Fantasy Romance
“Absolutely not!” Alaric roared. “You are my sister. I will protect you.”
Claudia folded her arms over her chest. “I am a mage purple class.”
“All the more reason for you to stay here where its safe. Do you know what Ilyiosians do to mages?”
“I don’t care. I won’t lose you to them, too.”
There were no spells in any of Claudia’s books large enough, powerful enough, to destroy all of Ilyious.
No matter how much she studied, how much she was willing to give up, there was no way to end the wars once and for all.
But she would not give up.
She closed her eyes and prayed to the Moon Dragon.
I sometimes enjoy taking my characters for a spin in the sandbox of my imagination.
I have a character that has been knocking around in my head for sometime. You met her in Knight of Valor, and while I have a hazy idea of where her future takes her, she’s very different from other characters I’ve written. To help me better understand her, I wrote a short story from her point of view.
Mara swept the first young Knight’s feet out from beneath him and shoved him hard with her shield. He crashed to the ground, and before he could roll away, she hit his breastplate with her sword.
A second Knight charged her, and she pivoted, letting his momentum in full armor carry him past her. As he tripped over the first Knight, Mara hit his back with the flat of her sword.
Two kill shots.
Both Mara’s.
Anything but a training exercise, and the two Knights of Valor would be dead.
There was laughter and teasing from the sidelines, but a quick look from Mara silenced the other Knights. “How long will any of you survive in the eastern provinces? A day? A week, at most?”
Knight Keenan helped the two younger men back to their feet. “We’re practicing. They’ll get better.”
“But not good enough.”
“Not all of us can be Sir Marcus,” the Knight Mara tripped growled.
Mara pierced the boy with her hard stare. “Sir Marcus spent his life training to fight a lich. You spent yours training to protect the safe streets of Tamryn. The difference shows.”
Knight Keenan cleared his throat. “We’ll keep practicing.”
Mara studied the assembled Knights, her gaze resting on each man in turn. “Anything you face in the eastern provinces will be alive because it’s survived worse than whatever haunts your nightmares. Do you think a wendigo gets knocked down during practice then toddles off to say a few prayers?”
The Knights stared back at her, and several of them were clenching their fists at their sides.
Good. Let them get angry. Better angry than dead. “Next lesson.” Mara motioned to a figure on the sidelines dressed in a plain brown cloak.
The woman walked over to Mara and bowed, then turned toward the Knights.
“Mage Skyla,” Sir Keenan said. “What are you doing here?”
“She’s helping me demonstrate a lesson,” Mara said. “Are your healers out here?”
Sir Keenan nodded toward Knight Matthias, but concern reflected in his pale green eyes. “Is this safe?”
“Less dangerous than sending out half-trained men.”
Knight Keenan glanced at Skyla then stepped back. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Mara glanced back at the woman in the robes. Her brown hair was tied in a simple ponytail, and her large eyes seemed too big for her face. She was easy to underestimate as so many mages were.
“Just like we practiced,” Mara said.
Skyla nodded and walked several sword lengths behind Mara.
“Do you think your Knights can beat Skyla and me?” Mara raised a challenging brow at Sir Keenan. “Or are you going to send them to their prayer vigil and hope Dracor gives them fighting skills?”
“I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Not what I asked.” Mara smiled at the gathered Knights, a taunting expression meant to rile them. “Pick your best seven. If they can get three hits in before I get a killing blow on each of them, your god wins this round, and I will come back and help you train them until the new moon.”
Sir Keenan glanced at the recruits then back at Mara. “You called for a healer. What do you have in mind?”
“Don’t think seven of your Knights can get in three hits?”
“And if they can’t?”
“You owe Skyla and me a hellfire at Ndrek’s bar.” Not that Mara wanted one, but Skyla did if Sir Keenan was buying.
Sir Keenan stared from her back to the recruits. “Seven against you and Skyla?”
Mara nodded.
“Until the new moon?”
Mara nodded again. knowing she had him. He wouldn’t get her help until the new moon, but the young Knights would still learn a very valuable lesson.
“They could really use the practice against someone with your skills. You’re sure Skyla won’t be hurt?”
“It’s not her you should be worrying about.”
Mara fell into her battle stance, and she felt Skyla building the first spell as seven young Knights took their positions opposite her.
Sir Keenan signaled the start of combat, and Skyla let loose with the spell.
A wall of flames scorched the ground and rose up between Mara and the Knights. Mara ignored the fire, ducking her head as she charged through them and hit the breastplate of one of the Knights. Pivoting, she tapped the breastplate of a second before any of them had recovered their wits enough to close their mouths.
The remaining five backed away from the fire and Mara’s blade.
Just as she’d anticipated.
Skyla loosed her second spell, and the ground under the remaining Knight’s feet turned to mud.
Mara charged.
Slamming her shield into the first Knight’s sword, she shoved hard and sent him stumbling back then barreled into the second. Surprise widened his eyes, and when he tried to turn, he slipped in the mud.
Mara slammed his chest plate with her sword, and if it hadn’t been a practice blade, she’d have accidentally killed the Knight. Instead, she sent him into the mud with the first, whose chest plate she’d already hit.
Both young men would hurt, but the bruises would teach a lesson they wouldn’t forget.
The remaining three Knights extricated themselves from the mud as Mara circled around them. She smiled as one tried to flank her while the other two came at her. Sprinting towards one, she used her shield as a battering ram and knocked him to the ground as the second scored a glancing blow against her arm.
She pivoted and knocked his feet out from underneath him them hit his chest plate with her sword. Leaping over him, she tapped the Knight she’d steamrolled to the ground.
One Knight remained.
As he stared at her, black vines shot out of the ground and encased his feet, rooting him.
Mara circled around him, but he couldn’t turn to face her. She came up behind him and tapped the middle of his back.
There were growing whispers that the battle hadn’t been fair. That they hadn’t been warned.
Mara only smiled. “Combat isn’t about fair. Or justice. Or right and wrong. It’s about winning. In real combat, Skyla would’ve been using fireballs, poison clouds, and ice storms.”
The murmurs grew louder.
“You were so focused on me, not one of you tried to stop her. You’d all be dead now because of it. Never underestimate a mage.”
“Good lesson,” Sir Leopold said. “Well done, both of you.”
Mara felt the High-Knight’s faded blue gaze fix on her. She met his stare, her face impassive even as her stomach clenched. Tall and broad, the only thing that belied his age was the silver in his hair and the rank insignia on his uniform.
She wondered again what he’d feel like beneath her.
Stabbing the thought and leaving it to bleed to death, Mara handed her practice sword back to Sir Keenan.
She picked up her sword, inspected it, then sheathed it. “One hit to seven kills. See you at Ndrek’s.”
Sir Keenan nodded then hurried to check on his men.
Claudia watched her mother all but beg for her father’s attention and was disgusted with both of them.
Her mother would never be the Duke of Whitecliff’s first wife.
She should stop trying.
Claudia stared down at the mage tome in front of her. She would never let herself be anyone’s second choice.
Besides, she had a war to end.
“At least I didn’t set Mom on fire.”
Dylan threw up his hands. “I was two years old! Nobody brings up the fact that you pooped on Mom when you were two.”
“Did not. And you were three when you set her on fire.”
“Two, three, whatever. It’s not like I had control of the magic. Not like I meant to do it.”
Lucas inspected the joints on his armor. “Doesn’t matter. You still set her on fire.”
“And I’ve tried to make-up for it every mother’s day since. But no matter what I do, Dad still gives me this look like, ‘That’s it? That’s all you could get your mother after setting her on fire?’ I could magic her up a solid diamond horse and carriage, a fleet of solid diamond horse and carriages, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
“A diamond horse and carriage wouldn’t move very fast.”
Dylan glared at his brother. “What about the time I tracked down three golden unicorns, captured them, brought them back here and taught them to dance for Mom. Dad still gave me the look because it wasn’t all five. But the other two were so freaking fast.”
“Should move faster.”
“You fast enough to outrun a fireball?” A glowing sphere of flame appeared in Dylan’s hand.
Lucas grinned. “What are you going to get me for my birthday if you set me on fire? The last two golden unicorns?”
“Go to the seventh hell.”
“Speaking of the hells, Dad must like you at least a little. He allowed an Oskelesian mage into Tamryn just to teach you to control your magic.”
“An Oskelesian mage that Sir Marcus, slayer of liches and all around hero, married. You may be a prince, but Sir Marcus would still kick your ass if he heard you say anything bad about her.”
Lucas crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow.
“By Dracor’s left fang, you were engaged to their daughter. How bad can her mother be, Oskelesian or not?”
“You had to bring that up.”
“You were engaged last month. On purpose. I accidentally burned Mom over twenty years ago.”
Lucas strapped on his sword. “But Mom didn’t bargain her life to save Tamryn.”
“Not that we know of, anyway.” Dylan snorted. “Shouldn’t you go slay the dragon or something and bring your betrothed back?”
Lucas’s jaw twitched. “She made the bargain voluntarily, and he lived up to his half.”
“Hasn’t stopped other men.”
“I’m bound by the code of Dracor and the Dragon Church.”
“Sounds like an excuse to me.” Dylan leaned against the door frame.
“Then why don’t you go slay the dragon? Oh wait, if you’re not fast enough to catch the last two golden unicorns, you wouldn’t stand a chance against a dragon.”
“Who says I’d want to? Though better a dragon than Mom and Dad marrying me off. At least that’s a fast death.”
“If you want a fast death, piss Dad off again.” Lucas hefted his shield engraved with the twin dragon crest of the royal family. “Speaking of Dad, we have three minutes until we’re late.”
Both princes bolted down the hall toward the throne room.
If you’d like to catch-up with the story, Part 1 is here.
Skyla caught up to Mara, the mage’s soft grey eyes were bright with excitement. “We did it. Just like you said.”
Mara nodded once.
“You really think this’ll work?”
Mara shrugged. “Where I’m from it would.”
Skyla chewed her lower lip as she avoided Mara’s gaze.
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yes.” A beautiful blush reddened the mage’s cheeks. “Only one way I’ll know. And I’m curious.”
“Haven’t met a mage that wasn’t.”
Skyla stared at her for too long. “Are you okay?”
“It’s Keenan you should be worried about.”
The mage’s blush deepened, and she followed Mara the rest of the way to Ndrek’s bar in silence.
Mara nodded to Ndrek than took a table in the back corner. She sprawled into the rearmost chair, keeping her back to the wall as she surveyed the bar. A few regulars were already there, and a steady trickle of customers was filling the rest of the tables.
The floor was tacky from spilled ale, but the tables were clean enough and the chairs comfortable after a day toying with Knights. Mara would’ve had fun messing with them if she didn’t know what the Knights would face in the eastern provinces.
They were kids, most of them who hadn’t seen anything more threatening than a pack of wolves or a petty thief. Nothing compared to the horrors beyond Tamryn’s borders. And it was beyond those traditional boarders that most of those Knights would be stationed. And where they’d die.
She didn’t share that with Skyla.
Instead, Mara leaned back and listened to Skyla’s stories and anecdotes as she waited for Keenan to join them. He was a Knight. He would come. Knights didn’tgo back on their word.
Ndrek stopped over and gave Skyla a grin that showed his perfect white teeth. “To what do I owe the pleasure of having one of the most promising students from the University of Arcane Arts in my humble establishment?”
Skyla blushed and mumbled something.
“Three hellfires,” Mara said. “Knight Keenan will be picking up the tab when he arrives.”
“I will have to charge him double to make up for having a Knight in my bar.”
“Or you could double his drink.”
Ndrek grinned, bowed, and disappeared back behind the bar.
As Ndrek returned with the smoking drinks, Keenan entered the bar. Uncertainty pinched his brow as he walked into the darkened taproom, but he spotted Mara and worked his way toward her.
The Knight eyed the deep red drinks that still emitted a trail of smoke, but Keenan paid Ndrek and took the seat opposite Mara.
“I’ll buy you one of these awful things every day if you’ll help me whip the new Knights into shape.”
Mara took a long drink of her hellfire. “Tell me about their training program.”
She listened as Keenan talked.
When he paused, Mara nodded to Skyla. “If you’re really sending those kids outside of Tamryn, you need to teach them how to fight magic. And you need to put more than Dracor’s light on their side.”
“Work with the University of Arcane Arts?”
“What other mages do you have?”
“They’re not warriors. Can’t wear armor.”
“Skyla wasn’t wearing armor, and she lit up your cadets.”
Keenan glanced at the mage, and Mara could see his discomfort. Skyla had told her the history between her and Keenan, but it looked like there was a lot more interest on the Knight’s part than Skyla had imagined.
Kennan lifted his half-empty glass. “These things are terrible.”
Mara downed the rest of hers. “Didn’t come here for the drinks.”
“But you won the bet.”
Mara leaned across the table and dropped a key in front of him.
Keenan’s eyes saucered as he looked at the key and then up at Mara. “Are you propositioning me?”
Mara smiled. “No. We are.”