Wizards' Exile

by Colin R Parsons

  Colin R Parsons is a children’s fiction author who writes in many genres. He has a plethora of books and short stories published. His fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural and steam-punk books are popular with children and adults alike. He lives with his wife, Jan, in Wales in the UK, and is proud to be Welsh. If he’s not visiting schools or writing, you can find him trying to figure out the problems of time and space.

  www.colinrparsons.com

  Wizards' Exile

  Colin R. Parsons

  Wizards' Exile

  Pegasus

  PEGASUS EBOOK

  © Copyright 2019

  Colin R. Parsons

  The right of Colin R. Parsons to be identified as author of

  this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the

  Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All Rights Reserved

  No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication

  may be made without written permission.

  No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,

  copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions

  of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).

  Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to

  this publication may be liable to criminal

  prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is

  available from the British Library.

  ISBN (PAPERBACK) 9781910903186

  Pegasus is an imprint of

  Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers Ltd.

  www.pegasuspublishers.com

  First Published in 2019

  Pegasus

  Sheraton House Castle Park

  Cambridge England

  Printed & Bound in Great Britain

  ALSO BY COLIN R PARSONS

  HOUSE OF DARKE

  D. I. S. C. Direct Interface Shadow Control

  GHOSTED

  Dedication

  For Kristoffer and Ryan –

  My two sons who have supported me in my writing career – from my very first scribbles.

  Acknowledgments

  My wife Jan and family, goes without saying. My thanks though, must rest with my readers. Without their dedication and sincerity my writing wouldn’t mean a thing.

  Introduction

  Obsidian the wizard was the ruler of the sky city of Valusha, and everyone seemed happy. The city itself was populated with roads, buildings and open fields with trees and even a river that flowed through it.

  Originally, in order to live in the sky city though, someone in your family had to have a skill, a purpose. This skill would benefit the running of the city and therefore allow its population to thrive.

  Jenta-Lor was campaigning in the background and eventually got elected ruler, which pushed Obsidian out. He then banned all magic from the city. This meant that all wizards had to stop practising it or be exiled, even imprisoned. Most of the small band of wizards escaped and left Valusha under cover of night, in whatever capacity they could. Obsidian disappeared too, and was never heard of again. Any remaining wizards who retaliated were sent to Skytraz Prison.

  *****

  Rhidian Fines was accepted as a citizen in Valusha because of his engineering skills. He was a whiz with machinery. He met, fell in love, and married Mia White.

  Rhidian then worked for Jenta-Lor, fixing and repairing things. Soon he became known as “the engineer”. Once Jenta-Lor had discovered there was a highly skilled engineer in the city, he had him study and invent an anti-magnetic technology that was used for powering cars and many other things. Jenta-Lor then appointed Morbid (his spy) to work with, and learn from, Rhidian.

  Out of nowhere, a Jenta-Lor Police Force was put into place, enforcing any laws Jenta-Lor established. But the people soon discovered that the new ruler wasn’t there to help them, and then things began to change…

  Chapter 1

  Night Arrest

  The two officers trudged along the ground in a quickstep march. The only significant difference in their appearance was that one was slightly taller than the other. They wore the signature black uniform, which was topped off with silver-tipped helmets and a full-face visor, which only left a slit for their eyes. The hardened shell of their body armour squeaked and creaked as they moved stealthily through the night. These were part of the Jenta Police Force, an army of police officers, who served Jenta-Lor. They enforced the law in the sky city of Valusha.

  The streets were quiet at that time of night and all that could be heard was a dog barking in the distance. The two soldiers had their orders and were ready and able to implement them. Their target was close.

  *****

  Rhidian grimaced while he clenched his teeth and tightened the last turn of the bolt. A thin line of sweat trickled down his brow, eventually culminating in droplets off his nose. He wiped away the excess perspiration with the sleeve of his shirt before it stung his eyes – he hated that. He knew once he started the machine the outer casing had to be safe, so the metal guard had to be fully tight – he didn’t want any accidents.

  He grunted as he wrestled with the spanner, gave it one last effort and then grinned in satisfaction. He glanced at the glass dial showing the pressure gauge and gave it a tap.

  ‘Looks fine,’ he said with a cheery sigh. ‘Time to get this thing started, eh, Morbid?’ There was a hint of admiration in his eyes. He loved working on new mechanical projects, and the pleasure it gave him when it worked was immeasurable.

  Rhidian Fines was an engineer in his early thirties. He was a tall, lean man with a pale complexion. The cause of the bleached-white skin was far too many days in the workshop, instead of outside taking in the fresh air. He swept his sandy curls from his brow, for what seemed the umpteenth time. The sweat had dampened his locks and plastered the ends of his hair to his forehead. Rhidian’s green eyes surveyed the finer points of the machine one more time. He’d played the scenario over in his head a thousand times, and as far as he was concerned everything was in place.

  ‘Right, let’s try this then,’ he chirped with anticipation, and peered at his assistant, who very rarely replied or acknowledged him. Morbid stood silently by as usual, and stared back. He was Rhidian’s apprentice and had been for the past five years. Morbid, too, was pale, much more so than Rhidian. He had a small face, etched with worry lines. He always wore black, and there was something sinister about him that Rhidian just couldn’t put his finger on. He only spoke to ask certain questions and then fell silent again. Morbid didn’t react to Rhidian’s comments and stood pensive, like a vulture surveying its prey.

  ‘OK then,’ Rhidian said, the excitement building. He was about to throw the switch. ‘Here goes nothing…’ He reached out, but before he could do so, there was a humongous crash that reverberated around the workshop. Rhidian flinched at the intrusion, but Morbid didn’t move a single muscle. The door to the workshop had burst open and a shower of splinters and dust bloomed from the impact. There wasn’t really time to react before two of Jenta-Lor’s police officers walked through the grey haze. Rhidian was still trying to figure out what was happening. Then, he suddenly found his voice.

  ‘Wha-what’s going on?’ he stammered. ‘What is the meaning of this?’ He looked directly into the eyes of one of the officers. ‘You didn’t have to smash the door in. How dare you break into my workshop.’ Rhidian stood his ground and coughed from the dust now floating in the air. ‘Please leave immediately,’ he ordered.

  ‘Rhidian Fines, otherwise known as the engineer?’ One of the officers spoke, his voice monotone. He stepped forward and the dust settled on his shoulders and arms.

  ‘What? Yes,’ Rhi
dian snapped, more annoyed now than anything else. ‘You know who I am,’ he said, still reeling from the disturbance. ‘What is the meaning of this?’ he growled again in distaste.

  ‘You are under arrest, Rhidian Fines. Please do not try to escape. Do not move. We must restrain you,’ the officer droned, and held out a pair of handcuffs.

  Whilst he’d never thought of it before, Rhidian realised that each officer he’d come in contact with had the same tone – with no emotion behind the voice. Perhaps it was the way they were trained, but that didn’t matter now. Rhidian soon found himself edging away. He swallowed hard, trying to get some moistness in his throat from the dry air. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d always kept his nose clean and certainly wasn’t a troublemaker. Why were they targeting him? He looked at Morbid, who looked directly back at him, but not aiding his defence.

  ‘What? Under arrest?’ he said as he stumbled, trying to make sense of it all. ‘What do you mean? You can’t do this,’ he recoiled angrily. ‘On what charge? I demand to know what I am charged with.’

  The officer proceeded to readout the information on his file.

  ‘We have been reliably informed that you have been reading illegal documents, and so we must arrest you and take you into custody.’ The police officer was reading from a piece of paper which he’d produced from his pocket. He continued, ‘Documents, that relate to the exiled wizard Obsidian,’ the officer said, reading the charge. ‘This is forbidden under Section 12 of the Valusha Law of Practice.’

  Obsidian, the original ruler, had been exiled from Valusha for the use of magic. Magic had been outlawed in Valusha for many years, and was against the law to learn and practise.

  ‘It has been reported,’ the officer carried on, ‘that you have been collecting documents that belonged to the exiled wizard. You have been practising magic.’

  ‘But-but, magic, no…’ Rhidian was outraged and tried to protest his point, but the officer was in full flow.

  ‘These are the charges, please do not evade arrest or I shall have to restrain you.’ The policeman moved forward in a bid to capture the engineer, but Rhidian pulled back further.

  ‘But I only found the papers when I was looking through my work. I’ve only read one or two. It was an accident,’ Rhidian pleaded his innocence. ‘How- how did you know anyway?’ He was distraught. ‘I handed them over to my assistant, immediately after finding them. I gave them to Morbid to show Jenta-Lor. I didn’t keep them.’ Rhidian was confused and ran the memory over in his mind. He again looked at his assistant. Things weren’t quite right here, and then it suddenly hit him. Morbid! Morbid must have given Jenta-Lor a different story. Rhidian was furious.

  While all this was going on Morbid stood motionless in the corner and didn’t utter a word. His mouth suddenly changed into a wide satisfied grin. And Rhidian realised what must have happened. He stared back and bared his teeth in contempt.

  ‘You-you snake,’ Rhidian spat, and pointed at his apprentice, his insides burning with rage. ‘Why did you do this? I’ve done nothing but help you,’ Rhidian protested, but it was no good. He had to prove his innocence. Surely Jenta-Lor would believe him over Morbid and realise it was all a set up? Yes, Jenta-Lor would soon be on his side, he was sure of it.

  There was really no escape, but Rhidian took another step back and finally stopped against a table, pressing his hands on the surface. The first officer attempted to cuff him, but Rhidian struggled and pulled out of his grip. Then, the second officer loomed from behind and grasped Rhidian’s wrist firmly.

  ‘Get off me,’ Rhidian said, still struggling, spittle flying from his mouth. ‘You wait until Jenta-Lor hears of this.’ His angry cries were wasted. ‘He will have your badges.’

  ‘The ruler, Jenta-Lor, facilitated the order,’ came the response from the first officer.

  ‘W-what?’ Again, Rhidian was overwhelmed and couldn’t believe what was being said to him. ‘Morbid, can you help with this please?’ Rhidian pleaded. ‘Did you give that paperwork I found to Jenta-Lor?’

  ‘Of course I did, you fool. I told him you’ve been reading everything you could get your hands on,’ he said with relish – his mouth now widened to a sinister smile. ‘I told him the truth, that you were practising magic.’

  ‘But why lie?’ Rhidian stammered. ‘Why would you do this? I’ve never practised magic, you know that.’

  ‘Don’t you see, you pathetic idiot? I am in charge now. I know how to run everything in the city, and you – you will be gone forever,’ he said. ‘Take him away, officers. Jenta-Lor will rely on my skills from now on.’ Morbid ushered the two policemen with a flick of his hand, as if brushing dust from his jacket. ‘Take the wizard away, before he conjures a spell.’

  ‘I’m not a wizard. You have to believe me – I am not a wizard,’ Rhidian protested. ‘Why have you done this? What did I ever do to you?’ Rhidian ranted as he was forcibly taken from the premises.

  ‘You are a fool, Rhidian Fines. Now you can rot in Skytraz Prison with the rest of the traitors,’ he said, and laughed out loud.

  ‘Traitor? But what have I done to betray Jenta-Lor? I am not a wizard, I’m an engineer – I fix things and build things. I have no clue about magic.’ But the officers ignored his pleas. The engineer was dragged into the street. Outside he saw a vehicle waiting to take him away – the blue light on top blinking.

  ‘Please, please don’t do this.’ He was still struggling when they heaved him into the back and locked the cage. He slumped to the floor. The two officers sat in the front of the car and drove off. Rhidian knew it was futile to struggle any more and settled back for a moment. He gazed through the steel bars and saw blurred images whizz past. The ride was smooth, and although he was trussed up inside a patrol car cage, he couldn’t help but smile, even though this was deadly serious. The anti-magnetic technology that made the vehicle move was his invention. The floating rock in the sky that they were living on was magnetized, and the vehicle repelled it, thus powering the car along the road. He was no wizard and he was going to prove it to Jenta-Lor. As soon as they entered the station, he was going to ask to contact the ruler of Valusha and sort this out – once and for all.

  But his smile turned to horror as he realised that they weren’t turning right towards the Jenta Force Police Station. His stomach tightened. Where were they taking him? This wasn’t right.

  ‘Hold on, you’ve taken the wrong turn,’ he cried. ‘You’ve just passed Jenta Police Station. Where are you taking me?’ Then, the horrific idea dropped into his mind. ‘You’re not taking me to Jenta Force Police Station, are you? You’re taking me… straight to the docking bay and SKYTRAZ PRISON! But you can’t, it’s against your own laws,’ he raged, but it was no use – these two zombies had their orders and that was it. ‘You’re not even giving me a chance to defend myself. My case has to be heard in court,’ he protested again. ‘You can’t do this.’ He tried to break free, but the bars were solid and, ironically, he’d built these cages too.

  ‘What about my wife? I have to get word to her. Are you listening to me?’ he yelled. ‘You can’t do this. I have to contact Mia.’ The more he ranted, the more energy he used up. He rattled the cage once more, but he knew it was futile. He eventually sat back in the seat and quietly contemplated what it was he could do to get out of this situation.

  The streets of Valusha were deserted at this time of night. The car silently whooshed through the quiet city. Rhidian had many thoughts rushing through his mind. How long had Morbid been planning this? Why was he doing it in the first place? Rhidian had only been helpful to him. The engineer felt at an all time low. What would Mia do when she found out?

  While all this swirled in his mind the car slowed and came to a stop at the shuttle bay. The smooth transition from full speed to stop was a tranquil affair, and Rhidian remembered how much work he’d put into it to get it that way.

  Now the officers took him out of the patrol car and led him to the waiting ship. He wriggle
d and squirmed, but it didn’t matter, he was not strong enough to resist. The vessel was really a cargo ship. It lay anchored, and was bathed in lights that shone from the dock. The ship was a big structure, with a huge zeppelin-type balloon above the body, which was tethered by a lattice of metal.

  When they escorted Rhidian on board, he was led to a holding pen on the vast deck. He looked around as they shunted him along. There were wooden containers chained to the deck and fixed into position with metal pins. They soon approached the cage he would be locked inside. One of the officers waited for a crewmember to open it up, and then Rhidian was pushed in.

  ‘Please, you’ve got to believe me, I’m innocent. I’m not a wizard,’ Rhidian again complained, but as he tried to get back out, the door was slammed shut and locked.

  ‘Settle down.’ The sailor, who had opened the door, spoke softly, and Rhidian looked at him. The man rolled his sympathetic eyes. ‘Sorry mate,’ he said reluctantly, ‘but I can’t help you. I’ve got my orders.’ He shook his head as the police officers left the ship.

  ‘Please don’t give me any trouble,’ the man concluded, ‘or the captain will get annoyed and you don’t want to annoy him.’ Rhidian didn’t answer and only peered back in silence. He watched the officers as they climbed into their patrol car and silently pulled away, and everything felt so final.

  ‘We’ll be casting off in a minute, so get some sleep, fella,’ the crewman insisted. He paused. ‘It’ll be a while ‘til we get there. There’s some water in that container,’ he said, whilst pointing to a bottle next to the engineer, and then he walked away, whistling as he went.