by Guy Antibes
Sam walked down to the second floor and was ushered into Bentwick’s office. A few of the times Mark had given him were an hour off, such as when work started and when dinner was generally served. That was a mild prank in Sam’s mind.
“I’m assigning you to an experienced investigator,” Bentwick said. “He rose up the ranks in the constabulary using a few unconventional methods. I think he’ll be a good match for you. I’ll get him in here.”
The Chief Constable left the office and returned with a tall, lanky man in his mid-thirties, Sam thought.
“Sam, this is Investigator Dickey Plum.” Bentwick said, turning to Sam. “Investigators are equivalent to lieutenants in the constabulary, but they don’t supervise. However, Dickey will be your partner as you start your apprenticeship.”
Sam bowed his head towards Dickey. “I am honored to be your partner.”
The man grunted. “You can save that honor stuff until we’ve been on the job for a few months. I don’t suffer fools and I’m no nursemaid. Understand?”
“I do,” Sam said. “I am here to learn and to help.”
Bentwick cleared his throat. “Sam can tell you how he helped Harrison Dimple in the field. I fought with Sam in the rebellion and he is plucky enough for his age.”
“Harrison Dimple? I thought he just disappeared,” Dickey said.
Bentwick shook his head. “No, but he was banished from Baskin. That might be a better term. He’s back to being a healer and occasionally works in the villages northwest of Cherryton where he lives.”
Dickey looked at Sam. “I suppose if you are good enough to work with Dimple, you are good enough to work with me, but I won’t put up with teenage mischief.”
“You will have to put up with my dog, Emmy,” Sam said.
The investigator looked at Bentwick. “A boy with a dog?” He looked exasperated.
“He owns a Great Sanchian. Sam thinks of Emmy as a hunting dog, but yes, she has also proven herself in battle,” Bentwick said.
Dickey winced. “I don’t like dogs.”
“She doesn’t have to come with us everywhere we go,” Sam said.
The man nodded. “Good, that means the mutt won’t be laying a track of drool through Baskin.
Sam nodded. “She does drool,” he said playfully, trying to tease out Dickey’s sense of humor.
Dickey barely smiled. “Not with me, she won’t.”
Bentwick looked at Dickey with narrowed eyes. “You are Sam’s supervisor. It is your call if you choose to use Emmy or not.” Bentwick took a breath. “Where does Sam show up tomorrow?”
“I can eat breakfast here at the constabulary tomorrow morning.” Dickey looked at Sam. “You’ll need a house to keep the dog, right?”
Sam nodded.
“I know just the place, though it’s a little expensive for an apprentice.”
“I’m going to live with my brother. He’s a journeyman smith making decorative iron.”
“Like window grills?” Dickey asked.
Sam nodded, yet again.
“Good. Make sure he pays his fair share. Apprentices don’t make much money.” Dickey looked at Bentwick. “Is that all for now, sir?”
Bentwick flicked his wrist. “He will start tomorrow. If you have a line on a house, why don’t you take Sam out to show him after you’ve met Emmy. Otherwise, I know of a few that might work for him.”
“I’ll meet the mutt soon enough. No need to do that today. I’ll arrange a visit to the townhouse tomorrow.” Dickey gave Bentwick a little bow. “If we are done, sir?”
“We are.”
Dickey left the office without acknowledging Sam.
~
Sam waited half-an-hour for Dickey to show at the constabulary canteen. The time gave him an opportunity to listen to the banter of the other constables. Four of the apprentices arrived at the same time Sam did, but they ignored him and sat at another table. The place was gradually filling up.
The constables seemed more self-important than the men he had known in the mountain constabularies. Perhaps serving in the capital of Toraltia went to their heads. Sam looked at Baskin as another town, but much larger.
“You actually waited for me?” Dickey said as he stood at the table. “Let’s get something to eat. Constabulary food isn’t too bad.”
Sam followed his partner through the food line. They sat down at a different table, since other constables had seized Sam’s place. He would have to remember that. Dickey stuffed half of his food into his stomach before he said another word.
“Always get some food into you first. You never know when you are going to be called away.”
Sam nodded. “I had to do that when we fought at Shovel Vale.”
“The Chief wasn’t kidding when he said you went to battle at his side? I thought he making stuff up to justify bringing you into the Investigative Unit.”
Sam ate a few bites just to spite Dickey before he replied. “No kidding. I never fought anyone before I accompanied Harrison into the mountains. I can’t say that now.”
“A fifteen-year-old with war stories.” Dickey grinned. “We’ll have time enough to share a few. I fought in the army for a few years before I decided that I was better figuring things out than swinging at people, although I’ve done that often enough in this job.”
Sam tried not to smile. Dickey seemed to thaw a little during his introduction, but then he abruptly stood.
“Time to show you your new dungeon.” He said it as if Sam wouldn’t have a choice in the matter.
“You have to at least see my dog first.”
Dickey shook his head. “Already done that. I rode in this morning. Big dark gray brute. She doesn’t seem to bark as much as growl at people. It is an intimidating experience. My cats would quickly disappear should your pooch show up on my doorstep.”
Sam stood. “Then show me to my new rooms,” he said, even though he wouldn’t make a decision without consulting Tru, who he would try to find later in the day.
They walked out into the city street. Sam was surprised how many people were about. Baskin might be more different than a larger Cherryton, after all.
The constabulary was on a busy thoroughfare. Since Sam had never been outside the constabulary since he arrived, he had no idea where they were in Baskin. A few streets to the south, Dickey stopped in front of a modest townhouse in a presentable neighborhood.
“A friend of mine used to live here, but he transferred out with his business. He said I could rent it out or find someone to take it over. It doesn’t look too derelict.”
Sam took off his spectacles and realized that the dwelling was dressed up with pollen. Without his spectacles it looked neglected to his eyes.
“I can fix it up?”
“Does it need fixing?” Dickey asked. “It looks fine to me.”
“The house needs a paint job. Someone covered it up with pollen. I’ve seen the technique before,” Sam said. “Can we go inside?”
“You are still interested after looking at the exterior?”
Sam nodded. “The rent will have to be adjusted if I have to work on making it livable. Is your friend amenable to that?”
“He might be,” Dickey said, narrowing his eyes at Sam.
His partner pulled out a ring of keys and opened the door. At least the stench of dead cats or dead bodies didn’t assault him. Sam walked inside to a stuffy space. The windows were bright enough. The furniture looked old, worn, and un-lived in for some time, but Sam could look through the dust. He liked the front room and as Dickey showed him the rest of the place, Sam began to get excited. With Tru’s help, they could make the place livable.
The upstairs had three bedrooms and a real toilet. Not many houses in Cherryton had one of those. That meant water was pumped up to the second level. Sam pushed the lever of the squeaky pump to draw clear water. It seemed to him that the house had only a veneer of neglect. It could be made into a nicer place than his parent’s house without too much effort.
“Can we look at the back garden? How long has this been empty? It looks like six months or a year.”
“Eight months,” Dickey said. His partner was mostly silent, but watched Sam closely during the inspection tour.
They descended to the first level and walked through a kitchen that hadn’t been used for a while. Sam tried the pump again and smiled at the clear water. It smelled clean, but Tru would be a better judge of that. “The pipes aren’t pollen-made, are they?”
Dickey shook his head. “The house was re-plumbed with iron a few years ago.”
Sam undid the lock on the back door latch and stepped out into a jungle of weeds. “There is work out here, too, but I don’t see any junk in the garden.” He inspected an extension of the house that held a room full of garden tools and an empty storage room.
“Emmy can have this,” Sam said as he poked his head in the empty space. He walked to the back gate and looked out at a service lane, somewhat bigger than an alley. “That’s a stable on the other side? Does it belong to this house?”
Dickey shook his head. “Not included, but that’s a good observation. Are you interested?”
Sam nodded. “I’ll need to have my brother take a look, but I’m all for it. No mildew or rot that I can see or smell, and it includes a shed for Emmy. If it isn’t too expensive.”
“Let’s find your brother,” Dickey said as he jingled the keys and locked up after them.
~ End of Excerpt ~
A BIT ABOUT GUY
~
With a lifelong passion for speculative fiction, Guy Antibes found that he rather enjoyed writing fantasy, as well as reading it. So a career was born, and Guy anxiously engaged in adding his own flavor of writing to the world. Guy lives in the western part of the United States and is happily married with enough children to meet or exceed the human replacement rate.
You can contact Guy at his website: www.guyantibes.com.
†
BOOKS BY GUY ANTIBES
SONG OF SORCERY
Book One: A Sorcerer Rises
Bound to a cruel grandfather, thirteen-year-old Ricky Valian is an orphan and a thief. Compelled to steal a valuable item in a public place, Ricky uses the only trick he knows, a magic trick. His crime doesn’t go unobserved. The Dean of Doubli Academy witnesses the theft and recognizes Ricky’s latent talent, volunteering to become Ricky’s guardian at the boy’s trial. Ricky finds himself, unlettered and untutored in sorcery, in a place filled with students. As he struggles with his unexpected circumstances, Ricky becomes a target of a vicious bully, who may not be above taking the life of someone who gets in his way.
Book Two: A Sorcerer Imprisoned
Ricky Valian always dreaded the Juvenile Home in the city of Applia. Killing a member of the Council of Notables is enough to sentence him for a stay. The lord’s widow is anxious for revenge and Ricky has to scramble to stay ahead of people out seeking his life. While there are strange things going on at the Home that will put him in peril, he finds a priceless treasure long forgotten at the Home. Can he stay alive long enough to save it?
Book Three: A Sorcerer’s Diplomacy
Back at Doubli Academy, Ricky finds new acquaintances and a new pastime. However, all is not bliss as circumstances converge to make it impossible to avoid confronting his nemesis, Duke Noacci, the man Ricky suspects of killing his parents. While on a school break, he finds himself in the middle of two powers ready to go to war. Ricky must make life-altering decisions as he struggles to save himself and his new friends.
Book Four: A Sorcerer’s Rings
Fleeing for his life, Ricky Valian heads to Duteria, home of an institute of sorcery. With the help of his two servants, Ricky must learn basic sorcery that he hadn’t needed before. His studies take him out of the Duteria and into new perils as he discovers an insidious plot to disrupt all the governments of his world.
Book Five: A Sorcerer’s Fist
Armed with knowledge of an insidious plot to assume power over the world, Ricky must battle religious zealots within the organization that took him in after begin branded traitor. Together with a secret society that Ricky never took seriously, he finds allies that he once thought enemies to fight against the enemy hidden among those he thought were allies.
FANTASY - EPIC / SWORD & SORCERY / YOUNG ADULT
~
THE DISINHERITED PRINCE
Book One: The Disinherited Prince
Poldon Fairfield, a fourteen-year-old prince, has no desire to rule since his poor health has convinced him that he will not live long enough to sit on any throne. Matters take a turn for the worse when his father, the King of North Salvan, decides his oldest will rule the country where Pol’s mother is first in the line of succession, followed by Pol, her only child. Pol learns he has developed a talent for magic, and that may do him more harm than good, as he must struggle to survive among his siblings, now turned lethally hostile.
Book Two: The Monk’s Habit
With his health failing, Pol Cissert takes refuge in a monastery dedicated to magic, healing, and swordsmanship. As a disinherited prince, he thinks his troubles are behind him so he can concentrate on learning magic and getting his body repaired. He soon finds that his sanctuary isn’t the protection he hoped for.
Book Three: A Sip of Magic
Expecting to resume his studies after a long absence, Pol Cissert is disappointed when he is drafted by the Emperor’s Seeker to infiltrate into Tesna Monastery. His mission is to verify rumors of a new army being raised by the South Salvan King, a man he perceives as a personal enemy. Pol will face new challenges, not the least of which will be figuring out the mysterious roommate who arrives not long after he learns about the Tesnan’s plans to take over the world.
Book Four: The Sleeping God
Carrying an amulet given to him by his late mother, Pol Cissert seizes an opportunity to travel to a far-off city in search of his roots. He has no idea that the journey will be no easy jaunt. Chased by magicians, thugs, pirates, and priests, he searches for his legacy by seeking the Cathedral of the Sleeping God. Pol finds that the truth isn’t always something everyone wants.
Demeron: A Horse’s Tale - A Disinherited Prince Novella
Demeron, a Shinkyan stallion who can speak to human magicians, is cut off from his master and must find a way to return hundreds of miles to Deftnis Monastery, his master’s home. To do so, Demeron must travel through the country of his birth, eluding humans who would eagerly take possession of him. Sixty pages long, Demeron, A Horse’s Tale is best read between A Sip of Magic and The Emperor’s Pet.
Book Five: The Emperor’s Pet
On his way to return Shira to her home in Shinkya, Pol Cissert is called upon to solve two mysteries. His reward is something he does not desire, but he must put that aside while he travels to Tishiko, the exotic and dangerous capital city of the country of Shira’s birth. He finds that deadly politics badgers him every step along his journey.
Book Six: The Misplaced Prince
Pol can’t remember his name or his origin when washed up on the shore of a strange continent. Demeron, his horse, must find a way to get Pol to a magician powerful enough to remove his curse. Without his magic or his memories, it may take years to find the right person, and until then Pol has become the Misplaced Prince.
Book Seven: The Fractured Empire
In the final installment of the series, Pol Cissert Pastelle returns home after four years abroad to find The Baccusol Empire breaking apart with civil war erupting on multiple fronts. He reunites with Shira, the Shinkyan Princess, and gets to work trying to save his stepfather’s Empire. He finds more insidious spells invoked by the enemy, a society of magicians that has dedicated itself to domination. Pol has his own challenges as he navigates his way through drastic situations, not the least of which is a series of confrontations with old and new enemies.
FANTASY - EPIC / SWORD & SORCERY / YOUNG ADULT
~
POWER OF POSES
Boo
k One: Magician in Training
Trak Bluntwithe, an illiterate stableboy, is bequeathed an education by an estranged uncle. In the process of learning his letters, Trak learns that he is a magician. So his adventures begin that will take him to foreign countries, fleeing from his home country, which seeks to execute him for the crime of being able to perform magic. The problem is that no country is safe for the boy while he undergoes training. Can he stay ahead of those who want to control him and keep his enemies from killing him?
Book Two: Magician in Exile
Trak Bluntwithe is a young man possessing so much magical power that he is a target for governments. Some want to control him, and others want to eliminate the threat of his potential. He finds himself embroiled in the middle of a civil war. He must fight to save his imprisoned father, yet he finds that he has little taste for warfare. Trak carries this conflict onto the battlefield and finds he must use his abilities to stop the war to protect the ones he loves.
Book Three: Magician in Captivity
After a disastrous reunion with Valanna Almond, Trak heads to the mysterious land of Bennin to rescue a Toryan princess sold into slavery. The Warish King sends Valanna back to Pestle to verify that the King of Pestle is no longer under Warish control. The Vashtan menace continues to infect the countries of the world and embroil both Trak and Valanna in civil conflict, while neither of them can shake off the attraction both of them feel towards each other.
Book Four: Magician in Battle
Trak quells the rebellion in Warish but is forced to leave to return the Toryan princess. He reunites with his father but is quickly separated again. Circumstances turn ugly in Torya, and Trak returns to Pestle to fight an unexpected army. Valanna’s story continues as she struggles with her new circumstances, and is sent on a final mission to Pestle. The Power of Poses series ends with a massive battle, pitting soldier against soldier and magic against magic.
