WarMage: Undeniable (The Never Ending War Book 4) Read online

  WarMage: Undeniable

  The Never Ending War™ Book Four

  Martha Carr

  Michael Anderle

  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.

  Copyright © 2020 Martha Carr & Michael Anderle

  Cover by Mihaela Voicu http://www.mihaelavoicu.com/

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  A Michael Anderle Production

  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 author’s 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 author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, May 2020

  ebook ISBN: 978-1-64202-934-5

  Print ISBN: 978-1-64202-935-2

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Free Books

  Goth Drow

  Author Notes - Martha Carr

  Books by Michael Anderle

  The WarMage: Undeniable Team

  Thanks to our JIT Readers

  Dorothy Lloyd

  Debi Sateren

  Veronica Stephan-Miller

  James Caplan

  Jackey Hankard-Brodie

  Diane L. Smith

  Deb Mader

  Kerry Mortimer

  John Ashmore

  Peter Manis

  Paul Westman

  Editor

  SkyHunter Editing Team

  Chapter One

  Raven Alby stood at the edge of the stable’s roof on the Moss Dragon Ranch. She’d stopped with barely half an inch of boot protruding over the edge and now, she raised her face to the wind, her hands on her hips, and waited.

  “But seriously, Raven. I don’t know how this is supposed to help either of you.” William Moss took a few steps toward her. Years of climbing up onto this roof for either repairs or simply to get away made it easy enough for him to keep his balance. It’s a little harder when a girl like that stands at the edge. “I’m not even sure this is a good idea to begin with.”

  Beneath the relatively clean rag she’d tied around her eyes as a blindfold, she smiled. “That’s the third time you’ve said that.”

  “Well, it’s the third time you stepped closer to falling off this roof and breaking an arm. Or your neck.”

  She laughed. “Is that what your parents used to tell you?”

  He stopped, gaped at the back of her head in surprise, and chuckled. “Actually, yeah. I guess it really is that easy to turn out like your parents if you’re not careful, huh?”

  “I think that depends on whether or not someone wants to be like their parents in the first place. I don’t have a problem with it at all.”

  “I doubt either of your parents were this reckless,” he muttered.

  Raven turned her head to call partially over her shoulder, “What was that?”

  “I said that’s fairly obvious.” Shaking his head, William took another step toward her, unwilling to take his eyes off her boots. If she misjudges this, I can be right there to catch her. I’m sure I’m fast enough.

  “Parents aside, William Moss, I thought you promised not to worry about me.”

  “I did. But you kinda put me in a precarious position when you blindfolded yourself and started talking about how this was only training.”

  “Precarious position, huh? I didn’t make you climb that ladder up here.”

  After another short pause, he sighed, although he couldn’t completely hide a little laugh. “You know what I mean. What if I said I’m not actually worried about you? Only about the bad rap and all the fines that this ranch could expect if you mess up.”

  “I’d still tell you not to worry.” As she listened intently for the sound of her dragon’s flight, she tilted her head a little and took a deep breath. “We’re not gonna screw this up. Professor Worley’s been showing us how to do this for a few weeks now. And if Leander and I don’t constantly up the stakes, how are we supposed to get better?”

  “Up the stakes? Raven, do you know how many mages in this kingdom’s history have even had a dragon as a familiar?”

  “Well, I know of at least two. Plus the dragon riders.”

  William snorted. “I don’t think the full tally is that much more, honestly. It’s incredibly rare. And I’ve never heard of dragons being able to send thoughts to their mages. I didn’t even know that was possible until you arrived and asked to use the stables so you can play dragon roulette.”

  Raven took a deep breath at the unexpected change in her focus. Grandpa was a dragon rider and a mage with a dragon familiar. I wonder if he ever learned how to send images like this with his dragon.

  She cleared her throat and tried not to laugh at how heavily William breathed behind her. “It’s definitely possible. Worley can do it with his familiars, and Headmaster Flynn signed off on him training me to do it. So it’s not simply some crazy idea I came up with all on my own.”

  “I know it’s not.” He bit his lip and stared at her boots. “But something tells me neither of those guys signed off on you jumping blindfolded off a roof.”

  With an unconcerned laugh, she stretched her arms out to either side. It made her wobble a little, and he sucked a sharp breath in through his teeth.

  “Watch it!”

  “I’m fine.” She regained her balance and stretched her arms out a little farther. “I got this.”

  “Uh-huh.” His forehead hurt now from frowning in worry, and he rubbed it quickly before he returned all his attention to the young mage’s perch at the edge of the roof.

  “And Leander’s got this. You’ll see.”

  The minute she said it, an image from Leander entered her mind. He was high above the dragon ranch with a view of the tiny stables ahead. Wait for the next image and we’re good to go.

  “Okay, I know you two have an amazing track record with saying you can do something and actually succeeding with it so I want to believe you. I really do.” William took another tentative step forward and chanced a quick look over the edge of the roof beside him. “But if you can’t see, that makes this one big shot in the dark, doesn’t it? Even for practical purposes. Who’s gonna blindfold you in the heat of—Raven!”

  He staggered toward her in the same moment that the young mage leapt off the edge of t
he roof. Of course, he was too late to catch her, but the massive red dragon dropped like a boulder out of the sky much faster.

  Raven’s boots landed on Leander’s back and the treads gripped the thick ridges of his red scales as she sank into a crouch. It only took a second to steady herself before her huge familiar straightened to soar over the ranch and the field scattered with the dozens of Moss Ranch dragons. She uttered a whoop of victory and yanked the rag from over her eyes.

  On the roof of the stables, William covered his mouth with a hand and squeezed until his jaw hurt. Finally, he whipped his hat off and scratched his head vigorously, ruffling his shoulder-length blond hair. “That girl’s gonna give me a heart attack.” A sharp laugh escaped him. “Now I really sound like my dad.”

  He shoved his wide-brimmed hat on again and headed across the roof toward the ladder they’d propped up against the back of the stables. Raven and Leander had already doubled back and landed on the trodden dirt studded with patches of coarse grass by the time his boots touched the ground.

  “You saw that, right?” With a grin, she vaulted off Leander’s back and spread her arms. “Please tell me you saw that. Because…well, I couldn’t see anything.”

  William leaned back against the stable wall beside the ladder with a thump. “I saw it all right, but I haven’t changed my mind about your stunts, though.”

  For a few seconds, her smile faltered. He’s actually pissed.

  In the next moment, the dragon trainer burst into laughter and didn’t stop.

  The young mage looked at her dragon familiar, who gazed at her with his glowing yellow eyes narrowed a little in suspicion. “I think we broke him.”

  “Better that it happens now. Flyboy can’t handle the truth.” Leander’s wings twitched out before they settled slowly against his back again in what she had come to recognize as a dragon’s shrug.

  “Whew.” Doubled over, William slapped his thigh before he straightened and grinned at the two of them with wide eyes.

  Yep. He’s totally lost his mind.

  “You two are full of more surprises than anyone I know.” He scratched his jaw and stepped toward them. “I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t incredible.”

  “It would also make you an idiot,” Leander added.

  “You know what?” The dragon trainer pointed at the dragon and shook his finger. “I’ll accept that as proof that you don’t think I already am an idiot. That’s a good place to start.”

  Raven chuckled and patted the beast’s broad, muscular shoulder. “We’re getting better, Leander. Perfect timing on those images.”

  The dragon snorted. “I know.”

  William uttered another laugh. “Okay, Raven. I’m convinced. If familiars can actually send images to their mages, a dragon’s no exception.”

  “Huh.” She darted Leander a sidelong glance and winked. “I think he found the only thing where a dragon’s not an exception.”

  Her familiar rumbled in agreement and lowered his head to nudge her shoulder.

  “Unbelievable.” He chuckled and shook his head as he stepped around the end of the stables. His gaze took a wide, sweeping view of the huge, magically penned-in field where the Moss Ranch dragons roamed within the small groupings of different clans. “And no one out there even noticed.”

  “They noticed,” Leander muttered. “Dragons can feel the trust in others. Isn’t that something a dragon trainer should already know?”

  He turned toward the great red beast and raised an eyebrow. “Of course it is. Which you already know too.” They stared challengingly at one another a little longer until William finally spread his arms and inclined his head. “Admittedly, watching Raven jump off buildings blindfolded and riding a dragon without any gear at all is still something I’m trying to wrap my head around.”

  “Well, thanks for not trying to stop me,” she said with a little smirk.

  The dragon trainer chuckled and fiddled with the brim of his hat. I almost did. “Yeah, well, I’m still working on that too. Even though we all know trying to stop Raven Alby and her dragon familiar is a waste of everyone’s time.”

  “Still.” Raven glanced at Leander and put her hands on her hips. “It’s good to have friends who let us use their stable as a launching pad.”

  William stared at her and slowly shook his head. “You know I can’t say no to you.”

  “Which is why we came out here for a little extra practice.” Laughing, she stepped toward him. “And thanks for letting us practice here. The Alby Ranch hands wouldn’t have recovered so well from watching me jump off a roof. Plus, the goats might’ve started eating each other or something.”

  “And the grounds of your magic school weren’t an option because…”

  The young mage took a deep breath and glanced at the sunset sky with a knowing smile. “This kind of training isn’t exactly something I want the whole school to see. There are enough rumors going around about Leander and me already.”

  “Huh. I wonder why.”

  She rolled her eyes playfully and moved closer as she extended her hand toward him. “Really, though. Thank you. From both of us.”

  William snorted at her outstretched hand. “I have no idea what you’re trying to do with that.” He pulled her quickly toward him and wrapped his arms around her as he muttered, “I’m glad you didn’t jump off a roof for nothing.”

  After her initial surprise, she laughed and patted his back a few times. “That would’ve been really stupid of me.”

  He held onto her a while longer, and she bit her lip and waited for her friend to release her. Okay, point taken. I scared the crap out of him.

  Finally, he loosened his hold and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck with a self-conscious smile. “I hope you don’t end up having to use that little trick outside training.”

  Behind them, Leander uttered a few short, quick hisses. Raven wrinkled her nose. “Yeah… Hopefully.” I’m not gonna tell him that we already have.

  The dragon trainer squinted at the uncharacteristically laughing dragon and sniffed warily. “I’m missing something, aren’t I?”

  “Not at all.” Raven clapped a hand on his shoulder and nodded. “We’re all good. And Leander and I should get back to Fowler before dark. We gotta wake up and do it all over again tomorrow, you know?”

  William’s eyes widened. “You plan to come back to jump off my stable again?”

  “Well, no. I was talking about the whole day.” She chuckled and headed toward her dragon. “You know, wake up with a dragon, go to class, train with Alessandra and then Professor Worley, spend the rest of my free time with a dragon and maybe a friend or two. Rinse and repeat. It’s a never-ending cycle, really.”

  “It sounds like it.” William watched in amazement as she took the last few steps to Leander at a jog and leapt onto the beast’s huge, wide head for a boost onto his back.

  In only a few seconds, she was seated bareback on a huge red dragon and smiled cheerfully at her friend. “We’ll be back soon.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” I think. When the two took to the sky, William lifted his hat and waved to them. He lowered his arm when they were out of sight and shook his head. This town isn’t big enough for those two. I only hope she decides to stick around a little longer once she realizes it.

  Chapter Two

  Raven lifted her forearm to the gate of Leander’s pen on the Fowler Academy grounds. Her access rune glowed a soft orange, the gate mirrored the same light, and the latch popped open with a metallic click.

  “We had a productive day overall, huh?” She stepped back, dragged the gate open with her, and smiled as the dragon walked into his enclosure.

  “There was some progress.”

  The young mage chuckled and followed him inside. “I can always count on you to keep me humble.”

  He turned in a few circles before he lowered himself to the soft, green grass. His gaze settled on her somewhat teasingly and he snorted. “Can you?”


  “Well, for some things, anyway.” Joining him in the center, Raven stepped closer and rested her hand on his raised snout for a moment before she ran it along the scaly ridges between his eyes. “Like how much work we still have left before we graduate from year one.”

  “And after that?”

  “Well, after that, we’re officially Fowler Academy mages for the next three years.”

  Leander huffed out a quick breath through his nose. “Only you.”

  “Okay, true. You won’t be a mage. But we’re in this together and I know I haven’t done nearly enough studying for History of Magic. Or Transformations.”

  “I don’t think you need to study anything.”

  She grinned and ran her hand as far as she could reach down his long neck. “Well, thank you. Honestly, I’m not worried about it. I’m sure we’ll pass and move on to year two. I have private training in two different subjects and it’s not to help me catch up with the rest of the first-year class. But I still need to put the work in to make sure.”

  “You’re already sure, little girl.”

  “Hmm. Now I’m not sure if that’s supposed to keep me humble too or boost my confidence.”

  The dragon uttered a short, deep rumble and settled his head onto his forepaws. “It’s the truth.”