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Mage Reborn
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Mage Reborn
DIANE GREENWOOD MUIR
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Cover Design: Rebecca Bauman
Copyright © 2019 Diane Greenwood Muir
All rights reserved.
Contents
Glossary
Chapter 1 – Awake
Chapter 2 – Memories
Chapter 3 – Bazzle & Weeps
Chapter 4 – Run for Your Life
Chapter 5 – Traveler’s Rest
Chapter 6 – Flent
Chapter 7 - Control
Chapter 8 – Sarpha
Chapter 9 – Traveling Companions
Chapter 10 - Storm
Chapter 11 – Weakness
Chapter 12 – Treachery
Chapter 13 – Who Are You?
Chapter 14 – Strength
Chapter 15 – Hidden
Chapter 16 – Deep of Night
Chapter 17 – Beyond the Fire
Chapter 18 - Beast
Chapter 19 – He’s Back
Chapter 20 – Halech
Chapter 21 - Denis
Chapter 22 – Alone Again
Chapter 23 - Lowenford
Chapter 24 – Betrayed
Chapter 25 – Festril
Chapter 26 – Healing
Chapter 27 – Puppet
Chapter 28 – Marional
Chapter 29 – Home
Chapter 30 – Friends
Acknowledgments
Thank You!
Glossary
Characters, Terms, Flora, Fauna, Locations
Characters
Hester – Mage from Elbantha. After six hundred years of peace, she finds herself traveling to Slessia after nearly dying in the Battle of the Mages.
Beast – Protector to Hester.
Aldo – Large horse. Belongs to Bazzle. Bazzle’s mount.
Arion – The great mage who will train Hester.
Astrol - Loriya's daughter (from Hester’s village). Sang with the voice of a lark.
Bazzle, Samma – Large man, almost a giant. Man at Arms. Carpenter. Gladir to Emma Weeps.
Blackie – Sarpha’s Horse.
Beker – A Rounder who works for Arion.
Dabit and Kurah – Innkeepers in Norby Wind.
Darvid – Powerful, evil master mage. Should have been imprisoned at Thantoray.
Denis – Mage Instructor at Leofwin in Elbantha.
Desol – Shepherd from Hester’s village.
Drom – Companion horse to Greenfoam.
Elbert – A mage of Elbantha. Hester was dropped at this house when she was a child. He delivered her to Leofwin.
Eline – Large horse. Belongs to Bazzle. Sarpha’s mount.
Endol, Captain – captain of ship from Elbantha to Slessia. Wife: Mayol
Festril – Manage the Traveler’s Rests in Slessia.
Flent – Thief. Able to alter his look with makeup and body posture. Excellent at slight-of-hand. Gladir to Sarpha. Their magic is the ability to remove items from existence and return them at will.
Greenfoam – Hester’s horse.
Hoglah – A Rounder who works for Arion.
Ishri – A Rounder who works for Arion.
Jens – Former king of Elbantha. Lost his kingdom more than a decade ago and has been in hiding ever since.
Lerdon – Mahogany and dark green-striped skin people.
Lightning – Flent’s Horse.
Little Fish – Piltenaux’s second in command.
Little Mouse – Large horse. Belongs to Bazzle. Hester’s mount.
Lontary – Classmate of Hester’s from Leofwin.
Loriya – Elderly woman from Hester’s village, baked beautiful harvest cakes, even when she could barely stand.
Luther – A mage of Elbantha. Killed in the Battle of the Mages.
Malin – Large horse. Belongs to Bazzle. Flent’s mount.
Merila – Woman from Hester’s village who raised chickens and ducks. Provided eggs.
Ohlfento – Mage from Hester’s village who is lives on the rocky northern coast of Elbantha.
Orel – Elderly caregiver of Hester on ship from Elbantha to Slessia.
Piltenaux, Argeny – mobster in Norby Wind.
Sarpha – Assassin. A woman of extraordinary beauty. Deep gold, olive-green skin. Brown hair with rose highlights. Gladir to Flent.
Rothlar – Friend of Hester’s from Leofwin. Forged his own sword. Killed in the Battle of the Mages.
Rounder – Creatures who are nearly invisible.
Tahan – A Rounder who works for Arion.
Varegal (Gally) – Young boy traveling away from Norby Wind with his sister, Dera, his mother, Mera, and his father, Vake.
Weeps, Emma – Tiny woman. Gladir to Samma Bazzle. Apothecary. Lion-tamer. Their magic is the ability to communicate in any language, though most use the common tongue.
Wise Ones of the Danrill Mountains – Black-furred, extremely tall. Their magic brings power, water to the tall buildings of Layl, Slessia.
Terms
Allesert – Derogatory term for a stupid person.
Gladir – Pairing of individuals on Slessia that creates magic.
Flora
Danuberries. Edible berries.
Fillia Leaf – A brown leaf the size of Bazzle’s hand. Treat for horses. The leaf is edible and fulfilling alone or as a wrap for baked stew. Found on the edge of forests.
Gesendia Trees – Large canopies for shelter.
Genera Juice - Fruit juice that is both sweet and sour.
Mobay Stew – Served at The BridgeTower Inn in Layl.
Rachey Leaf – When crushed, leaves purple smears as it heals surface wounds.
Rooterberries – Makes excellent ale.
White Ivy – trained along trees as a common marker leading to water or other assistance. Set in place by Festril.
Fauna
Akstra – Beasts who patrol the oceans, making it dangerous for seafaring travelers. The Akstra broke the world into separate continents.
Banawuls –Slessian herd beasts. Used as sources for meat.
Bardelsins – Birds as large as small ponies.
Bertyoad – Amphibian.
Dreyans – Elbanthan herd animal. Farmers use them for milk.
Ferial – Dumbest beasts on Elbantha. When cornered, they curl into a ball and keen.
Gatisfly – Annoying insect.
Hathee – Immense, lumbering beast.
Lootheas – Rodent.
Mooley – Large rodent.
Shelpies – Elbanthan animal, popular for its fur (sheared).
Tree-lunkerd – Fluffs out its fur. Looks like a common bush and stops moving, even able to hold its breath when afraid.
Locations
Applasian Ocean – Waterway between Elbantha and Slessia
Elbantha - Continent
Letha – Province.
Berthrang – Capital city of Letha. Home to the Black King.
Ethobran – Large trading center in the north.
Grathe – City of lakes. Extravagant region. Spas, relaxation, entertainment.
 
; Leofwin – Mage academy.
Perth – Region where daily religious rituals include dancing in the early morning as they lift up prayers.
Stratherd – Region on the northern rocky coast of the continent.
Thantoray – Mage prison.
Slessia – Continent
Agahl – One of the Four Sisters – four peninsulas on the NW point of the continent.
Ankean – A city on the way to Marional.
Averne – A city where Sarpha had business.
Bearnford – A city on the way to Marional.
Blanchard – Where Pilteneaux’s ferry docked – to the east of Norby Wind.
BridgeTower Inn. Inn in Layl. Recommended by Captain Endol. Where Hester and Beast met Bazzle and Weeps.
Danrill Mountains – One of several mountain ranges on Slessia.
Enwe – Town in southwest corner of Slessia.
Halech, Temple of – Host of annual healing pilgrimage.
Indirm – Province on northwest edge of Slessia. Made up of the “Four Sisters” – four peninsulas on the northwest point of the continent.
Ladderill Plains – Large plains north of Norby Wind.
Larkin – City where Gally (Varegal) and his family are traveling to after the fire in Norby Wind.
Layl – Poorest of the Four Sisters – four peninsulas on the NW point of the continent. Port city that grew up because of access to Elbantha.
Lovensty River – River that flows from Lowenford to Marional.
Lowenford – Logging and mining town at the mouth of the Lovensty River.
Marional – Harvest Wars. Two original gladir – Saketh Orlini (peasant leader) Jenar Dwaseck (ruler of the city). From that point forward, a gladir composed of a person from the ruling class and another from the working class have led the city.
Norby Wind – City on the tip of Perna, one of the series of lakes known as the Great Mother for the way it looks from above. Lakes making up the mother are also Ciala (body), Halva (head) Yols (ear). Four small lakes suckling at the mother are Reben, Crinka, Bambo, Chine.
The approach to Norby Wind from the north is marked by an immense cliff face into which two large statues have been carved. One to the west, one to the east. Wyn, to the east is the sun and is the warrior / protector of the region. Linaelyn, to the west, is the moon. Linaelyn is the nurturer and brings peace and prosperity to the region.
Sanctil River – Feeds into Lovensty River at Lowenford.
Selich Highway – Cared for by the Festril. Noted by Traveler’s Rest stations.
Sindal - One of the Four Sisters – four peninsulas on the NW point of the continent. Home of the provincial government of Indirm.
Stafir – A mundane village with a small inn and several homes.
Tarkal - One of the Four Sisters – four peninsulas on the NW point of the continent.
Foria - Continent
Chapter 1 – Awake
“You’re safe,” a voice said quietly. “Go back to sleep.”
As Hester faded back into oblivion, she wondered how it was that she still lived.
~~~
If only the rocking would stop. Just for a moment. Please. Bile rose in her throat.
“I’m going to be sick.”
“Go ahead,” the voice said.
Was any of that out loud? Hester was certain she’d only thought the words.
Before she could open her eyes, she drifted back into unconsciousness.
~~~
Why did she smell the ocean? And that blasted rocking was going to be the death of her.
Hester tried to open her eyes, but to no avail. She tried to move her hands, her feet, her head. Nothing worked. Maybe she had died.
“You haven’t died. You’re safe. It’s not time yet.”
Not time yet? Time for what?
“You are healing. Be patient. Now, sleep.”
She didn’t have the will to fight off the compulsion. Intense pain erupted in her head when she attempted to remember.
Soothing warmth surrounded her head. Was that fur?
“Sleep. Sleep.”
The words were almost a purr. Hester allowed herself to drift away once more.
~~~
With a jolt, Hester woke, her eyes flying open. She sat straight up, then fell back into the soft down bed. A black and white cat leaped from behind her to the floor. It stood there, its intelligent eyes staring at her.
“You’re still weak. This will take time.”
She looked around the room for the source of the voice, then realized it hadn’t come from the room, but from inside her mind.
“Wh ...” Hester tried to speak. Rasping out that first sound required energy she didn’t have. “Who’s talking to me?” she asked silently.
“Right here.” The cat stood on his hind legs to put his paw on the bed beside her.
It took every ounce of her strength, but Hester pushed back from it. “You’re talking to me? I’m hallucinating. No, no, no. I’ve seen fantastic things, but this can’t be real.”
“You’re a mage and yet, you won’t believe in a talking animal?”
She closed her eyes again. She was a mage. The animal was correct. She was. That was important.
Hester reached for the magic that should be all around her and came up empty. There was nothing. Either that or her connection to it had been severed.
An icy chill ran down her spine. She had died on that battlefield. No. She was still here. But a talking cat?
Suddenly it was too much to process. “I’m going to be sick.”
The cat nudged a bucket on the floor. “Use this, please. Now that you’re awake, try to aim for the bucket.”
When she reached for the metal pail, her muscles gave way, flopping her head off the side of the bed. As soon as she finished retching, the cat lifted a paw and pointed at a towel and basin beside her on a small table. Hester shook her head and lay back, too exhausted to care.
The cat yowled.
Hester glared. “What was that?”
“I’m getting you some help.”
The cabin door abruptly opened, and a wizened old man stepped in.
“Awake, are ya?” he asked. “Oh. I see yer still dealing with the seasickness. I’d-a thought ya’d be over it by now. Been on this ocean for twenty-four days now. But don’ worry. I clean ya up. Once I do this, will ya be ready t’take some food down on yer own? I’ll bring ye the broth. The cook’s ben makin’ it for yeh. Kep yeh livin’ these many days, it has. That an yer animal, here. Ne’er left yer side, that one.” He chuckled as he dipped the towel into the water. “Except for when he crawled up and wrapped hisself about yer head. That was a sight.”
She felt relief at the cool towel on her forehead. The old man wiped her lips and down her neck. Hester wondered where they had come up with the soft gown she wore. She brushed a hand down her side.
“The nightie belongs to the cap’n’s wife,” the old man said. “She ain’t on this trip. Good thing. Yer more in need o’ her things than she ever was. I’ll take this away. Y’think you’ll be able to keep from tossing yer stomach for a bit while I’s gone?”
Hester nodded, stupefied at the entire interaction. She reached for the cloth.
“Yeh want this?” he asked. “It’s soiled now. Bring yeh a fresh ‘un, I will.”
A tear leaked from her eye. She had no control over it and didn’t have the energy to reach up and brush it away.
“S’all right,” he said. “I’ll leave it. When I bring a fresh ‘un, maybe you’ll give this one up.” The old man rinsed the cloth and wrung it out, then wiped her cheeks and forehead before placing it in her hand. “Yer goin’ be jes fine,” he said. “It’s nice to fin’ly see them purty green eyes.”
He carried the bucket and basin out and pulled the door shut.
The cat jumped up onto a chair so he could look into Hester’s eyes. “Feel better?” His voice was soft and soothing.
She relaxed. “Where am I?”
 
; “You can’t guess?”
“I’m on a ship in an ocean. I’m in the captain’s wife’s stateroom. That’s all I can guess at. Why am I here? How did I get here? How am I paying for this trip and the care I’ve obviously received? Who are you? Why are you here? What has happened?”
Hester saw the slightest flex in the muscles of his back legs before he leaped from the chair to the end of her bed. It had been years since she’d seen a beast like this. She flinched when his paws hit the mattress, though she didn’t feel the impact.
“I apologize,” he said. “Which question would you like me to answer first?”
“Who are you?”
“Funny. I’ve been given many names, but none are truly mine.”
“You don’t have a name?”
“How about you just call me Beast?”
“That’s not a proper name for a gentleman.”
“Oh, I’m no gentleman.” He cocked his head. “Mainly because I’m no man.”
“Then who are you, Beast?” she asked.
“Let’s leave it at that for now.”
Hester closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Why are you here?”
“To protect you.”
“What?” Her eyes shot open. “Protect me from whom? From what?”
The door opened again, and the aged steward re-entered the room, carrying a tray. The bucket’s handle was slung over his forearm. He set the tray on a table that he pulled closer to her bed. She was thankful to see a glass of water, and her stomach growled at the scent of the steaming broth.
A bowl of water and another of mashed-up meat filled out the tray. She hoped that was for Beast and not for her.
“Yes, it’s for me. If you hadn’t been so needy, I’d have been happier with the live rodents in the hold.” His voice was filled with mirth as she glared at him.
“Would yeh need me to feed yeh today, Miss?” the old man asked. “I didn’t think I’d need the bib this time. Yer bein’ awake and all.”