Death Mages Ascent: Revised Edition (Death Mage Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

the city,” he said with a mischievous smile before shutting the door behind him. Sighing, Jaxom relaxed back into the water, berating himself for riding in on that horse. He would never hear the end of it now. 
    The king’s chambers were located at the center of the castle. Jaxom passed six guard posts and two patrols on his way there. Before the large ironbound double doors of the king’s chambers stood yet another pair of armored men wearing the king’s blue livery with the golden falcon embroidered on their chests. These men were the king’s personal guard. Their only job was to protect their sovereign at all costs. These one hundred men had been specifically chosen for their martial abilities and their loyalty. Seeing him approach, one knocked on the door. From within, a voice shouted roughly, “Come.”
    Inside, Corin sat at a table, pouring over papers, most likely reports from scouts moving throughout the kingdoms. Standing, he poured wine into a pair of glasses and handed one to Jaxom, gesturing for him to take a seat on one of the couches.  The king remained standing and began to pace back and forth, which Jaxom suspected was a habit he maintained because it seemed to make those sitting more uncomfortable.
    “Well, get on with it! What did you see?”
    “Denra lost,” Jaxom said.
    “That’s it? They lost?”
    “More precisely, they were destroyed.” Jaxom heard the anger rising in his voice. “The fort was razed, and none were left alive.”
    “Then the Kelran’s don’t intend to occupy Denra. That makes sense. They have enough to deal with in their own lands. This new bandit lord has been causing them trouble,” the King said.
    “Bandit Lord?”
    “Yes, apparently he’s not your average bandit. He has organized enough to attack some of the minor nobles on the borders of Kelran. The reports say that he started off as just another thief, but rumors claim that he has designs on the throne.”
    “Then why would the king of Kelran send his army to destroy Denra?”
    “King Dillion has always been rash. Perhaps he considers this bandit a nuisance that he can ignore for the moment while he weakens Denra.”
    “Could this bandit have been responsible for the duke’s murder?” Jaxom asked. King Dillion’s uncle Henrick had been murdered in his bed four weeks ago, and evidence had been found that Denra was involved. The murder was just one more in a series of noble killings that had set the world on the path to war.
    “I doubt it. This bandit would gain nothing from killing Henrick. The duke had no real political power; he was only responsible for trade in and out of Denra. If anything, the duke’s death will hurt the bandit, disrupting trade and making it more difficult to fund his coup through robbery.” Letting out a long sigh, the King took a seat opposite Jaxom, draining his glass in a swallow. “Do these idiots who call themselves rulers not see that they are being played for fools? Can they not see that there is a pattern to all this? Someone wants us weakened.”
    “We must focus on what we can do about it,” Jaxom replied in a steady voice. He did not envy his friend the decisions he was going to have to make. Ale’adaria could not remain neutral much longer unless they were to watch the world tear itself apart. “Have you found out anything about who is committing the murders?”
    “Not much. There are a few reports of black-clad assassins who seemed to be able to meld into the darkness itself,” Corin said.
    “Do you suspect casting?” Jaxom worried that this vie for power could be coming from mages. Hundreds of years ago, mages had ruled as kings and queens. Most of the histories had been destroyed in the Mage Wars, but those that remained described a time of great suffering. No mage had ever sought power of that sort again.
    “It would seem that some form of casting was involved, but I have never heard of any mage being able to disappear into shadows. Have you?” the