Magus (Advent Mage Cycle) Read Free

price," Guin retaliated.
    Xiaolang's eyes flew wide, and then he started chuckling in genuine humor. "That is a dangerous thing to say to a mercenary captain, King Guin. It's almost a shame that I promised my reflection that I would be nice today, and not take shameless advantage of the situation." With a rueful sigh he shook his head. "The temptation is almost too much. No, Your Majesty, I shall charge you standard fee, plus traveling and living expenses since we shall be in Chahir for so long. Is that acceptable?"
    Guin blinked. He had expected to pay far more than this; had steeled himself to pay his entire family fortune, actually. He had not expected this much generosity. "More than acceptable, Captain." He almost felt like bargaining for the captain, but restrained himself at the last moment. One didn't argue when handed a bargain. That would be foolish. "You shall have support as well."
    Xiaolang looked intrigued. "Really? What support?"
    "I have two people within my service that excel at finding people with magical abilities," Guin explained. "They can search for several miles around them, sometimes up to twenty miles. They will be at your disposal."
    "That is a relief to hear," Xiaolang admitted with a wry smile. "I had been wondering on how to tell the magical people apart from anyone else. Rescuing people without knowing who to rescue would be a tricky business."
    "I can imagine," Guin drawled. "When can your team get here?"
    "They're here now," Xiaolang corrected. "They came with me. It was an easy trip down river, and they wanted a chance to play tourist. We can begin at any time."
    Guin beamed, thoroughly caught up in a wave of enthusiasm. "Excellent! I shall call in the people that you'll work with. If you'll gather your team, Captain, we can meet here within an hour?"
    "Perfectly acceptable, Your Majesty."
    ~*~
    When Val Haben comes and gets me with that smile on his face, I know it’s time to quickly disappear somewhere. I probably would have, too, if he hadn't already had Chatta in tow. There's no way that I can leave my best friend in the lurch, which Haben knows and was probably counting on, which is why he got her first.
    I'm not sure which is worse, being manipulated, or knowing that you're being manipulated, but unable to do anything about it.
    As I followed Haben down the palace hallways, Chatta leaned in close and murmured, "Garth, do you know what this is about?"
    "No idea," I answered quietly. "Do you?"
    "I have a hunch," she admitted. "The last few people that came out of Chahir were in pretty bad condition. It infuriated Guin."
    It had infuriated me, too, but I saw what she was getting at. "You think that he's going to do something about it, and we're part of it."
    She nodded grimly.
    Haben had obviously overhead us, because over his shoulder he said, "You're right."
    Well, since he was confirming our suspicions, he might tell us something more. "Can you tell us anything else?"
    "I'll let the King explain it," Haben said easily.
    I would have persisted, but we were practically on top of Guin's study, so I let it rest. I'd get my answers soon enough.
    Haben was apparently expected as he only gave a quick rap on the door before shoving it open and stepping inside. I followed him in, but stopped when I realized that there were five complete strangers in the room.
    They were all wearing the black and red uniforms of an Ascalon soldier, from the Empire of Sol.
    I blinked at them dumbly, exchanging a quick look of bemusement with Chatta. Well. This was something we hadn't expected.
    "Good, we're all here." Guin was beaming, like a giddy child with hidden candy in his pockets. That expression made me want to run for the hills. "Chatta, Garth, this is Captain Xiaolang of the Red Hand."
    I turned to see who he had indicated…and nearly swallowed my tongue in surprise. The man facing me couldn't have been much older than Chatta or me, and was obviously not Solian. I'm not sure precisely what I had been