Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - The Magus and his Pet
Chapter 2 - Breakfast with the Magus
Chapter 3 - How to Train
Chapter 4 - Training Begins
Chapter 5 - Speaking with Aghadine
Chapter 6 - A Bad Day
Chapter 7 - The Lessons We Learn
Chapter 8 - Lucas and the Cat
Chapter 9 - Best Served Cold
Chapter 10 - The Block
Chapter 11 - The King and the Queen
Chapter 12 - Brake In
Chapter 13 - On Your Knees
Chapter 14 - A Call for Aid
Chapter 15 - Blood Steel
Chapter 16 - The Seer
Chapter 17 - Dinner at the Palace
Chapter 18 - Old One Eye
Chapter 19 - A Crisis of Faith
Chapter 20 - Speaks to the Dead
Chapter 21 - A Bargain with the Chainless
Chapter 22 - The Apostate’s Village
Chapter 23 - After A Long Walk
Chapter 24 - Pleasure Slave
Chapter 25 - The Morning After
Chapter 26 - Leaving Danthamore
Chapter 27 - On the Road
Chapter 28 - Journey to the Holy City
Chapter 29 - Mirror, Mirror
Chapter 30 - The Outlander
Chapter 31 - The Ruins of Silitaran
Chapter 32 - The Nivecus Waraeu
Chapter 33 - Safe and Sound
Epilogue
Unnamed
A Chronicle of Rebirth
The Magus Book 1
J.M. Fletcher and J.P. Fletcher
Copyright © 2017 J.M. Fletcher and J.P. Fletcher
All rights reserved.
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Contents
Chapter 1 - The Magus and his Pet
Chapter 2 - Breakfast with the Magus
Chapter 3 - How to Train
Chapter 4 - Training Begins
Chapter 5 - Speaking with Aghadine
Chapter 6 - A Bad Day
Chapter 7 - The Lessons We Learn
Chapter 8 - Lucas and the Cat
Chapter 9 - Best Served Cold
Chapter 10 - The Block
Chapter 11 - The King and the Queen
Chapter 12 - Brake In
Chapter 13 - On Your Knees
Chapter 14 - A Call for Aid
Chapter 15 - Blood Steel
Chapter 16 - The Seer
Chapter 17 - Dinner at the Palace
Chapter 18 - Old One Eye
Chapter 19 - A Crisis of Faith
Chapter 20 - Speaks to the Dead
Chapter 21 - A Bargain with the Chainless
Chapter 22 - The Apostate’s Village
Chapter 23 - After A Long Walk
Chapter 24 - Pleasure Slave
Chapter 25 - The Morning After
Chapter 26 - Leaving Danthamore
Chapter 27 - On the Road
Chapter 28 - Journey to the Holy City
Chapter 29 - Mirror, Mirror
Chapter 30 - The Outlander
Chapter 31 - The Ruins of Silitaran
Chapter 32 - The Nivecus Waraeu
Chapter 33 - Safe and Sound
Epilogue
“This is the third time you’ve thrown us out of the City!” The tall, lanky man with dark and stringy red hair, stood alongside two other men while several of Danthamore’s guards forced them away from the front of the gates.
“Take your messages and displays elsewhere, If you don’t, you might find yourself swinging from Robber’s Row by your necks.” The last thing he wanted was his Captain of the Watch, Elian, to replace him thinking he could not handle the man. The peculiar and eccentric preacher had not yet heeded his stern warnings to stay out of the city.
Nelina’s longing green eyes trailed over to the three strangers. How she wished she could be with them and not here. Her Uncle had kept her tied up during the entire journey to prevent her from running away, and her wrists were sore. “This isn’t right!” She dug her heels in, refusing to take another step. “We’ve lost everything because of you, not me.”
With no warning, Tiberius’s open, flat hand came down hard upon the left side of her face. “Shut yer mouth before I smack yer teeth out girl. I don’t care a lick for ya as it is. I only took you in because I had to when yer ma and yer poor excuse for a father died.”
Out of instinct, her slender fingers touched her stinging cheek. It had hurt just enough for her to be silent and docile.
The streets of Danthamore were bustling with their usual activities in the early afternoon hours. Merchants and buyers crowded the slave square. Fall had a different feel to it being this close to the Waste with its unrelenting heat. The hot sun beating down added to the unbearable temperature, and the air itself was thick and humid from the vast Torbian Sea.
Emotional numbness, followed by dread, filled her as the blood drained from her head to her toes, as her Uncle stopped in front of one of the partially shaded slaver stalls.
Tiberius used what little manners he had, in addressing the Slaver. “Are you buyin slaves t’day Sir? And if yer are, how much will you give me for her?”
Nelina’s attention snapped over to the slave trader. “He can’t sell me! I’m a free woman of the Lower Kingdoms!”
“You ain’t in the Lower Kingdoms shrew! Yer in Danthamore.” Collared, dirty, and standing next to Nelina, the naked woman tried to spit in Nelina’s face, just missing her.
The stout, plump, middle-aged slaver Johan, did not pay any attention to the exchange between the two women. “Depends my good man, is she yours to sell?”
“She’s my niece, and my property, her given name is Nelina Draeden.” Tiberius set a scroll declaring Nelina under his guardianship, down on the slaver’s stand.
Johan skimmed over the scroll. “What’s her age?”
“Around twenty summers from when my sister Eloise had her.” Tiberius figured it was a good enough estimate.
“What skills does she have? Can she do anything of use?” Johan always performed a quick inventory of potential new slaves.
Nelina’s uncle jumped to answer. “She can cook, and mend clothing, especially tunics.”
“Is that all she can do then?” The slaver’s squinty dark brown eyes darted to Nelina to appraise the young woman. Her vibrant green eyes and fetching face framed by matted, tangled, flaxen hair, along with a full bosom, and a slender figure was all he needed to know. “What do you want for her?”
Panic ensued, and Nelina in an act of final desperation, tugged on her uncle’s sleeve. “Please, please don’t do this to me! Please! You can just let me go!”
Both of the men ignored her pleas, and Tiberius jerked his arm away hard from her. “At least five gold crowns.”
Nelina’s trembling hands fell at her sides while choking back the stinging tears at the hard reality of her situation.
“Five is fair, she has no sickness, nor has she been used much or had a babe. I’m sure she’d grab a good price at one of the local whorehouses.” Tiberius waited in anticipation while Johan mulled it over.
The slaver gave a nod of approval. “She’s worth a few coins. I’ll give you fifty silvers for her.”
In shock and disappointment, Tiberius shook his head. “That’s it? Fifty silvers? I want at least three gold crowns, she’d sell for that at a whorehouse.”
Determined, Johan began to beat down Tiberius’ price. “I won’t do three, there’s no profit in it for me, and it’s what I’d get selling her off to a whorehouse. I’ll do one gold crown and thirty silvers she’s not worth any more to me.”
Grunting his dismay under his breath, he begrudgingly accepted Johan’s offer. “One gold crown and thirty silvers it is then.”
“You’ve made a good deal for yourself my friend.” Johan counted out the payment handing it to him.
Tiberius’s hands shook as he greedily clutched the coins from him. “She’s yours now.”
Staring at both men, Nelina dug her nails into the palm of her hands she was worried. Already, she could see the slave block had a long line for the upcoming auction. On the block, the slaves were always stripped of their clothing for eager potential buyers to view them. However, not selling on the block meant that she would sleep in the slave pens tonight, and that would be beyond awful. She recalled the memory of the slave masters whom she had seen once who were laughing while tossing in the unwanted scraps from the local butchers into the pens. It sent a shiver down her spine. Those people had clawed at each other for any sliver of food. Still, the cringing fear of the whorehouses, made her gut wrench with terror too.
After conducting his bartering with Tiberius, Johan reached into a large brown burlap bag, to pull out a thick metal collar.
“Here, girl, time to put this on.” He wound his short, stubby, fingers through her hair, yanking it hard enough to make her fall to the ground.
The tight metal band clicked shut around her neck. Her fingertips glided over the imposing, cold iron. Frightened, she gazed at the block as the auction began.
“If it eases your mind, you’re not going there today.” Johan put a thin chain through a ring in the center of her collar.
“I-I’m not?” Momentary relief flooded through her whole body.
“Uh-uh, I have another buyer for you.” Johan wasted no time in breaking down his stall.
“Will you untie me, please?” For days, she had remained with her wrists tied together.
“No, so don’t bother asking me again,” The flesh trader had glimpsed too much of the defiant untamed spirit behind her green eyes to not trust unbinding her hands.
Until he was ready to leave, Nelina remained quiet and compliant. Any opportunity to escape would be better tried elsewhere.
Except for a single sack in one hand, Johan’s other hand held onto the light, but the durable metal leash looped through her collar. He led her through the slave square toward the buildings within the city’s surrounding wall, leaving the main gate at their backs. He tugged her toward the shops district, away from the slave square and the common quarters of the city which flanked the shops. For many people in the working class of Danthamore, it offered a short walk to the main gate or the docks below.
“Is this really necessary? To keep tugging on the chain?” With her hands tied Nelina grabbed the chain and did not move. “I’ll just follow you, this is painful.”
Johan inhaled a sharp deep breath resisting the initial urge to lash out at her with his fist. “Listen fast, cunny, if you weren’t for my buyer, I’d beat you till you were bruised and broken in places, got it?” Using the chain he jerked her forward causing her to almost lose her footing.
By staying closer to him, it gave her neck a small reprieve as they continued through the shops district into the merchant’s quarters. Here, the change in construction and the care for homes between the lower stations and the merchants was apparent. The windows sills and entryways of the merchants’ dwellings had flowers and plants amongst other trimmings in decoration. Such things were not usually bothered with by Danthamore’s poor.
Looming in the distance, was the Obsidian Palace with the Kings tower standing at its center as they entered the Noble’s quarters. Opulence could be seen all the way down from the elaborate fountains to the ornate houses with their individual and unique architecture representing their family histories. Walking past the spraying water fountains was nice, it provided a cool mist, which for a fleeting second distracted her from the heat. Although the merchant quarters were nothing to scoff at, they were by far more cramped than compared to here. The wealthy residences in this quarter left plenty of space between each other and had their own private gardens. Streets in this area were specifically designed to be wider and less narrow which allowed for the passing of two carts alongside one another.
“Keep up girl, we’re almost there.” While there was no need for it, the slaver pulled hard on the chain anyway.
Danthamore’s palace took in a commanding view over the quarter by the time they reached the end of the district. Since the City of Danthamore was built on the rise of a cliff, the black obsidian palace rested on the highest peak reaching up to the sky. The natural defenses of the cliff complimented the palace walls. Unlike the city’s construction, the King’s tower was said to be in the time before the first Kingdom.
The black obsidian tower itself jutted upward, standing far above the smaller obsidian towers below it which made up the wall of the palace. Anyone wishing to enter the palace from the Noble quarter passed through this checkpoint first.
“Halt, what business do you have with the Crown?” The royal guard eyed Nelina.
“My business is with the Magus of Danthamore, this particular treasure is for him.” Johan again tugged Nelina’s chain to accentuate his point. “It’s him you’re holding up, not me.”
“The Magus?” Nelina was incredulous and laughed for the first time all day. “You think he wants me? Have you gone mad?”
The royal sentry leered at Nelina. “She better not be another toy for the Captain of the Guard, slaver.”
“She’s not, and the next girl I get, I’ll bring her around for you boys,” offered Johan.
“You’d better,” without further delay, her and Johan were waved through and allowed to pass.
Johan twisted her chain to make it shorter while leading her to the eastern entrance closest to the outer wall overlooking the Torbian Sea and the jagged rocks below. The arched gates they came to was well guarded, while still allowing for the provisions that kept the palace running to be brought in.
“G’day lads, I’m here to see your Captain.” Johan’s sights settled on Lucas, whom he had seen with Elian before. “I have the Magus’s prize.”
The guard next to Lucas smirked. “What could our Captain want with her, that we can’t handle?”
“Shut up,” the back of Lucas’s hand flew up to keep his friend quiet. He would not risk any ire from his Captain, let alone the Magus himself. Besides, she was not the first woman to be brought through here for his Captain. “Follow me,”
Nelina’s chance of escape was becoming dimmer by the minute. It would be hard enough to try to run from the royal guards let alone the city ones too. The guards of the eastern section who were clad in their chain mail, were different than the palace guards as they were part of the city watch. She could smell the manure from the horses in the royal stables as they passed by. Already, she was pondering her escape and wondered how difficult it would be to earn enough trust from this Magus to leave and ride away one day. Continuing on past a portion of the royal gardens that dotted open spaces of the palace, she saw the servant’s entrance.
Lucas brought them into a half enclosed atrium garden and motioned to the benches by a large white fountain. “Wait here while I get the Captain,”
Tired and worn out, Nelina went to sit down at one of the benches only to be jerked up in a rough manner by Johan “Up girl!”
Hatred burned behind her eyes.
However, their wait for the Captain was not a long one. When the young fair haired Captain came to gr
eet them, he was dressed in clothing befitting a noble of a high station. Elian’s formal jacket was a dark blue, trimmed in black and paired with black breeches and boots.
“What have you brought today, Johan?” Elian had dropped what he was doing in writing out the city watch rotations to meet with him. He had his doubts whether this girl would be any different than the other women.
Nelina spun around to see the city Captain of Danthamore with eyes as blue as the Torbian Sea staring at her. No longer was she worried about Johan, her new thought was a fearful one. ‘That’s the man who uses women like toys.’
“She’s stunning, the best one you’ve brought yet. Her eyes are as green as the emerald stones I’ve seen come in from the Chainless coast.” Elian’s gaze was locked on Nelina. “Lucas, get the Magus, tell him Johan is here with one of his wares and that this one is worth his time.”
Nelina’s warm green eyes went wide. ‘Worth his time, were these men touched by madness?’ She pondered the question to herself.
“The Magus will want her then you think?” Johan wrapped his hand around her chain again to shorten it.
Elian shrugged. “As long as that flaxen, sweeping hair on top of her head matches what is the natural color between her legs, then yes.” He rubbed his forehead frustrated. “You did check the woman right?”
“Um, I didn’t think to do it, I should have,” Johan frowned. “Apologies for my oversight.”
“Never mind it,” Elian approached Nelina. “Up with your skirts now.”
“May the God of All curse you! No!” She stepped backwards, pulling against the metal restraint around her throat. “You will not touch me!”
“No? You’re honestly refusing me?” Elian blinked his eyes in shock, slaves under a slave master for any amount of time did not behave in this manner.
She was obstinate and unbending. “Yes, I am, Milord, while I’m not trying to be impertinent, I refuse to be subject to such a humiliation.”
With a flick of his wrist the slaver slammed her down to her knees using his metal leash. “If the Captain wants to see what you have, you’ll show him.”
Her angry glare shot up to both of them. “What if this Magus that I am supposed to belong to, doesn’t want you to touch me?” She stood back up and faced Elian with a burning defiance in her eyes.
The Magus (A Chronicle of Rebirth Book 1) Page 1
