Melody of Mana 6 E-Book

Wandering Agent

• Herausgeber: Podium Publishing
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: Melody of Mana
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 483

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Brutal wars, devious political plots, and portal magic gone wrong . . . in this beloved fantasy-adventure series, skilled mage Alana has survived it all.   A mage's life requires constant work to keep essential spells in place, but Alana doesn't mind the effort. As part of the new government's research and development team, she's called upon to teach three promising students in the art of bardic magic. Meanwhile, she's slowly pushing her own core to its highest level.   But when a royal ball erupts in violence, Alana joins the fight without a second thought. As a trusted advisor to Emperor Durin—and with the fate of the empire at stake—she must bring her fiercest resources to the battle . . . even as she mourns deeply personal losses.   In the last thrilling chapter of Alana's epic story, she'll face her most challenging quests and wield the most powerful mana yet.   The sixth volume of the hit progression-fantasy series—with almost four million views on Royal Road—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!

Leseprobe

Melody

of

Mana

Book 6

WANDERING AGENT

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from Podium Publishing.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2025 by Michael Robert Taylor

Cover design by Yanhong Lu

ISBN: 978-1-0394-8402-3

Published in 2025 by Podium Publishing

www.podiumentertainment.com

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 QUIET EVENING

CHAPTER TWO TAKING UP TEACHING

CHAPTER 3 TWILIGHT FALLING

CHAPTER 4 ROYAL BALL

CHAPTER 5 ECLIPSE

CHAPTER 6 BATTLES

CHAPTER 7 SOVEREIGNS’ DEATH

CHAPTER 8 FALLEN

CHAPTER 9 GRIEF

CHAPTER 10 TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY

CHAPTER 11 REBEL BASE

CHAPTER 12 GOODBYE, PRINCESS

CHAPTER 13 MORNING TALKS

CHAPTER 14 ORDERS

CHAPTER 15 MOVING IN

CHAPTER 16 A SMALL INTERVENTION

CHAPTER 17 NIGHT OFF

CHAPTER 18 CONSULTATION

CHAPTER 19 A VISIT

CHAPTER 20 The OFFICE

CHAPTER 21 BATHROOM PASS

CHAPTER 22 NOT A LAMP

CHAPTER 23 A LITTLE CHAT

CHAPTER 24 QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 25 IRRITATING OLD MEN

CHAPTER 26 SUMMIT PREPARATIONS

CHAPTER 27 THE PRIESTESS

CHAPTER 28 NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN

CHAPTER 29 INTERLOPER

CHAPTER 30 BATTLE OF THE NORTH

CHAPTER 31 CLEANUP

CHAPTER 32 HALFWAY

CHAPTER 33 RETURN TO SILVERSPRINGS

CHAPTER 34 PLANS

CHAPTER 35 TYING THE KNOT

CHAPTER 36 HONEYMOON

CHAPTER 37 ONE YEAR LATER

CHAPTER 38 FIVE YEARS LATER

CHAPTER 39 FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

CHAPTER 40 FIELD TRIP BEGINS

CHAPTER 41 ARRIVAL

CHAPTER 42 SOME LOW-KEY RACISM

CHAPTER 43 MUSEUMS

CHAPTER 44 OLD FRIEND

CHAPTER 45 EVENING OUT

CHAPTER 46 STORM AND SEA

CHAPTER 47 RUN FOR THE DOOR

CHAPTER 48 SHELTER IN THE STORM

CHAPTER 49 A NEW PLAN

CHAPTER 50 HELLO AGAIN

CHAPTER 51 WORRIES

CHAPTER 52 BESIEGED

CHAPTER 53 MOVING FORWARD

CHAPTER 54 CHILDREN CHANGE

CHAPTER 55 CITY

CHAPTER 56 SUBTLE ADVICE

CHAPTER 57 SUSPICIONS AND FRUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER 58 SHARING AND CARING

CHAPTER 59 PEEPING

CHAPTER 60 RETURN TO ERATOL

CHAPTER 61 LAST HURDLE

CHAPTER 62 ATRIUM BATTLE

CHAPTER 63 HOMEWARD

CHAPTER 64 UNTIL NEXT TIME

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER 1

QUIET EVENING

An alarm sounded. It was nothing more than a simple timer, not one made with gears and cogs, but rather, magic. It wasn’t much, but it was something that most people of this world would never own, or ever even see with their own eyes. Well, at least, probably not in my lifetime, but there may be more mages someday. I could only hope.

I looked up from my work with a frown. Another day gone by, and I was still running into the same problem. The portals we’d been using were a mess. I had been in this world for years now and had come to love it, which is why I needed to address this clear threat before it backfired, explosively. I’d already seen what that looks like. Something nearly ripped its way into this reality, something that sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. It needed to be stopped.

Unfortunately, that was far easier said than done. My research of late had been focused on attempts to stop the portals—or at the very least to alleviate the mess they could create if things went wrong. The emperor wasn’t going to stop using them, not with how dependent he had become on their usefulness. He was at least looking into spreading them out, so that was … something.

Sadly, magical items had limits to their abilities. The creator of the magic system hadn’t included everything I might want for the portals, particularly some way to smooth space back to where it should be. I didn’t know if he’d left that out purposely, or if he hadn’t realized it would be important, but here we were. Though I knew where he was, I also knew I couldn’t get there. That fact was quite frustrating. It was impossible—or nearly impossible. Otherwise, I would have gone and dragged the old man out of his cave to make him find a way to fix this.

Theoretically, I could fix the portal issues with my own spells, but there was no insert function in the cores that would allow me to automate the task. At least there were a few tricks I was working on that could address some of my problems.

The little box I’d been tinkering with glowed faintly, and a compass-like arrow pointed off to the north. After trying and failing to find a way to smooth out space, I was opting for a different approach. If I couldn’t fix things, I could at least automate the process to find the problems. This box was my solution.

Inside were a number of small pseudo-gates. They looked and, in some ways, acted like their larger cousins, except they never actually opened passages to each other. Instead, each one would attempt to form connections with the others, going through a sequence of lessening the allowable disturbance in the local space until they started failing. Once they did, all it took was a simple comparison to see which ones failed first and then triangulate a direction to the nearest spatial anomaly.

I’d gotten the idea from our own travel system. Our gates would fail to activate properly if there was too much turbulence, and having been stuck in a small town for so long, that fact had stuck with me. It wasn’t how that feature was supposed to be used, but it worked.

There were failings, of course. The box only found the nearest disturbance, and because it couldn’t tell me how big it was, it gave no indication as to how far it was either. This was still a massive step forward, and one I was keeping to myself for now. It wasn’t fully completed, and there were still lots of kinks to work out within the system. Currently, it just pointed toward the nearest gate in our own network, a recent addition just near the city’s southern gate.

I locked the box down with the built-in password—I didn’t want anyone else using it—and headed out into my “official” lab. There purposely wasn’t anything too important in there—just a few tools and some minor items I made for myself or my family—before heading up into the house proper.

I nearly face-planted into the maid, whose hand was reaching for the door as I walked into the main house.

“Oh, Miss Alana, I was just coming to tell you that dinner will be ready at your leisure,” she said, slightly nervous. She was new; they all were.

I had a staff of five, but with how low labor costs were in this world, and how much a magic user like myself could earn, it hardly affected me to pay them all well. If anything, I’d need to add more staff soon, just for the household upkeep alone.

“Wonderful, what are we having tonight?” Technically, I approved all the menus, but honestly, I never paid much attention to them.

“I’ve been told that the cook has made a vegetable soup to start. The main course is roasted beef fillet with herbs, asparagus with a cream sauce, and a medley of root vegetables. For dessert, there are assorted fruits, lightly treated with sugar.” Her words nearly stopped me.

“That’s … lovely actually, thank you.” I’d really come a long way from the little hut I’d been born in. “Is there anything else?”

“A bit of mail, miss. Several invitations and letters from Mister Ulanion and your mother, the latter of which was marked as important,” she said as she followed me up to my bedroom.

“Invitations? Oh, goodness, it’s nearing winter isn’t it?” I said as I realized that people were wanting me to attend parties and the like.

“It is indeed, miss. Though I’m told they’re nowhere near as formal as they used to be. I know how you hate those things.”

I laughed as we entered my room. “I went to a few before the nobility ceased to be. Did you know that? Nothing could have been more formal.”

The maid helped me change into something lighter than my working clothes for dinner. I didn’t need the help, but it did make things easier. If I didn’t let my staff do little things like this for me, they would worry I’d fire them. It was strange but also just how things were. Honestly, it was all too much sometimes.

“I didn’t, miss. Were they nice?” she asked, making small talk.

“Very stuffy, and not my crowd. I performed illusions for them; I’m glad the tradition was dropped.”

Dinner was a bit much, but overall the food was excellent. I’d found a cook who was on the older side, and he seemed to think that I needed to eat far fancier things than I was used to. After some prodding he’d stopped making multiple courses for all meals except dinner.

Afterward, I laid into the letters, starting with the one I had been anticipating the most. Ulanion sent me one daily if he couldn’t come see me and filled them with sketches, descriptions of his thoughts, and poetry, either in my language or his native tongue. It was old-school romantic, and I loved it.

Frowning, I popped the seal on my mother’s missive next. She went through her standard list of greetings, before directing me to the included instructions about which social events I should attend, and which to ignore. I’d had to remind her multiple times that I no longer lived under her rule, but she still wanted me to go to certain events. She did make it clear that there was one event I couldn’t avoid, though, if only because the monarch was hosting.

That invitation had been put on the top of the pile, ostensibly by one of my staff. Emperor Durin and his wife were having a gathering this year at the former royal palace. It was mostly used for state functions now, but the night in question was the winter solstice, mercifully a few months from now. There would be an eclipse that very night, and they were getting people together to enjoy the spectacle.

With a sigh, I moved to the desk in my room. Even if there was a formula to it, writing out tons of responses was still a chore. The only one that took me any significant time to write was my response to my suitor, but that didn’t bother me in the least.

CHAPTER 2

TAKING UP TEACHING

I sat opposite Mystien, both of us flipping through papers. While Dras had gone into production of gates, I’d managed to push myself into research and development, particularly, looking into how to defend them and what messes might be made by doing so. Progress was slow, particularly in convincing everyone that they needed to be more careful. Sadly, the new toy was bright and shiny, and everyone wanted a piece.

“Moving them like that isn’t possible, Alana, as you already know. Emperor Durin wants the big public hub in the capitol and there’s not a lot we can do to change that at this point,” he said to one of my constant objections.

“It’s too many in one place, Mystien. We’ve seen what can go wrong if things go completely sideways. There’s a crater to prove it. You have visited the crater, haven’t you?”

“If only to stop your pestering, yes, I have; though, it’s becoming a mine now. It’s an impressive mess, but there’s more involved now, other powers are making demands to have it. I know how that irks you, but compromise must be made here.”

I sighed. “Couldn’t the Emperor just make them stop? I know his advisors are being annoyingly dense on this, but unless we can get these things safe, which I’m not convinced we can, we need to take more care.”

“No man is a power unto himself. He could order it, but the pushback would be too strong; they’re just too powerful. Heck, even getting those annoying alarms of yours installed was a pain. You wouldn’t believe how many complaints I’m getting about mana usage alone on those.”

The devices in question were a simple tool that kept an eye out for any growing spatial disturbances, and even I had to admit they sucked. They were mana hungry and had the annoying habit of going off when there was no need—getting any kind of a reading on the size of an issue was difficult if you didn’t know how far away it was. The best they could really do was tell you if something was getting bigger or a new something was appearing nearby.

“Boo, what’s the point in being a ruler if you can’t fix issues like that?” I said.

“Careful now, you’re beginning to sound like some of the rabble-rousers,” he chided.

“I can’t believe anyone would actually be that stupid. Do they not remember the old kingdom? Honestly, the emperor is downright generous compared to those bastards.”

“Some do and think they can still get better yet. Some were part of the power of the old kingdom, and they’ve seen their own statuses decline. They are now all but saying they want that princeling to come back and ‘reestablish order,’ or some such nonsense. Some are still very young, Alana, and were children when the old order was in place, so they don’t know what it was like.”

“Yeah, I suppose I already knew that, but still … Anyway, I did have an idea the other day, but there are issues, and I’d like a second opinion,” I said, changing the subject. That conversation wasn’t going anywhere productive.

“I’m listening,” he said.

“I’d like to check that old gate to Atal, the one they locked up. If it’s working …”

“I’m afraid not even I have access to that, Alana. It’s not being researched, just held because there appears to be an archmage on the other end who might not take kindly to us using it.” That was fair, and while not quite true, since he seemed to tolerate me, Justin might not tolerate others. “At any rate, don’t you have work to do?”

“Suppose I do have a class …”

I marched off to get started on one of my other duties, teaching. I was the first in what was now our little hall in the research facility, a room so kindly assigned to myself and the three I’d taken on. I watched as they joined me about twenty minutes later.

Two were men, one a woman. I’d taught the man the portal trick back at the fortress. The twins had been brought back, not because they cared in the very least about portals themselves, but because they had experience with the gate network, and were known to be trustworthy.

To their immense joy, all three had finally managed the spell. They were also eager to transport themselves to the bucket we’d set up on the other side for vomiting. Everyone was still struggling to perform the spell without using all of their mana, a challenge that had taken me some time to overcome.

This was the perfect opportunity for me to teach them something new.

“All right everyone, we’re still going to be working on cleanup,” I announced. “We’ll take turns making gates, and those who aren’t doing so will be on cleaning duty.”

“We drawing straws to see who pukes first? Or maybe dice?” suggested the only of us who hadn’t been on the trip to Atal. His name was Ian.

“Oh, I don’t know. Leah went last time, so I guess it’s just down to the two of you, isn’t it?” I asked.

Robert and Ian played a version of rock, paper, scissors, with the latter winning.

A few moments later Robert was leaning over the bucket. “Why … why did I ever let you talk me into this?” he asked between heaves. “I hate this, and myself.”

“I believe, brother dearest, that your literal comment when you convinced me was, ‘Wouldn’t being able to teleport be amazing?’” Leah answered without stopping the dance she was using to clean the smear in the local reality. I was happy she’d seen my ability to cast silently as a boon, and had learned to do it herself.

I cleaned the bucket with a quick casting and looked at them. “All right, Ian’s next, and remember everyone …”

“Don’t try to do too big a distortion at once, and don’t let them get near each other,” they all chanted in unison. I was so proud. Even Robert managed it while lying down.

The messes they made in space right now were small, barely bigger than what an average portal did when it was active. That was good because I needed them to stay that way while I grew my new order. It wouldn’t be a priest order, no, for we weren’t them, but a new group I was interested in making, one dedicated to keeping the local reality clear of any … messes that might attract attention. Bards that would work to protect the world, a good endeavor, I thought.

My students didn’t know my plans for them, and they needn’t. What I needed right now was to get my teaching methods down and start spreading the idea on how to fix things. I wasn’t immortal, and I knew it. I didn’t want those who came after me to die horribly, or let some chthonic monsters out onto the land. This world had quite enough problems as it was.

By the end of the day they were all quite exhausted, which was normal. I spent another few minutes after they’d left checking and rechecking to make sure that we weren’t doing anything to the local space.

There was no way to be sure, but I’d already seen where I’d messed up before. While the clear signs of space being tied in knots slowly faded on their own, there was residue. These small, nearly invisible issues were likely what had caused the explosion before, but now I knew of them. Once my students were ready, I would assign them to clean up the gate areas, while completing their other tasks, of course. They weren’t quite there yet though. My students were still leaving small fractures here and there, but we’d get there eventually.

CHAPTER 3

TWILIGHT FALLING

Days off were a resource that I seldom had anymore. Not because of my actual job—my employers allowed plenty of time for me to go and do as I please—but I still had my own projects. Many of these weren’t all that vital to me, just things that needed doing.

My house, even with its many amenities, was still lacking a lot of basics. Most of these old manors were just that, old. Beyond their warding they had decades’ or centuries’ worth of magical items inside them. Well at least they had had them. Fleeing nobility, soldiers taking over, and all the staff losing their jobs all of a sudden had stripped my home down to what couldn’t be hauled off.

So there was only one thing for me to do to get those amenities back—make them. Sure, I could have bought them, but then I’d be inheriting someone else’s work. Oftentimes, my work was universally better than commercially available stuff, and my inventions worked exactly the way I wanted them to.

I’d also taken up trying to push my core to its final level. It was an on-again, off-again project for years. This wasn’t at all odd, as few people managed it, and the ones who did were considered superior. Many, though not all, teachers at my former academy had managed to reach the final level, along with people like Mystien. Others, though, had jobs that took so much of their time that they rarely managed to push their cores as far as they would go.

Using functions like “if,” “and,” and the like really sped things up for me, as did the fact that I spent quite a lot of time working on it. If I had to guess, I was less than a year from finally completing the damn thing. I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad about it.

Today, however, I had other personal matters to attend to.

“What do you think of this cloth?” Mother asked as we looked around a rather familiar tailor’s shop.

“That we really should let the professionals handle it. I do rather like the idea of a darker shade, though; maybe with pale yellow or white highlights?” I looked over at the proprietor, a bard named Marcus.

“I believe I have something like that. Oh wait, is this for viewing the eclipse?” he asked.

“Yes …”

“If you don’t mind waiting an extra day or two, my newest apprentice is doing some magic with embroidery, really lovely work,” he offered.

“Can I see some?” I asked.

“Test pieces are over here.”

The pieces we were shown were small, and worked into a high-quality black velvet. The patterns were complex but fairly normal—skillfully done, yes, but not anything too unusual. What was special about them was the thread. Each one was done in a slightly different color, and they shone with waves of gentle light, before fading back into the dark cloth underneath.

“Magical materials?” I asked, looking over the work.

“Indeed, a species of goat that only lives in the very far north. Quite expensive to import, normally impossible, but with the empire being so much larger and more stable, I can now get small amounts. I’m told that the animals use it to blend into their surroundings, but when charged with just a little mana they will glow faintly like this. Though, in the interest of honesty I must inform you ladies that the effect only lasts for a year or less. Not something I’d suggest for many, but if you want something truly special …”

There were a number of materials like this. They found most of their use in enchantment, and the making of special garments. For whatever reason a number of magical beasts ended up with special properties in their bodies. Glowing was by far the most common, but magical swords were often put in sheaths and had handles made of bone or leather from a magical beast. Supposedly, there was even a species of mollusk at the coast whose shells made concrete much tougher.

Regardless of where they came from, though, all eventually failed, severely limiting their uses. Replacing handles on swords was fairly common. Enchanting the material would make it last longer, but not forever. I suspected that there was also some type of enchantment like this in the swords and other weapons the elves made, but that was considered a trade secret. The juicier rumor was about the Lovers’ Marks, but that was top secret.

“I like it, can you make it into something appropriate for a ball with Emperor Durin?” I asked.

“Naturally,” the bard replied. “Any other requests?”

“I’d like to be able to move freely in it. I know that’s not really the style right now, but can you avoid anything too restrictive or heavy?” I asked.

“I have just the thing, but please understand that it might be a little chilly.” He gave me a look.

“Not a problem. I solved being cold with a spell when I was a small child.” That got me a laugh.

“What about shoes?” Mother asked. She’d gotten far too deep into fashion in the last few years for my liking; perhaps it was due to her lack of options when we’d been poorer.

“Mother, I have plenty of shoes. Including both black and deep blue formal boots from my personal cobbler,” I answered.

“There are better shoemakers …” she began before my look silenced her. She knew I liked my personal contacts.

The rest of the day was spent at my house. After acquiring a small patch for color matching, I was nearly ready for the big night.

“So, when are you and Ulanion marrying?” Mother asked while we were looking through jewelry I hardly ever wore.

“I don’t know,” I responded.

“Hopefully soon. You know I’ve gotten both offers and rumors about you.” I gave her a scathing look. “Oh, don’t worry dear. I told all the offers that if they couldn’t approach you themselves they could take a walk. The rumors on the other hand … Both of my children going after elves … it’s considered very forward thinking. Most love the idea; though, one or two people did need to be removed from my list of acquaintances.”

“Well, if they want an Elven spouse, all they have to do is be magically powerful and show up on their continent,” I responded. “We’ll get to it when we do, if we do.”

“Well, I surely hope you do. Your brother has yet to promote me to grandmother, you know. Though, I doubt that’s for lack of trying, if the way he and Etia look at each other is any indication.”

“I’d rather not speculate on my brother’s sex life, thank you.”

* * *

It wasn’t too long until the day of the party was upon me. For once nobody cared what I did that morning, since the event itself was set to run all night and into the morning. I enjoyed myself for that reason, taking a very long nap mid-afternoon before piddling around in my workshop for a while. A couple of hours before sunset I had to head upstairs and begin getting ready.

I took my time to prepare, making sure I was as clean and presentable as I’d ever been, even breaking out cosmetics. I hated them, but sometimes it paid to look your absolute best. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I had to admit, I did look my best, perhaps the best I ever had. My hair was up in braids and clothes perfect. Maybe I could do this slightly more often.

Ulanion came to pick me up, and it was clear someone had gotten to him. He matched me perfectly—long, militaristic clothes in the same fabric and embroidery as my own, a small sword in its sheath at his side. He looked like he’d been plucked from a painting, or maybe a play—the impeccably chiseled hero. He gave me a bright smile as I entered the entry, eyes wandering to drink me in, and I did the same.

“It seems a star has come down from the heavens to join me tonight,” he said. Normally, he left the poetry to letters. I blushed.

“Just tonight?” I replied. “I had hoped to join you for longer than that.”

“Well then, we’ll have to make it happen, won’t we?” He offered me his arm, and we walked to the carriage.

“Though I’d like to survive this one first,” I whispered. He knew I hated formal events.

“Ah, indeed. On that note, would you care to join me for breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“Of course,” I said. “Where are we going?”

“I got us a place at a restaurant in advance; hope you don’t mind. I’d like to spend my morning talking to you about some things.”

“I don’t mind in the slightest; which one?” I asked.

He laughed and put a finger over his lips.

Down in a basement, behind a false wall in a workshop known only to one person, a box whirred. It had been left on in haste, its owner readying for the evening’s events. Now the parts inside the box, which hadn’t done much changing in months, sprang to life.

A needle, which had until now pointed to the same gate, spun wildly for a few moments before pointing in a new direction. Every few moments it shook like a fearful animal, twisting this way and that before returning to its new heading.

Lights all along the box began to glow, and a loud, keening alarm went off in an attempt to warn someone who was no longer nearby. It sang the fearful cry that something had happened.

Overhead, a maid heard the alarm and looked around. There were a few timed alarms in the house, installed by her mistress, but she couldn’t find the source immediately. When she realized it was coming from the basement—a place she knew she was forbidden to go—she shrugged and made a note for her employer.

CHAPTER 4

ROYAL BALL

Never before had I been to the old royal palace in an official capacity. Sure, I’d been in the back rooms when I’d helped save Lief, but we were going through the proper entrance now, and I felt special. The small porte cochere shone with hanging lights as we passed into the large garden-like space beyond.

Even if we were on the list to get in, we were nowhere near the top of it. We were also marginally later than some people, and thus, had a sizable line in front of us. Someone like my father or Mystien might have been bumped to the front, but me? I still wasn’t that high in the current government. Not to say that I wasn’t welcome; I just wasn’t one of the movers and shakers that made people seem important to others.

Not being known to many was an advantage, though, and one I wasn’t eager to give up. I knew the emperor valued me and my experience, and to an extent even heeded my advice, and that was enough. To be valued by those who mattered while not painting an even bigger target on my back was a winning move in my book.

Still, the wait was long. Each of us had been checked at the entrance to verify who we were, and now there were even more carriages behind us. Once we were out of our carriage, we had to wait again until we were announced. It all seemed a tad overdone, but it was still a big party full of politicians.

What struck me most was the weapons. Every man was armed, some of the women too. Even some who were clearly wizards or bards, or even non-magic users, had some form of blade. For those not trained to fight, it was a dagger, but swords were equally popular. This never would have been allowed back on Earth, but it seemed that since most of us were walking weapons anyway, it didn’t matter too much to the people here. I also suspected that there’d been some kind of cultural shift after that one disastrous ball I’d attended as a child, where tons of people had been caught off guard and murdered.

As we passed through, our names being taken and our entrance announced, we finally entered the main set of rooms for this party. There was a ballroom, several sitting rooms off to the side for people to freshen up, and some parlors. Most of the parlors were for taking short breaks or just cleaning up after waiting for so long. One of the servants turned to us as we came in, offering drinks.

“Drinks sir, miss?” he asked, holding out a small plate of some alcohol.

“No thank you,” I responded. “I do have a question, though.”

“Of course miss, how may I be of aid?”

“How are we to see the eclipse from inside? I thought we were going to be watching it tonight,” I said.

“Ah, later in the evening the event is scheduled to move into the gardens. I’m assured it will be quite visible from there.”

“Thank you.”

“May I be of any further service?” he replied with a kind smile.

“No, thank you,” I said, and Ulanion nodded along with me.

Soon enough, we met up with people we knew. There were plenty in attendance, either from work, or from my younger partying days. Of course I met with my parents too, chatting with some of Mother’s friends between short rounds of dancing.

“Are you going to dance with anyone else?” she finally asked me when Ulanion and Father went to go get us drinks.

“I hadn’t planned to, no.”

She surprised me with a giggle. “Well, he is a nice one isn’t he? I’m glad he seems as taken with you as you are with him.”

“And here I thought you didn’t like him,” I quipped quietly.

“Oh, I like him just fine. Wish he’d hurry up, but he’s not too bad.” She gave me a kind smile. “I’ve tried to help you, Alana dear, but things are changing, aren’t they? Personally, I still think your homemaking skills are atrocious, but … I’ll try to be easier on you after you’re married.”

“But not before, huh?” I asked.

“No, before you’re his wife, you’re my daughter, and I’ll see to it you’ll be getting all the skills you need. If only because I love you.” She nudged me gently as she spoke.

“Love you too, Mom.”

The boys rejoined us, and Mother asked, “Have you gone to greet Queen Sophia yet?” She was the host after all.

“I haven’t seen her at all, have you?”

“Someone should have told you,” Father said. “She’s in one of the parlors with the young prince.”

That was odd, very much so. Young people might, and only might, come to a ball like this, though normally they did not. With less formal events there were younger crowds, but something like a royal gathering was generally adults only, and while I’d never met him, I knew the prince was very young.

Something about my face must have given away my thoughts because Mother spoke again. “The prince has been ill of late … so he stays near his mother. I hear that the priests are in negotiations to try and help him. Poor dear came down with one of the noble sicknesses, though I hear he’s been rather more robust than most through it.”

“I haven’t met him,” I said.

“He’s a well-behaved young lad, and very polite,” Father added with a kind grin. He and the emperor were old friends.

Ulanion and I quickly made our way to the royal couple. It was quite the faux pas to not greet the lady of the house, and if we went on like this too much longer, we’d be in clear violation. Now that we’d been told where she was and that she wasn’t waiting for a grand entrance, it was prudent to greet her.

The line to see her was small, and reciting the standard greetings to the lady and man of the house was only a moment’s work, and then she bid us rise.

“Ah, young miss Alana. My husband speaks well of you, about all the work you do for our empire,” she said. “Though I don’t believe I’ve heard of your companion?”

“I met with the team sent to Atal, your Majesty, and was convinced by her to come and see your beautiful lands,” Ulanion said with a slight bow.

“Wonderful, wonderful. I have heard much of your own homeland, though never managed to see them.”

It seemed like she was preparing to dismiss us when a small voice interjected. “Sir, are you an elf?”

Ulanion looked down at the little boy who’d been up until now hiding at his mother’s side. His age was hard to guess, since he was pale and clearly not feeling his best. It was something I should have remembered from the announcement of his birth, but honestly I’d paid little attention.

“Why yes, I am, your Highness,” Ulanion answered.

A servant whispered something into Emperor Durin’s ear. Other than a few words of greeting, he’d been fairly quiet tonight, seeming contemplative. Now he was beginning to frown.

“I heard about elves, and how you do a lot of magic, and make a lot of items and …” the prince began to chatter excitedly.

“Osvald, manners,” the queen gently chided.

“Oh … yes mother. It was nice to meet you, sir,” he finally said, clearly a well-rehearsed line.

“I hope you two enjoy yourselves; the eclipse is sure to be magnificent.” With the queen’s dismissal, we bade her well and turned.

We hadn’t made it far when I heard Durin lean over to speak to his wife. “Something’s come up, dear, that I need to take care of; it shouldn’t take long.”

We returned to dancing, interspersed with light conversation among friends and acquaintances.

As the night wore on and everyone prepared to go outside for the big event, much of the merriment grew. It was into this slightly buzzing atmosphere that the initial far-off shouts penetrated.

CHAPTER 5

ECLIPSE

It took only a few seconds for the first of the staff to charge into the ballroom declaring the castle was under attack. She was followed by guards from several directions, both to check on us and to inform others of the danger.

Soon enough, the attackers were upon us. Unlike the memory from my youth, these fools weren’t attacking spoiled nobles, most of which were not trained. No, they were attacking the leaders of a battle-hardened army, and they hadn’t brought anything comparable to a mana-eater to lead their assault. The first unit that stormed the room was obliterated by an onslaught of spells that shook the walls; the second entered more carefully, with half annihilated by potent physical magic users.

“Back, fools!” a loud voice called. “You’ve lost the chance at surprise.” It was old, and quite familiar.

I watched as, through the smoke and debris of the now destroyed entry, a single man appeared. The cloud of dust and magical particulate flowed away from him in a light wave as he sauntered forward. The former dean, Lorrae walked before us as if he hadn’t a care in the world, looking over the assembled fighters like he was examining students.

“A magnificent formation, truly well done. Now, where is …” his eyes scanned over us, finally settling on Mystien. “There you are. Knew I’d find you somewhere around here. Do tell me, are you the one who killed my grandson Rooke? Not many could have managed that feat.”

“That was me,” I responded before my mentor could, drawing Lorrae’s eyes in my direction.

“Is that so? He cared for you, you know? Wanted you to join us, even if it seemed unlikely, and you killed him?” The old man seemed mostly saddened by my admission, not that I could blame him.

“I didn’t have much choice, and after seeing how Selene was treated, I stand by my decision,” I replied.

“I can respect that my dear, but sadly I must say goodbye now.”

My former dean raised his hand lazily toward me, and a wave of force bore down on me like a mountain. Mystien was suddenly beside me, a shield pulsing forward to break the attack meant to smear me into the floor for killing Lorrae’s grandchild.

“I’m afraid you’ll need to deal with me first,” said Mystien, the most powerful wizard under the imperial rule, his eyes hardening like the very depths of the abyss.

“Very well,” Lorrae answered.

Powerful hands grabbed me, pulling me back as the two archmages launched at each other. I’d never seen a fight like this before. While I was no slouch, I certainly wasn’t at their level yet. Lorrae charged forward on a pillar of light and force, only to be met by my mentor, who was sheathed in a meteor of blue water, the two crashing against each other and toward one of the walls.

As the two titans of magic tore from the room and into the nearby sky, they left a wake of destruction. As they made their exit, another party of warriors entered our room. It was a shame, as several of the wizards here were students of Mystien, and now had to meet the enemy war mages on their terms rather than help our mentor.

The fighting couldn’t stay here, not with the war spells that were now being spun into existence. Huge balls of fire, and water clashed into one another, exploding in massive clouds of steam. Bolts and lines slammed into shields and counters as one by one the wizards joined the fray. I could even hear singing as attacking bards tried to bolster their defenses.

I barely had a chance to get my own shields up before a bolt of lightning crackled across the room. It slammed into the shields, discharging harmlessly around me as my father and brother blurred forward at the caster. Beside me, Ulanion caught a charging physical magic user, a quick silver flick from his sword separating head from body.

Quickly the fight devolved into a melee. Soldiers wearing shining armor entered in droves. These had to be the former nobles, as they seemed to fight in groups of three or four who moved as one. Our own people had been caught with their pants down, so to speak, and while we had the numbers, we lacked the gear that they were all well equipped with.

After a few more seconds, the ceiling above us finally began to crack and break, sending boulders tumbling into the melee. Somehow my father and John made it back to my side as Ulanion scooped me up and ran to one of the many side entrances.

“Mom!?” I asked frantically as our little team rushed down a hallway, only passing one or two quickly dispatched soldiers.

“Your mother was near the exit with the other non-combatants. They’ll have fled, and our enemies will want to capture them anyway,” Father said, leading us forward. “Focus now. We need to find the emperor—he wasn’t in the ballroom and I fear he’ll need backup.”

“He said he had to go deal with something and left,” I informed him.

“His office then; this way.” Father led us onward, my own singing quickly building the magic around me.

We arrived in a hallway to see several guards in imperial armor being dispatched by a group of attackers, the last receiving a death blow just as we approached. The boys seemed to slow in their charge for a second before I loosed my own power. It had been some time since I’d really let go with lightning on someone. The bolt that arced through the men in our way left charred corpses in its wake.

“Damn, Alana, remind me not to pester you so much in the future, yeah?” John said, looking at the dead men as we passed.

As we were led into a small courtyard, another group intercepted us. They easily had numbers, but again, we were more of a powerhouse. A pair of knights stepped forward. Dad and John moved to take position. Before the fighting could start, there was an explosion from the tower—where our emperor’s office was located.

“You two move on,” Dad told us. “Sounds like Durin does indeed need backup.”

“Right, we’ll meet up when we’ve dealt with this lot,” John agreed.

As we moved into the portcullis opposite us, I let loose a wave of light at the approaching men. It wasn’t much, but the brief flash gave Dad and John a moment to move.

Ulanion kept carrying me as we flew through a hallway up a square stairwell. More dead and dying lined the floor. I could see attackers, as well as some I recognized as bodyguards only by their armor. Sadly, as we neared the top I heard the doors below being bashed in.

“You lot, to the courtyard to reinforce there,” someone yelled. “The rest of you, with me to help His Majesty, go!”

Ulanion finally put me down. We were only two or three flights from the top. “Go invisible and see if you can help him,” he said before leaning in to kiss me.

“You’re not leaving me!” I nearly screamed, the sound of boots on the stairs below growing louder by the second.

“Can you hide both of us well enough?” he asked, knowing the answer.

I could, but it would be awkward, and moving at speed like that, or if he moved too far away, it would make him visible again. It would also be weaker against others who might see us.

I leaned in, meeting his lips with mine for a few precious seconds.

“I love you,” he said.

“Don’t die,” I replied, then turned to keep going.

The invisibility spell wreathed me as I kept up the ascent, noticing the open sky above the stairs. More bodies and blood pooling into the carpet or splashed across the walls showed the way, up, up, up to the final meeting place.

When I made it to the top floor, it was missing. Debris of what was once an office were strewn about—splintered bits of wood and crushed stone, metal pieces bent and broken like modern art. I could see in all directions around me, the wind whipping my hair and pressing the ballgown against me. I was glad the dress allowed me to move freely.

The palace was in flames, and there was fighting everywhere. One section of the sky had the two archmages still duking it out, potent magics clashing as they struggled to see who between them was the mightiest or most skilled. The sky in every direction had flying wizards of lesser strength hurling projectiles down onto enemies, while bowmen below tried to swat them from the air from beneath what looked like bardic shields.

The city wasn’t even spared. I could hear the alarm bells ringing. The old academy had shields up and appeared to be under assault from another force, impacts resonating against the wards. Above part of the lower city, a swirling cloud of stars flowed, the burning houses beneath them speaking to the nearby combat. Near one of the far walls green flames licked upward from some unknown battle.

I looked up above it all and saw the moon, a pale shadow slowly beginning to creep across it.

The eclipse had begun.

CHAPTER 6

BATTLES

Lorrae

Once again I pulled back my mana, readying a new spell. Years I’d trained, using ancient documents, and now this upstart was matching me blow for blow. Honestly, I didn’t know if I should be proud of him for growing so strong or immensely frustrated that he had.

I, of course, remembered Mystien from his youth. Back when I’d been but a teacher, not the man I was now. He’d come through the academy, surprising us all with his strength and potent understanding of the element of water. He was no match for me at that time of course, but certainly an up-and-comer.

With a flash, one of my many shields died. Now was not the time to reminisce.

A comet of water appeared from the air, streaking at me and promising death. With a wave I met it with a blazing burst of light, obliterating the projectile into a bursting cloud of steam. I responded with a lance of force, only for my own attack to be absorbed by a wall of liquid.

We flew in circles like sharks looking for the kill, both testing, prying, looking for any opening in the other’s defenses. Neither could find one, and so for now it was a battle of attrition, launching spell after spell in hopes of wearing down the enemy’s reserve of mana, until the time came for a finishing blow. This was, sadly, how most battles between potent wizards ended.

Another joined us for only a moment; one of his apprentices launched himself into the air at me, spewing magic. I swatted him from the air with little more than a blink. This was not a place for the young to involve themselves, and they should all know better.

I could read the expression on my opponent’s face, the rage at seeing one of his men killed. He charged forward, blasting a line of his favored element in a pillar that could turn stone to nothing but dust. Water was powerful, but it could only do so much. My elements of choice met his with a blazing light. The point flash evaporated the center of his pillar, pushing outward on the rest and opening up an easy route for the rest of the construct to pierce it.

Moments passed, and the sky around us filled with billowing clouds. Second by second his pillar was pushed back. The man was nearly smart enough to beat me, altering the flow of the water inside, and even adding a few extra bolts, but it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t drop his attack, or I would kill him with mine, and in a straight battle of wills, I would win.

I had to squint as my drill approached him, the energies between us too bright for me to look upon without some tool. It didn’t take long before the water broke, the construct failing. My spell shot across the night like a blaze, and through my enemy.

It was a sad conclusion, but inevitable. Slowly I began to descend to secure my enemy’s body and take care of that damnable girl. I’d have to find her. Such a shame, since she, too, had seemed rather promising.

Suddenly the clouds formed by our battle closed in like a whirlpool, pouring in at me. I threw out a shield in every direction, trying to push back against the incoming spell. It shouldn’t be … No, he must have figured it out, managed to understand the teleportation that the girl had used. It had been a trap.

I pulsed a circular shield outward, trying to evaporate the condensing water again. It worked, for a second, and then the boiling water fell back in. He’d managed to get me to fly headfirst into his spell’s radius, like descending into a lake. The protective spells around me began to waver under the onslaught of compressed steam, so I switched my trajectory.

Upward, like an air-filled bucket at the bottom of the sea, I ascended. I needed to get out of this spell, out of the surrounding fluids.

Above me was the briefest flash of magic, and the other magus popped into existence, aiming another pillar. I sighed as it fell into me, unable to see him, but imagining that he was smiling as he cast the spell that would end this.

Emil

I was too old for this, far too old; we all were. Not that there was much choice. Durin had to die. There was no other way, and everyone agreed. If we could kill him, just him, maybe we could do something about all of his followers. We could call the nobles who’d survived his purge, and they’d come. While I doubted we could retake everything we’d lost, some part of the kingdom could rise again.

Men swarmed forward. Over half were lost already, and the remaining were mostly men like me who’d been trained and bought with promises of wealth, but I’d brought one or two of the weaker knights with me as well. Many of them disdained me, thinking me dishonorable or above my station, but honestly, after how far we’d all fallen, I couldn’t care less. I took the men I could into a group of my own, and we’d deal with the rebels as we could.

Splitting up, some moved out into the courtyards, while another charged up to the emperor’s office. The bastard had taken the king’s old meeting chamber, something it had taken me quite a bit of effort to learn. I passed a few bodies on the stairs, recognizing the unit—those who’d been tasked with taking Durin and protecting our king. It looked like they’d taken out the enemy bodyguards at least.

As I followed behind my men, one of our knights passed me in the other direction, through the central opening of the stairwell at speed. He struck the banister one floor down from us, his back bending unnaturally with a sickening crunch. That boded poorly. A second later, he was joined by several of his fellows. While I didn’t get a good look, they’d clearly been wounded before falling. The blood spraying as they passed us was a clear indication.

Our opponent made himself known soon enough, walking down the stairs like he was taking an afternoon stroll. In one hand he carried a bow, clearly taken from one of my men, with a quiver over his shoulder. His dark coat and fancy tunic shining with some kind of enchantment. Arrows shot forth, each landing in an eye-socket or at just the right angle to pierce a heart.

I brought up my crossbow, loosing at him a full volley, only to see the man drop, pulling one of my own people into the line of fire. It was almost lazy looking. Of course, the men who were left now weren’t knights or casters and would be little threat to him unless he was surrounded, or careless.

The cranks and latches of the multi-shot crossbow I preferred struggled against me as the magic user cut through my men. Some caught arrows, some were simply pushed out over the handrail to their deaths, and a few received kicks that broke bones and crushed heads.

As I brought the mechanized crossbow up, his eyes flashed in my direction. I sensed some form of recognition, and then abysmal hate that set all my hairs on end. He turned and loosed an arrow at me which, by some miracle, thunked my weapon in line with my chest. Luckily, his was a bow meant for normal men, else the arrow would have penetrated the crossbow, me, and possibly part of the wall behind.

“He’s out of arrows! CHARGE!” one of my few remaining men yelled.

“Idiot!” I managed to say before he moved.

The soldier was right, our enemy was out of ammo at least. As my man thrust at the descending warrior, our foe ducked. Through some twist I didn’t catch, he flipped my soldier over the railing. The bow had been placed neatly on a corner post, the string under the soldier’s chin. The poor lad was left to strangle, since somehow the wooden spar held.

The descending enemy was nearly upon me, making it to my flight after drawing a glowing sword and continuing his rampage. His sword was either traditionally enchanted or subjected to whatever the elves did that made theirs capable of slicing through pretty much anything non-magical; hard to tell which would be worse.

“Do tell,” he said with a slight accent, nearly unnoticeable. Elven? “I heard of a man who looked like a viper, the torturer for the king. Might that be you?”

“I prefer the term ‘head of intelligence,’ if you don’t mind,” I responded, trying to get a clean shot on him.

“I’m sure you would,” he said, cutting down the last of my men. I could see sweat on his brow and the rise and fall of his chest increasing, his efforts finally taking their toll.

Finally, I had an opening. Poisoned bolts had aided me in killing more than one monster over the years, and this would be no different. I pulled the trigger with practiced restraint, even though I wanted to yank the thing hard. I only had one chance.

The mechanism clicked but didn’t move. My heart dropped as I saw the arrow in the gears, keeping them still.

He was before me, slapping away the crossbow before his hand wrapped around my neck like a vice. “But it was highly unintelligent to torture my friend Selene, or threaten the woman I love.”

Durin

Our blades clashed, sparks lighting the night as the enchanted swords slammed against each other. The young man before me narrowed his brows as he met me blow for blow.

He was barely an adult, fiery and strong, clad in golden armor with a white cape and pauldrons, which had to be mostly for show. I, on the other hand, was getting on in years, in suave black with a light cloak for contrast. His crown of gold was pretty, but mine was made of sky-metal and had allowed me to contact my men in the castle and academy of the attack.

Our battle had started in my office, but after several explosions and falls we’d ended up here, on the roof of one of the buildings, the palace complex engulfed in battle and flames below us.

“There’s no future in this, boy,” I said, admonishing him as I charged, our blades meeting again. “You know this to be true. Surrender to me, and I show you mercy.”

“Mercy? MERCY!? How many have you slaughtered in your conquest? You’re a monster and nothing more, here to consume, and take, and destroy! Your very men shout their darkness to the heavens themselves!” I’d heard a number of objections like this over the years, and frankly, I found them amusing.

“My men have brought peace. I ended the wars by having the will to do what needed to be done,” I responded while parrying one of his strikes. It landed on the tiles, shattering them.

Another clanging of steel as we exchanged a flurry of blows at speed, and he growled, self-righteousness flaring. “You slaughtered my father! You murdered my mother! You stole my birthright and this kingdom, you bastard!”

He screamed like the pained child he was, it was a shame that I couldn’t have brought him under my banner before.

“Enough,” I said, finally seeing a weakness in his form. “It is time to end this.”

I thrust my sword into the well-hidden gap in his defenses, focusing as much of my strength into my blade as I could.