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

is a village where we will establish our story before plunging into Maskum.”

“Have you ever lived in Maskum?” Trevor asked.

“I grew up there. My mother was a Maskumite, but when she died, my father and the rest of us weren’t as welcome in the village, so we left for southern Jarkan. I was fifteen and was already well-versed in what people do in the mountains to survive.”

“How long have you been a scout?”

“I was a scout for eighteen years before I tired of it all. I retired until a bunch of us joined up for a short stint to smash the rebellion. I had no love for General Erdu or his officers,” Potur said. “What is your story? All I know is that you are a higher-up, even if you are half my age.”

Trevor let Lissa do the telling. Potur was shocked that Trevor was the sole remaining prince of his family.

“I knew Presidon’s queen took over and executed the royal family, but I didn’t know there was a survivor. That should make you king, shouldn’t it?”

Trevor laughed. “I wouldn’t have lasted long. My father shoved me into the army, where I was coddled. I didn’t know any ministers or even other lords. I was a prince without power, and quite frankly, that is what saved me. I couldn’t do any damage to the crown, so I was patted on the head and sent south.” He shook his head ruefully. “There have been assassination attempts, and I survived one not that long ago in Ginster.”

“Can’t stay away from danger?” Potur asked.

“I suppose not. I had a mentor who was a prince on the run like me. Before he died, he secured a duchy in Brachia for himself, should he return. He left it to me, so I’m now the duke of Listenwell, and that is easier than trying to make sense of a kingdom.”

“You are smarter than I thought,” Potur said. “I thought you were some dumb noble—dumber than Akku Manusa.”

Trevor smiled. “We will test how dumb I am. We are going to Khartoo to scout out the situation there. I don’t understand who runs the country, and I want to learn for myself how the magicians are organized.”

“They aren’t all that organized, but what I do know is that they used to be at each other’s throats until a few years ago. That has General Henkari worried, at least that is what he told me. You’ll be doing Jarkan a great service if you can quash the Maskumite threat before they do much more than keep their army perched at the border.”

Trevor would be satisfied if that was the result, but he didn’t tell Potur that. Lissa began to ask Potur questions about his childhood and his time in the army. She gave Trevor a nod indicating the man had told the truth. That was one less worry. After Lissa had her turn, Trevor asked him to tell him some of his scout stories.

The man had done quite a bit of work along Jarkan’s border with Maskum since the border hadn’t ever been truly pacified in Potur’s lifetime. However, Potur made it clear that even with troops gathered on both sides of the border, Maskum and Jarkan weren’t officially at war.

Chapter Fourteen

~

T he southern forests climbed up mountains that were different from the northern mountains. The trees weren’t so close together, and most of the underbrush consisted of tall grass and low bushes. that didn’t mean the going was easy. The terrain was rock-filled with some very steep patches.

After rising in altitude so Trevor could see the plains through the haze below, Potur took them on a track heading west. The path was wide enough for a narrow wagon, and Trevor noticed wheel marks occasionally in the dirt. Midafternoon, they stopped at a small village nestled around a lake in a high valley.

Vegetation was denser here, and fields were cut out of the forest. As they rode into the village, Trevor could see a normal-sized road coming from the south and extending to the north.

“There is a border post on the south side of the valley. This village is the last habitation before we enter Maskum. If you want to turn back, this is the place,” Potur said.

“We can spend the night here?”

Potur nodded. “The horses could use a rest from the climb. I’ll scare up some business, and that is better done by myself.”

Trevor understood what Potur meant. Their escort could be more open in his business dealings without them looking on.

After showing up at the tiny village inn, Potur told them he’d be spending the night elsewhere, but he left his pack animal with Trevor.

“Shall we stroll through the village?” Trevor asked Lissa after they had secured their rooms.

They proceeded out of the village. Trevor was hoping it would be market day, but the village green, which wasn’t very green at all, was empty.

“There is the Dryden church,” Trevor said. “We can visit that.”

They stepped inside the small church. It reminded Trevor of the little chapel in Viksar where a cleric had ensorcelled Brother Yvan. A woman stepped out from a door wearing clerical robes.

“Oh, I don’t know you,” she said.

“Are you the local cleric?” Lissa asked.

The woman smiled. “I am. People from the outside always give me a look when they see me in my robes. Can I help you?”

Trevor smiled. He couldn’t recall seeing any women village clerics. “We are sightseeing. The village is very picturesque.”

“It is. We don’t get many visitors here. It isn’t an easy place to get to unless you are coming from the south or the north,” the woman said. “You came from the east?”

“How did you know?” Lissa asked.

“The Maskumites have closed the road between here and the next village.”

Trevor frowned. “No