Derek Taveck paced the meeting room in his father’s study. He had borrowed his office to meet with his informant, but now that the man was late, Derek regretted choosing this as their meeting place. He heard the door slam shut at the entrance of the mansion, but didn’t need to look out to know it was Austin who was coming back from Falden.
He listened for the footsteps trailing up the stairs and for Austin’s bedroom door to slam closed. He heard the lock click behind him, and Derek breathed out. He knew his younger brother had a soft spot for the spy and he didn’t want to drag him into this if he could help it.
A moment later, a knock came on the door to the study, and Derek walked up. He cracked the door open and a man in tattered clothes and a beard slipped past him inside. Derek closed the door behind him.
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry, Sir,” the man said. “I had some trouble getting inside without anyone seeing me. We should really stop meeting in daylight. It’s not good for my kind of business.”
“We have bigger problems than your business,” Derek said. “There is a dragon loose on Aldrion. I can’t meet with people at night. I need to fight. My father is in charge of the army now and there are expectations.”
“There isn’t anyone who hasn't heard, Sir,” the man said, walking up to the window at the end of the study.
A smile stretched over Derek’s face. Even though things were bad in Aldrion, all his dreams seemed to be coming true.
“So, what have you found out?” Derek asked.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the girl as you told me to,” he said. “She hasn’t been to Pedro’s noodle place since you brought her back from the wastes. But I’ve been following her since she came out of the hospital. I’ve been listening in on her conversations and I think I found what you are looking for.”
Derek’s back stiffened, and the bearded man turned away from the window. Their eyes caught, and the man held out his hand toward him. He sighed and unlatched the coin purse he had prepared earlier. He threw it across the room and it landed in the man’s palm.
A smile spread over the informant’s face, and he weighed the purse in his hand. He deemed the weight to be enough and slipped it into his pocket.
“The girl seems to think her ancestor is tied to the people of the wastes.”
Derek nodded, pacing between the bookshelf and the wall. If she had descendants from the wasteland, that could mean he had finally found a tie between the dragon cult and the void.
“Anything about a dagger?” Derek asked.
“Yes,” the informant said, and a frown spread over his face. “She was talking about a dagger. She mentioned something about it being a double imbue and that she was searching for the truth about it. But it could just mean she’s delusional, Sir.”
“Indeed,” Derek said, dragging a hand over his chin. “She is delusional.”
“Do you want me to continue watching her?”
“Yes,” Derek said. “Let me know if she tries to head into the wasteland again and keep an eye on her friends, too.”
“Yes, Sir.”
#
The sun had almost set on the horizon, and the void could be expected to attack again at any time. Derek strolled through the streets of Aldrion toward the town hall. He passed the broken statue of his ancestor, Terri Taveck, at the town square and bowed his head in reverence to him.
His city was falling apart, and Derek regretted the events that had led to this. But maybe things had to be destroyed to make way for a better future for all. The king and the dragon cult had plagued this city for years with their influence. Keeping the elemental warriors hidden and forced to cower before a useless army.
The strengthening of the void was troublesome, but it had showed the governor and the valley that the army couldn’t protect Aldrion. Something Derek had been telling them since he graduated from Falden. Now came the time of the elemental warriors.
His time.
With the sudden return of the dragon, crushing the cult seemed within his reach, too. It was like the universe had handed him the cards to destroy the corruption in the kingdom, and now Derek only needed to play his hand. The deck had been dealt, and Derek was in favor this time around. Just like Terri Taveck had been centuries ago.
Derek walked into town hall and stopped on the stone floor, looking up at a slender staircase to the side. He waved to a woman seated behind the lobby desk and she gave him a big smile. Derek headed for the stairs and took them two at a time, arriving at the governor's office.
He didn’t have an appointment, but with his father’s recent promotion over the army, Derek doubted the governor would turn him away. He knocked on the two massive wooden doors leading into Edward Perrole’s office.
He listened, and soon a low murmur came from the other side. Derek guessed he was telling him to come in. He swung the door open and found Edward seated behind a huge mahogany desk at the end of the room. Two leather chairs stood placed in front of the desk and behind him was a glass window covering the entire wall.
A frown spread over Edward’s face. “What are you doing here, Derek?”
“I need to speak to you.”
“You can go down to the lobby and make an appointment with my assistant.”
“It’s urgent,” Derek said. “I have some information I think is important for you to hear and a request.”
Edward Perrole sighed and looked up from a stack of papers on his desk. He stood up, showing off his silk embroidered pants and gentleman’s shirt. He walked around the desk and sat down on a leather chair. Edward gestured for Derek to join him, and Derek closed the massive door behind him.
“Please make it quick,” Edward said. “I don’t have the time for matters of intrigue between you and the army. Just talk to your father to make sure they follow your command.”
Derek held up a hand toward the governor.
“It’s not about that. The army will follow me. This is about the enemy.”
Edward squirmed in his seat and his face tensed, as if he didn’t like to think about the enemy. They had lost many people in the recent days and Derek could understand that. It was all anyone talked about these days.
“You told me to keep an eye on the girl the dragon cult sent to Aldrion to attend Falden,” Derek said. “I have, and there has been some disturbing progress in the matter.”
“Of what nature?”
“She has proven to be in possession of a magical item. A dagger that she brought from the valley into Aldrion. One that I saw first hand out in the wastes just recently. It is unlike anything I have seen before. It’s not of the four elements and has an orange glow when used. She calls it a double imbue, and she seems to know how to use it.”
Edward averted his gaze, looking out the window behind his desk for a moment.
“She went out into the wasteland without your permission. Snuck out through a crack in the wall created by the dragon on its first attack. An informant of mine overheard her say her ancestors are from the wastes and I think she was trying to take the dagger to the enemy. I have strong reason to believe she is a void worshiper.”
Edward chewed on his lip, refusing to meet Derek’s eyes. Derek stopped speaking, leaning back in the leather chair and letting Edward think through what he had just said.
After a moment, the governor finally spoke. “The return of the dragon is surprising, but it makes sense the void would send one for her if they believed she needed it. Yes, I was almost convinced the dragons were good, in fact, but that only shows what influence the cult has over us. Even from far away on the other side of the valley, they seem to have affected us much more than I let myself believe.”
“Exactly,” Derek said. “And I think this is the time for us to strike at them. Before they have the opportunity to get the girl into the wastes and when we can steal that dagger of hers. That’s why I want to ask your permission to get rid of her and the boy she came here with as well. We don’t need spies from the cult in our midst who can report our plans to the void.”
Edward dragged a hand through his white hair, and his black eyes circled the room.
“No,” he said.
“But Sir, we need to get rid of them,” Derek said. “We need to make sure they don’t sabotage us.”
“I can see where you’re coming from, Taveck. But the girl could prove useful to us. If she is indeed what you’re telling me. If she can use the magic in that dagger, then we can use her. We could get information about the void. Information we have never been able to attain. Maybe she can lead us to the heart, maybe she can be the key to ending the war. I can’t let her be destroyed just yet. I need to figure out if I can use her first.”
“But that would be a huge risk, Sir,” Derek said. “What if she sells us out and Aldrion is destroyed?”
“Then that is a risk we have to take,” Edward said. “We don’t get anywhere in war if we're not ready to risk our position once in a while. The dragons are said to have been good once. To have been bringers of the light and fighters of the void. I think perhaps there is a grain of truth in that. I think that the dragon and the girl can lead us to the void. Help us kill it, once and for all.”
“But what about her dagger?” Derek said. “We can’t just let her walk around with that thing. Not if she knows how to use it.”
“So watch her then,” Edward said. “Make sure she doesn’t use it and if she does, figure out how it works. We need new weapons if we’re going after the void.”
“But you already tasked the dragon forge with creating new weapons. Don’t you think that will be enough?”
Edward shook his head. “No, for whatever reason, the void decided to send in a dragon now. But I doubt it’s the worst thing it has in its arsenal. I think something worse is lurking beyond the wall and we need to get ready for it.”
AsterMarsh This is the last chapter in Book 1 of Mage Smith. Next Chapter, 53, will be the start of Book 2 and will be posted this Wednesday, following the same schedule.
I hope you liked this first Arc of Mage Smith and please comment below if there is anything you’d like to suggest or tell me about the story.
I will review the first book and hopefully publish it over on Amazon when I’m done with editing. But it will be awhile before I’m read for that.
Thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoy the second arc too. Also, if you’d like to read ahead, I have up to 15 Chapters in advance on my Patreon.
Derek Taveck paced the meeting room in his father’s study. He had borrowed his office to meet with his informant, but now that the man was late, Derek regretted choosing this as their meeting place. He heard the door slam shut at the entrance of the mansion, but didn’t need to look out to know it was Austin who was coming back from Falden.
He listened for the footsteps trailing up the stairs and for Austin’s bedroom door to slam closed. He heard the lock click behind him, and Derek breathed out. He knew his younger brother had a soft spot for the spy and he didn’t want to drag him into this if he could help it.
A moment later, a knock came on the door to the study, and Derek walked up. He cracked the door open and a man in tattered clothes and a beard slipped past him inside. Derek closed the door behind him.
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry, Sir,” the man said. “I had some trouble getting inside without anyone seeing me. We should really stop meeting in daylight. It’s not good for my kind of business.”
“We have bigger problems than your business,” Derek said. “There is a dragon loose on Aldrion. I can’t meet with people at night. I need to fight. My father is in charge of the army now and there are expectations.”
“There isn’t anyone who hasn't heard, Sir,” the man said, walking up to the window at the end of the study.
A smile stretched over Derek’s face. Even though things were bad in Aldrion, all his dreams seemed to be coming true.
“So, what have you found out?” Derek asked.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the girl as you told me to,” he said. “She hasn’t been to Pedro’s noodle place since you brought her back from the wastes. But I’ve been following her since she came out of the hospital. I’ve been listening in on her conversations and I think I found what you are looking for.”
Derek’s back stiffened, and the bearded man turned away from the window. Their eyes caught, and the man held out his hand toward him. He sighed and unlatched the coin purse he had prepared earlier. He threw it across the room and it landed in the man’s palm.
A smile spread over the informant’s face, and he weighed the purse in his hand. He deemed the weight to be enough and slipped it into his pocket.
“The girl seems to think her ancestor is tied to the people of the wastes.”
Derek nodded, pacing between the bookshelf and the wall. If she had descendants from the wasteland, that could mean he had finally found a tie between the dragon cult and the void.
“Anything about a dagger?” Derek asked.
“Yes,” the informant said, and a frown spread over his face. “She was talking about a dagger. She mentioned something about it being a double imbue and that she was searching for the truth about it. But it could just mean she’s delusional, Sir.”
“Indeed,” Derek said, dragging a hand over his chin. “She is delusional.”
“Do you want me to continue watching her?”
“Yes,” Derek said. “Let me know if she tries to head into the wasteland again and keep an eye on her friends, too.”
“Yes, Sir.”
#
The sun had almost set on the horizon, and the void could be expected to attack again at any time. Derek strolled through the streets of Aldrion toward the town hall. He passed the broken statue of his ancestor, Terri Taveck, at the town square and bowed his head in reverence to him.
His city was falling apart, and Derek regretted the events that had led to this. But maybe things had to be destroyed to make way for a better future for all. The king and the dragon cult had plagued this city for years with their influence. Keeping the elemental warriors hidden and forced to cower before a useless army.
The strengthening of the void was troublesome, but it had showed the governor and the valley that the army couldn’t protect Aldrion. Something Derek had been telling them since he graduated from Falden. Now came the time of the elemental warriors.
His time.
With the sudden return of the dragon, crushing the cult seemed within his reach, too. It was like the universe had handed him the cards to destroy the corruption in the kingdom, and now Derek only needed to play his hand. The deck had been dealt, and Derek was in favor this time around. Just like Terri Taveck had been centuries ago.
Derek walked into town hall and stopped on the stone floor, looking up at a slender staircase to the side. He waved to a woman seated behind the lobby desk and she gave him a big smile. Derek headed for the stairs and took them two at a time, arriving at the governor's office.
He didn’t have an appointment, but with his father’s recent promotion over the army, Derek doubted the governor would turn him away. He knocked on the two massive wooden doors leading into Edward Perrole’s office.
He listened, and soon a low murmur came from the other side. Derek guessed he was telling him to come in. He swung the door open and found Edward seated behind a huge mahogany desk at the end of the room. Two leather chairs stood placed in front of the desk and behind him was a glass window covering the entire wall.
A frown spread over Edward’s face. “What are you doing here, Derek?”
“I need to speak to you.”
“You can go down to the lobby and make an appointment with my assistant.”
“It’s urgent,” Derek said. “I have some information I think is important for you to hear and a request.”
Edward Perrole sighed and looked up from a stack of papers on his desk. He stood up, showing off his silk embroidered pants and gentleman’s shirt. He walked around the desk and sat down on a leather chair. Edward gestured for Derek to join him, and Derek closed the massive door behind him.
“Please make it quick,” Edward said. “I don’t have the time for matters of intrigue between you and the army. Just talk to your father to make sure they follow your command.”
Derek held up a hand toward the governor.
“It’s not about that. The army will follow me. This is about the enemy.”
Edward squirmed in his seat and his face tensed, as if he didn’t like to think about the enemy. They had lost many people in the recent days and Derek could understand that. It was all anyone talked about these days.
“You told me to keep an eye on the girl the dragon cult sent to Aldrion to attend Falden,” Derek said. “I have, and there has been some disturbing progress in the matter.”
“Of what nature?”
“She has proven to be in possession of a magical item. A dagger that she brought from the valley into Aldrion. One that I saw first hand out in the wastes just recently. It is unlike anything I have seen before. It’s not of the four elements and has an orange glow when used. She calls it a double imbue, and she seems to know how to use it.”
Edward averted his gaze, looking out the window behind his desk for a moment.
“She went out into the wasteland without your permission. Snuck out through a crack in the wall created by the dragon on its first attack. An informant of mine overheard her say her ancestors are from the wastes and I think she was trying to take the dagger to the enemy. I have strong reason to believe she is a void worshiper.”
Edward chewed on his lip, refusing to meet Derek’s eyes. Derek stopped speaking, leaning back in the leather chair and letting Edward think through what he had just said.
After a moment, the governor finally spoke. “The return of the dragon is surprising, but it makes sense the void would send one for her if they believed she needed it. Yes, I was almost convinced the dragons were good, in fact, but that only shows what influence the cult has over us. Even from far away on the other side of the valley, they seem to have affected us much more than I let myself believe.”
“Exactly,” Derek said. “And I think this is the time for us to strike at them. Before they have the opportunity to get the girl into the wastes and when we can steal that dagger of hers. That’s why I want to ask your permission to get rid of her and the boy she came here with as well. We don’t need spies from the cult in our midst who can report our plans to the void.”
Edward dragged a hand through his white hair, and his black eyes circled the room.
“No,” he said.
“But Sir, we need to get rid of them,” Derek said. “We need to make sure they don’t sabotage us.”
“I can see where you’re coming from, Taveck. But the girl could prove useful to us. If she is indeed what you’re telling me. If she can use the magic in that dagger, then we can use her. We could get information about the void. Information we have never been able to attain. Maybe she can lead us to the heart, maybe she can be the key to ending the war. I can’t let her be destroyed just yet. I need to figure out if I can use her first.”
“But that would be a huge risk, Sir,” Derek said. “What if she sells us out and Aldrion is destroyed?”
“Then that is a risk we have to take,” Edward said. “We don’t get anywhere in war if we're not ready to risk our position once in a while. The dragons are said to have been good once. To have been bringers of the light and fighters of the void. I think perhaps there is a grain of truth in that. I think that the dragon and the girl can lead us to the void. Help us kill it, once and for all.”
“But what about her dagger?” Derek said. “We can’t just let her walk around with that thing. Not if she knows how to use it.”
“So watch her then,” Edward said. “Make sure she doesn’t use it and if she does, figure out how it works. We need new weapons if we’re going after the void.”
“But you already tasked the dragon forge with creating new weapons. Don’t you think that will be enough?”
Edward shook his head. “No, for whatever reason, the void decided to send in a dragon now. But I doubt it’s the worst thing it has in its arsenal. I think something worse is lurking beyond the wall and we need to get ready for it.”
AsterMarsh This is the last chapter in Book 1 of Mage Smith. Next Chapter, 53, will be the start of Book 2 and will be posted this Wednesday, following the same schedule.
I hope you liked this first Arc of Mage Smith and please comment below if there is anything you’d like to suggest or tell me about the story.
I will review the first book and hopefully publish it over on Amazon when I’m done with editing. But it will be awhile before I’m read for that.
Thank you for reading this far and I hope you enjoy the second arc too. Also, if you’d like to read ahead, I have up to 15 Chapters in advance on my Patreon.
