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

deck before an anxious sailor did something stupid. “That was a dramatic entrance.”

“The land doesn’t move, and when I teleported—” Trevor winced as water spray showered the deck as the ship rolled against a wave.

“The deck wasn’t flat.” Samar laughed. “I’m glad you didn’t end up in the ocean.”

“It looks like I got a little ocean on me anyway. I’ll be more careful next time—if there is a next time,” Trevor said. “You gathered a large fleet.”

Samar nodded. “I was able to convince a few more captains to join us. They will be participating in the blockade, but they only came on the condition that they wouldn’t have to fight the Maskumites.”

“The appearance of numbers can still be a useful deterrent,” Brother Yvan said.

“Right. It has been a while since I came to Khartoo,” Samar said. “Where do you want us to post the ships?”

Trevor looked at the enclave sitting at his far left, but his eyes turned to the palace spires and its golden dome. “We had talked about bottling up the enclave, but I have another task since you have more ships. I just learned that the potentate of Maskum is intimately involved in the disruption of the world’s capitals. If the royal ship departs from Khartoo,” Trevor pointed to the large red ship with furled golden sails sitting alone at the palace dock, “engage it. So, you will need ships which will let their crews fight the potentate’s vessel.”

Samar nodded. “I’ll send out the signals. How tightly should I keep the enclave isolated?”

“Keep them from breaking out into the harbor. You said you know the range of the magician’s weapons?”

“We do. I was able to recruit more magicians and marines for the trusted vessels,” Samar said. “I will keep an eye on my noncombatant friends to make sure they don’t give us any unwanted surprises.”

“I can’t give you any further advice,” Trevor said. “Good luck, and everyone appreciates your willingness to pull together a fleet.”

“And good luck to you,” Samar said. “The land forces are the most at risk, but they must succeed.”

“I agree. I’ll leave you now.” Trevor teleported.

He ended up in the Brachian camp in front of his tent. Lissa was about to walk out and bumped into him and sniffed.

“You’ve been to the sea. You smell like the ocean. Did Samar arrive?”

“Nice man, Samar Doford,” Brother Yvan said. “We didn’t spend much time with him.”

Lissa grinned. “I suppose not. You’ve been gone for less than half an hour.”

“We can invade at any time. There are no more surprises on our side,” Brother Yvan said.

“But there might be some on the Maskumite side,” Trevor said. “I have to notify the other forces. Do you want to come with me this time?” he said to Lissa.

“I’m ready,” she said as she held out her hand. In a few minutes, they had visited the other commanders, including the tardy Sirlandians who had just arrived at the camp the Kyrians had prepared. Trevor had spent the time journeying to the different camps so he could teleport from army to army to ferry Custik around to install wards on the gates.

The time to invade had arrived. The Brachian commander was waiting along with Trevor’s friends. Gorian would come along, but Brother Yvan, Glynna, and Lissa would stay behind with the army’s support troops who would guard the flank. The Brachians hadn’t been idle, making extendable ladders to bridge the chasm that acted like a moat protecting the enclave.

Trevor would have rather attacked days before, but delays from Maskumite resistance plagued the eastern armies. By now, the wards that Custik had installed on the city’s gates had hopefully been triggered. Using Custik to lay the wards the previous night had been the best solution that Trevor could think of to help the other armies get through the gates. Gorian had also made offensive wards attached to arrows to trigger the enclave’s ground defenses that protected the enclave’s western aspect. Trevor and Custik spent a busy night teleporting to install more wards on the gates and on the enclave doors and windows that they could reach to discourage Maskumite magicians from attacking the Brachian army.

The bridges were about in position when explosions began to punctuate the air. The triggered wards were the signs for General Brightwork’s army to attack the gate closest to the enclave.

Crude wooden shields were placed on the bridges as the soldiers moved across, shielding them from the lightning bolts shot from the destroyed windows. Volst threw a lightning bolt against the posterior door, which triggered a large ward, blowing the door open. The Brachian magicians clustered around the entrance and relied on their charms to protect them as they cleaned out a small foyer.

Trevor’s troops spread out into the enclave with copies of the reliable parts of the three maps memorized by all the soldiers. They avoided the enclave areas where they didn’t have good plans, but Trevor ensured the unknown sections were still guarded. The fighting was fierce, and every corridor was a hard-fought battle. General Brightwork’s soldiers began to arrive, having scaled the enclave wall facing the city proper.

Trevor, fighting with Win, Volst, Custik, and a portion of the troops, headed to the enclave section holding Gareeze Plissaki’s cabal. As they fought, Trevor anxiously kept track of lightning spells. If he spotted orange bolts, he would have to be very careful.

The magicians fought like cornered animals, and Trevor had no problem attacking them, remembering how arrogant and cruel his testers had been when he last set foot in the enclave. Bodies littered the ground on the way to the heavy doors protecting Plissaki’s cabal.

Custik planted a powerful ward on the door. Everyone took cover except for Trevor, who threw a captured knife into the door, triggering the ward. The explosion threw fragments of the door in all