A Clash of Magics by Guy Antibes (read this if txt) 📕

with stories, and when they reached Jarkan, they rode to Mino Kawis’s house. The focus was out.

“You can see if Akku is home. You were friends, weren’t you? It would be better than an inn,” the maid said.

Trevor nodded, and by the time they arrived at the Manusa mansion, Akku was just stepping into a rickshaw. He jumped out when he saw Trevor riding Snowflake.

“When did you get back to Argara?” Akku asked.

“Just now. We tried Mino, but he was gone.”

“He is renovating his old smithy. You can stay with me if you can handle plainsmen food,” Akku said with a grin.

Trevor knew Akku didn’t eat the stuff when he was in Argara.

“Sure,” Trevor said. “I have something for Mino and your father, and then we might head south to the Maskumite border.”

“Nothing good happening there, I’ve been told. You might want to talk to General Henkari.” Akku looked at Volst. “This is one of your friends?”

“No, I’m one of his enemies,” Volst said.

Akku laughed. “Does he like to go out?”

“Out as in getting drunk in local establishments?” Volst asked. “I can be persuaded under the proper circumstances.”

Trevor groaned. “Akku is a big one for nightlife. You are getting an early start this evening?”

Akku shook his head. “Change of plans. We have stories to swap, and my father has a wine cellar that needs thinning.”

“Wine? That sounds good to me,” Volst said.

The horses were put into the Manusa stable in the back, and servants showed them to their bedrooms. The cook had been summoned, having left presumably to take the night off. She grumbled as she made her way through the house to the back kitchen.

Trevor was first with his story about fighting for Listenwell and traveling through Okora, fighting the robbers, and discovering Maskumite magicians at the Okoran capital and another in Ginster. That was the exciting stuff, so Trevor stopped there to give Akku a chance to perform, but they quickly found that the conflict had settled down soon after Trevor and Lissa left the Jarkanese capital.

“Your turn,” Akku said, looking a little disappointed he didn’t have the action to talk about that Trevor had.

“Lissa, Reena, and two of my Viksaran friends invented a charm that can detect invisible magicians. I can’t be everywhere at once,” Trevor said. He then launched into the second part of his story, where he exposed Gareeze Plissaki and the other Maskumite magician hiding out with King Worto’s column returning to Bassington.

“You have all the luck,” Akku said a little petulantly.

“I wouldn’t call it luck,” Volst said. “Who else could withstand the onslaught from either of the two magicians. Trevor is the only one in the world who is fully immune to magic, and the rest of us have to make do with whatever charms we can afford.”

Akku’s face broke out in a wide grin. “And I can afford many charms!”

Trevor smiled and shoved Akku’s shoulder. “We are friends. Remember, my name is now Trevor Arcwin. Do you want to join us going south? I’d like to personally see the border with Maskum, at the least.”

“If the king allows,” Akku said. “He is a bit more protective of me, but I’m still one of five sons,” Akku said, “albeit the oldest, strongest, and the smartest.”

“Old and strong,” Trevor said. “I’m not so sure about smart.”

“I don’t need to be the smartest when I’m around you,” Akku said.

They all laughed. “I think we all agree on that,” Lissa said, “with the possible exception of Trevor.”

“I’ll not be the one to admit it. I believe in humble dukes.” But after Trevor said it, he realized he had almost said, humble princes. Trevor realized the emotional wound that he had suffered at the hand of his mother hadn’t fully healed. Perhaps he could put a stop to that when this was over.

Chapter Twelve

~

“I

t’s Reena,” the former focus of Jarkan said to Trevor when he communicated in the morning.

“We are heading south to the border with Maskum probably tomorrow morning. We have an audience scheduled with King Turgul for this afternoon,” Trevor said. “Did you find out anything about the cuirass?”

“Yvan and I found the best description in a history of the Ginsterian kings.”

“But Ginster doesn’t have a king,” Trevor said.

“They did when the book was written,” Reena said. The ancient history has a smattering of the old language that no one can read, but the rest explains that the cuirass was lost in a final battle in Fuleria. There was a cataclysm that changed the world. People turned from Dryden, the old language was lost, and Selara-worship ascended in Jarkan. The ancient sites became hidden, and the world changed.”

“So, that proves that the messenger was defeated,” Trevor said, “and everyone paid for it.”

“If there was a cataclysm, it looks to me that everything didn’t happen overnight. It takes time to turn away from Dryden or any other faith. We will probably never know the details,” Reena said.

Trevor shrugged his shoulders, but Reena wouldn’t see that. “I’ll contact you when we get closer to Maskum.” Trevor laid the ring on the table to break the connection and told the others about Reena’s research.

“And how does knowing that affect what you will do?” Akku asked.

“I now have some perspective. The forces we are dealing with aren’t the same. We don’t have an ancient language or ancient sites. I’m the only one who can teleport, and I need external help to do that. I wanted to know that history wouldn’t repeat itself because of something I did.”

“Or are about to do,” Volst said.

Trevor nodded. “The knowledge doesn’t take away from the danger any of you face if you follow me.”

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Mino Kawis.

He was introduced to