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

be more accurate, and we won’t find that out until we are inside.”

“I’ll go with you to the wharves,” Win said.

Trevor shook his head. “Only Lissa and I, and Lissa only because she has the magic I need to teleport.” He looked at Win. “Do you want to see if you have enough magic that I can use? I can’t move very far with Volst.”

It wasn’t Trevor who used the magic, but it had to power the cuirass, he guessed. He held out his hand and grabbed Win’s before trying to teleport to the other side of the camp, but nothing happened.

“I’m sorry. I would have liked to have you along,” Trevor said.

“Not as much as me,” Win said. “I thought we were more equal.”

“You have much more magic than I do. My ability is restricted to whatever works with the old magic,” Trevor said. “Make sure you and Volst are ready to defend the camp or invade the enclave.”

A disappointed Win nodded and patted Trevor on the back. “We will protect Gorian Custik and Glynna from the Maskumites.”

Trevor didn’t want to stay and endure a glum Win, so he took Lissa’s hand and ended up on the eastern end of the long, long wharf. He looked across the bay at the enclave clinging to the rocky cliff in the mist.

“The fog looks to be burning off,” Lissa said.

“Then let’s have some refreshment until we can see the blockade,” Trevor said.

They waited less than half an hour until the mist cleared, revealing a bright day. Trevor looked out at the bay and didn’t see the line of ships that he had expected. He frowned, took another sip of the Maskumite wine, and grabbed Lissa’s hand after plopping a few Jarkanese coins on the table.

They appeared on the wharf of Berry Port and looked out on a harbor full of ships. Samar Doford hadn’t even left Sirland.

“What happened?” an astonished Lissa asked.

“What didn’t happen is the more appropriate question. Let’s find Samar Doford.”

They clasped hands and ended up on Doford’s doorstep. A man wearing Maskumite style clothing answered after Trevor pounded on the door.

“I’m here to see Samar Doford,” Trevor asked.

The Maskumite frowned. “And you are?”

“A friend. I just arrived from Maskum, myself,” Trevor said, plucking the black fabric of his black diving outfit.

“You’re no Maskumite,” the man said, who took a step back, but Trevor was ready for that and stepped forward, crunching his fist into the magician’s face.

The man fell back, and Lissa shot him with a lightning bolt that did little. “That is a good charm,” she said.

The magician tried to form another spell, but Trevor hit him again, and the man went still. Trevor ripped the man’s robes open. Trevor counted five charms around the man’s neck. “Those are yours,” he said to Lissa, who bent over to remove them.

“No. You will wear them,” she said.

“We don’t even know if they will work on me,” Trevor said, letting her drape the charms around his neck.

“Humor me,” she said. “Do you think Doford is here?”

“He is, but I’m tied up,” a voice came from farther inside the house.

Trevor drew his sword and walked through the house, ready for an ambush, but there wasn’t one. Doford sat tied to a chair in the kitchen and looked up at Trevor. “I didn’t expect you to come all the way to Berry Port to save me,”

“I came for your ships. Why aren’t they in Khartoo?” Trevor asked.

Doford shook his head. “For the same reason I’m tied up. I was betrayed by a few Berry Port captains who have more loyalty to a fat purse than they do to their homeland. They thought without me stirring the pot nothing would get done, and they were right. My former captains have kept me sequestered in my house for a week minded by the magicians.”

“Does it make sense to get your fleet underway? We are behind in getting everyone to Khartoo.”

“I can get half the ships out of the harbor and inside the Khartoo breakwater in three days.”

Trevor still needed someone to bottle up the bay. “Then let’s give it a try. Our priority will be to keep a naval escape from happening.”

“From the enclave?” Samar asked.

Trevor nodded. “Do the magicians have a long-range weapon?”

“No longer than our ships’ catapults. We know the range through sad experience.” Samar rubbed his formerly tied wrists. “Another is guarding me, but she went out for food.”

Trevor took the charms from his neck and added one of the invisibility charms from his pocket to the collection. “You will need these more than I will,” he said. “We will escort you for an hour or two, and then we will need to return to Khartoo. I can’t put off the invasion for long, but you’ve given me a good reason not to be hasty.”

Doford shook his head. “I wish you didn’t need to come here. I feel like I’m a failure. I should resign from the war commission Dirk Crater gave me.”

“You haven’t failed yet. Resigning is something you can think about when all this is over. Let’s concentrate on what to do going forward,” Trevor said.

Doford grinned. “I can do that. Give me an hour of your protection, and I’ll be walking around with bodyguards until I’m onboard a ship heading to Khartoo.

Chapter Twenty-Six

~

T revor hadn’t expected so much betrayal in Berry Port, of all places. Doford’s capture and house imprisonment bothered him, but was the position of Dryden’s messenger making him think everything would become straightforward all of a sudden? It shouldn’t have. He was brought up on betrayal. It had been part of his life ever since he left Tarviston for Red Forest Garrison. He stopped grooming Snowflake, and upon reflection, he couldn’t