Chaos Descending (38 page)

“I don’t want gold,” the man said. “I want your promise. If anyone finds the book, you don’t know where you got it.”

“I swear,” Tiberius said.

“Promise on your mother’s grave,” the man insisted.

“My mother’s not dead,” Tiberius said indignantly.

“Then swear on her life.”

“I swear. I couldn’t find this place again without Lexi’s help anyway.”

“You too, missy,” the old man said. “Swear you won’t tell a soul.”

“I swear,” she said, not caring what kind of oath she took.

The man started to hand the book over to Tiberius, then hesitated.

“Silver?” he asked.

Ti emptied his coin purse on the table, the silver coins rattled noisily. Lexi looked around suspiciously, and decided she would have to give Ti a stern warning about flaunting his wealth in such a place.

The old man handed Ti the fragments of the books and then gathered the coins. As Ti tucked the book into his shirt where it wouldn’t be seen, the old man began gathering his other books and boxing them up.

“Let’s go,” Ti said.

Lexi nodded and led him back out into the late afternoon sunlight. They walked in silence for a while, then stopped in an alley that was empty of everything but trash. Ti looked nervous, but Lexi wanted to know what he’d found.

“What type of book are you willing to pay silver for?” she asked. “It was just remnants anyway.”

“It isn’t important,” Tiberius said. “But I really appreciate you bringing me down.”

“Wait, you can’t just leave me hanging. Show me the book.”

“No, I better not,” he said.

“Seriously? I bring you down here, and practically drop that little gem in your lap, and you don’t trust me enough to show me the book?”

“I trust you, but I don’t want to get you into trouble.”

“What kind of book would get anyone into trouble?”

“A banned book,” Tiberius said. “Look, you have been great and you know I appreciate you.”

“I don’t want appreciation,” Lexi said angrily. “I thought we were friends.”

“We are.”

“But you don’t trust me. I’m just a bottom dweller, good enough to slum around with, but not good enough to be privy to your plans.”

“You know that isn’t true,” Ti said.

“I don’t know anything apparently.”

“Look, this book, it’s important to me. I can’t say why; it just is. I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time.”

“I don’t understand. Your father is the Earl. You can have whatever you want. Why is this book such a big deal?”

“Because it’s a book about magic.”

Avondale Chapter 4

Tiberius

Tiberius cringed a little when he said the word. He was afraid they would be overheard, although there was no one in sight. He was also afraid of what Lexi’s reaction might be, but she seemed so calm. Her large eyes bored into him as if she could see into his soul. He waited, scarcely daring to breathe while she watched him. Then, to his horror, she started laughing.

“That’s hilarious,” she said, holding her side as she laughed. “You had me going for a minute, I almost believed you.”

“I’m serious,” he whispered.

“You’re not that stupid,” she said, finally calming down.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Magic? Really? You bought a book of magic?”

“It’s the
Essence of Magic
,” he said quietly. “Translated by Horace Masstivus, Wizard of the 3rd Order.”

“Oh my god, you’ve lost your mind.”

“Why, because I’m curious?”

“Because everyone knows that magic is outlawed. If you start dabbling in it, you’re likely to kill yourself, or worse, hurt some poor innocent.”

“Thanks,” Tiberius said, holding his arm close to his side protectively over where the book was hidden under his tunic.

“Is nothing sacred to you people?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you can have or do whatever you want, but you aren’t happy with normal things; you have to delve into magic and put us all at risk.”

“Hey, you were the one who insisted on knowing what it was,” Tiberius said.

“I just don’t get you.”

“No one asked you to. I’m not a puzzle you need to figure out.”

“You’re an idiot,” she said. “I don’t know why I waste my time with you.”

She turned and stalked out of the alley. Tiberius wanted to catch up with her. He liked Lexi; she was the first truly fearless person he’d ever met. She lived from day to day, never worrying about what might happen tomorrow or trying to be something she wasn’t. She faced danger regularly from people who had no qualms about killing a young girl. Yet she never complained about her life. He loved that about her, and the fact that she treated him like a person, not like the Earl’s son. But her reaction to his incredible find was disappointing. He had hoped that she would understand, but how could she? Tiberius didn’t really understand it himself.

His whole life, he’d known what was expected of him. As a child, he was to be seen and not heard. He was shuffled between nannies and nurses, rarely seeing his parents. His brothers bullied him and then blamed him for their poor behavior. Leonosis was given every advantage and treated like royalty, even by the servants. Brutas was also allowed certain liberties, but Tiberius was taught from a very young age that he was expected to follow every rule. They were tutored together at first, but then Tiberius was sent to the temple complex and forced to learn the ancient scriptures. His workload tripled while his brothers continued to be spoon-fed by their tutors.

Then the physical training began. Leonosis was taught strategy and basic swordsmanship. Brutas trained to be a knight, fighting on horseback and leading groups of foot soldiers. Everyone knew that Leonosis would be Earl someday, and that Brutas would be Commander of the war band. Not that Avondale ever went to war. They fought off the beasts that sometimes came near the city, but otherwise, the war band was mostly ceremonial. Still, it gave the Earl’s second son a respectable position.

Tiberius was a different matter, almost a problem for his royal family. Daughters could be married to other nobles, securing trade or political alliances, but Tiberius was of no value as long as his brothers lived. Everyone expected him to become a Paladin, taking vows of chastity and patrolling the city or leading civic functions. If that failed, he could always become a Priest—either way, he would no longer be his brother’s responsibility.

Unfortunately, Tiberius was not like his older brothers. The physical training was difficult and unnatural to him. He had learned to use a whip from one of his father’s cattlemen as a boy, often practicing long hours before he’d been taken to the temple. But fighting with a heavy sword was another matter entirely. He tired quickly, and didn’t have the speed needed to be proficient with a sword. In time, it became clear to Tiberius that he would end up being a Priest, stuck copying scrolls in the temple or learning to bind books with the aged Priests. It was a life he detested, although he saw no way out of it. And all along, through the difficulties of his formative years, a secret desire burned like a fiery ember in his soul. At night, when he lay in the darkness of his room, he fantasized about being a wizard.

He knew it was foolish. Wizards were outlawed by the Nine Cities of Valana, but he couldn’t make the desire go away. He felt shamed by his desire to work magic, but he couldn’t keep the fantasies out of his mind. He began to explore the city on his own once his lessons at the temple were over. He would wander around, looking for something he couldn’t find or even describe. When he met Lexi, he thought he’d found a kindred spirit, or at least someone who wouldn’t judge him for wanting a different kind of life. He admired her, but in some ways he used her. She took him to the places he could never find on his own, the old places, the parts of the city his father and their advisors pretended didn’t exist. And finally he’d found the one thing that made his heart leap for joy, and yet it also shamed him. Lexi had not understood, and he realized no one would. If they found his new treasure, they would punish him, perhaps even lock him away in the temple forever. He couldn’t let that happen.

It took a while to make his way back up to the palace. He didn’t know the exact directions, but he knew that as long as he went up every flight of stairs he came to, eventually he would end up on the city’s main avenue. Then, it was only a matter of time before he came to the palace.

It was dark when he arrived home, but that wasn’t unusual. He hurried up to his rooms where Robere would be waiting to help him wash up and change for dinner. Robere was a kind older servant, one of the few allowed to dress and care for the Earl’s sons. There was simply no telling what type of faux pas the aging servant had committed to be stuck caring for Tiberius. There was certainly no future in it, nor any sort of honor. Still, the man was always kind and fair with Ti, never snubbing him as some of the other palace servants did.

Tiberius knew he couldn’t let the older man see the book he’d found and he hoped he might have just a few minutes alone before the servant arrived to help him prepare for the night. Unfortunately, he ran into Rafe as he hurried up the stairs.

“Where’ve you been?” Rafe asked.

“Out in the city,” Tiberius said, happy to see his friend, but hoping not to linger. “And you?”

“Protecting the city from a vicious Forkus,” Rafe said with a grin.

“I saw you, I was on the watchtower.”

“There was room for you on the wall.”

“I would have been there if I could have.”

“Don’t kid yourself,” Rafe said, irritation showing in his voice. “It’s not like we would be able to do anything if one of those bloody creatures actually got close enough to attack the city. We would just be the first to die.”

“I thought you loved the nobility of dying in combat.”

“Combat yes, fighting monsters from the blighted lands below, not so much.”

“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Of course,” Rafe said. “My father will have to give a report.”

They both hurried away in different directions. Rafe and Tiberius were the same age, and the two boys had cultivated a friendship over the years. Rafe was a gifted fighter, but struggled to live up to his father’s famous reputation. Unlike Tiberius, Rafe was a natural with a sword. He could fight well with any weapon, but unless he became the Earl’s champion when his father stepped down, Tiberius knew Rafe would be crushed.

He hurried to his room, which was a nicely appointed space opposite his brother Brutas’ rooms. Leonosis had a suite of rooms and Brutas had two adjoining rooms, one for sleeping and the other for study. Tiberius, on the other hand, had just had a single room; there wasn’t even a fireplace. He used a brazier to stay warm at night. The room was large enough for a small desk, a wardrobe, and a massive four-poster bed. He rushed inside and closed the door. It was still dark in the room, which meant that Robere had not arrived yet. Tiberius hurried forward in the darkness, his bed a massive shadow against the far wall.

Tiberius had shelves of books and knickknacks he’d collected over the years, but his most prized possessions he kept in a trunk under his bed. He dropped to his knees beside the bed and pulled out the heavy wooden box. He flung it open and then carefully removed the two book fragments from his tunic. He was anxious to read them, but he forced himself to hide them away and begin cleaning up instead.

He had just poured a pitcher of water into a basin on his table when Robere came in with a lamp and a small bucket of coals for the brazier.

“Master Tiberius, you’re early,” the older man said.

“Really? I thought I was right on time for a change.”

“What mischief are you up to?”

“No mischief, I just rushed to the palace when the alarm sounded. The Prefect didn’t have time to give us loads of busywork today.”

“You saw the attack then?”

“Yes,” Tiberius said.

“Very exciting,” the servant said, placing a towel on the table beside the basin. “There is nothing more thrilling than seeing the Earl’s soldiers defending Avondale. Dinner shall be a victory feast.”

Tiberius dashed water on his face so the servant wouldn’t see him grimace. The soldiers who had fought the Forkus would regale the court with tales of their exploits and dinner would drag on for hours. If Tiberius slipped away early, it would cause suspicion, so he would have to wait even longer to explore his new find.

After scrubbing his face and hair, Robere helped Tiberius pull off his clothes and get dressed in his evening formals. The third son of the Earl could wear practical clothes while he went off to study at the temple, but when he rejoined the family, he was expected to look the part. The clothes were silky and very comfortable, but Tiberius knew they wouldn’t last long in the city. He wore a dark red tunic, with an ivory sash. His leather breeches were replaced with baggy linen pants that tucked into stiff boots that were polished to a high shine and rose up to his knees.

Robere brushed Tiberius’ hair and then tied the laces around his tunic’s flowing cuffs. Tiberius looked at himself in the long dressing mirror and declared himself ready for the feast.

The night seemed to drag on and on. The meal was served to a full hall, with wealthy patrons and courtiers all dressed in their finest. Tiberius found many of the young women of the court to be quite attractive, but they didn’t seem to notice him at all. Wine flowed freely, but Tiberius was careful not to drink too much. He had Robere, who helped serve the royal family during meals, bring him water instead.

Rafe was seated next to Tiberius, both well away from the Earl and Countess. Sometimes Tiberius wondered if his parents would even notice if he failed to show up for their formal evening meals. Rafe kept up a running commentary, most of it crude humor, as the solders who led the ballistae crews gave reports to the Earl. It was a regular game the two young men had played since they were children. Tiberius couldn’t laugh or draw attention to himself during such feasts, and Rafe did his best to get his friend laughing out loud.