Livid Steel

By Jordan Baugher

In the second book of the Vicious Magick series, Zanther and Novanostrum find themselves robbed of their powers just as Upper Kleighton faces its greatest threat--a woman who wants nothing more than to have her child, a child prophesied to destroy the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jordan Baugher
• Release date: Jan 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458111623

Jordan Baugher

Jordan Baugher is a science-fiction and fantasy author currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.

Book preview

Livid Steel

written by Jordan Baugher

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Jordan Baugher

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

The old man sits on the beach, cradling a lute in his lap. His gnarled fingers dance on the strings, producing melodies which attract the attention of the local wildlife. Seagulls swoop down from the sunset and step-step-step across the sand to witness the spectacle. A makeshift campfire sends a friendly plume of smoke upwards, and a few crabs sidestep their way up from the water’s edge.

The old man’s swift hands drop the instrument and close around the necks of the two nearest birds before they can produce a squawk of protest, and the last thing they see is a metal lid sealing them inside a dented pot of boiling seawater. Witnessing this sudden turnabout, the crabs attempt to sidestep away, but they don’t make it far before being snatched up and tossed into the same pot.

Strewn around the campfire are the contents of the old man’s backsack: a half-dozen socks, a half-empty bottle of Good-tyme Tonick, a frayed, green suit jacket with leather patches on the elbows, a few rusted daggers, a pair of spectacles, and a thick, ancient book.

On the edge of the horizon, far out above the sea, the old man can just barely make out the outline of a skyship plying its way toward land. The long, trailing banners mark the ship as a Trinese vessel, an uncommon sight for anyone living on the continent of Upper Kleighton.

The old man ponders the implications of the ship’s arrival as he begins plucking the feathers from the freshly-boiled birds, a small pile of quills forming on the sand next to him for a fleeting moment before being dispersed by the slight breeze.

His eyes follow the craft’s movement, and he tries to guess the skyship’s destination from its heading, but he can’t be sure if its bow is pointed toward Dahlworth or Claustria.

The old man’s gaze is attracted by movement further on down the beach, a wisp-like figure plodding along at a slow, steady gait.

King Hamdraggle, he whispers to himself, cursed by Thanos to walk the outermost boundaries of your long-forgotten kingdom for the rest of time.

The apparition continues his trek, walking through the campfire unfazed, paying no attention to Varello before continuing onward along the sandy shore until the sun dips below the horizon and his ephemeral form fades from sight.

A man stands on the deck of the skyship, staring at something in the distance. His pristine white robes give him the look of an ascetic, but the sheathed longknife slung across his back makes it clear he’s no monk. One of the ship’s hands approaches him.

Sir? he asks.

Not now, is the man’s terse response.

It’s just, uh, the captain asked me to notify you that we’ll be landing soon.

Thanks.

The deckhand scurries away, and Zanther betrays no break in the continuity of his concentration. He gazes at a small point on the horizon, past the shoreline, a castle turret. He thinks back to his training, part of which was to gaze upon fixed objects for bellchimes on end in order to achieve mental clarity, and he not only finds the habit hard to break, he enjoys the effect his new demeanor has on those around him.

Ready or not, here I come, he says softly, to no one in particular.

The skyship drops its hook, the deck wobbling for a few ticks before the hook finally catches on a ringpole. Zanther turns in order to keep the distant, tiny speck of a castle spire housing Queen Madra’s chamber in his gaze. Though it lies far ahead in the distance, Claustria is illuminated in every direction by the light of one-and-a-half moons. Deckhands are running around Zanther, pulling levers and winding cranks to pull in the winch in preparation for landing. Their destination is not Claustria, but a neighboring land, a place called Dahlworth.

So a librarian sold me this book, it explains how to win every time at casino games, one deckhand says to another.

Yeah, well, I’m more interested in the girls. I hear they have shows there where the girls dance and take it all off, and I hear that the ladies there have a thing for Trinese men. I’m sure it’s that rumor about the size of our--

Are you gentlemen finished? the commandant asks.

Yes, sir, one of them mumbles as they run off.

The commandant is the leader of a small task force assembled by the Trinese Emperor for the task at hand. He approaches Zanther and hands him a piece of paper.

I’m not sure we’re going to be able to find him with this alone.

Zanther inspects it closely. No? I think it’s a stunning likeness.

Really?

"In any case, it doesn’t matter--I’ve seen this man. I