Fractures Read online

  Fractures

  Ledgers of a Dark Mage Book 1

  N.K. Leem

  FRACTURES

  Ledgers of a Dark Mage Book 1

  N.K. LEEM

  Copyright © 2019 N.K. LEEM

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations for review purposes. For permission requests, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  ISBN: 9781710534047 (paperback)

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  1

  “I hate your eyes.”

  Thaleon tried to keep the hurt from his face as he stared back at the group of older children surrounding him—he failed. The warm summer wind tousled his dark hair as if toying with him.

  “They are weird. Golden eyes belong on beasts,” added the girl with a twist of her lips. Her friends snickered.

  One of the boys grabbed a handful of his inky locks. “Your hair is weird too. Reminds me of raven feathers. It’s creepy.” The boy twisted his fingers, ripping out several black strands. More snickers followed when Thaleon flinched.

  The beginning of tears stung his eyes as he stared back at the laughing faces. He bit his lip, trying to force them back with little success.

  An attempt to catch his parents’ attention proved futile—the group had dragged him into an alley, obscuring him from their view. They stood a good distance away at their stand of woolen goods, occupied with one of the village women trying to haggle over the price of a blue cloak. Several adults glanced over but said nothing and went back to their business.

  “Go back to Ae’lis! You and your mother both!” said Gale, one of the older boys.

  It didn’t make sense—his father was an Itothian, he had never been to Ae’lis and he had been born in Alfhum just like them.

  But none of it mattered when his mother was an Ae’lisian, a race hated in Itothia for their lack of assistance during Darius’ Rebellion. Being half Ae’lisian had marked him an outsider since birth and cruel whispers had followed him for as long as he could remember—the other children loved to repeat to him what they heard their parents say in private.

  Gale smirked down at him. “Are you mute? Aren’t you going to say anything?” When he said nothing, Gale shoved him hard enough to nearly make him fall. “It’s true what they say about Ae’lisians. They are all cowards. That’s why they hid on their isle while everyone else was fighting the rebel mages!” Other children laughed openly when Gale sent Thaleon crashing into the wall with another shove.

  “Get away from him!” Dawyn, who had been at the market with his parents, noticed the commotion and ran over. He pushed Gale hard, sending the boy stumbling several steps back.

  Dawyn took one look at Thaleon’s face and whirled at the older boy. “What did you say to him!?” Hands curled into fists, he placed himself before Thaleon, his usually good-natured face twisted in fury.

  Gale turned an ugly red, lips pulling back into a snarl. He advanced towards Dawyn and shoved him harder.

  “I said him and his Ae’lisian scum mother—”

  Dawyn’s fist rammed into his face.

  Gale, not one to back down from a fight, struck back and the two boys fell in a tangle of limbs. Dust rose all about as they exchanged punches on the gray cobblestones and more children ran over to watch, drawn over by the noise.

  It ended quickly with Dawyn holding Gale down with a knee between the shoulder blades. He shoved the other boy’s face into the ground with a hand curled in his hair.

  “Don’t you ever bother him again.”

  “Won’t you reconsider?”

  Thaleon watched his father say for the second time.

  Caden, his father’s friend, merely smiled in place of a response. The red and yellow fall leaves swirled around both men’s legs as they faced each other in Alfhum’s town square. He had never seen his father’s face so distraught.

  “Caden, please reconsider,” said his mother, tears brimming in her bright golden eyes, threatening to spill. Next to her, Dawyn’s mother wept loudly, tears flowing unchecked down her face.

  The scene repeated all around in the groups of gathered families. To the side, the army recruiter sat high atop a midnight black horse, imposing in his formal gray uniform and black cloak. The sun reflected harshly off the golden pin in the shape of a flowering tree upon his shoulder—the symbol of the Itothian Crown.

  He gazed out at the distressed families with his face a mask of impassivity, gloved hands resting lightly on the reins of his handsome mount. His soldiers looked straight ahead, pointedly avoiding looking at the weeping families.

  More than a dozen men had taken the Crown’s coin when the recruiter arrived in Alfhum three days prior. The drought had decimated half the crops over the summer and five gold pieces wasn’t a small sum of money to commonborne families—even if those coins meant a twenty-year service in the Crown’s army. Having the children grow up without a father or making your wife do without a husband was better than seeing them starve to death come winter.

  “You know I can’t, Merek,” said Caden. He ran a hand over his face, eyes dull and weary. He seemed to have aged ten years in the past three days.

  “We’ll make do. You and Eloria can take what you need from us.”

  Thaleon watched his father take a step forward, hands rising as if he wanted to grab his friend and shake him by the shoulders. But they merely hung in the air before they fell limply to his sides.

  “I can’t let you and Aleth do that.” Caden shook his head. “You barely have enough to feed the three of you.”

  Thaleon saw his father’s lips part as if to protest, but they fell closed, resigned. He stared back at his friend, expression pained. Caden met his gaze with a sad smile.

  The somber expression on both men’s faces struck Thaleon as odd. They were always laughing and joking with each other recounting the stories of their time as boys in the Crown’s army during Darius’ Rebellion.

  Thaleon’s earliest memories were of leaning against Dawyn as they sat by their fathers’ feet, both of them rapt as they hung onto every word. Drafted from their homes and thrust into the same infantry, their fathers never seemed to run out of stories.

  “Take care of Eloria and Dawyn for me,” Caden said, face solemn.

  “I will,” his father said as Caden pulled him into a heavy embrace.
When they parted, Thaleon did not miss the gleam of tears in his father’s eyes.

  His mother came forward and wrapped her arms about Caden tightly. “Don’t worry about Dawyn and Eloria.” Tears burst free from her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand only to have more replace them.

  “Thank you, Aleth,” Caden said.

  When they parted, his father wrapped an arm about his mother’s shoulder and pulled her close.

  “I’m going to miss you, Uncle Caden,” Thaleon said when Caden drew him into his arms. Although they were not blood-related, both he and Dawyn called each other's father "Uncle" from how close their families were.

  “I’m going to miss you too. Keep Dawyn company for me, will you?” Caden reached down to ruffle his black locks, a faint smile playing on his lips. Thaleon nodded.

  Caden turned to his wife next. Eloria, weeping heavily, turned her head when he reached out to stroke her face. Caden stared at her, the hurt displaying plainly on his face, but she refused to look at him. After a moment, he reached into the pocket of his coat and drew out a small coin purse. He pressed it into her hands.

  “I don’t want the coins my husband traded his life for!” Eloria spat, each word harsh with a bitter edge. She threw the purse at the ground. The coins nestled within clanged sharply.

  Caden bent down to retrieve the purse without a word. Taking his wife’s hand in his own, he pressed the purse into her small hand, holding on firmly even when she tried to snatch it away. He clasped his hands over hers and squeezed gently.

  “Do you think I want to spend the next twenty years fighting for the Crown? I don’t want this any more than you.” Caden forced a fraying smile. “I am doing this for you and Dawyn. I would rather have you hate me than see you both starve.”

  He leaned down to kiss her but she pushed him away. He stared down at her as if he wanted to say something, but shook his head and allowed his hands to fall to his sides. Eloria clutched at the purse with white-knuckled fingers as Caden turned to Dawyn.

  “You be good and take care of your mother.” Caden smoothed back an unruly wave from his son’s brow as he knelt before him. Dawyn nodded, warm brown eyes wide—his lips kept drooping at the edges even as he tried to return his father’s smile.

  Caden stroked his head with affection, his smile strained. His arms lifted to draw his son into an embrace and Dawyn buried his face into the crook of his father’s neck. Caden held him for several long minutes, stroking Dawyn’s soft locks with callused fingers and murmuring soothing words into his ear. When he released him, both their eyes shone with unshed tears.

  The recruiter shouted an order to move out and spurred his mount forward. The square burst into a flurry of activity as the families exchanged their last goodbyes.

  Thaleon moved to Dawyn’s side and slipped his hand into the older boy’s to find it trembling. Together, they watched the party march out of Alfhum.

  Winter came and went after Caden left. The seasons passed—now, winter was here again.

  Thaleon’s breath clouded the air before him as he watched his father fill the grave. The morning rain had left everything damp and a faint fog hung in the chilly air, leaving the field hazy.

  By the time he finished, a sheen of sweat glistened on his father’s brow. He leaned on the shovel heavily and wiped at his face with the sleeve of his shirt as his mother came forward to place a bouquet of wildflowers upon the freshly turned dirt.

  She paused before the grave with a hand to her mouth, tears running down the planes of her face and falling one by one to dot the earth below. After a shaky breath, she returned to her husband’s side and buried her head into his chest. His father stroked her long raven hair, whispering quiet words with his own eyes damp.

  Thaleon went next and set his flowers next to his mother’s. He stared at the blue and white petals sitting brightly against the dirt as he wondered whether Aunt Eloria had reached the Shade—the final resting place of souls after death.

  It was said the journey was dangerous, riddled with demons in disguise trying to lead unsuspecting souls to the Gray Court of Akyris, the high demon king of the Between. If you fell to their tricks and failed to reach the Shade, your soul could not find eternal rest among the golden trees.

  Doomed to wander the Between forever, a soul eventually turned into a Terror, a lesser demon afflicted with an insatiable craving for human suffering.

  Thaleon shuddered as he recalled the stories of the war when enormous summoned armies of demons had roamed Itothia. Terrors were excruciatingly difficult to bring down with normal weapons and each battle had been a slaughter from what his father and Uncle Caden said.

  He returned to his parents’ side and glanced over at Dawyn to see him pale and motionless, eyes fixated on his mother’s grave. He didn’t seem to notice his tense fingers crushing the delicate stems of the purple flowers he held.

  “It’s your turn, dear,” his mother said. She wrapped a gentle arm about Dawyn’s shoulder and guided him to the grave. Dawyn bent down to place the flowers upon the dirt, each movement stiff and awkward. He turned away as soon as the flowers touched the earth.

  Dawyn’s face remained the same blank expression the entire way back home and over dinner. His mother had been the only child of a couple who died years back, leaving him an orphan with no extended family. On Eloria’s death bed, Thaleon’s parents had promised her—as they had promised Caden—they would take care of Dawyn.

  After dinner, they sat by the hearth while his mother read out loud a book. Thaleon kept glancing over at Dawyn who didn’t seem to be listening to the story. The other boy stared into the fire, eyes unfocused—the orange glow of the flames danced in the pale brown of his eyes.

  The hour grew late and Thaleon’s parents bade them good night. Together, they climbed the stairs to the room they would be sharing from now on. A glance about his room revealed it looking slightly cramped—his bed had been pushed to one side to make room for Dawyn’s.

  Dawyn climbed into bed wordlessly. Thaleon watched him pull the blanket over his head before winking out the light and crawling into his own bed.

  He lay staring at the ceiling with each minute dragging by. He wanted to speak to Dawyn—the heavy silence felt odd between them.

  He shifted to peer at the dark form on the other side of the room. He stared at the back of Dawyn’s head for several minutes, trying to think of something to say, before returning his eyes to the ceiling.

  Sometime into the night, he became aware of small, stifled sounds coming from the other side of the room.

  Dawyn was crying.

  The floorboards cool against the soles of his feet, Thaleon crossed the room with quiet steps. When he reached the bed, Dawyn startled and peeked out from under the blanket, tears gleaming against his face in the room lit only by moonlight.

  Neither of them said anything as Thaleon climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms about Dawyn.

  The warm wind caressed Thaleon’s face and swathed him in the scent of the wildflowers as he watched the city grow closer with bubbling excitement. It was a beautiful spring day, perfect for a trip to Lydon—the nearest city to Alfhum.

  As they passed through the city gates, Thaleon observed with keen interest the city’s narrows streets filled with countless people. He glanced over to see Dawyn doing the same, leaning heavily against the side of their cart.

  The passing years had stretched out Dawyn’s limbs, giving him an awkwardly lanky look common to boys at such age. His hair had grown longer too, and the loose brown waves framed the face still holding its pallid hue from winter. It would take on a light tan come summer while Thaleon’s remained a pale cream.

  Although early, the market stood filled with rows of vendors when they arrived. He helped his mother set up the stand while his father and Dawyn unloaded the cart.

  “Can we go explore a bit?” Thaleon pleaded up at his mother as soon as they finished. Dawyn looked over with eyes bright, expression hopeful.

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bsp; His mother hesitated. His father shrugged when she glanced over.

  “Don’t go too far and stay together,” she said.

  Thaleon beamed. He glanced over at Dawyn to see him grinning from ear to ear.

  “Don’t be too long!” his father called after them as they sprinted off.

  After a quick look around the market, they veered off into the streets. As they turned a corner, they came upon a group of children around Dawyn’s age—two girls and a boy.

  “Come play with us!” said the girl with chestnut curls. Her friends waved.

  Thaleon felt anxiety rise at the friendly invitation. The same thing always happened with strangers—a barrage of comments on his peculiar features and nosy questions.

  But Dawyn was already heading over and there was no discreet way to protest so he followed with dragging steps.

  “Hello,” said the girl, smiling. “Where are you from?”

  “Alfhum,” Dawyn said easily.

  Thaleon could tell from the way he returned her smile Dawyn thought she was pretty.

  “Oh! I’ve been once. Close to the coast, right?” said the boy.

  “Yeah.” Dawyn nodded.

  “And who’s this?” The girl with dark blonde locks gestured at Thaleon, expression curious.

  Thaleon resisted the urge to hide behind Dawyn as all attention turned to him. He shifted, uncomfortable, as their critical eyes raked him over from head to toe.

  “This is my little brother, Thaleon,” said Dawyn.

  Thaleon took a reluctant step when Dawyn’s hand guided him forward.