Avondale V

by Toby Neighbors

  Avondale V

  The Avondale Series Book 5

  by Toby Neighbors

  Avondale V

  © 2015, Toby Neighbors

  Published by Mythic Adventure Publishing

  Idaho, USA

  All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Copy Editing by Allison Hagan

  Books By Toby Neighbors

  Avondale Series

  Avondale

  Draggah

  Balestone

  Arcanius

  Avondale V

  Five Kingdoms Series

  Wizard Rising

  Magic Awakening

  Hidden Fire

  Fierce Loyalty

  Crying Havoc

  Evil Tide

  Wizard Falling

  Lorik Trilogy

  Lorik

  Lorik the Defender

  Lorik the Protector

  Other Novels

  Third Prince

  Royal Destiny

  The Other Side

  The New World

  Zompocalypse Omnibus

  Short Stories

  Dark Origin

  Dedication

  To Kent and Matt,

  two great story tellers, and even better friends.

  And to Camille, my muse,

  I’ll be your partner in whatever adventures lie ahead.

  Avondale Spell List

  Spells of the First Order

  •Simple Cuts - Sano Grasilis Abscido

  •Fever - Sano Frebricula Reducto

  •Seasonal Ailments - Sano Retrorsum Adgravesco

  •Broken Bones - Acies Intrinsecus Accipio Ceptum Sarcio Adiflictus Ossis

  •Lacerations - Sano Sarcio Acies Deprimo Abscido

  •Internal Bleeding - Acies Penetralis Deprimo Sano Crudus Viscus

  •Burns - Acies Sano Cuticula, Acies Penetralis Resarcio Viscus

  Corporeus Adfectus - The physical connection with another person, so that you feel what they feel

  Spells of the Fourth Order

  Basic spells:

  •Fire - Accendo

  •Light - Fulsi

  •Wind - Flabra

  Intermediate spells:

  •Lightning - Fulguralis

  •Focusing Light - Specula Fulsi

  •Cyclone - Furibundus Nimbosus

  Advanced Spells:

  •Crucible - Conflo Fervefacio Aestifer

  •Destruction - Motus Tellus Aboleo

  •Sealing - Phoca Obduresco Aevum Infragilis

  Princess Ariel’s Practical Spell List

  •Fire - Ingesco Exsuscito

  •Far Sight - Ultimus Conspectus

  •Find North - Repperi Arctoa

  •Find Water - Repperi Amnis

  •Calm Minds - Quievi Adfectus

  •Cloaking Spell - Abdidi Incantatio

  •Shielding Spell - Scuti Incantatio

  •Summon Wind - Vocavi Ventus

  •Sleep Spell - Somni Incantatio

  Chapter 1

  Lexi

  Tiberius was still asleep when Lexi woke up. Light was making its way between the boards of the war ship’s hull. The small sleeping compartment that Robere had created for Tiberius was still gloomy, but Lexi stood and stretched. Their ordeal in Avondale had been exhausting, and she was glad they had the war ship to travel in. Dancer was curled on the bed, looking at Lexi with its large, dark eyes.

  “You better come with me,” she whispered.

  Lexi scooped the wind glider up and held the small animal like a baby. She wanted to check on the ship’s progress so she slipped quietly from the little room and past the soldiers snoring in their hammocks.

  The war ship was small and fast. Like the larger sky ships, the smaller vessel had a large, bulbous sail that was filled with hylum that lifted the war ship off the ground. The sky ships had massive sails to either side, but the war ship was so much lighter that it only needed a few sails to catch the wind and propel the deadly craft. The war ships had been used to rain down fire bombs on rebellious cities after the great cataclysm. Eventually the nine cities, each isolated on mountaintops across the vast empire, were once again united.

  Lexi mounted the steps and came out of the ship’s hold and onto the deck. The sun had just risen above the thick blanket of mist that covered the blighted lands. There was a strong wind that filled the sails on either side of the ship, and only three men crewed the vessel.

  “She’s easy enough to manage,” said the ship’s captain, referring to the vessel. “We’ve made good headway all night.”

  They were skimming along just above the mists, and there were no other vessels in sight. It was as if they were on a sea of clouds, and Lexi felt excited and frightened at the same time. The sky was beautiful, and the sense of motion on the small ship was exhilarating. But the vast expanse of empty space also made Lexi feel small and weak. She felt as if she could get lost so easily in the empty sky.

  “Any sign of pursuit?” Lexi asked.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “And we’re headed south?”

  She knew they were. The sun was rising in the east, which was to her left, but she felt obligated to ask.

  “We’ve got a perfect tail wind,” the captain said proudly.

  “We’ll need to go below the mist soon,” Lexi said. She didn’t miss the look of worry that suddenly appeared on the captain’s face. “We can wait until Tiberius is awake, but we’re exposed and we’ll need to be able to see what’s below us.”

  “You know that going into the mist could be dangerous,” the captain said. “There’s no way to know what’s down there.”

  “We’ve been down there,” Lexi said. “South of Avondale are vast plains. You don’t need to worry.”

  The captain nodded. He was a short man, but stout with a thick black beard and a fringe of grizzled hair around the crown of his head. He had thick wrinkles around his eyes and he squinted at Lexi, but the look wasn’t antagonistic. It was more of a look of stunned disbelief.

  “You’ve really gone down there?” he asked.

  “Yes, with Tiberius.”

  “And is he really a wizard?”

  Lexi nodded. The captain had obviously been waiting for a chance to ask the questions that were on his mind, and now he was taking advantage of the opportunity.

  “There were rumors,” he said, “in Avondale. I heard tell that the earl’s sons are all dabbling in magic.”

  He said the last word as if it were a curse. She thought he was going to clear his throat and spit, but he restrained himself.

  “What do you know about magic?” Lexi asked.

  “I know that it’s been outlawed,” the captain said, speaking in a low voice.

  “But have you ever seen it practiced?”

  “No, of course I haven’t.”

  “Well, at some point you will see what Tiberius can do,” Lexi said. “It isn’t frightening or evil—in fact, it’s really quite amazing.”

  “That’s all well and good,” the captain went on. “But I heard Tiberius summoned fire from the sky and nearly destroyed the entire city.”

  “That isn’t true,” Lexi said.

  “I heard that he killed his brother, Brutas.”

  “Again not true,” Lexi said. “Didn’t the earl assign you to this ship?”

  “He did,” the captain said with a note of pride. “He gave me the orders personally. Said I was to take you anywhere his son wanted to go.”

  “And when was the last time you saw the earl looking so strong and healthy?” />
  The captain had to think a moment.

  “I was captain of his sky ship for over a decade,” the man said. “But he hasn’t traveled in a while.”

  “That’s because he was dying,” Lexi said. “Tiberius used magic to heal him.”

  The captain looked skeptical.

  “And Brutas tried to usurp his father’s throne,” Lexi went on. “He would have succeeded, too, if Tiberius hadn’t stopped him.”

  “So the stories are true?”

  “Some of them,” Lexi said. “I don’t think Brutas is a wizard. But there is trouble in Sparlan Citadel. The king wants Tiberius and he wouldn’t think twice about killing all of us to get him.”

  The captain’s face turned hard. “He won’t catch this ship, my lady.”

  “That’s good,” Lexi said. “But we still have to find the city that Tiberius is looking for. The king will almost certainly send an army to Avondale, and we need to get back before they attack.”

  “You really think the king would attack Avondale?” the captain said. “It’s his home, his own family.”

  “I don’t know the king or what is driving him to do the things he’s doing,” Lexi said. “But I know he’s dangerous and I know that we have to help Tiberius however we can.”

  “We won’t let him down,” the captain said.

  Lexi walked to the ship’s railing and looked down. The mists were too thick to see through, and Lexi found herself wishing she could see down to the bright green fields below. She had been frightened when she left Avondale to be with Tiberius; it was the first time in her life she had risked letting herself be hurt by someone. She had spent her formative years trying to survive on her own. She’d learned at a very young age not to trust anyone and had spent her life keeping everyone around her at arm’s length. But Tiberius had broken through her defenses.

  She found herself thinking back to their budding romance in Avondale, before the banishment. It seemed like another lifetime. At first she had befriended Tiberius thinking to rob him. He had seemed like an easy mark, so trusting and naive, but once she’d gotten to know him, his kindness and generosity quickly won her over. They flirted, but Lexi never really expected the relationship to blossom into something real. He was the earl’s son, and she was an orphan. He lived in the palace in the wealthiest part of the city, while she fought to survive in the dark streets of the lower levels.

  Looking back, she realized that she had been the truly naive one. She had thought she could keep the world at bay. She had thought that Tiberius would be like everyone else she knew, selfish and conniving. But he had proven her wrong, and following him from Avondale had been the best decision of her life. She loved him fiercely, and together she felt like there was nothing they couldn’t do.

  As the wind riffled through her short hair, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom and excitement about the future that she had never really experienced before. It was such a thrilling feeling that she didn’t pay attention as Dancer scurried up her arm and onto her shoulder. The little wind glider often sat perched on her shoulder, but this time the small creature stood up on its short rear legs. Lexi was still staring out at the blanket of mist below them, watching as the ripples and dips in the cloudy barrier raced past the bottom of the hull.

  As Dancer began hopping up and down, chattering excitedly, Lexi’s excitement turned to dread. She recognized the small animal’s warning of danger, even though she couldn’t see anything that might be causing the wind glider to panic.

  “What is it, girl?”

  Dancer trilled, and Lexi felt a wave of dizziness that always proceeded the shared sight she was somehow able to access with the wind glider. She closed her eyes, and in her mind she could see the barrier of mist stretching out below the war ship. Only this time it seemed like there was something more. A shadow was moving in the mist. It was still very far away, but Dancer’s eyesight was so acute, she could see that something was approaching the ship.

  The object in the cloud bank bobbed up out of the mist for a split second, the creature’s long head just breaking the surface of the mist long enough to see that its prey was still sailing along on the same course. Lexi opened her eyes and turned to the small command deck, where the captain was once again holding the large steering oar.

  “Captain!” she shouted. “Something is coming toward the ship.”

  “What? Where?” he demanded.

  “There,” Lexi pointed. “In the mist.”

  The captain looked up, but the war ship had no central mast or crow’s nest that might give them a better line of sight. He was already standing on the tallest part of the ship, and Lexi knew he couldn’t see the creature.

  “Keep an eye out for us,” Lexi told Dancer. “And don’t get too close.”

  “Rouse the men!” the captain shouted. “All hands to their stations. Prepare the catapult.”

  Lexi took Dancer in both hands and tossed her overboard. The little wind glider extended its legs, stretching the skin between the small limbs and catching an invisible updraft. Lexi watched as Dancer soared up, higher even than the bulbous hylum sail of the war ship. She was just about to go wake Tiberius when the creature approaching broke through the mist and roared.

  Chapter 2

  Tiberius

  He woke up to a burning ache in his back. It wasn’t horrible, but it hurt enough to be annoying. He lay on the makeshift bed, thankful that he had finally gotten some sleep. He was tempted to chew some more of the drug-like stems that Olyva had given him. The peace of oblivion was much more attractive than facing another day when it seemed like the world was determined to kill him.

  He stretched, arching his back and straightening his legs out under the blanket, but it was a mistake. His back spasmed so hard he almost couldn’t breathe. He lay on the bed grunting and trying not to scream from the pain. He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on breathing. He tried to roll over, to find a position that would somehow ease the pain, but it got worse.

  He didn’t notice the shouting on the deck above him. He could hear the sounds of boots pounding on the wooden planking and the voices of excited men hurrying around the ship, but it wasn’t until the roar that he realized something was wrong.

  Jumping up and rushing on deck simply wasn’t an option. Just getting out of the bed was difficult enough. The pain in his back made bright sparks float in his vision, but once he got onto his feet, the pain eased back to a tolerable level. He was just coming out of the makeshift cabin when Robere nearly ran into him.

  “Master Tiberius!” he said loudly. He was almost in a panic. “There’s a monster!”

  “I’m coming,” Tiberius said. “Help me up to the deck.”

  The stairs were difficult. Whenever Tiberius leaned too far forward or back, agonizing streaks of pain raced through his body. He clenched his teeth and kept climbing. The sun was bright outside, and even though Tiberius could hear the sounds of panic around him, it seemed too beautiful for there to be any real danger.

  Lexi met him at the top of the stairs as soldiers raced past with the large clay fire bombs that could be launched from the ship’s catapult. Tiberius saw the look of fear on her face, but it was the huge creature racing toward them out of the mist that garnered all his attention.

  “What is that?” he mumbled, the pain in his back nearly forgotten.

  “I think it’s a dragon,” Lexi said.

  The creature had a long, thick body, huge wings, and a spiked tail. Its head looked like the tip of a spear. It was leaf-shaped, not angular, but long and pointed. The mouth was open, and Tiberius saw multiple rows of tall, pointed teeth.

  “We can’t outrun it!” shouted the captain.

  The beast was almost on top of them, and Tiberius realized that it wasn’t attacking the ship. The head turned upward, and the body followed, whipping past the ship in a blur.

  “What’s it doing?” Lexi said with a note of terror in her voice.

  “It isn’t after us,
” Tiberius replied.

  “What’s it after?”

  Tiberius didn’t have the heart to voice what he knew to be true. He and Lexi leaned on the ship’s rail and looked upward at the dazzling blue sky. Dancer was circling high over the ship, and the dragon was rushing toward the little creature.

  “Ti, do something!” Lexi shouted.

  “I can’t.”

  “Dancer! Look out!”

  The wind glider was too far away to hear Lexi’s voice, but to Tiberius it seemed that the little animal heard her somehow. The dragon had almost reached Dancer, but the little wind glider folded its arms and legs, dropping like a stone. The dragon tried to catch Dancer in its mouth but missed by what seemed to Tiberius like inches. It took the dragon much longer to turn and follow the glider, but it was soon streaking down toward the war ship, too.

  “Here, Dancer!” Lexi shouted. “Fly to me.”

  “What the hell is she doing?” the captain cried. “We’ll all be killed if that thing attacks the ship.”

  Tiberius agreed with the captain, but he didn’t say a word. Dancer spread its little legs and flew into Lexi’s arms. The dragon roared in fury and then spun in midair, letting its long, spiked tail swing around and toward the ship’s balloon sail. Tiberius didn’t even think before he cast his spell.

  “Scuti Incantatio,” he chanted, flinging the invisible shield up between the bulbous sail of the war ship and the dragon’s tail.

  The magic was strong, but Tiberius wasn’t. The strength of the creature’s attack hit him so hard through the kinetic link to his magic that Tiberius went sprawling across the deck. Lexi screamed, and Ti’s back spasmed. For a moment the world darkened, and he was afraid he might pass out from the pain, but he fought to keep his senses.

  “Tiberius!” Lexi shouted.

  He could see that Dancer was locked onto Lexi’s shoulder. Normally it sat perched lightly and perfectly balanced, but now it seemed to be holding on to her with all its might. The long tail was wrapped around her upper arm, and its face was hidden in her hair.