Blood of Innocents (Book Two of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence)
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Authors: Mitchell Hogan
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Blood of Innocents
Book Two of the
Sorcery Ascendant Sequence
Mitchell Hogan
Table of Contents
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
BLOOD OF INNOCENTS
All rights reserved.
Published by Mitchell Hogan
Copyright © 2014 by
Mitchell Hogan
First Printing, 2014
Acknowledgements
With love, to Angela and Isabelle.
I would also like to thank:
Derek Prior, without whose editing and advice I doubt I’d be where I am today.
Michael J Sullivan and his wife Robin, who provided much needed guidance and selflessly spent a great deal of time answering my endless questions.
Ray Nicholson, for his excellent feedback and insight. And for picking up the small (and possibly major) errors that almost slipped through.
But most of all I need to thank the readers, those people who took a chance on an unknown author and purchased
A Crucible of Souls
. Without you this book would have taken a great deal of time longer to write. Now I’m able to write full time and I’m living the dream. For that I will be forever thankful.
Map of Mahruse Empire
Map of Anasoma
Dramatis Personae
Caldan,
an orphan, and an apprentice sorcerer in the Protectors
Miranda,
an entrepreneur, and ex-sailor
Amerdan Lephar,
a shopkeeper
Vasile Lauris,
a magistrate, once Head Investigator for the Chancellor’s Guard
Elpidia,
a physiker
Izak Fourie,
a noble
Lady Felicienne Shyrise (Felice),
Third Adjudicator to the emperor
Sir Avigdor,
Lady Felicienne’s assistant
Bees,
a dealer in information
THE PROTECTORS and SORCERERS’ GUILD
Simmon,
a master, Caldan’s mentor
Jazintha,
a master
Garren,
a master
FIVE OCEANS MERCANTILE CONCERN
Gazija,
the First Deliverer
Savine Khedevis,
Head Trader
Luphildern Quiss,
Head Trader
Mazoet Miangline,
a sorcerer
Rebecci Walraffen,
a sorcerer
LADY CAITLYN’S BAND
Lady Caitlyn,
a noble crusader
Aidan,
Caitlyn’s second in command
Chalayan,
a tribal sorcerer
Anshul cel Rau,
a swordsman from the Steppes
INDRYALLANS
Kelhak,
God-Emperor of Indryalla
Bells,
a sorcerer
Keys,
a sorcerer
Prologue
Radgir cringed as Kelhak’s laughter echoed around the cabin. The other councilors were kneeling, but Radgir remained standing. The three youngest councilors kept their heads bowed, unable to meet the gaze of the God-Emperor. Radgir kept his expression blank, as they all needed to do these days around Kelhak, for fear of another of his violent outbursts.
The floor swayed to the movements of the waves, and sorcerous crafted globes hanging from the ceiling caused shadows to dance about the room. Functionaries and hangers-on were prostrate behind and to the side of the councilors.
He almost forgot himself and shook his head. What had happened to them, and their country? Men and women of once great and critical positions of power reduced to cowering subservience. It had been a slow and subtle degradation. If he hadn’t seen it for himself, he would think this was normal. But it wasn’t.
Radgir looked up and found Kelhak’s eyes on him. He steeled himself to keep from flinching under the penetrating stare. The God-Emperor looked him up and down and sneered. With Radgir’s hair and beard long since turned to white, and his wrinkled skin, no doubt he saw only weakness.
Kelhak stood, rising from the padded seat on the makeshift wooden throne they’d prepared for him. Even standing on their level, he overshadowed the tallest of them. Forming a protective circle around him stood his Silent Companions. Clad in the finest smith-crafted armor, and bearing crafted weapons, each also wore multiple
crafting
s and
trinket
s. For though they were expert warriors, they were also sorcerers of great power.
The God-Emperor rubbed the back of his neck and took in each of his councilors in turn, sneering at their reverence.
“Has something happened that I am unaware of? Have our forces been defeated?”
Robes rustled as a few councilors fidgeted and ventured quick looks at one another. Kelhak waited, serene, as the moments passed.
Radgir spoke. “It’s just that... Anasoma... the empire! Why? We cannot fathom—”
“That’s correct. You can’t.” Kelhak sighed wearily. “My reasons are my own, and they are beyond you.”
“But… the empire will be the death of us; it’s too powerful. Taking a city like this is like poking a hornets’ nest! Best for us to withdraw and offer recompense. Explain that it was a rogue officer in our forces, a madman who promised his soldiers loot beyond their imagining. Anything to stop the empire from amassing its forces against us.”
With a snort, Kelhak held out both hands, fingers splayed. On each was a ring,
trinket
s all. He made a show of examining them, as if lost in thought. The silence in the cabin grew, marred only by breathing, and a cough.
“What do you know of power and deception?”
He removed one of his rings.
“What do you know of true sorcery?”
Another finger bare.
“When have I ever led you astray, in all these years?”
Three more rings joined the others in his hand.
“After all this time, you still do not understand.”
All his fingers had been stripped bare. He shook his fist, and the rings rattled like metal dice. Greedy eyes were drawn to his hand.
Radgir had seen this performance before, so long ago. And it was probable he was the only one who had. He was, after all, the oldest of them. Except for Kelhak, who’d been among them for generations, guiding their prosperity and transformation. This display with the
trinkets
was a lesson, realized Radgir. One Kelhak obviously felt he needed to repeat. As if each generation forgot the lessons of the previous and had to be retrained. As if they were dogs learning a useful trick, who eventually died and were replaced with others, who had to be taught all over again.
Flicking his wrist, Kelhak scattered his
trinket
s across the floor. Councilors scrabbled for the rings like seagulls squabbling over a discarded scrap of bread. All but Radgir.
Kelhak took a step forward. “Thus you are distracted by objects, when the true power lies not with what material possessions you have, but in your ability to change the future.”
With a look of disdain at his fellow councilors, Radgir spoke again. “My God-Emperor, what could we hope to gain with this invasion?”
Kelhak rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “So tired...” he murmured, then shook his head as if to clear it. “Chaos. Death. Whatever you make from it. They have something I want. Someone.”
“But... we cannot fight the empire. We cannot.” Radgir spread his hands in appeal.
“No, you cannot. But I can.”
Radgir shook his head but remained silent. He knew better than to argue with the God-Emperor. Forty years in this position, he had been one of the youngest ever to be appointed to the councilor’s role. Kelhak had been God-Emperor then, looking much the same as he did now. And their nation had prospered like no other since he had come to them from outside. But shortly after Radgir has ascended to his position Kelhak’s behavior had become erratic, and he was prone to violent mood swings.
And this last year, disturbing reports had reached his ears. He hated to rely on concubines for information, but the God-Emperor’s welfare was intricately tied to their own. His spies told of Kelhak waking some mornings, face plastered with fear, body dripping with sweat, before an unnatural calm took over. And one morning a few weeks ago, he had gripped the concubine’s shoulders and shook her, whispering the words, “He has me,” before falling unconscious.
Outside, the sun beat down on their fleet of ships plowing through the chop as they sped south.
Chapter One
Caldan placed Bells on the ground as gently as he could. Her head lolled to the side, and she stirred a fraction before going quiet. He stretched his back and suppressed a curse. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, and he didn’t like the thought of walking far in the rain.
Ahead of him, Amerdan was leading Elpidia and Miranda along a dirt track between newly sown fields. Behind them, Bees was standing still, facing back the way they had come. Amerdan looked back and gave a short wave, before jogging toward a farmhouse. They needed supplies , and this was an opportunity to lay their hands on some.
Stifling a groan, Caldan picked Bells up again and resumed trudging along. She wriggled in his grasp, and he barely held onto her. She mumbled something unintelligible, and then her eyes opened.
Caldan clamped a hand over her mouth. “Shh,” he said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”