Lyssa and the Prince: Adventures of Lyssa, #1

By Carla Kerr

In the ruins of a village, Lyssa fought…

 

As combat magician, Lyssa's duty is to protect Prince Lochlannor and his family from magical threats – a job that becomes more difficult when an old enemy announces his re-emergence by blowing up a village with a strange and dangerous new magic. He wants the throne for himself, and he doesn't care who he has to kill or harm to get it. Worse, he now has a host of horrifying beasts to assist him in his goal.

 

When Lyssa rescues a snake from the ruins of the destroyed village, she finds herself with an extra complication on her hands. It's clear that the snake is more than it appears, but is this a trick, or can she trust her new reptile companion?

 

Another problem: Lyssa never wanted the prince to fall in love with her, but he's done it anyway.

 

With deadly danger facing the Palace, Lyssa must defend Lochlannor and his family, all while evading his affections, solving the mystery of the snake, and trying not to end up as monster food. If she fails, a malevolent would-be king will seize power, and nobody Lyssa cares for will live to see his reign.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carla Kerr
• Release date: Apr 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393072591

Carla Kerr

Carla Kerr lives in Ireland with a husband and three insane cats, and enjoys cocktails, Pagan gatherings, superhero comics, shopping, and penpalling. Not necessarily all at the same time. Swords and sorcery is where she likes to live, always hoping to do more actual writing than staring at a blank screen and daydreaming. Watch this space! Welcome to another of Carla's magical worlds - do enjoy it.

Book preview

The characters of Rosalind and Finbar were created by EMMA TAYLOR, and are used with permission.

Chapter 1: The Snake

In the ruins of a village , Lyssa fought.

The man facing her was dead, but for all that, his body was upright and fighting every bit as fiercely as a live opponent. More, since he couldn’t feel pain. No matter how often Lyssa struck him with her sword, he didn’t fall. She, on the other hand, could be injured, and was perfectly capable of getting tired. Or killed, much more easily than her opponent.

Lyssa couldn’t afford to think about those possibilities. She kept her eyes on the undead man and focused on blocking his blade, waiting for an opening to make the only move that would work – to take his head.

There had been others. She felt as if she’d been fighting all day, dealing with these undead fighters while the King’s Guard evacuated the village, and searching for Horgan, the magician who had created them. Then there had been the explosion that they’d only just got clear of in time. As far as she knew, this was the only fighter to have escaped both Guards and blast, but she still hadn’t found Horgan, and that meant there might be more coming.

The man’s sword lashed out. Lyssa twisted out of the way and brought her own sword up, stopping his before it hit. She was already slower than she should be. Getting tired after all. Magic couldn’t hurt these things. She’d tried that before, only to see her strongest bolts hit them, even damage them, without slowing them in the slightest. So now she saved her energy, and relied on her sword. She struck back, and he evaded, so that her sword bit into his shoulder instead of his neck. Useless.

Lyssa?

It was one of the King’s Guard, Lena, calling her name from behind a heap of stones that had once been a building.

Here. Lyssa spared a brief glance for the Guard, returning her attention immediately to the man, who struck out again.

They found something, Lena yelled, rounding the pile and immediately ducking back again when she saw the fight in progress. Something magic, she added less loudly from her cover.

I’ll be right... Lyssa paused as the undead man turned towards Lena, drawn by her voice. She flung out one hand, her magic flaring into a wall between the man and Lena, forcing him back around and to her. Right there, she finished breathlessly, and threw herself at the undead fighter again.

Their blades clashed and sparked. Any normal opponent would be tiring and moving less swiftly by now, as she was, but there was no change at all in this one. He might as well have been starting the fight fresh. Lyssa pulled in a deep breath, and time seemed to slow to a trickle around her as she saw the opening, and the place where her sword would go, an instant before she made the move.

The undead man fell. His head landed next to him in the dust.

In the sudden silence, Lyssa breathed again, stepping back and lowering her sword.

Sorry, Lena said with a grin as she approached Lyssa. Didn’t mean to distract you. Good work, though. I think that’s the last of them.

Lyssa looked down at the body. "I hope so. I could do without having to do this again as long as I live. What did you say they found?"

Not sure exactly. Lena shook her head. Something magical – it looks as if it might be where the explosion originated. I’ve told them to keep well away from it in case it’s still dangerous, until you go and take a look at it. Deal with it, if it is.

If it belongs to Horgan, it’s probably still dangerous. Lyssa took a moment to clean off her sword and put it away, then tucked back the strands of her red hair that had escaped from her braid and were fluttering about her face in the breeze. She looked again at the man on the ground. Dead now – completely dead. She wondered who he had been. Revulsion rose up in her throat. Horgan – the most dangerous magician Lyssa had ever faced – had done this before, years before, but nobody had expected him to take it up again. They probably should have. He hadn’t got what he wanted the first time around, and it had obviously been a mistake to assume he’d given up and disappeared for good.

I’ll deal with this, said Lena, indicating the body. You go.

She pointed the way, and Lyssa set off, picking her way through the wreckage of the village. It had been so close to an even worse disaster. Prince Lochlannor had received information just that morning, and had sent her to Seahaven to work with the King’s Guard there. They’d decided to evacuate the village only as a precaution, believing that the undead fighters were the only threat. Lyssa still wasn’t sure what had alerted her to the coming blast. There had been a sudden change in the atmosphere, some sense of wrongness that radiated across the village. Magic had built up somewhere, and the pressure of it had pounded against her senses; she’d called a warning to the other Guards, and taken a single step towards the sensation of magic, but there hadn’t been any time at all to find it and stop it.

She’d only just got her magical shield up in time to protect the Guards and villagers who hadn’t quite got clear of the place yet. It had held – she thanked all the gods for that. But when the noise and the shaking had stopped, and she’d been able to look up, it was to see the scene of destruction that she was now walking through. If she’d been a little slower... or if they hadn’t made the original decision to evacuate... she didn’t even want to think about what could have happened. At least now, the destruction was limited to buildings. The people were safe, although shocked, displaced, and with difficult times ahead of them. They were alive. Lyssa wondered what Horgan had been trying to do, or whether destroying the village had actually been his only goal.

Now that she wasn’t fighting, several bruises started to ache, and she saw that there was a slash in the leather of her jacket over one shoulder. She inspected that as she walked, finding that the injury beneath wasn’t serious. The leather had taken most of the force of the blade, luckily for her. Lyssa missed her best friend, Rosalind, the greatest magical healer she’d ever known, not that she was biased in any way – but Rosalind was in Northpoint, far from here, and Lyssa would have to wait for healing until she returned to the Palace, or take care of it by more mundane means in the meantime. That was something for later, when she’d looked into whatever it was the King’s Guard had found.

The destruction where she was now seemed to be greater than at the other side of the village. There was nothing here that could have been identified as a house or a shop. Nothing that would have been tall enough for Lena to take cover behind. It looked as if Lena was right, and whatever had caused the explosion had happened on this side. At the time, she’d been too busy shielding from it to be able to say with any certainty where exactly it was coming from.

Two more Guards were standing at the edge of the destruction, waiting for her. They nodded as she approached, and one of them gestured to the left, where the pattern of detritus also seemed to lead. Lyssa went that way, stepping over brick and stones that had been spread over the ground.  

The first thing she saw was a caravan, the side of it battered and bent in. Near it, a ring had been dug deeply into the earth. It didn’t look finished, but even from a distance Lyssa could feel strong magic emanating from it. It seemed that the cause of the explosion had indeed been found. She could see that the caravan hadn’t taken much of the blast. Most of its force had gone towards the village. She approached the ring slowly, shielding herself all the way.

Looking at it, she couldn’t see what it had been supposed to be or do. It wasn’t complete, a space of untouched earth interrupting it. Magic had been used to dig it, but the sensation of that was already fading. There was something else, something darker – an intention that hadn’t been fulfilled, and had twisted itself into destruction. Lyssa shivered, although it wasn’t cold. She kicked some of the loose earth and stones that littered the ground at the carving, filling part of it back in. After that, it was more of a semicircle, even further from completion. With the shape of it obscured that much, she felt a little better, and she turned her attention to the caravan. This had had magic around it too, but not as recently; she drew her sword again, just in case, as she reached out with her magic to pull the door open. Bent out of shape as it was, it resisted at first, but gave way when she continued to force it.

Immediately, she sprang back as something that had been leaning up against the door fell out and rolled, coming to rest at the edge of the circle. A man. He didn’t move, and when Lyssa moved cautiously to turn him over, she saw that he was dead. This one hadn’t been changed into an undead fighting slave, she noted. One good thing. She couldn’t immediately see how he had died. There was nothing she could do for him, so she looked at the caravan itself again.

Lyssa hesitated before moving inside. Horgan could be hiding in here. If not him, someone or something else that could have killed the man on the ground. She kept her shield around herself and her sword drawn, and stepped inside. It was empty; she breathed out. There was a small bed in one corner, a table covered by a long cloth, and two simple chairs, one shoved well back as if the occupant had stood up suddenly. The caravan was too small for much more. From the residual magic she sensed, Lyssa concluded that the dead man had been a magician or mage, but there didn’t seem to be anything in here to explain how he had died. She was about to turn away and leave when a slight movement at the table caught her eye, and she went back to it.

She saw it again – the cloth twitched, just a little. She reached out and lifted the edge of the cloth with the tip of her sword, ready to fight if she needed to.

Under the table, shadowed by the cloth and lying in great green coils, was a snake. The tip of its tail protruded slightly; this must be what had twitched the cloth and alerted her. Lyssa supressed a gasp. The snake lifted its head and looked at her, and she froze, but it made no move to attack. Instead, and greatly to her surprise, it gradually uncoiled itself and ended by lying flat on the floor.

Slowly, Lyssa withdrew her sword and let the cloth drop, hiding the snake again. She kept her eyes on the table as she backed towards the door and stepped down out of the caravan. She moved around the body on the ground, to the side, and waited... and after a few moments, the snake followed, sliding down from the doorway after her. It stopped near her, still not trying to attack. In fact, it seemed to be actively trying to make itself look as unthreatening as possible. When Lyssa took a step away, it followed again, but just enough to close that distance, coming no closer.

Are you trying to say you want to come with me? she said aloud.

The snake raised its head to look at her for a second. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. An answer? It was a snake. She shook her head.

Try anything and I can take your head off quicker than you can move, she told it, feeling a little foolish. It hissed, as if it was laughing. But that was ridiculous. Wasn’t it?

She glanced at the part-circle in the ground again, reaching out with her magic to try to understand it. But the residue that had been there, waiting, was dissipating now. It felt less hostile. If it had caused the explosion, it seemed to be safe now, but she still couldn’t tell if the intention behind it had been to do that, or if it had signalled a catastrophic failure of some other work.

Lyssa looked over at the dead magician and wondered if it had been him or Horgan who’d started it. There were no answers here; she’d have to turn the body over to those responsible for identifying the dead, and if a name came back, it might tell her more.

The snake waited on the ground until she’d finished her investigation. When she moved off, it did the same. She kept going, waiting to see what it would do. Would it follow her all the way back across the village? Further? She headed back to where the two Guards were waiting, a safe distance from the caravan, as Lena had ordered. Greeting them, she gave them a brief report, hoping she was right when she said the circle was no longer dangerous. They’d seen the body falling out of the caravan, but she had no information to give them on that.

We’ll take him over for identification, one of them said. You’re sure that circle is nothing to worry about?

Not any more, anyway, Lyssa replied. It’s done its damage. If whoever did it had finished it, I think it would have been another story, but it seems to be harmless now. Just needs a bit more time for the build-up of magic to drain out.

Good to know.

Do you need any help moving him?

No, save your strength for the fighters. Lena said she thought you got them all, but they could be hiding anywhere in all this mess.

Lyssa grimaced at the truth of that, hoping Lena was the one who was right. She’d have to keep her eyes open, all the same. The two Guards walked over to the caravan, ready to move the body and take it to where the undead fighters had been gathered. The magician would have to wait his turn to be identified. As soon as they lifted him between them, and nothing terrible happened, Lyssa walked back to rejoin Lena. When she checked behind her, she saw the snake still following at a distance, emerging from a small heap of rubble and dust that it must have hidden in as she spoke to the Guards.

She wondered if this was normal behaviour for a snake. Hiding, acting as if it understood her, almost responding to her words? She’d heard of creatures that were more than they seemed – something else in an animal form – which some magicians kept as companions. Maybe this snake was something like that. If so, it made the magician in the caravan even more of a mystery. The explosion hadn’t killed him, but neither his own magic nor the snake’s had saved him from whatever had.

Lena was waiting for her on the other side of what had been the village, holding two horses. The Guard looked exhausted, Lyssa thought. She was starting to feel that way herself. Drawing closer, she raised one hand in greeting.

Safe, she reported. One dead magician – as far as I can tell. The thing they found is some kind of magical work I’ve never seen before, and yes, it must have been where the explosion came from. It looks as if it was never finished. Whoever did it lost control of it, possibly.

Or someone killed him before he could finish it? Lena suggested, passing one set of reins to Lyssa.

Maybe, if it was the dead magician rather than Horgan who started it, Lyssa acknowledged. I’ve no idea what it was he was trying to do, though. If they’re able to identify him, we might find out more. I couldn’t tell how he died, either. Not in the explosion, by the look of things. I’d suspect Horgan, but it didn’t look like a fight either. It’s a mystery.

Lena frowned at that, but didn’t comment. One good thing. The villagers are all accounted for. We’ve found them all temporary accommodation in Seahaven – student apartments and the King’s Guard base. They’ll have to decide whether they want to rebuild or... Lena broke off, staring at the snake, which had come right up to Lyssa’s side. Her hand went to her sword.

It’s all right, Lyssa said hastily. It hasn’t attacked. It’s following me.

"Following you?" Lena’s dark eyes were wide.

I don’t think it’s dangerous. It might have belonged to the dead man.

And now it wants to stay with you?

Maybe. Lyssa shrugged. If it was a pet, I don’t think I should abandon it. Maybe it can’t survive by itself.

And what’s it going to do – slither after our horses?

Hm. Lyssa thought about that, then bent down to the snake. She almost touched it, drew back, and then completed the motion. The snake didn’t move. It might have been carved out of wood. She held her breath as her fingers touched its scales, ready to dart away if she had to. Still no reaction at all from the snake. She picked it up. It was heavy, and now it moved in her hands, coiling the end of its tail around her arm as if trying to help her steady it. The horse skittered as she put the snake up onto the bag strapped to the saddle, and Lena soothed it, watching the whole thing with one eyebrow raised.

Let’s go, then, Lena said, saying no more about the snake.

Lyssa mounted, keeping an eye on it as she did. It only shifted position to stabilise itself on the bag, wrapping its tail around a strap. Again, Lyssa had the feeling that it was trying very hard to make itself seem safe and obliging. She didn’t know much about snakes, but she didn’t think attaching themselves to humans was something they were known for. She’d let it come with her, she decided, and see what happened. If it was something more than a snake, it was bound to reveal that sooner or later.

They set off for Seahaven, a student town on the coast. There was a permanent King’s Guard presence there, and had been since Prince Lochlannor had come to know about Drakonian traders snatching magicians from the area and trafficking them across the sea. That issue – Lyssa was thankful every time she remembered – had been dealt with, and most of the Guards reassigned, but the Guards’ base remained, situated near the harbour. Its half-empty condition was useful now that accommodation was required. The villagers who couldn’t be absorbed into the university’s apartments were here, along with the extra Guards who’d travelled in response to Lochlannor’s information. The horses were stabled, and beds provided for Lena and Lyssa. They spent a little more time discussing the circle in the ground, the dead magician, and the missing Horgan, but talking brought them no closer to any answers, so they had a quick meal together, then retired for the night.

Sleep. Lyssa sighed as she got into bed, the snake curled and still at the foot of it. It had been a long day, and full of failure, since she hadn’t stopped the explosion or found Horgan. She still needed to find him if she could, and she wasn’t looking forward to continuing that hunt. Sleep first, though. And although she felt guilty for thinking it, the delay was welcome, because the coming fight wasn’t.

YOU’RE KEEPING IT, then? was how Lena greeted her in the morning as she prepared to ride out again. The snake was back on her saddlebag. It had stayed with her overnight, making no attempt to leave.

For now, Lyssa allowed.

I wonder what His Highness will think of that, said Lena, with a meaningful smile.

Lyssa flushed and shook her head at Lena. She and Prince Lochlannor were friends, and for her part, that was all – but he’d made it quite obvious that he wouldn’t mind something more than friendship, and it seemed that even the King’s Guard were aware of that. Gossip travelled faster than horses, Lyssa thought.

I’m sure he has more things on his mind than whether I keep a pet or not, she said.

Well, that’s probably true, said Lena. She dropped the teasing from her voice and held out two thick envelopes. My report, and another identifying the dead.

I’ll pass them on, Lyssa promised.

Your dead magician is listed, too. I checked so I could give you a name. Cassius. Died of asphyxiation, it says. It must have been magical, because there wasn’t a mark on him.

Magical, Lyssa thought, pointed to Horgan. So there’d been some kind of fight between the two magicians, and one of them had been worked strong magic that had got out of control before it was completed. Probably Horgan, she concluded, because Cassius had probably already been dead by the time of the explosion. Meaning he’d killed Cassius before he’d got down to work. The fight must have been quite short, given that there’d been no mark of it on Cassius.

I’ve heard of Cassius. Lyssa tried to remember how she knew the name. Wasn’t he the one that was terrorising villagers in the south a while back? Practising magical torture methods on them?

Lena shrugged. You’d know the magical miscreants more than I would.

I was away at the time, but I remember Lochlannor telling me about it when I got back. Cassius had disappeared by then, so they assumed he’d been killed, otherwise I’d have been sent right back out after him. He hadn’t been, then. Just keeping his head down, I suppose.

Till now. Lena glanced at the snake on Lyssa’s bag. If that thing belonged to someone like that, are you sure you’re going to be safe with it?

It hasn’t done anything nasty so far, Lyssa pointed out.

Just be careful. You don’t want to have to worry about it turning on you, on top of looking for Horgan.

Lyssa took her words seriously. Horgan was dangerous enough on his own. From everything she’d heard, Cassius had been quite a formidable magician, and he was dead, Horgan the main suspect. It was true that she didn’t know anything about this snake that had taken to following her, and it was also true that it could bide its time and attack her when she wasn’t expecting it. She didn’t think it would, though. Somehow she felt that, even if it wasn’t a normal snake, it wasn’t evil or dangerous. All the same, she wasn’t going to rely on feelings. She’d watch it carefully, just in case.

Bidding Lena farewell, Lyssa mounted and set off. She rode back to the destroyed village and circled it, searching for any sign of Horgan. Strong he may be, but even he had to be weakened from everything he’d done – an explosion, one dead magician, and at least five undead fighters. He couldn’t have gone too far.

Tracking someone with magic required a degree of familiarity, or the time to sit with a personal object. Lyssa had