Broken Bones_Age Of Magic_A Kurtherian Gambit Series Read online

  CONTENTS

  LMBPN Publishing

  Dedication

  Legal

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Author Notes - Amy Hopkins

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Social Links

  Books by Amy Hopkins

  Books by Michael Anderle

  BROKEN BONES

  A New Dawn Book 6

  By Amy Hopkins and Michael Anderle

  A part of

  The Kurtherian Gambit Universe

  Written and Created

  by Michael Anderle

  DEDICATION

  To all the parents who’ve ever had to work at home during the school holidays.

  I salute you. You are warriors, and saints.

  — Amy

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  to Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  to Live The Life We Are

  Called.

  —Michael

  Broken Bones

  JIT Beta Readers

  Jim Caplan

  Peter Manis

  Kim Boyer

  Daniel Weigert

  Paul Westman

  Micky Cocker

  If we missed anyone, please let us know!

  Editor

  Lynne Stiegler

  BROKEN BONES (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  This book Copyright © 2018 Amy Hopkins, Michael T. Anderle, CM Raymond, LE Barbant

  Cover by Jeff Brown www.jeffbrowngraphics.com

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the authors’ intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the authors’ rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, May 2018

  The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2015-2018 by Michael T. Anderle.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Julianne looked down at the tattered ragdoll at her feet. It was splattered with mud and missing one of its little button eyes. She bent down and gently picked it up. She cradled it in her hand and wondered what had happened to its owner.

  On second thought, maybe I don't want to know.

  "What have you got there?" asked Marcus. He glanced at the small scrap in her hands and frowned. "I'm sure they got away, Jules. We haven't found any bodies so far."

  "Course ye had ta bloody say that," Garrett grumbled. "Look."

  The rearick jutted his chin at Polly as she stumbled out of a barn. Her face was pale and her eyes were rimmed with red.

  "What do ye think she found?" Garrett asked quietly.

  "Stay here." Marcus briefly gripped Julianne's shoulder and strode off toward the barn.

  Julianne shuddered, but knew she couldn't leave him to deal with this alone. She took a moment to center herself, blew out a slow breath, and marched after him. She darted to the side as he and Garrett stumbled back out of the barn, Garrett almost stepping on her foot in his haste to evacuate.

  Julianne gritted her teeth against the sound of Polly retching behind her. She prodded the squeaky wooden door open, then reeled back from the foul smell. She stumbled back, then sucked in a big breath of fresh air and plunged inside.

  Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, but she had a hard time dealing with the carnage inside. Rotting bodies covered the floor and blood and limbs were strewn about like unwanted rubbish.

  "Well," Garrett said, peeking over her shoulder. "At least it weren't people. Well, not this time, anyway."

  Julianne quickly realized he was right. Past the rotting and decaying dead flesh, she saw their clothes. Tattered and loose, some of them missing altogether, and all of them mismatched as if the owners had no idea how to dress appropriately.

  There were broken teeth and crude handmade weapons scattered about. Still, she needed proof, and her eyes roamed the violent scene in search of it. There it was—a pair of red eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

  "Remnant," whispered Julianne. Relief made her limbs sag and she stepped back, closing the barn door behind her to stifle the cloying stench of death.

  "Whatever they are," Polly said from behind her, "they smell even worse than what Garrett made for breakfast yesterday.”

  "Hey!" Garrett protested. "That were a fine meal."

  "Yeah," Marcus interjected, "if you want to eat something that smells like that."

  Julianne exhaled. "Would you three stop bickering already?" She held a finger up when Garrett tried to interrupt. "Not a word, you. You lot have been arguing since we left Tahn."

  "They keep insultin’ me cookin’," Garrett grumbled.

  Julianne rolled her eyes. "Garrett, I know you miss Bette but it’s making you crotchety. And I know you think you cook quite well.” She steeled herself to deliver the blow. “But you don't."

  She winced at the wounded expression on his face. "I know you try, and maybe..." Julianne grasped for something to say. "Maybe it's just a regional thing? We mystics have our elixir, and rearick have the…the...” She gestured helplessly, looking to the others for support.

  "The slop you made for breakfast," Marcus said.

  Marcus, you're not helping, Julianne thought to him. Her eyes snapped the warning she couldn’t say aloud.

  He shrugged apologetically. "I'll stop complaining about your food, rearick. As long as you let me cook from now on."

  Garrett snorted and stomped over to the remains of the tiny village. Julianne understood the prickle of unease that had the rearick on edge.

  They had left Tahn knowing that danger lurked on the open road, but no one was willing to leave the outlying villages and settlements to fend for themselves against the monstrous beasts pouring through portals. At least, they thought there were more portals.

  Ruefully, Julianne admitted that they were going by the word of a single remnant who had only divulged the information under threat of torture. But even if they had closed the only portal in the region which kept the strange Skrima from coming through it, there was still the remnant threat.

  Why are they on the move? Why now, after all these years? The question tumbled about Julianne's mind endlessly.

  The hordes were traveling the countryside as they fled from the threat—real or imagined—of the Skrima. They had descended on Tahn twice. The t
ownspeople were prepared and fought the beasts, but there was a real concern that those in smaller settlements would not have the same capability.

  Looking around, Julianne's heart was heavy. The remnant trapped inside this building were dead, and though they hadn't found any human corpses, whoever had lived here had still lost their town— their home. She just wished she knew where they had gone.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Twilight descended on the abandoned town and shadows stretched long over the grass. Glowing embers pocked the evening darkness, creating an eerie map of the buildings that had been burnt to the ground by the invading marauders.

  "At least we have somewhere to sleep tonight," Marcus said. He gestured toward one of the intact buildings.

  "Are you serious?" Polly screeched. "I wouldn't sleep in the house of a dead person if you paid me."

  "We don't know that they're dead," Marcus protested. "We haven't found a single body to suggest they are."

  "As much as I hate ta admit it," Garrett said, "the lad has a point. We'll be safer if we've got solid walls between us and whatever’s out there."

  "I’m with Polly." Danil shuddered. "Give me an open sky and plenty of room to run away any day."

  "Of course ye'd run, ye pansy," Garrett retorted. "But I'm not freezin’ me arse off just cuz yer a wee scaredy-boy."

  "Freeze?" Danil scoffed. "You spent last night complaining it was so humid that your ball sweat kept dripping down your ass crack and making it itch."

  Polly slapped him. "Thanks, Danil. I spent all day trying to get that image out of my head. Now it's stuck there forever."

  "I can jump in there and take care of that for you if you want," Danil said with a wink.

  "Not a chance." Polly slapped him again, this time hard enough to make him wince. "After what you did last time you were in there you're banned for life, Mister."

  Julianne arched an eyebrow. "And what exactly was that?"

  Danil coughed, Polly blushed, and both shuffled their feet. Neither answered her question.

  "Look, whatever kinky mind-sex play you two are up to in your spare time, that's your business." Marcus winked at Danil. "Until later tonight, anyway—then I want all the details. But right now I feel like I’ve been dragged ass-backward through a meat grinder, so I'd really like to settle in and get some sleep for the night. Can we just decide where we’re going to be sleeping, and be done with it?"

  Julianne just watched as the fight erupted. Polly and Garrett argued and Danil backed Polly up, which only seemed to make the rearick more stubborn. Marcus occasionally threw in a point in Garrett's favor but seemed half-hearted about it.

  "We'll sleep outside," Julianne decided, using a touch of magic to make sure they listened to her. "Danil, Polly, would you please set up camp on the outskirts of town? I'd like to have a look around before we settle in."

  Julianne waited until the young couple had disappeared before gesturing to Marcus and Garrett. They followed her over to one of the smoldering buildings.

  "What exactly do you think went down here?" she asked. "It doesn't make sense. How would you coax an entire group of remnant into one building?"

  Marcus shrugged. "Maybe they set a trap of some kind. If the remnant thought there was an easy mark in there they'd be on it like flies on a turd."

  "If the people ‘ere were expectin’ an attack they might have fled ta safety." Garrett scratched his whiskers as he thought. "Not a bad plan, really. Get the old an’ the weak to safety, lure the bastards inside, an’ trap ‘em in there."

  Julianne nodded. "Maybe these smaller settlements aren't as helpless as we thought they would be."

  "When you're on your own you learn to survive." Marcus brushed her arm gently. "And I'm sure they did survive this. There's nothing to tell us otherwise."

  Hot timbers cracked and popped in the cooling air and Julianne shivered. Indecision tugged at her . If they had abandoned Tahn to come on this wild goose-chase for no reason she would never forgive herself. Of course, if they saved just one life it would all be worth it.

  Garrett let out an irritable grunt and stomped away. Marcus edged closer to Julianne and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  "We're doing the right thing out here," he murmured in her ear. "These people may have gotten away, but we don't know who else is out there waiting for help."

  "I know," Julianne said with a sigh. "I just hate not knowing what's going on."

  They wandered toward the campsite. Polly had already erected the tents and Danil blew on a small pile of sticks that was just beginning to smoke.

  “What’s for dinner?” Julianne asked. She stole a glance at Garrett, willing to use a compulsion spell on him if he insisted on cooking again.

  "I err… I have ta be…" Garrett's face turned beet-red and he scowled. "I'm busy, all right? Some other ugly bastard’ll just have ta cook dinner." He stomped back into the town.

  Danil laughed. "Thank the Bitch for that."

  "I suppose I should slap you for that." Polly giggled. "But I'm as relieved as you are. Now, you two toddle off and do whatever it is you do while Danil and I make up for that awful breakfast."

  "Just keep an eye out," Marcus told her. "We don't know what's lurking around out there."

  Polly rolled her eyes. "We know, soldier boy. I swear you've reminded us of that every five minutes since we left."

  Marcus gave a wolfish grin. "Then you‘ll expect me to remind you every five minutes for the rest of the trip too."

  "I'm sure they'll be careful, Marcus," Julianne said. "Why don’t we go find something to eat? If we don't replenish our stores we won't last the week."

  "Wait a minute," Polly begged. "You're not going to look for food in there, are you?" She pointed toward the empty buildings.

  Julianne shook her head. "No. There's a small chance the people who lived here will return. I don't want to take anything that belongs to them. They've lost enough."

  "Try to catch something bigger than a rabbit this time." Danil ducked away from Marcus's glare.

  "If you're going to complain about what we bring back, next time you can go hunting instead," Marcus growled at him.

  "Let’s go," Julianne said, "before you two find anything else to argue about."

  Julianne unstrapped her staff from her horse and slung it over her back, then pulled a pair of shiny daggers out of her pack. Marcus raised an eyebrow.

  "I haven't seen those before," he said.

  Julianne shrugged. "Bette had them made for me. She said that as much as I enjoy beating things over the head with my stick, I at least need something sharp to cut my meat with."

  Marcus snorted. "And I suppose it had nothing to do with the mess you make when you beat things over the head."

  "You really think disemboweling with a sharp blade is going to be any neater?" she asked.

  Marcus chuckled and walked into the dense forest surrounding the little town. Despite the late hour, a full moon hung low in the night sky. Shafts of moonlight speared the canopy, allowing them to see.

  "You do remember where you set the trap, don't you?" Julianne asked quietly.

  Marcus shot her a dirty look. "Of course, I do. Mostly. I mean...I know the general direction."

  Julianne was glad he couldn't see her roll her eyes. He and Garrett had set the trap before they'd reached the small town. They had hoped an offering of fresh meat would make the townsfolk more welcoming. When the two men had come back they were arguing loudly over the best way to prepare salmon. The discussion had nearly turned into a good-natured brawl. Polly had immediately laid a wager on them not being able to find the trap again.

  Danil was the only one to take that bet, and this time he might have lost his money. It seemed that in the excitement of finding the town deserted and in ruins, Marcus really had forgotten where he'd laid the trap.

  "I'm sure it was just around here," Marcus muttered. He squatted.

  Behind him, Julianne slipped into a trance and embraced her magic, filling up
to the world around her. In this state she had a tangible connection every leaf, every stick, and every grain of dirt. The sharp metallic scent of blood reached her nose and her eyes immediately cleared.

  "Marcus," she said in a low voice. You did leave your trap here, she sent to him, but something took your prize.

  Marcus froze, then silently stood up and drew his short sword.

  Didn’t you bring your rifle? Julianne sent.

  Marcus grimaced. It’s back with the horses. I didn't think I'd need a rifle to catch a rabbit.

  I think we’re about to catch more than a rabbit, Julianne sent.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Marcus and Julianne stood back to back in the stippled moonlight. They waited, still and silent as nearby leaves and branches quietly rustled in the darkness.

  How many? Marcus asked.

  He felt the subtle shrug of her shoulders against his own. No idea, she sent back. Remnant minds are too fuzzy for me to get a real read from.

  I hope they at least put up a good fight, he mused a moment later.

  You realize that’s just asking for trouble? Julianne replied.

  Damn straight. Do you know how long it’s been since I faced a real challenge? He whipped his head around just long enough to shoot her a grin, his white teeth sparkling in the moonlight.

  As if spurred on by his movement, the enemy attacked. Four scowling remnant, eyes glowing red above yellow crooked teeth, exploded from the trees.

  “Told you I smell dinner,” the tallest snarled to his friends.

  Marcus groaned. “It was Garrett’s cooking, wasn’t it? What did I say? That stench is enough to attract every scavenger on Irth.” He swung his sword and the remnant caught it in one hand, heedless of the blood that poured from its fingers.