Shadow Magic Read online

  ‘Is that so? And what is your specialty? Dorian here is a sorcerer also, so let us see if you will complement us before we make a decision.’

  ‘I am skilled in all forms of magic, but my specialties include healing’, which was expected for women, and could not be neglected regardless of how one felt about it, and Julietta felt it was far too common for a prodigy, ‘inscribing, enchanting, offensive, deceptive, and theory.’ Many of her professors had begged her to stay and become a researcher, on the forefront of magical thought. She would do that later, but not yet, perhaps when she was too old to travel the world, making a name for herself and inspiring people with her prodigious talents.

  ‘I think she just listed every field,’ Dorian muttered, louder he demanded, ‘how old are you?’

  ‘I’m eighteen.’ She replied, looking down her nose at him, a skill she had perfected despite her small stature. ‘And I did not list every field of magic!’

  Dorian’s surprised retort was cut off by Asmara.

  ‘Excellent!’ she laughed, before Dorian could respond, and Julietta wondered whether she had paid the slightest attention. She held out her hand though and smiled kindly, with a smile that reached her dark eyes. ‘I’m Asmara Sinan, spell-sword.’

  Julietta struggled to feign an expression of polite interest. Spell-swords were notorious for having a very poor grasp of the theory of magic and its proper use. Mostly, they slapped a basic spell on their weapon (rarely of their own making) and declared themselves finished!

  Before Julietta could murmur a polite nothing, Dorian cut in and said, ‘Asmara, the girl’s only eighteen, though I would have guessed younger from her height. That’s too young.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said offhandedly, ‘not at all, Dorian, how old was I when I started working with Bo? I can’t remember, it was so long ago, but I’m sure I was younger.’

  Dorian shook his head and sighed heavily, but Asmara went on as if he hadn’t even interrupted, ‘this is Amjerbo mer Shalla, our fearless leader, but he prefers Bo, and Dorian Cabo, our sorcerer.’

  ‘Capitalized?’ Julietta demanded immediately.

  ‘No, I am a little “mer”, there is no noble blood in me.’ Bo said with a laugh, before properly greeting her.

  Then it was Dorian’s turn, who grudgingly nodded in her direction and did not shake her hand.

  ‘And where did you train?’ she asked the other sorcerer with polite curiosity.

  Dorian glared at her and said, ‘I have not the fancy training you do. I wonder how long it will take before you run back to your Collegium.’

  ‘So you trained at one of the lesser schools?’ Julietta continued bravely.

  He walked off before she even finished. Bo leant close and whispered, ‘Dorian is self-taught. Come, let us go out back and put you through your paces, then we will discuss the job we’ve taken and whether you would like to work with us.’

  They spent the night in the city, Julietta taking a room in the same inn as her companions, determined to make a good impression. She spent the early evening packing bags and having some of her possessions sent back home, along with a letter informing her family of her new profession.

  The inn had been pleasant and not at all like the one Julietta now sat in. Deciding to learn more about her new companions, she said to Asmara: ‘So, you are Chelleskan?’

  Asmara smiled ruefully and shook her head, as if it were a common question. ‘No, I’m Manunian. I was born in Clare, my parents are Chelleskan, but I have never been there.’

  Clare was a small province to the north, at the base of mountains, across from which was the mostly unknown land of Chelleska. Few people returned from the equatorial kingdom north of the mountains.

  ‘Yes, but that still makes you Chelleskan.’ Julietta corrected. ‘Since your parents are both Chelleskan, so you have no Manunian blood in you.’

  ‘Yes,’ Asmara said in obvious surprise, ‘but I was born here, I’ve never even left MJ.’

  ‘Yes, but you’re still Chelleskan.’

  The two stared at each other, Asmara quite taken aback, and Julietta with an insistent look on her face. Dorian stared at her in frank surprise.

  ‘Well,’ Julietta said quite graciously, she thought, ‘it is not your fault, I suppose it is a technical distinction.’ But a correct one.

  Asmara smiled hesitantly. ‘Yes…’

  ‘I myself am from Lakasha.’ Amjerbo cut in, laughing, ‘but I would not say I am Manunian! I was born in Lakasha after all!’

  Julietta decided against asking how long he had been here, as clearly her new colleagues were sensitive about such things, however Amjerbo kept going, ‘my family were merchants, and I have been here since I was sixteen and never once gone back! I have probably forgotten how to sail now, I am much older than I look.’

  ‘Oh? How old are you?’ she asked, which she knew was quite impolite but if she was to be working with these people, she needed to know if they were likely to drop dead in the near future.

  ‘Ahah!’ he laughed, ‘Forty-four! You would not have guessed, would you? How old do I look? Why, Dorian looks older than I!’

  Dorian glanced at Bo as if to say, no one would ever think that.

  ‘I would not have guessed.’ She agreed, deciding to humour him. Then she turned back to Asmara. ‘And you are a spell sword.’

  Asmara, Bo and Dorian all exchanged glances that Julietta could not decipher. Asmara smiled and nodded. ‘Yep. So, are you from Manus, Julietta?’

  ‘My family has estates two days ride from the city.’ Manus was the capital of the province of Mance, as well as of the Kingdom of Mance-Jolune. Julietta did not want to talk anymore about her family, lest her new companions get any more ideas about how she might be unsuitable, and said, ‘Mister Cabo, how did you come to learn magic without attending a school?’

  He frowned and sighed, ‘you can call me Dorian-’

  ‘Or Adore.’ Asmara piped up, a wide smile on her face.

  ‘Not that.’ He said firmly.

  ‘Adore?’ Julietta asked.

  ‘Yes, Dorian, Dore, Adore.’

  ‘Don’t call me that.’ Dorian repeated, glaring at Asmara who only grinned back. Julietta noticed his eyes, which she had previously thought were brown, were flecked with green and were in fact more hazel in colour.

  ‘I will call you Dorian, then.’ Julietta replied solemnly, unaccountably uncomfortable.

  He glanced back at her, as if he had forgotten they had been in the middle of a conversation before Asmara’s rude interruption. ‘Mm. Well,’ he said, ‘you should go to bed early, Julietta. I doubt you are used to anything strenuous, and we have a big day tomorrow.’ And with that he took his own advice, and with a parting glare at a grinning Asmara, departed the common room.

  The next morning Asmara knocked on her door and woke her not long after dawn. Despite the early hour, Asmara looked wide awake. Julietta dressed and packed hurriedly, worried she would slow them down on the first day. But the day started sedately, and Asmara suggested she wait and have breakfast with the others at the inn and come over later.

  ‘I’ll go and meet with the client now, it will take them a few hours to be ready. Once you and the others are done, you can come over and we’ll put you to work.’ she said with a smile.

  ‘Work?’ Julietta replied slowly.

  ‘Dorian usually handles the enchantments, but since that is your specialty, you can help him check the magic already in our client’s wagons. I’ll see you in a little bit.’

  Julietta watched her go and wondered sleepily why Asmara wasn’t hungry. She did not have to wait long before Dorian and Bo joined her in the common room, and to her relief, they looked as tired as she felt.

  As they took a table, Dorian grumbled, ‘just because she likes to get up at dawn doesn’t mean we all have to.’

  ‘It’s good for the digestion.’ Bo responded in his deep voice.

  Dorian just stared at Bo as if he couldn’t see how that had anything to do with anyth
ing.

  By the time breakfast was finished and they left the inn they were all wide awake. Julietta felt as if she was vibrating with excitement. They arrived at the back of a warehouse near the edge of the city. The yard was filled with activity as men packed and hitched oxen to what looked to be nearly a dozen wagons. Asmara stood out in the crowd easily, and they made their way over to her. Julietta had to be careful dodging around burly, ill-mannered men as she hurried after her companions. She felt quite overwhelmed by the noise and activity and felt more than a little out of place.

  ‘Mister Alleman, these are my associates. If you’re ready, Dorian and Julietta would like to check your enchantments.’

  Mister Alleman, a prosperous looking man in a heavy, red coat nodded and in a business-like but friendly manner said, ‘if you come this way, the first three wagons are loaded and you may check them over. They are not inscribed but enchanted, so I don’t imagine you’ll find any problems. The wheels were made with a protection and speed enchantment, the bed with protection and strength and the canvas covering has protection and drying.’

  ‘You know,’ Julietta said, suddenly feeling in her element, ‘a speed enchantment on wheels really has very little effect, particularly if they are already enchanted for protection, far more important is what you have pulling them. Are your...animals...also enchanted?’

  ‘Oxen.’ Dorian muttered shaking his head.

  Mister Alleman laughed. ‘Indeed, only this year though! It has cut the travel time in half, so it should take us less than four weeks to get to Halle, if the weather is good! I had the enchanting on the wagons done many years ago when I was quite young, I’m afraid I might have been had! I was only having one wagon done then and the thought of losing it kept me up at night! He offered me the wheels at half price because the wagon was a costly investment. He seemed such a nice fellow I had him make all my wagons!’

  Julietta pursed her lips. ‘How unscrupulous.’ she said as she wondered how Mister Alleman had managed to become so prosperous.

  ‘His work has held up nicely, or so I’m told. Please, start with these ones here, and once you’re done they’ll be taken to the gates to wait.’

  Julietta couldn’t help glancing at Dorian as she bent over and peered closely at the wheels. There were a few, discreet symbols on the inside of the rim, more to announce the enchantment than anything else. The wheels had been made with the magic inside them, as part of their creation, it had not been overlain on top afterwards as with inscribing. It was a far more powerful, and durable form of magic, and as expected, she did not find any weakening. How very costly, she thought as she moved on to the canvas and then the bed. She wondered what exactly they were escorting, Mister Alleman would have to be a very successful merchant to afford all these enchanted wagons. Again, she glanced at Dorian. He briefly touched the wagon to check its magic before moving on. Julietta smiled and hurried onto the next. They moved more quickly than the packers, and when she was done with the last packed wagon she paused in consternation, not wanting to dodge around the loaders again. Dorian did not seem to have the same qualms and moved among the other men without difficulty. Julietta steeled herself and made to do the same when a man growled at her, ‘stay back, girl, don’t get in our way!’

  Dorian glanced up and waved her away, as if to say he would finish it.

  Frowning fiercely, Julietta hesitated. It would not take Dorian long to finish but! She made to head towards an unchecked wagon and had to jump back with a squawk to avoid being run over by a group of men carrying a large box. Defeated, Julietta stalked over to Bo, who was watching and yelling encouragement at the loaders. They responded with good-natured insults which sounded very rude indeed to Julietta.

  ‘Don’t worry.’ he said, as he saw her. ‘Dorian will be happier to finish off on his own, and we wouldn’t want you getting injured before we even start!’

  ‘He can certainly handle it on his own.’ she replied, trying to look unbothered by the whole affair.

  ‘Probably for the best, he’s a bit prickly around other mages.’ he said, using the catch-all term for anyone with magic. ‘And now I don’t look so lazy!’

  ‘What’s Asmara doing?’ Julietta demanded, her cheeks suddenly flaming in embarrassment.

  ‘Supervising!’

  ‘It doesn’t look like she’s doing anything either!’

  ‘Oh, no, it’s very important, so important I couldn’t tell you what it is either!’ and he roared with laughter.

  Dorian returned to them about half an hour later. He pulled something from his pack, which was sitting with the rest of the group’s packs next to Bo. Julietta didn’t know what was going to happen to their packs, and as she watched she wondered. Her eyes lingered for a moment on a giant sword in a serviceable leather scabbard against the wall.

  Dorian pulled a floppy hat out of his bag and with a sigh pulled it down over his head.

  ‘It’s Dorian’s sorcerer’s hat!’ Bo laughed.

  ‘It’s just a regular hat,’ he grumbled, ‘we can’t all be like you, Bo.’ He glanced at Julietta, ‘you better get a hat, Julietta, or you’re going to regret it.’

  ‘A sorceress’s hat?’ Bo replied.

  Dorian just sighed as Bo chuckled.

  ‘A hat?’ Julietta asked, ‘um, yes, I have one.’

  ‘Well put it on!’ Dorian replied irritably.

  ‘I don’t see why I need to right now!’ she replied indignantly.

  Dorian lifted up the brim of his hat so Julietta could see his eyes again. She noticed there was a light dusting of freckles over his pale skin. ‘Do you want to get sunburnt? Bo and Asmara can get away with frolicking in the sun all day,’ and he glowered darkly at the dark-brown Bo who was smiling and nodding, ‘but you and I will go-’

  ‘Red like Dorian’s hair!’ Bo shot in.

  Dorian sighed.

  ‘Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to get sun-burnt.’ Flushing, she pulled a small cap from her bag. It had a little white flower on the brim that she had made herself with magic. It seemed to flutter and glimmer as if in a breeze of its own. ‘I’m sure you should wear a hat too, Bo, you could get sunburnt as well.’

  Bo looked stunned at this possibility, ‘no, I’m quite fine!’

  ‘No, the professors at the collegium were quite clear on this. One of my professors from Chelleska was quite passionate about it. It’s a common misconception but now you have been corrected you can act accordingly. I’ll be sure to tell Asmara as well.’

  Bo didn’t have anything to say to this. Julietta, noticing Dorian’s gaze on her little cap said, ‘it might not look very useful, but it’s quite practical, I made it myself in Introduction to Basic Enchanting.’

  ‘I can see that.’ Dorian sighed and said to Bo. ‘Do you know how much longer?’

  ‘An hour, probably two. Then we’ll head out the South Gate on our way to Halle. I don’t expect we’ll have any trouble, we’ll be staying on the main routes the entire way.’

  Dorian nodded, ‘sure.’

  ‘Excuse me...’ Julietta began.

  ‘You’re excused.’ Bo replied.

  Julietta was momentarily taken aback and Bo started laughing. With a sigh Dorian said, ‘what is it, Julietta?’

  ‘There are a lot of wagons here...’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘And there are only four of us.’

  ‘Mister Alleman already employs his own guards. We’re just providing extra protection.’

  Julietta hid her relief that her question had not been, as she’d feared, a very stupid one.

  No one spoke for a while and the silence stretched on, until Julietta could no longer stand it. It looked as though Dorian had gone to sleep under his hat, so she spoke to Bo instead, ‘How long have you been travelling together, Bo?’ she asked, feeling a little awkward at taking such familiarity with him, but she had been told to call him Bo, and everyone else did.

  ‘Hmm? Oh, Dorian joined us about a year ago, he replaced our previous sorcerer A
rnaud.’

  ‘What happened to Arnaud?’

  ‘He got eaten.’ Dorian, who had not, in fact, been sleeping, replied with perfect equanimity.

  ‘What?’ she gasped.

  ‘Dorian!’ Bo laughed.

  At Bo’s laugh Julietta demanded, with rising colour, ‘are you tricking me?!’

  ‘No, I’m not. He got eaten, didn’t he Bo?’

  ‘Y-yes, but-’

  ‘This is dangerous work you’re embarking on, Julietta, and he was a damn good sorcerer too. Or so Bo and Asme tell me, I never had the chance to meet him.’

  Julietta looked from one to the other, not quite believing them but... at that moment Asmara chose to come over.

  ‘They’re almost done, we can head on over to the gate and meet them there.’ she said. Her dark hair was tightly braided and tied into a bun at the base of her skull. At her hip she wore a regular-sized sword that looked small compared to Bo’s monstrous weapon.

  ‘Asmara,’ Julietta began weakly, ‘what happened to Arnaud?’

  ‘Arnaud? He’s doing very well for himself in Montfal. Nice and quiet, last I heard.’

  ‘What?’

  A brief smile cracked Dorian’s face and Bo burst out laughing.

  ‘What happened to Arnaud?’ Julietta demanded.

  Asmara looked at her laughing companions and smiled, ‘oh, he got eaten by a Humoran. After we got him out he decided enough was enough and retired to start a shop in Montfal, where his family’s from. Mostly he sells trinkets and things, but he does magical items too.’

  Glaring at the two men, Julietta crossed her arms over her chest and said firmly to Asmara, ‘As they’re almost finished I’ll head to the gate! Excuse me!’

  ‘We’ll all go. I don’t want to be stuck behind those oxen, Julietta, have you ever smelt an ox-’ Bo began.

  ‘No, I don’t think I have!’ Julietta responded quickly and hurried ahead so she wouldn’t hear any more of Bo’s jokes. Soon after, her companions joined her at the gate. It was a good three-quarters of an hour later that the wagon train finally left Manus by the South Gate. They seemed immune to her ire at being tricked, and in a way Julietta was glad. She didn’t really want to start her journey in an ill humour. Bo and Asmara at least seemed to have accepted her presence.