t mean there is no evil; it simply robs you of happiness. Denying evil doesn’t make your adversaries go away; it only assures that your death or enslavement will be quick certain.
- R N Skye
A mad king is bad enough – A mad king with magic requires a Glyph Mage
Governed by a Mad King turned dominating dictator, Infin has declared war on the peaceful country to the north; The Republic of Luion. Citizens of both countries are fleeing to the safety of Luion in the hope of refuge and asylum. The Infin army of magically armored troops and mind controlled mages are systematically turning the country of Infin into a slave state and will soon amass to take over their neighbor to the north. The only hope of stopping the mayhem is the returning magic of the Elios and of course a Glyph Mage – It’s never that simple - Shane soon discovers that there are rules and true magic comes from beyond the stars and by knowing the Laws of Elios.
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chapter I
Leslie Coeur shivered in the dark cell as she watched the stone faced guard march mindlessly back and forth. The guard changed every eight hours but between changes he paced endlessly and silently. He seemed almost mechanical not human; never looking her direction except when he reached the end of the hallway; only to turn around and endlessly repeat the process.
Reflecting on the last number of days – of which she wasn’t sure of the count anymore - she was worried for Ari. She had received the note from him under his alias – Stafford - telling her to get out of Infin immediately. If only she would have heeded it she would have been safely in Lu Y Onton. She grinned then frowned as she imagined the lecture that Ari would undoubtedly give her for not immediately heading for the border like he had instructed; common sense that their line of work normally dictated.
Upon receiving the message to get out of Jehhet she had immediately began destroying all evidence of her intelligence network that would show her affiliation with the Desmond family and the smuggling network. She had been ready to head for the border when she decided to try and meet with Stafford one last time. She had sent a message for him at the Ox and then went the next day to meet him at the specified time.
Her note to Stafford had said to meet at the Ox that evening. As the cab stopped outside the tavern she noted that the streets were unusually quiet for that time of the evening. Handing the driver her fare she whispered, “Head to the rendezvous and if you don’t see me in six hours then get a message to Luion that I’ve been captured. Stepping away the cab she walked carefully to the entrance to the tavern; her cab and messenger clopped hurriedly away at a trot.
As she was about to open the door it was opened by someone from the inside. Standing in front of her was a pair of sword baring CSS guards in black leather jerkins, black gloves, and boots. “Mademoiselle Coeur, what a surprise to see you here,” taunted a sinister but familiar voice from within the depths of the unusually dark interior. “Please come in.”
Leslie immediately turned and ran for the corner of the building. Catching the guards by surprise she was around the corner and out of their sight by the time they reacted. Unfortunately her move had been anticipated and she met with several more guards that had been posted in the rear of the tavern. It was only a moment and she was captured and dragged roughly, back to the tavern. This time standing at the entrance was Wendell Sapp.
“Why did you flee, Mademoiselle? Have you been doing something that you shouldn’t?” He practically cackled.
“I beg your pardon,” Leslie retorted with indignation. “I demand you get your hands off of me; I am the assistant to the Minister of Commerce.”
Wendell stepped closely to her and looked down at the brunette taking her chin into his black gloved hand turning her face first to the right then to the left as if inspecting her features. “I think that I will let you live a while after the king is through with you. You are a most beautiful woman.” He took off his glove and caressed her cheek. He closed his eyes as if he were drinking in iced water after a day in a desert. “Ahhhh… your lumen is exquisite. Sweet, refreshing, innocent Elios lumen and you don’t even know you have it.”
“I demand you release me. I am here on official business.”
Wendell smiled wickedly. “So am I Madam, so am I. You are the one who sent this note?” he asked holding up her note to Stafford.
“Yes,” she replied not denying it; after all she had been told by Wendell to spy on him. “Was it not your orders to develop a relationship with him and keep an eye on him?”
Wendell paused and cocked his head as if searching for a memory. Smiling he looked again at her. “So I did, so I did. How rude of me to forget one of my newest agents. Guards, you may release her. Mademoiselle, please forgive me. I have not been myself lately.” Then with a maniacal laugh he lifted her hand and kissed it lightly, “If only I could tell you why I find that so funny.” Then suddenly serious he continued, “While you are not my prisoner, I’m afraid that the king has requested your presence along with select other ministers and high officers and I have been instructed to bring you to him.” Abruptly he turned and walked to a waiting carriage beckoning her to follow.
Noting that the guards were not likely to let her escape she followed Wendell to the carriage and climbed in.
The ride to the palace was eerily quiet. Wendell stared at her as if she were a prize hen and he a wolf. What sacred her the most was it was not lust but something more sinister; while she kept her expression calm she realized she was suddenly very afraid.
King Allion Stood as Wendell escorted Leslie into his Private office. “Assistant Director, Coeur, how delightful for you to heed my summons. Please be seated.” The King then looked past her. “Brenner, please see to a suitable quarters for our guest. I believe she will be staying with us for quite some time.”
Leslie looked over her shoulder wondering who Brenner was. She had only seen Wendell when she had been brought into the room.
“Mademoiselle Coeur, it has been brought to my attention that you were among the last to meet with
former agent Stafford. Is this correct?”
“Former? Your highness,” Leslie asked puzzled. Then it dawned on her that Stafford may have been killed or was missing. She immediately hoped for the latter. Her fear was only a momentary expression and she hurriedly covered it up, but Allion saw it and knew that she was more involved than she appeared.
“I understand that our dearly departed Wendell had asked you to look in on Stafford and that you had worked with him on numerous occasions. I am curious as to the nature of your meetings.”
“I don’t understand, your highness,” Leslie stalled, “I was told that Monsieur Stafford was part of a circle within CSS that - as of late - was under suspicion and I was to report anything out of the ordinary to agent Sapp; primarily because of his role in periodically meeting with our ministry. Our appointments mostly consisted of discussing the required security details of licenses renewed and records of artifacts registered. We met fairly frequently, but I assure you that he never told me anything confidential. It was often just the opposite; he was always asking me questions. I was in the process of attempting to visit him when I was told that you required my presence.”
“Did he ever mention the name Soaris to you?”
“No your Majesty, although that name is well known among the ministry due to the smuggling that we often uncover, but we have no record of ever seeing him. I’m afraid that to my knowledge artifact enforcement was never able to apprehend the smuggler known as Soaris.”
Allion noted a slight flick of her eyelids as she shared her knowledge of the renowned smuggler and decided to go for a bigger response. “You will no longer need to spy on agent Stafford. He was recently killed in a terrible fire.” Allion brightened as he saw her unveiled distress. It was beginning to seem more and more likely that the incompetent Wendell may have pulled off the impossible after all.
Not willing to bet on the chance that Wendell may have overcome the mysterious head of the CSS, Allion decided that he needed to figure out a way to be certain. He couldn’t plan until he knew for certain that Stafford was really dead. He silently cursed Wendell for not being thorough. Why was the name Stafford haunting him? Pechor who now possessed the mind of Allion searched the former monarch’s memories. Finding nothing specific he could only surmise. Was it because that of all those that he had combined against Allion, Stafford was the only one that he had never been able to out-plan? Even when he had had him killed he couldn’t be sure that he was dead; somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he wasn’t and for this reason he was now constantly looking over his shoulder. In spite of his higher knowledge The Allyant being knew that until he verified that Stafford was actually dead there was always going to be a risk in his plans for this world.
Focusing back on the woman before him he resumed his course of action concerning her. “I can see that this troubles you. Perhaps you and Mister Stafford were closer than Wendell realized. Seeing that we are at war and alliances and trust is in short supply I will need to keep you under close supervision until I can verify that you were really acting in the best interest of the crown and not – as the say - a fox put in charge of watching the hen house.” The door to the office opened and Wendell reappeared. “Brenner, take Mademoiselle Coeur to her new quarters until I can decide if she has any value.” Then like the turning of a switch the king turned his attention to a pile of papers and began reading the documents on his desk.
Her new quarters, as the king had called them, was her cell. Her cell was a windowless room with a sink and a toilet that offered no privacy. The only furniture in the room was the cot that she sat on. It was chained so that it could be tipped toward the wall; otherwise it was bolted to the hinges that attached it to the wall. Lifting up the bed she saw that it was welded metal with riveted pins connecting the chains that held it to the wall.
She had attempted escape once so far and failed. She had had only one guard then and using her considerable Luion hand-to-hand training she had successfully incapacitated him. When she lifted the body to hide it in her cell she suddenly felt drained and the guard immediately regained consciousness and quickly reversed the situation. As her captor grasped her arm and drug her back to her cell she grew weaker and weaker eventually passing out. When she regained consciousness there were two guards.
As she watched the guards she noticed the wristbands they were wearing and recognized the combat artifacts for what they were. Understanding now how she had grown weak and how the guard had recovered so quickly she now had to rethink her plan of escape; while there still only two of them. She could avoid the effects of the armbands if she could avoid touching the guards; she just needed a weapon.
~~~~~
“Ari, I don’t think this is a good idea,” whispered Shane as he and Ari huddled together in a cluttered but mostly empty corner of a large intentionally dimly lit room. Their location was chosen for its distance from the other inhabitants of the building and the sound proofing it provided. Few bothered to come to the area because this is where Shane primarily did his research, inventing, and practiced his glyph magic. After several near catastrophes the other magetechs had decided that if Shane was inventing that it was best to wait for him to emerge rather than interrupt. Shane glanced right and left as he peeked through a small portal that he had opened into Ari’s former secret lab and office within the depths of the Jehhet Palace’s lower dungeons.
“I don’t either, blast it all,” replied Ari angrily, “but If we don’t do something quickly they are going to kill her; she may be dead already.” The normally patient former assassin and intelligence agent paced back and forth in Shane’s lab as he planned out their options and Shane continued to magically scan the Palace.
“We need to put more thought into this,” Shane rebutted in exasperation. “You of all people know that. You’re the planner, I’m just the rookie, remember?”
Ari was in an emotional turmoil over a message that he and Shane had received regarding Leslie Coeur; not only a former agent of Ari’s but something more - she was the sister to his brother’s wife and someone that he was discovering that he cared very deeply for.
“I never knew how I really felt, Shane.” Ari whispered mostly to himself. “We have known each other all these years. Who knows maybe we always knew there was something there but the job always seemed to come first; there was always the danger of her getting hurt so I kept my distance. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life,” Ari continued to pace and talk to himself.
Shane widened the portal a bit more for a better view, “As far as I can tell all the old artifacts that you used are still active with lumen and it doesn’t look like the place has been disturbed in quite a while.”
“Let me see,” Ari pressed Shane aside for a better look. “Widen it up, I need to go in and see if any of my traps have been triggered.”
“Put up those shields that your instructor has been drilling into you,” Shane whispered loudly as he widened up the portal to a size that would allow Ari passage.
“Way ahead of you,” Ari answered as he stepped through.
Shane found he was holding his breath as he waited for a word from Ari as to whether or not the room was safe.
“All clear,” Ari called and then walked back into Shane’s office. I guess out of sight out is of mind. They must not have ever wondered where I analyzed and reviewed my intelligence. The bad news is that there hasn’t been anyone on this side of the dungeons since I left; which means she is being held in the cells below the guards barracks or somewhere else.” He left unsaid that she might also be dead but the look of worry in his eyes was sufficient for Shane to comprehend.
As the two men were focused on the portal a loud crash from behind them shattered their concentration and the hushed silence that they had been maintaining. Without thinking Shane closed the portal and imagined a new glyph in his mind like he had done when he invented his welding glyph. As the new glyph flared he envisioned a concussive force that repelled whatever it was directed at
. With the same thought he imbued it with lumen and directed it at two clamoring figures that had entered the room behind him and Ari. With his next thought Shane stuck the flying men to the rear wall of the room where they had been thrown.
A loud blast of profanity exploded from a crotchety old voice from the direction of the two suspended bodies magically fastened to the far wall.
“Shew, Roger? What in the enfer are you doing sneaking up on us like that?” Shane yelled still a bit animated from being startled.
“I think I broke something,” wheezed Roger as he tried to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him.
Ari quickly closed the portal and pocketed a metal object that he had held in his hand. “Shew you just about got yourself cut in half. If the warball wizard here,” he nodded his head toward Shane, “hadn’t tossed you back you would have.”
“It is my fault,” apologized Roger, still wheezing and grimacing in pain,” Mademoiselle Ava said that we could find you here and I tripped on that trash can,” he motioned to a spilled waste paper basket.
“It isn’t your fault, Rodge, I blame the idiots skulking around in a dark cluttered room,” Shew commented acerbically. “You’d think with all the mages you have running around this place one of you would know how to supply a little light.”
Ari started laughing as the tense moment began to fade. “Seems to me that you were the only one skulking. Shane and I were working in an environment that required ‘low light’ and quiet might I add.”
Roger began to cough more harshly and Shane saw blood coming from his mouth. “Uh oh, looks like Roger took a pretty good hit,” Shane said rushing to the where the men were pinned. Releasing the enchantment Shane levitated Roger gently to the ground as Shew fell with a thump. “Sorry Shew,” Shane said with brief sincerity and he knelt by the coughing Luionese. “Where does it hurt Roger?”
