Read Online Jonathan Moeller - The Ghosts 06 - Ghost in the Forge by Jonathan Moeller - Free Book Online Page A

farther west than Malarae.” 
    “I’ve never been to Artifel,” said Caina, “nor to the northern provinces.”
    Corvalis snorted. “You haven’t missed much. The Magisterium’s Motherhouse dominates Artifel, and the magi rule the city in all but name. The northern provinces are nothing but cold forests and mountains. Not many towns. The Ulkaari and the Iazns keep to their villages and don’t go out at night for fear of the things that haunt the forests.”
    She traced one of the tattoos spiraling over the muscles of his chest. “Where you got these from an Ulkaari witchfinder.”
    “Aye,” said Corvalis. “The Ulkaari hate sorcery. Too many creatures in the forest. Sometimes Iazn shamans call up beast-demons and invite them into their bodies to transform themselves into monsters. And the Magisterium has hardly endeared itself to the people of the northern provinces.”
    “Too many magi eager to do things to them for their own good, I suppose,” said Caina, “much like Claudia.”
    She felt Corvalis tense, and regretted the words. 
    “She means well,” said Corvalis at last. “They are not just empty words for her. She used her powers to aid people in Artifel. Warding grain warehouses against rats, using her spells to help heal.”
    “They all say that,” said Caina. “Every magus that goes bad says…” She made herself stop. “No. Let’s not argue about this. Not now.” 
    “Very well,” said Corvalis.
    They lay in silence.
    “That ring,” said Corvalis at last. His hand slid down her shoulders to where the gold signet ring rested on its cord against her chest. “You never take it off. Who did it belong to?”
    “Jealous?” said Caina.
    Corvalis smirked. “If you are not as satisfied as you look right now…well, then you are a better actress than any I have ever met.” 
    Caina laughed. “A fine argument.” Her laughter faded away. “It belonged to my father.” 
    “Ah,” said Corvalis. “Then you wear it to remember.”
    “Yes,” said Caina. “My mother murdered him.” She sighed. “She was an initiate of the Magisterium, but they expelled her because she wasn’t strong enough to become a full magus. So she made a pact with a renegade necromancer named Maglarion. My father found an old Maatish scroll, and my mother sold it, and me, to Maglarion in exchange for his teachings. When he found out, my father tried to stop her. So she wiped his mind, and Maglarion killed him and used his blood for his spells.” 
    “Maglarion?” said Corvalis. 
    “You knew him?” said Caina. 
    “I knew of him,” said Corvalis. “He was a legend among the high magi. He had some sort of pact with the magi, teaching them in exchange for service.”
    “It was a trick,” said Caina, remembering that dark day when Maglarion had almost killed everyone in Malarae. “He would have killed them along with everyone else.” 
    Again Corvalis paused. 
    “Then…you killed Maglarion?” he said.
    Caina nodded, her hair sliding over his chest.
    He laughed. 
    Caina looked at him. “It wasn’t funny.”
    “No,” said Corvalis. “But, gods…that was three years ago?” Caina nodded. “That was right before Claudia convinced me to leave the Kindred. My father was furious when someone killed Maglarion. I’d never seen him so angry.” He laughed again. “And all the time it was you.” 
    “Well,” said Caina, pushing aside the memories. “I am pleased I could discomfort him on your behalf.” 
    “Basil praised you,” said Corvalis, “but if you killed a man like Maglarion, then he was too modest by far.”
    “I was lucky,” murmured Caina, resting her head back on his chest. She had defeated powerful foes…but had she been lucky. If she had been a half-second slower, if she had been a touch less clever, then she would have been killed.
    Along with millions of others.
    Someday, she knew, she would be killed. Someday she would be too slow, someday she would face a foe she could not