A Noble's Path: The Enchanted Isles, #2

By I.L. Cruz

Divided loyalties test Inez Garza.

The infamous incident at the Academy of Natural Studies has forced her to work for the King's Men while continuing to serve the hidden market.

Supporting Birthright furthers the cause of Magical Return, but the cost may be the fall of the royal house and losing Zavier forever.

And the strongest pull of all is her growing and erratic magic, which demands everything and offers only destruction in return.

Inez must decide where her loyalties lie—saving Canto or saving herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bosky Flame Press
• Release date: Jan 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781732547131

I.L. Cruz

I.L. Cruz wants to live in a world where words are chosen with care, shoes are as comfy as socks, and reading time is sacred. As someone who’s taken the plunge into writing, she’s been working on a fantasy series, posting on her blog and searching valiantly for her perfect writing tribe. When she’s not distracted by the voices of characters in her head you can find her wrangling her daughter and a super-mutt named Dipper, indulging in her guilty pleasure of predictable Christmas movies or fanboy flicks, and planning European escapes with her husband (where we always end up in a park).

Book preview

Cast of Characters

CANTO’S NOBLES & ASSOCIATES

INEZ GARZA, smuggler and disinherited heir to Árbol Real

Lady Filomena Garza, Duchess of Árbol Real, Inez’s mother

Lady Sabrina Lita Garza, former Duchess of Árbol Real, Inez’s grandmother

Beval, Inez’s grandfather

Lady Meiri Green of Verdant

Lady Eugenia Green, Countess of Verdant

Lord Archibald Green, Count of Verdant Sir Archibald Green, aka Archie or Arch

HRH Prince Zavier Cole of Canto, heir to throne of Canto and a King’s Man

HM Queen Hortensia Cole of Canto

HM King Xander Cole of Canto

Toman Tookmon, performer at Wee Willie Winkies and Inez’s best friend

Dottie Tookmon, Toman’s mother, employed at the palace

Angelien, lady-in-waiting at the court

Evelien, Angelien’s sister and assistant at Canto Library

Delicia, a Green Girl

THE HIDDEN MARKET & ASSOCIATES

ÁLIZ, THE JABBERWOCKY, runs the hidden market

Jacque Leste, member of the hidden market and stuntman

Taima, a vendor at the hidden market

Anselmo, a vendor at the hidden market

Squirrel, a smuggler

Pilot, a smuggler

Juliana, part-time smuggler and barista at Froth

Pao, the Jabberwocky’s enforcer

CANTO’S MERCHANTS & ASSOCIATES

MATHILDE, First Teacher at the Academy of Natural Studies

Chavah Deena Haro, proprietress of the Cup & Board

Austra Humphrey, daughter of late Delaware Humphrey

Flora Humphrey, owner of Humphrey Farms and mother of late Delaware Humphrey

Delaware Humphrey, father of Austra and former holder of the cowry shells

Diarmaid, current deaf/mute butler of Humphrey Estate

Beau & Mauro Mo Piar, owners of Piar Farm

THE PADDOCK & ASSOCIATES

PETAR PODKIN, Chief of the King’s Men

Lucas Mixtel, KM

Damaris Mixtel, daughter of Lucas

Leonor Abreu, KM

Cleph Sigrada, KM

Alastor Curragh, KM

BIRTHRIGHT & ASSOCIATES

ROWLEY, leader of Birthright and a Labrador Retriever

Viktor Lake, only legal mage in Canto

Rex Hart, father of Betlindis Hart

Betlindis Hart, researcher at the Canto library

Theoda Sigrada, a Martial mage and sister of KM Cleph Sigrada

Yvette Borde, a Custodial mage

MISC. ENCHANTED ISLANDERS

QUEEN CELESTE OF SOMNAMBULAM, mother of Austra from Faery

Donata, founder of Faery

Beata, founder of Canto and Inez’s ancestor

Amata, founder of Mythos

Prologue

REX HART HELD HIS LANTERN high, making his shock white hair glow in the darkness. His athletic figure, a source of vanity at his age, stooped beneath the low threshold. He surveyed the cramped basement with an icy, critical eye. Every piece of furniture and each box was spotless. He dragged a finger across a glossy table, checking for a trace of dust though Rex knew it was clean. He knew everything about this place. The lantern was only a psychological crutch, so it was hastily extinguished. Nothing could harm him in the darkness. His darkness. After countless trips to the drafty underbelly of his domain, he no longer needed a guide or a light.

His goal was simple—find a box with a dress in it.

Poking around the dim basement, he realized there were tons of boxes and trunks. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. Inhaled the damp and embraced the chill. He knew these walls and all they contained. This was his small kingdom. And recalling the location of the box was easier this way.

The first time it had been presented to him, Grandmother Hart had told him all about the courageous girl who had worn it. A girl with no breeding. A scullery maid, who had brought a kingdom to its knees. A commoner who had become a queen—all because of a dress.

Now it was their turn. The Harts would reach that pinnacle again. Grandmother had said it the first time she’d shown him the dress, and she’d repeated it every day until she died. That first time had been an initiation. Even in his memory seeing the dress for the first time, Rex recognized even opening the plain box had an otherworldly quality, like a sacred ritual. The box had a pulsing aura and its contents were luminescent. Over the years when he’d checked on it to reassure himself it was still in his possession he’d noticed its shine had dimmed, which he took as a warning. In his heart he knew the dress was still just as powerful, but he sensed time was running out on the magic.

With eyes still shut, he made his way over to the far corner, irritated to have to avoid the old furniture and other boxes. He was drawn along by a sensation—a light but persistent tug. Then, when it ceased, he opened his eyes. The box he’d looked for was there, in front of him. Without hesitation he reached for the latch, tarnished and ornate.

Click.

It responded to his touch. His frosty glare warmed. As he opened the lid he felt the lingering presence of that first girl and his grandmother. And he sensed they approved his course. Ironically, the stage for what would happen next had been set, just as it had been all those years ago. Rex lifted the gown in his strong hands.

He allowed himself a smile. He’d completed his task.

The time has come. In his mind, his grandmother’s voice encouraged him.

Yes. The time had come, indeed.

Chapter One

THE FOG ROLLED ITS shroud of gray white over the pearlescent blue of the deserted harbor. Precious droplets fell lazily, quietly determined to wet everything they touched—the crumbling dock, the already saturated earth and me, huddled under an oversized coat. The jicara in my hand collected the condensation achingly slowly in its curved hollow. I was uneasy knowing a patrol could appear at any moment.

Before our ancestors left the Mundane they called dawns like this Mage Morns’—times when hidden deeds could withstand the light of day. Deceptively quiet and secretive days.

The cowry shells warmed against my body. Their magic thrummed through me and tantalized my own magic. I’d tried to leave them at home, but they’d tethered to me magically and emotionally. I’d discovered that if I left them behind, I panicked. The traumatic memory of Celeste and Austra stealing them and kidnapping Mamá still resonated among my other fears. Though I feared a repeat, I couldn’t exactly tie my mother to my waist, but I could control the whereabouts of the shells. I had sown on removable strips and pinned the shells to the inside of my undergarments. A new coat covered any bulge when I wore pants, and when I wore my long skirts, they flared out, hiding the outlines of them.

Distracted, I smoothed the lock of purple hair transformed from jet black by the awakening of my Power. A light zap of magic surprised me, a gentle reminder of changes I’d undergone.

Some days I felt secure enough to leave the shells at home, but there were other days like today...

The jicara’s curved sides remained slick with the moisture it collected. Its contents, the latest attempt to control and curb my escalating magic, was less than half full. This would have to be enough. Certain spells and enchantments needed the watery rays of sun and cooling drops of dew to be completed.

I closed my eyes and imagined row upon row of those who’d fled the Mundane, mages standing proudly on these shores in the daylight creating, casting, reveling in their new-found freedom. A freedom that had ended all too soon.

Centuries later, there I was, hiding on the very shores that had given my ancestors sanctuary from fear and ignorance. And using my Goddess-given magic, hoping to suppress my Power and prolong their discovery by the authorities and Mythos.

Still, it was likely too late to keep my magic secret for much longer. And I had an appointment to keep. I bottled the precipitate and left the shore.

Chapter Two

THE BLAZE BURNERS WERE banked low. It was a rare day at the hidden market—an unusually empty one. The hidden market was Canto’s premier destination for illicit magical trade. Only two things ever closed the hidden market—a scheduled raid by the King’s Men hoping to shut down the illegal magic trade or the death of the Jabberwocky, the title for whomever controlled the market. I now had the dubious distinction of creating a third reason.

I walked by the empty stalls, uneasy in the silence, tucking my purple lock of hair behind my ear. My body was tense, waiting for Anselmo to pop out and sell me a mirror deflector with better range than the last, or Taima with yet another revealing outfit to stupefy the smugglers long enough for them to bid high and sell low. But that didn’t happen.

The air was chilly without the usual press of hawkers jockeying for attention and smugglers haggling and racing about for a better deal. My nose wrinkled at the familiar slightly antiseptic smell in the air, usually masked by the greasy odor from the food stall in the central plaza. I waited impatiently for my appointment. From the shadows of the hidden market, she emerged.

Inez. Welcome, said the Jabberwocky, making a face that was anything but welcoming. Her flinty stare burrowed into me. I didn’t bristle or react because I knew exactly why she’d called this impromptu get-together.

Áliz, I said. I was one of the few people who knew her real name and I used it now to let her know she didn’t have the advantage. Her eyes narrowed momentarily.

Inez, I’m sure this meeting doesn’t come as a shock to you, she started slowly, but we needn’t forget the niceties. There’s tea waiting in my office. She turned her back on me either to prove I wasn’t a threat or to test that assumption herself. The willowy lines of her body swayed beneath her long olive gown, which trailed below her ankles.

I followed along behind her, passing a blaze burner that suddenly whipped its light up to maximum. Áliz paused for a moment, looking up to the flame with a frown before continuing to the small door to her office, located behind the plaza fountain. My jaw tightened and the light dimmed as if in accord.

The room was stifling and warm after walking in the cool arcade of the hidden market. In this space, all the blaze burners were on high and a cheery fire crackled and popped in the fireplace. Blue-and-white tiles covered the floor and walls, each with a distinct design of swirls, shapes, or faces. With so much cold ceramic, she must need all this heat to keep the room comfortable.

Áliz took a seat in her white peacock chair which beautifully accentuated her dark complexion and deep green dress. She pointed to a less ornate seat for me before pouring the tea. As she did, her movements were slow and deliberate. Áliz’s hands reminded me of a dancer, fluid and graceful. To lessen my agitation, I suppressed the urge to fidget and concentrated on the tea she poured. It filled the room with the smell of sharp spices and red fruits.

Áliz, I know what you’re going to say and it’s not a problem, I said. The blaze burners’ high flames had unnerved me and, I was proud that my words sounded so calm.

Inez, have you ever known me to let a problem fester? My business is my all: my husband, my children. I don’t allow issues to go unchecked because then my husband might seek another, or my children will run amok in the streets and then I’d be left with nothing. I either solve the problem or I get rid of the problem, she said with an arched brow. Her feline smile pursed in reproof.

I knew from experience and from her tone that this careful wording was not just for show. When Squirrel had cheated the Jabberwocky out of the Rummage Stones I’d stolen for her, she’d had him killed. Of course, the King’s Men just thought another smuggler had run afoul of our changeable coastal weather. I knew I’d set that chain of events in motion.

Squirrel had found me in an unguarded moment, unconscious after using an excessive amount of magic, and took my belongings including the cowry shells and the Rummage Stones. When I couldn’t find him or my stuff, I again resorted to my Powers and brought him out of hiding. But I still hadn’t been able to control my magic or Squirrel for that matter. I was lucky Áliz’s strongman Pao arrived and grabbed Squirrel. And yet, I could have said nothing when Pao asked what was wrong. What I did say still haunted me. He stole something that belongs to the Jabberwocky. I may as well have told him to kill Squirrel. The tinkling of Áliz’s cup against the saucer woke me from the memory.

And I’m saying it’s not a problem. I’ve never been caught smuggling or been accused of working for the market. My community service with the KM will still give me time to collect enchanted eggs before going to The Paddock. And I’ll still make it back here for any extra jobs. I’m not worried, I said and took a sip of the tea. It would never be warm enough to reach the cold pit forming in my stomach. I talked a good game and could almost make myself believe it. Almost.

It had been a few weeks since the events at the Academy of Natural Studies had brought me to this point. Austra Humphrey and her long-lost mother Celeste had kidnapped my mother as a bargaining chip for the cowry shells—shells brimming with magic. It had come as a shock that for the past twenty-four years Mamá had kept from me the biggest secret in Canto and all the Enchanted Isles. When our ancestors lost the Feud Wars to Mythos, resulting in the loss of all our magic, Mythos hadn’t counted on my ancestor concealing a spell in the very conjuring that stripped Canto of its magic. A spell that could counter the stripping of power, if applied properly. This counter spell manifested in four shells, full of Power and meant for me. My destiny—to bring magic back to all the Enchanted Isles.

The smuggler in me quickly calculated how much money I could sell them for, but the shells themselves had a different plan.

I let my arms fall to the side casually, feeling the now familiar outline of the shells pinned beneath the fabric of my pants.

Even now my Power sought them because their magic had reawakened my own. If I had ever worried about the punishment for being caught out as a smuggler of magical contraband for the hidden market, that paled in comparison to what would happen if it were discovered that I was a mage. Even Mamá’s rank of Duchess and the many nobles who stood behind her could not keep me safe in that instance. Having to work with the King’s Men for a silly community service was the least of my problems. But Áliz knew none of that. All she knew was that I, one of her top smugglers, would be under scrutiny from the people determined to shut us down.

I’m glad you feel that way. Then you won’t have any problems giving me a show of good faith, she said and took a sip as well. Alarm bells went off in my head. Talking to Áliz was like a game of chess. There were moves and counter movers, but you had to see at least four steps ahead in order to plan. Before I came there tonight I thought I knew what her play would be—asking me to withdraw from the market until my community service was over. Now I wasn’t so sure.

Good faith? Since when do we work on faith here? The warning in my head grew more insistent. Áliz was accepting my ideas too coolly. My abuela, Lita, loved quoting old sayings from the Mundane. The one that sprang to mind now was ‘Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo’—The devil knows more because he’s old, not because he’s the devil. I sensed a trap.

Since I opted to have this meeting with you and lose a day’s worth of money. Since I had to make sure you wouldn’t unwittingly lead a troop of KM back to our market, she said putting her cup down with a clank. It was the first time her calm façade cracked.

I would never—

Good. Because I have a job for you at KM Headquarters. As you say you’ve become adept at living multiple lives. I need you to find out who from my KM payroll is really an informant for the KM. When you find the rat, you’ll be allowed back at the market. Until then you’re suspended from the roster. Her delicate fingers interlaced decorously and rested in her lap.

I knew what finding a traitor to the market meant. They weren’t tolerated. Weren’t allowed in any sense.

Áliz had a few KM in her pocket to warn us if there were any raids or a set-up buy coming. Once, the KM had found a way to turn one of the hawkers into an informant. They still hadn’t found the man’s body.

Asking me to find the mole was literally asking me to finger someone, sentencing them to death. And this time the informant was likely a KM.

I never liked Squirrel, but I hadn’t liked being the cause of his death, and that participation hadn’t been deliberate. This time I would be going in with my eyes open. If it wasn’t me, she would have someone else do it. I was boxed in with no moves.

Give me the list of KM, I said.

Áliz smiled her cat-that-ate-the-canary grin and leaned back in her chair.

Check.

I LEFT MY MEETING WITH Áliz shaken. What had I promised? Áliz always saw traitors in our midst—why should this time be any different? Even as I posed the question, I knew the answer. I was different. Inheriting my ancestor’s magic had brought new complications, not the least of which were my troubles with the King’s Men and scrutiny from the royal house. I walked the halls of the hidden market slowly, taking in the familiar sights. The usual gurgling of the fountain in the plaza which masked the Jabberwocky’s surveillance of her domain was silent. Nevertheless, I quickened my pace.

The hidden market was my second home. It took me in when Canto’s nobility turned its back on me. But did I need to be here anymore? I knew enough about the workings of the market to still fund Rowley and Birthright without working as a smuggler. I didn’t have to resort to squealing on some supposed traitor. I’d agreed, but I could just as easily turn back around and quit the market.

But I kept walking.

I knew if I didn’t find the KM responsible for spilling market secrets, someone else would.

Outside, the air was crisp. After the stifling warmth of the underground tunnels of the hidden market, I welcomed the briskness. I did not, however, appreciate being followed.

Whoever you are, you need work on your lurking skills, I said and reached for my mirror. A familiar young woman stepped forward hesitantly.

Sorry. You looked like you were working through your thoughts, she said. I’d seen her before and it only took an extra moment to remember. When I’d escaped the Academy of Natural Studies the first time, I’d hidden in a supply closet thinking it was a way out. Instead I’d run into the girl standing in front of me and promised to help her if she got me out without anyone finding me. What was her name again?

Damaris, right? I asked.

It’s Dam. Damaris is a ridiculous name. For me, anyway, she said. She was right. The name Damaris conjured demureness and this girl was anything but that. She was all rough edges with dark clothes and heavy makeup. Her only ray of softness was rainbow-colored hair. I remembered it from our short acquaintance and being impressed that she could pull it off in a place as conservative as the Academy. I remembered something else too.

Is this about my IOU? I asked, my suspicions rising.

I looked into you. I know your mother is Lady Filomena. She’s the one who was in that mess with Austra Humphrey and that Faery queen, right?

What do you want? I demanded. Her research was impressive considering most of