A Forest of Vanity and Valour, page 1
A Forest Of Vanity And Valour
THE LEVANTHRIA SERIES
A.P. BESWICK
To my awesome backers who have enabled me to create this book.
Laban P. Crook, Jonathan Cole, James Molnar, Brodie Selzer, Harley Hannon, Mumty, Carl Farber, Billy Coghill, Andromeda Taylor-Wallace, Jacon P. Winn, Bryant Diaz, De Winter Tim, Christian Holt, Julia A, Mattia Gualco, Dylan Bardon, Denis S. Hakes, Sharina Brock, Steph, Max Lindberg, Matt Snellgrove, Sy Hughes, and Rob Radcliffe.
You are all legends in my eyes, thank you.
To my beta readers Madelief, Debbie, Chris and Quinn. Thank you, your feedback and critique has helped shape this story.
To The Merry Men…..And Women
Seth (The Little) Alexander
Joshua (The Scarlett) Gray
Daniel (The Friar) Dorman
Robin (The Hood) Hill
Contents
1. Vireo
2. Vireo
3. Jareb
4. Vireo
5. Vireo
6. Jareb
7. Vireo
8. Jareb
9. Vireo
10. Jareb
11. Vireo
12. Vireo
13. Vireo
14. Jareb
15. Vireo
16. Jareb
17. Vireo
18. Jareb
19. Vireo
20. Vireo
21. Jareb
22. Vireo
23. Vireo
24. Jareb
25. Jareb
26. Vireo
27. Vireo
28. Jareb
29. Jareb
30. Vireo
31. Vireo
32. Vireo
33. Jareb
34. Vireo
35. Vireo
36. Jareb
37. Vireo
38. Vireo
39. Vireo
40. Jareb
41. Vireo
42. Jareb
43. Vireo
44. Vireo
45. Jareb
46. Vireo
47. Vireo
48. Jareb
49. Vireo
50. Vireo
51. Jareb
52. Vireo
53. Vireo
54. Codrin
Also by A.P. Beswick
1
Vireo
“Magic is an unnatural, unstable force. Even those with the greatest resilience succumb to the addiction.”
-Hector Doren, scholar, 104 KR
I look up at the moon, its reflective light casting a crescent shadow over the ginnel where I hide. A foul stench is in the air, bad enough that with every breath I take, I taste the muck that lines these wretched streets. I let out a sigh of frustration. We are crouched, hiding in the slums, and my legs grow increasingly numb.
“Vireo.” Lek hisses my name under his breath, trying not to draw attention to us. His colossal frame casts a shadow large enough for Gillam and me to hide under. His full brown beard engulfs his face, giving him the appearance of a wild man, but his armour tells a different story. His family crest – a bear with two axes above it, framed within the emblem of a shield – indicates his privileged background. It is a badge that Lek has worn with pride his entire life. The man is a beast on the battlefield, someone I certainly would not like to be on the wrong side of.
“I am tired of waiting,” I whisper, an air of impatience apparent in my voice. “Must we continue to hide in this hole any longer?”
“If we are to claim what is owed to us, then yes. We will wait here as long as necessary, Vireo.” I glance to my left where Gillam crouches beside me. Her slender physique equips her with an unrivalled agility. Her long blonde hair is slicked back into a tight ponytail, and her amber eyes catch the light from the moon like a cat in the dark.
“We are not all built for the shadows like you, Gillam,” I snipe at her, growing ever more frustrated. The repugnant smell makes me want to retch.
“The shadows are the safest place to hide.” Gillam smiles as her well-spoken words roll off her tongue.
I look out across the street at the small building we have surveyed for the last three hours. Its windows are broken and boarded, and the walls are cracked with age. I wonder how anyone could bear to live in the derelict and overcrowded houses that line these streets. An odd flicker of light catches my attention from the moth-eaten curtains hanging in the windows where the poorest families live. A fair-haired, barefoot girl runs past me, gripping what looks like bread in her hands. Her footsteps splash the greying mud on my clothes.
“Blasted!” My voice rises. “This is ridiculous.”
“Calm down, Vireo.” Gillam smiles at my misfortune, which angers me further.
“I am not in the mood for your patronizing words, Gillam.” I could happily strike her, my patience now at breaking point.
“Look.” Lek draws our attention to movement ahead of us.
A hooded figure strolls to the door we have been watching. He hurriedly unlocks it, then gives one last nervous look around before disappearing into the darkness inside.
“Told you it would be worth the wait,” Gillam sneers at me.
All we need to do now is reclaim what is ours. I pull my hood over my head as we make our way across the road, the mud squelching under my feet. I cannot wait to be home.
2
Vireo
With a thud, Lek slams his club-like fist into the door three times with thunderous force. It is a wonder that the door does not crumble under his strength. We wait a moment for a response, but given how elusive our target has been, I am not surprised when the knock goes unanswered.
I let out a sigh, knowing where this is headed. I just wanted a quick and easy collect tonight and now I have wasted my evening hiding in shadows, crouched in this cesspit. But it is unavoidable; we must collect what is owed to Jareb, to the crown.
Lek hammers on the door once more. An old man walks by, pushing his cart down the street behind us.
“Little pig, little pig, let us come in,” Gillam teases as she places her face to a hole in the door. “Or we will huff.”
“Blasted.” Lek cuts in and steps forward, taking a large lunge with his boot. He throws his leg in a frustrated kick, smashing the rotten door to pieces.
The hooded figure is instantly upon us. He swings a wooden batten at Lek’s head, and Lek is barely able to move out of the way. Enraged, Lek picks up the man and throws him backwards, slamming him through some old shelves. The mites have already eaten through the wood, but the spectacle makes Lek appear even more powerful. The man lets out a large groan as he climbs back to his feet, his face hidden by the darkness of the room. Lek and Gillam step forward.
“Let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be.” I speak with every intent of this ending quickly, but the man ignores my offer to do things the easy way.
He pulls his hand behind him and mutters under his breath.
My eyes widen as I see an unnatural glow behind his back. “He’s a mage!” But the warning is too late.
The mage swings his hand in front of him and sends a jolt of power straight into Lek’s chest, his chain mail acting as a conduit for the lightning. The house shakes as he hits the floor and begins convulsing. For a moment, I wonder if he will fall through the floor from the impact or if this ramshackle house will fall on top of us. I dive behind a table for cover as Gillam lunges for the mage. The mage is onto her, though, and mutters more words. She bounces off him as though an invisible wall is in the way.
Gillam climbs back to her feet, staring at the mage with fascination as I rise from behind the table and smile at him.
“You are a rarity,” I call over. “Let us take what you owe, and we will leave you in peace.”
“What I owe?!” His anger is apparent. “I have nothing left. Your people have taken everything away from me. EVERYTHING.”
“We would fetch quite the coin for handing you over to Jareb,” Gillam teases as she dusts down her clothes.
“That is not going to happen,” I bark back. I am all for collecting coin, but I draw the line at kidnap and trafficking. A mage that owes money would live out the rest of his life in servitude to the crown. The sheer fact he has displayed his magic towards us shows how desperate he must be. “Listen, you clearly have magic within you. I think those spells will have taken quite the energy from you. Just give us what is owed, anything of value, and we will leave.”
My words fall on deaf ears as the mage’s hand lights up once more. He releases a flashing light at Gillam, sending her soaring across the room and out of the broken front door. At least the mud makes a soft landing for her. The mage spins with his focus solely on me now. He is moving slower than before, and I can see he is fatigued. He draws his hand back and I grab my moment – I lunge forward, taking the mage off guard as I grab the scruff of his neck and slam him against the wall. My forearm presses tightly against his chest as I clasp my left hand over his mouth.
“One more spell from you and I will remove your tongue,” I warn with gritted teeth. The mage continues to struggle against me, but I am far more powerful than he is. I strike him around the side of the head and his body becomes limp as he slips into unconsciousness.
3
Jareb
“Following his daughter’s assassination at the hand of a maid wielding magic, King Graden IV banished the practice throughout Levanthria. Overnight mages, witches, seers, and healers were outlawed an
-Fivera Dorian, member of the Queen’s guard, 131 KR
I stand by the window in my bedroom, the fire behind me providing me warmth and comfort within the walls of the castle. In the king’s absence, the weight of the land falls on my shoulders, and I just pray that I am doing him proud.
“Are you ok, dear?” Allana’s arms wrap around me from behind and I cover her hands with mine. Together, we gaze out the window at the city beyond the castle walls. “Come back to bed.”
“I can’t rest.” I turn to face her and place my hands on the sides of her arms. Her long dark hair falls to the small of her back. Her skin is pale, her eyes like ice. Her unnatural beauty still takes my breath away every time I see her. “I want the war to be over so things can go back to normal.”
“We all do,” she reassures me. “Someone has to hold the castle in the king’s absence. Someone has to ensure the king and his soldiers continue to have supplies while they are at war.” She understands the need for me to enforce the decisions I’ve made, but I can’t help but wonder if she truly understands the burden my situation places on me.
I want to help the people and see this once prosperous land of Levanthria flourish again. “I can’t bear to see such a large portion of the population living in poverty as they are now, but if we are to end this war, we must continue to collect money and supplies from them.” My words are true, but I worry the people are growing tired with the taxes they must pay in order to fund the king’s latest war.
“It is not your decision to do this, my love.” Allana’s voice is soft and hypnotic, as though singing me a lullaby, instantly reassuring me.
“It is a decision that I have to enforce though, Allana. One that makes people from across the land dislike me.” I turn away from Allana and look out once more over the darkness of the city. I can feel my frustration building and I take in a large breath to calm myself. Allana’s soft grip wraps around me once more as she attempts to settle me.
“My love, you are a good man.”
“The people do not agree with you on that, though. Look at the way so many are suffering in these times. I need to find a way to make it easier for them. Their conditions are no fault of their own.” I speak my words from my heart. There is no greater pain than having to follow actions that go against every fibre in one’s being. If we are going to win this war, I must stay strong, for the people of the kingdom and for the king.
The one thing keeping me from losing my sanity is Allana. I do not know what I would do without her. It is as if the gods sent her to me as a gift to aid me with my struggles. Her years are much fewer than the forty-five that I have walked this earth, and I often wondered what she sees in an aging aid to the king. I am long past my physical prime, and I am greying. My face now shows how weary I have become, and my brow is lined where it was not previously.
“We must win this war, Allana. I need to help our people more. Maybe then I will sleep.”
4
Vireo
The mage seems to realise that struggling is pointless. Lek and Gillam grasp his arms, taking a tight hold to prevent him from escaping.
“You need to pay what is owed,” I remind the mage.
“I have already told you, you fool. I have nothing.” There is a resilience in the mage that I admire. However, the night is getting late, and I am growing tired of this. I want to be at home in the warmth, away from this filth. Instead, we must continue to press for the coin that Jareb has requested.
I nod at Lek. He strikes the mage in the stomach, who lets out a large gasp, instantly winded. I crouch down to bring myself level with him. The dampness in the air leaves a bitter taste in the back of my mouth. “Everyone has to pay.”
“For a war none of us wanted?!” the mage spits back at me. “Our people are suffering, yet you live in your manor.”
“I have paid my dues.” The mage’s words irk me. “For collecting coin for Jareb, he allows me to keep my manor.”
“You’re just as bad as Jareb, then, if you’re happy to live in luxury at our expense.”
My temper flares and I grab the mage by the scruff of his cloak and bring his face close to mine. Close enough to smell the stench of his stagnant breath in my face. “You are lying. You must have some coin hidden away somewhere.”
“I gave it to Jordell.” The mage avoids my eyes. I know I am getting to him. “He helps feed the poorest. I gave him my coin to help provide food for those that need it.”
“Well, that was stupid,” Gillam says. “Vireo, what shall we do with him?”
“What we do with anyone that does not pay what they owe to the crown.” I turn from the mage and saunter toward the shattered front door. I feel my clothes are now ruined by the stench in the air that clings to my every fibre.
Lek and Gillam begin beating mage, ferociously knocking him to the floor where they continue to kick and punch him. He whimpers, unable to fight back.
“Like I said before, Vireo, we would fetch some coin for ourselves if we turn in a mage,” Gillam presses us as she stands over the barely conscious man, his face bloodied and bruised.
“And I told you no.” I raise my voice, annoyed at having to repeat myself. “We do not traffic, and we don’t promote slavery.”
I see the vein in Gillam’s head throb with displeasure, but I know she will listen. We have been through a lot together we served our time on the front lines of the war in Ethua. “A beating is enough. Others will learn from this example.”
Lek scoops the mage up from the floor with one hand and draws his tightly clenched fist back, ready to strike one last blow.
The mage is clearly disorientated but as I make my way to the door to leave, he speaks quietly, broken. “No more, please,” he splutters, a bloody trail leaving his nose, his lips swollen. “In the back, there is a door under the rug.”
The mage has been a fool for not telling us this sooner. All this could have been easily avoided if he had only listened to me at the start. I nod towards Lek, who releases the mage, dropping him to the floor.
The floorboards creak under my weight as I make my way to the back of the room and push open the door. It surprises me that it doesn’t fall from its hinges. I grab hold of a mite-ridden bed frame and slide it to the side. The scratching noise sends a shiver down my spine, and I am pleased to see the mage has been true to his word. In front of me, there is a small hatch with a little metal handle, covered in a heavy layer of dust. I reach down to pull the door open, excited to see what valuables lie in wait.
I am intrigued by what I see inside. Not money or treasures, but a leather-bound book. It has intricate stitching on the outer edge, with words and symbols that have no meaning to me etched into the front. I know instantly that the book has value, and it takes my breath away. Jareb will be happy.
For it is not just any book. It is the rarest of finds.
It is a book of spells.
5
