The Magelands Epic: Storm Mage (Book 6) Read online

  Storm Mage

  Christopher Mitchell is the author of the epic fantasy series The Magelands. He studied in Edinburgh before living for several years in the Middle East and Greece, where he taught English. He returned to study classics and Greek tragedy and lives in Fife, Scotland with his wife and their four children.

  By Christopher Mitchell

  The Magelands Origins

  Retreat of the Kell

  The Trials of Daphne Holdfast

  From the Ashes

  The Magelands Epic

  The Queen’s Executioner

  The Severed City

  Needs of the Empire

  Sacrifice

  Fragile Empire

  Storm Mage

  Soulwitch Rises

  Renegade Gods

  Copyright © Christopher Mitchell 2020

  Cover by Miblart

  Cover Copyright © Brigdomin Books Ltd 2020

  Christopher Mitchell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems (except for the use of brief quotations in a book review), if you would like permission to use material from the book please contact [email protected]

  Brigdomin Books Ltd

  First Edition, June 2020

  Ebook Edition © June 2020

  ISBN 978-1-912879-26-7

  For Kellan

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank the following for all their support during the writing of the Magelands - my wife, Lisa Mitchell, who read every chapter as soon as it was drafted and kept me going in the right direction; Graeme Innes for reading the manuscripts and sharing many discussions over whisky; my parents for their unstinting support; Amy Tavendale, Sandra and Donna Wheat and Vicky Williams for reading the books in their early stages; James Aitken for his encouragement; and the Film Club for their support.

  Thanks also to my Magelanders ARC team, for all your help during the last few weeks before publication.

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  Dramatis Personae

  The Holdfasts

  Daphne Holdfast, Holder Fast

  Killop ae Kellan, Lord Holdfast

  Karalyn Holdfast, Elder daughter, 19

  Keir Holdfast, Elder son, 16

  Kelsey Holdfast, Younger daughter, 14

  Corthie Holdfast, Younger son, 13

  Celine Holdfast, Daphne's sister-in-law

  Holdings

  Jemma, Hold Fast Tenant

  Matilda, Hold Fast Horse Breeder

  Wendy, Jemma's Mother

  Oder, Jemma's Father

  Sable Blackhold, Agent

  Sanders, Imperial Vision Mage

  Tilda, Plateau Tavern Keeper

  Philo, Plateau Tavern Keeper

  Toby, Plateau Farmer

  Tomlin, Imperial Marine

  Veron, Imperial Vision Mage

  Billy, Hold Fast Tenant

  Ghorley, Lord Protector of Rahain

  Joley, Assistant to Lord Ghorley

  Yosin, Defender of the Faith

  Kellach Brigdomin

  Bridget, Empress of the World

  Calder, Imperial Lawyer, Plateau City

  Dean, Professor, University, Plateau City

  Doddie, Labourer, Plateau City

  Bryda, Imperial Marine

  Demi, Imperial Marine

  Lennox, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad-Leader

  Cain, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Carrie, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Leisha, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Libby, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Loryn, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Denny, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Druman, Army of Pyre, Fifth Squad

  Donne, Army of Pyre Commander

  Rahain

  Laodoc, Corthie's Tutor

  Nyane, Imperial Herald

  Rakanese

  Ravi, Captured Diamond Mage

  Kerri, Captured friend of Ravi

  Shella, Flow Mage & Princess

  Sanang

  Thorn, Hedgewitch

  Ivy, Hedgewitch, Thorn's Mother

  Acorn, Hedgewitch, Thorn's Sister

  Clove, Hedgewitch, Thorn's Sister

  Bracken, Thorn's friend

  Lichen, Mother of Bracken

  Bertrang, Bracken's Brother

  Bluebell, Hedgewitch

  Chestnut, Hedgewitch

  Darecht, Boy in Village

  Oakleaf, Girl in Village

  Agang Garo, Ruler of Mya Enclave

  Gatlang, Warrior, Sons of Sanang

  The Peoples of the Star Continent

  There are five distinct peoples inhabiting the Star Continent. Three are descended from apes, one from reptiles, and one from amphibians. Their evolutionary trajectories have converged, and all five are clearly ‘humanoid’, though physical differences remain.

  1.The Holdings – the closest to our own world’s Homo sapiens. Excepting the one in ten of the population with mage powers, they are completely human. The Holdings sub-continent drifted south from the equator, and the people that inhabit the Realm are dark-skinned as a consequence. They are shorter than the Kellach Brigdomin, but taller than the Rakanese.

  2.The Rakanese – descended from amphibians, but appear human, except for the fact that they have slightly larger eyes, and are generally shorter than Holdings people. They are descendants of a far larger population that once covered a vast area, and consequently their skin-colour ranges from pale to dark. Mothers gestate their young for only four months, before giving birth in warm spawn-pools, where the infants swim and feed for a further five months. A dozen are born in an average spawning.

  3.The Rahain – descended from reptiles. Appear human, except for two differences. Firstly, their eyes have vertical pupils, and are often coloured yellow or green, and, secondly, their tongues have a vestigial fork or cleft at their tip. Their heights are comparable to the Holdings and the Sanang. Skin-colour tends to be pale, as the majority are cavern-dwellers. Their skin retains a slight appearance of scales, and they have no fingerprints. They are the furthest from our world’s humans.

  4.The Kellach Brigdomin – descended from apes, and very similar to the Holdings, they are the second closest to our world’s humans. Their distinguishing traits are height (they are the tallest of the five peoples), pale skin (their sub-continent drifted north from a much colder region), and immunity to most diseases, toxins and illnesses. They are also marked by the fact that mothers give birth to twins in the majority of cases.

  5.The Sanang – descended from apes, but evolved in the forest, rather than on the open plains that produced the Holdings. As a consequence, their upper arms and shoulders are wider and stronger than those of people from the Holdings or Rahain. They are pale-skinned, their sub-continent having arrived from colder climates in the south, and they occupy the same range of heights as the Holdings and Rahain. The males bear some traits of earlier Homo sapiens, such as a sloping forehead and a strong jaw-line, but the brains of the Sanang are as advanced as those of the other four peoples of t
he continent.

  Contents

  1. Cutting the Cord

  2. Containment

  3. Greyfalls Deepen

  4. Winter Games

  5. Out of Mind

  6. Boating

  7. Making an Effort

  8. Closing In

  9. Lament

  10. A Test of Faith

  11. Educating Thorn

  12. Odd Jobs

  13. Night Sailing

  14. Re-assigned

  15. Two Gins Too Many

  16. The Kildrummie

  17. Both Blades Red

  18. The Seablade

  19. Few Leave

  20. A Third

  21. Deep Underground

  22. What Kind of Monster

  23. The Spoils

  24. Levelling

  25. The Quadrant

  26. Thunder on the Horizon

  27. Trial by Fire

  28. Storm at Dawn

  29. The Rightful Owners

  30. The Pyre

  Author’s Notes

  The Magelands Series

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  Chapter 1

  Cutting the Cord

  Inner Sea – Winter’s Day 524

  More than a hundred winged gaien hurtled over the Inner Sea, so low that the wooden keels of the carriages were almost skimming the surface of the water. In the east, the lightening of the sky betrayed the coming dawn; a rosy pink hue announcing to the world that Winter’s Day had arrived.

  Libby nudged Lennox. ‘Look,’ she said. ‘We’re nearly there.’

  The entire First Company of the Fourth Regiment of the Army of Pyre were crammed aboard the narrow confines of the wooden tube, and many were trying to get a view out of one of the round windows that lined the sides. Lennox squinted into the growing light. In the distance, a rocky promontory was visible, hugging the shore of the Inner Sea. Atop it was a castle, its southern face overlooking the river that ran all the way from the vineyards of Anamindhari, while on its northern bank spread the fortified settlement of Stretton Sands. After Rainsby, it was the best defended outpost of the empire in the Southern Plateau. For half a year, the armies of Rahain had pounded the walls of Rainsby, sacrificing thousands in repeated and futile bids to capture the city, but imperial troops had protected each wall, street and ditch with their blood. No matter how many had fallen, the ships that crossed the Inner Sea had kept the city reinforced and supplied.

  ‘Do you think this new plan will work?’ Libby whispered to Lennox.

  ‘It had better,’ Lennox mumbled.

  ‘Squad leaders!’ shouted an officer from the front of the carriage.

  Lennox unstrapped himself from the bench and got to his feet, swaying from the motion. He grabbed hold of a knotted rope attached to the ceiling and squeezed through the packed, dark interior of the carriage, passing the rest of his squad on the way. The other nine squad leaders were doing the same, and they reached the front of the carriage, where the captain was standing next to his lieutenants.

  The captain nodded at them, his eyes narrow.

  ‘Our objective today is to capture Stretton Sands from the empire,’ he said, ‘and throttle the winter supply line to Rainsby. With the town’s harbour under our control, Rainsby will be completely cut off from imperial aid until the spring.’ His eyes glanced over them. ‘The Army of Pyre’s had it easy up to now. The Lord Protector knows better than to waste his best troops in assaulting the walls of Rainsby, but today that changes, and we have been given a task to do. It won’t be easy. The imperial garrison in Stretton Sands includes some of the best units the Empress has at her disposal and we’ll be up against it from the moment we land.’

  He turned for a moment to gaze out of the window at the approaching town.

  ‘The Third, Fourth and Fifth regiments will be landing inside the town,’ he said, not looking at them as he spoke.

  The squad leaders glanced at each other.

  ‘The Third will be assaulting the Wine Gate,’ the captain went on, ‘while the Fifth will aim for the River Gate. Our regiment’s job is to protect their flanks and rear while they get the gates open. First Company will be landing within the Rakanese district of the town. Make for the clock-tower, it’s the highest building there. Thirty thousand Rahain soldiers from the regular army are moving up from the south, ready to occupy the town.’ He faced them. ‘Whatever happens, you will hold your position until the gates are open. Do you all understand?’

  ‘Aye, sir,’ the squad leaders said.

  ‘Round about now,’ the captain said, ‘the imperial defenders up on the walls of Stretton Castle will be taking notice of our arrival. Expect a hostile welcome. Dismissed.’

  The captain turned back to the window. Lennox and the other squad leaders said nothing, and went to their seats.

  ‘Well?’ said Libby as he sat, the eyes of the squad on him.

  Lennox gazed at the seven members of his squad. ‘Get ready,’ he said.

  ‘For what?’ said Cain, sitting opposite him. ‘What are we doing?’ He pointed out of a window at the dozens of winged gaien. ‘It looks like the whole Army of Pyre’s in the air.’

  ‘Three whole regiments,’ Lennox said. ‘We’re taking Stretton Sands today.’

  ‘I thought its walls were meant to be impregnable?’ said Libby.

  Lennox caught her eye. ‘We’re landing inside the walls. They’re dropping us off in the middle of the town.’

  Loryn made a choked noise.

  ‘Three regiments won’t be enough to take the whole town,’ Cain said.

  ‘We only have to hold out long enough for the gates to be opened,’ Lennox said. ‘Half of the Rahain army are waiting outside the walls to get in. If you get lost, head for the clock-tower, but try not to get lost. We stick together, right?’

  ‘Aye, boss,’ Carrie said.

  There were gasps and the squad turned to peer out of a window. A hundred yards to their right, a winged gaien had been hit by a weighted metal net, hurled from the walls of the town by a catapult. Its wings were tangled, and it was falling, pulling the other three beasts out of position. More catapults opened up, and the sky filled with boulders. A carriage to their left was struck by a huge rock that ripped it in two. Soldiers fell from the wreckage as the carriage buckled and splintered before plunging into the dark waters.

  The sea walls of the town grew closer, and Lennox could make out the individual troops handling the catapults along the broad battlements. The waves of winged gaien began to ascend at a steep angle, and the soldiers aboard held on as their stomachs lurched. Denny, one of the squad’s new recruits, vomited down his armoured chestplate.

  ‘Fucksake, lad,’ Cain said, laughing.

  Druman, Denny’s twin, punched his brother on the arm. ‘You soft bastard.’

  The carriage levelled, then began to descend, picking up speed as they soared over the walls of the town. More gaien were hit as they entered the range of the great artillery machines clustered along the defences of Stretton Castle up on its rocky heights. Yard-long bolts peppered the winged reptiles and more carriages spun out of control, smashing into the buildings of the town as the sun appeared over the horizon.

  ‘Here we go!’ yelled Lennox as they hurtled downwards. The carriage jerked and banked and rolled onto its right side.

  ‘Two of our gaien are hit!’ cried someone from within the cramped darkness of the carriage. The soldiers strapped into the right hand side were trying to clamber from their seats as they plunged towards the ground. The front half of the carriage was ripped off by the corner of a tenement block, and the rear smashed into the street below, gouging out a deep furrow as it skidded and juddered. The right side of the carriage gave way, its timbers shredded and broken by the impact, and the wreckage ground to a halt.

  Lennox unbuckled his straps and dropped to the ground, his legs shaking, his ears deafened by the noise of screams and the grinding impacts of dozens of carriages. Gaien were also falling, sho
t down after releasing their cargo. Lennox watched as one smashed into a rooftop, then slid from the tiles and crashed lifeless into the streets below, where civilians were scattering in terror.

  The survivors from the rear of the carriage were gathering. The Fifth had been strapped to the left side, which had ended up clear of the ground, and they were clambering through the wreckage towards him. Lennox did a quick count. Twenty-five soldiers left, not including the several who were injured, or trapped among the twisted beams, and he was the only squad leader standing. The carriage had stopped by the side of an open market square, where deserted stalls were lined up around a large tree in the centre. Beyond it, Lennox saw a tall tower, with a large clockface at its top. Soldiers from the Army of Pyre were clustering at its base.

  ‘This way!’ Lennox cried.

  The other soldiers followed the Fifth as they ran across the square, their own squad leaders lying dead in the wreckage of the landing. An officer by the clock-tower saw them approach and gestured to her staff.

  Lennox saluted. ‘Fifth Squad, First Company, reporting, ma’am.’