Mageborn The Line of Illeniel Michael Manning (novels to read for beginners txt) 📖

Penny giggling behind me and I couldn’t help but laugh myself.

“Where is everyone else? I’m surprised there aren’t more people out here enjoying the spectacle,” Penny said.

“Oh they were all here a little while ago!” Marcus said with enthusiasm. “But when you two starting up with all the hating in there Royce decided it was impolite of us to listen in.”

“So why are you two still here?” I asked.

“We snuck back up here. It was too good to miss,” Marc laughed.

“It was his idea,” Dorian hastily added.

“You two are unbelievable. I hate you sometimes,” I smiled at them holding my arms out widely.

“We hate you too!” Marc exclaimed and we all wound up in an embrace. Somehow Penny wound up in the middle of it.

“Hey! No need to hug my posterior... Dorian!” she cried in mock outrage. He jumped back with a look of shocked innocence.

“I didn’t!” he protested.

“Actually that was me,” Marc admitted.

“I thought you were a priest or some such now?” she rounded on him. “Isn’t that sort of behavior frowned upon?”

I growled in agreement with her, not that I was really mad.

“I’m sure the goddess will forgive me. After all your derriere is the best proof yet found that the gods are kind and just,” he replied clasping his hands together as if in prayer.

“You’re impossible!” I said and we began making our way down the corridor toward the stairs. Despite the constant tension of the last month it felt good to be among my friends. I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would last. The future looked grim.

“By the way Penny,” Marc started, “have you put on weight? I don’t remember you being quite so... ample.”

“Oooh!” she shrieked. That was followed by the sound of a large thump as Marc struck the wall. She had shoved him and it sounded as if he might get a bruise from that one.

Chapter 20

The resolution of my differences with Penelope had taken a bit longer than they had anticipated so we had lunch before returning to the table. Actually that’s inaccurate; we had lunch before clearing the table and returning to business, since we were using the same table for both. Everyone seemed much more relaxed now that we had settled things between us.

“Where were we?” I said, starting the discussion again.

“I think we were at the part where we were trying to decide how we wanted to lose,” Marc joked. It wasn’t particularly funny since it was largely true, but it did set me to thinking.

“You’re right,” I agreed.

“So you’ve decided to see sense and join the king?” Cyhan asked.

“Nope, I just thought what Marc said was spot on. We’ve been going at this from the viewpoint of limiting our losses... planning our defeat. No war has ever been won that way,” I stated.

“You don’t honestly think there’s any hope of us winning do you?” he responded.

“I’m not sure, but I’m not giving up yet. We haven’t even finished listing our resources yet, which may be greater than we realize,” I returned.

“What else do we have?” Dorian asked.

“Money for one... we have a lot of money, and time to use it,” I said.

“Well that’s fine... if you’re planning to throw it at them,” Joe put in, “but all the money in the world won’t create an army out of thin air.”

“You’re right. There’s no way we can match their numbers, whatever they may be, but I have Rose Hightower back in the capital recruiting as many as she can find. It might be the case that she can find enough to keep us from being completely overrun,” I told them.

“Not many men are going to take your coin to join a lost cause,” Marc informed us, “especially when the king will also be opening his coffers to recruit for a far less suicidal battle.”

“I’m offering more than the king, remember? Land may draw men that money alone could not tempt.”

“That still doesn’t get around the fact that it won’t be enough men. Even the king won’t face them here. The terrain offers no advantage, leaving the battle largely a matter of who brings the largest army,” Cyhan said.

“We have something that they don’t,” Dorian responded calmly.

“What?” the older warrior asked him.

“Him,” my friend pointed at me across the table. “We have the only remaining wizard in the civilized world. We have magic... they don’t.”

“I appreciate your confidence in your friend,” Cyhan placated him, “but no amount of magic can stop an army of over ten thousand.”

“You weren’t there at Lancaster. I was. He killed over a hundred of them in one fell swoop,” Dorian replied, unshaken.

“And it nearly killed him,” Penny added. “Besides, I don’t think Vendraccus will be so kind as to gather his army all in one place where Mordecai could conveniently annihilate them all at once. At Lancaster he had the enemy confined in one room.”

“Hah!” Royce shouted. Everyone looked at him wondering at his odd exclamation. “Say that again girl.”

“It nearly killed him...,” Penny responded uncertainly.

“No, no, the last bit... about the room,” my father’s sharp blue eyes were piercing as he spoke. I knew the look. He usually got it when he had overcome a difficult problem crafting something in the smithy.

“At Lancaster he had the enemy confined in one room?” she repeated.

“Aye, that was it. You...” he pointed at Cyhan, “you said that the terrain here held no advantage, so the king wouldn’t fight here. That may not be true.”

“What are you talking about Royce?” Joe asked. A look of hope was forming on his face already. He had a lot respect for the smith’s ideas, especially after the fight with the shiggreth.

“The river... here see,” he moved a few cups aside and tried to trace out the terrain with his finger on the table top. “Bah, this won’t work! Someone fetch me some paper and a piece of charcoal.”

I got up to fetch it for him. Paper was in short supply so I doubted anyone else would know where to