The Charmcaster

  Prolougue

  “There is no other solution your grace,” Jennings said looking down at the newborn babe. “I have run every test and every one of them has come back with the same conclusion. Your son is a charmcaster. He is not a mage.”

  “There has to be some mistake,” Duke Glades said as he looked down at his son. “I am a mage and so was his mother. She was one of the strongest mages this kingdom has ever seen.”

  “I don't mean to be cruel, Your Grace but your late wife was one of those mountain girls. She wasn't even strong enough to survive his birth. I know your marriage was for the good of the kingdom. But her blood just wasn't strong enough for true magic. Your son has commoner magic. There is no other answer.”

  “Look at him Jennings. He is a noble. He looks like me, not one of those mountain folk. He should be a mage. His mother, whether weak or not, came from a long line of powerful mages. She was the last one of her bloodline. My son should be a strong mage.”

  “Sorry, Your Grace. You need to think about what to do next. The Dukes of our kingdoms have always been mages. The king has always been a mage and our Archmage has always been a mage.”

  “Don't you think I know that? I know damn well that all of the other Dukes and Duchesses have always been mages.”

  “It is not unprecedented, Your Grace, for a younger sibling to be named the heir. I think if he didn't receive the gift it would perhaps be better. To place a charmcaster in a position with the power of your heir would be foolish.”

  “I don't know what to do Jennings. Look at my poor babe, he is from House Duncan. He even has my chin. And look at how big those hands of his are for a babe so small. It was one of the things I looked forward to when the king arranged my marriage. I took one look at her height and size and knew I was going to have a big strong son. All I got is a charmcaster instead.”

  “There is no way to hide this Your Grace. Let everyone know the truth. You have no reason to be embarrassed. Your mountain woman has passed on to the next life so you do not have to deal with her. You need to marry another woman and fast. Find a young noblewoman that comes from a mage family. I can help you research that. By the time it gets out that you even had a child you can be betrothed to another. Try to put a child in her as soon as possible. Perhaps many will forget about this son. You may need to find a minor noble, anyone of very high status will want to be properly courted. Someone of a low rank will just be happy to finally be someone important and hopefully would be more than happy to push out child after child until you finally get a boy with real magic.”

  “What am I going to do with my son though Jennings? This babe did not ask for this life and I will not see him become a little more than a commoner.”

  “You were going to give one of your children the Barony of the Cliffs anyway. You don't have any other family to hand that piece of land off to. He will still have a title and commoners to look after, he just will not be a Duke.”

  “Those lands are right up against the Balenian border. It is nothing but mountain folk there and they are difficult to deal with at best. If the Balenians decide to invade, it would put him directly in their path. It might be too much responsibility to take on.”

  “Send him away then. Let him be trained by the same people who train our elite forces. He can learn how to use a weapon when his magic fails and will learn how to lead men. You can send him the finest tutors in everything. He is already going to have a hard road ahead of him. He can stay in training until he is ready to lead. You can even have a commoner teach him how to use the poor excuse for magic that he has.”

  “I can do all that. I can see to it that my son has the finest training in the kingdom. Just because he is a charmcaster does not mean he cannot become a great mundane fighter. He would be well suited to take over the Cliffs then. I just feel sorry for my son. He has no mother and I cannot be around much.”

  “It wouldn't be right. You would cause discord by being so close to a charmcaster. Already they want to be treated like real mages and want all the praise and gifts that come along with the station. Imagine if they saw you all snuggled with your son. Eventually someone would start asking hard questions about why can't your son be Duke. The king is already clear in his position regarding charmcasters. You do not need that kind of weight hanging above your head.”

  “I haven't even named him yet Jennings. His mother hasn't even been cold for half a day.”

  “There was nothing to be done Your Grace. He wasn't sitting right inside of her and she cut her own stomach open to give him a chance at life. Your mage couldn't heal her and if you had been here you couldn't have done anything either.”

  “It was very selfless of her to make that sacrifice. I am going to call him Rell after her. I always called her Your Grace so she could become used to the title. Her first name was Rella.”

  “Well then, Rell from House Duncan it is, until he claims his title as Baron Cliffs.

  “I just feel sorry for exposing him to that kind of training. Our elite are trained from a young age to fight and to plan. They are not going to see his title and take it easy on him. If anything, once they learn he is a charmcaster, things will be harder. All nobles hate them. Most of the mundane citizens who work closely with mages will hate him as well.”

  “It can't be helped. You can still visit from time to time, check in on young Rell and see how he is doing. When he gets older you can explain to him the full reason of why he had to be sent away. If you run this plan by His Majesty, he would understand and applaud you for your sacrifice.”

  “It still feels wrong.”

  “Well it would be better if he left sooner rather than later. If he gets attached to anyone, it is just going to be that much harder for him to be away at training.”

  “Thank you Jennings. I know sometimes it is difficult to tell a hard truth.”

  “It is why I was your father’s advisor and am your advisor now. You will get through this Your Grace.”

  “I need a list of the finest trainers around. I know our elite is good at training men to guard the king or take out multiple enemies. But Rell still needs to learn how to carry himself as a noble. He is my son, by the time he is grown he should act like it. There are many mages without a formal title, they are no better than he is. Just look at this boy Jennings. If my Da was still around he would be proud to see him despite his handicap.”

  “He would be as proud as you are Your Grace but he would listen to my counsel and still do the right thing.”

  “I am as well. I just won't like it.”

  “Your Grace, I am going to take the liberty of investigating which young women are available. I just want to warn you again, that I will be looking for anyone who is available, has magic and is a noble. They may be below your station. If I can, I will try to make sure the woman is at least pretty.”

  “I am sure you will do fine. I need to prepare my wife’s body for transportation. Her people will want to see her off in their own way and to meet my son. I will arrange for him to spend some time with the mountain people if he ever has a free moment. Rella’s adopted father would love to teach him some of their ways.”

  “Is that wise Your Grace?”

  “He is going to be in charge of them anyway. He might as well meet them early. Who knows? Maybe they can teach him to live with his handicap. Whenever my son is around other nobles here, I am sure the topic of his magic will not be far from anyone’s lips.”

  “I will have her body prepared. A wagon will be ready to leave within the hour and I will find a woman to feed your son during the trip. She can ride inside of the carriage with you and return when you do.”

  “Well let's not prolong this. I am glad I got all of those portraits done of her when she was alive, at
least my son can know what his mother looked like. Other than his size he looks just like me, probably a good thing he at least took my blonde hair. At least he can blend in with the other nobles but those eyes will give him away.”

  “All charmcasters have those violet eyes,” Jennings said. “Just like mages will always have blue eyes. It is the defining feature to set the two groups apart.”

  CHAPTER 1

  Rell rode his horse slowly to his father’s home. He had only been there a few times and it felt weird going there alone. Rell had finished his training in its entirety, there was nothing any of his instructors could really teach him. The only thing he needed was experience. As far as fighting went, Rell was not the best with a sword but he was right near the top. His size made him a difficult match and he didn't mind blending kicks and punches with his fighting style. Rell’s willingness to mix it up was the reason he was always sporting a fresh bruise somewhere and had more than his fair share of scars. That part of his life was now over Rell thought. No more difficult training. No more being excluded from one group or another. He was finally going home.

  Rell had never felt welcomed anywhere during most of his training. When he was learning to fight, the other people undergoing training saw him as a fake. He was going off to be a Baron while they were going off to put their lives on the line defending the kingdom. The same thing was evident when he was learning how to lead men and learn different tactics. Everyone except him would get a commission in the Royal Army, whereas he would be leaving. This made his training tougher than it should have been. Most of the time he didn't have another person to lean on when things got tough. The only part of his training that he could think of where he was fully accepted was when he learned to use his magic. All of his instructors left impressed and Rell thought he excelled at it.

  There were two different types of magic users, mages and charmcasters. Both groups had a magic well inside of them but not all magic wells were the same. Those at the high end had much more magic than those at the low end. Mages could mutter a spell and have magic erupt from their fingertips. This magic was unrefined though and difficult to use with precision. To combat this most magic users used wooden staves. Wood helped the mage focus their power more efficiently and allowed for much greater control. Different wood yielded different results. The best wood to use were softwoods which were readily available and only needed to be carved. The carving was for aesthetic rather than functional purposes. It also let everyone know at a distance that the holder had a magic staff instead of a walking stick. The other group of magic users were charmcasters. They were not as versatile as mages.

  Charmcasters needed other implements to cast magic with. They could not just mutter a few words and see magic appear. First a charmcaster needed a jewel. The weaker the charmcaster the finer the jewel they would need access to. Most charmcasters were only able to use the big four, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Powerful charmcasters were able to make use of semi-precious stones, like garnet, topaz and amethyst. Rell was on a level by himself he thought. He was sure he was stronger than his teachers and was even able to use simple glass to hold his spells. Charmcasting worked by grabbing a gem, focusing on it and uttering the spell you wanted the object to hold. The gem would then drain the charmcaster’s magic until enough was taken for the spell. A charmcaster could decide to use more magic to make the spell stronger but ran the risk of the gem they used shattering. The better quality the gem, the more durable it was and the easier it was to use for magic.

  Not every charmcaster could use every spell, just like not every mage could cast every spell. If a spell used more power than a mage or a charmcaster had to imbue it, then the spell would fail. To use the magic the charmcaster had to be close to the gem, focus on it and speak the words to unleash the spell that was held inside. One good thing about charmcasting is that once a gem or charm held a spell, any ordinary person could use the magic inside if they knew the correct trigger words. It was for this reason charmcasting was called commoner magic. Though it was hard to set up, it was easy to use.

  A mage could toss spells immediately. Most mages were stronger than charmcasters and also they held a lot more magical energy. For a charmcaster to be victorious over a mage, a lot of prepping had to be done. Rell took a deep breath as he entered his father’s house after putting away his horse.

  “Rell,” Duke Glades said looking at his son. “I did not expect you to be here. Did they give you some time off?”

  “I am finished father,” Rell said. “All of my instructors have nothing left to teach me, I only need experience now.”

  “Well I am happy to have you home,” Duke Glades said as he gave his son an awkward hug. “Just look at you, as big as I always thought you would be.”

  “It is good to be home father. I already put my horse away. Your stablemaster was a little shocked to see me. I am surprised he knew who I was, I was expecting to be treated with some suspicion here.”

  “There are paintings of you everywhere,” Duke Glades said as he gestured to a wall behind Rell. “I look forward to us finally having a relationship now that you are a grown man. Childhood wasn’t fair to you Rell, I just had no other choices.”

  “I do not blame you” Rell replied. “... I am lying, I do blame you. But I know why it had to be. This kingdom hates charmcasters, I know that better than anyone.”

  “The kingdom does not hate charmcasters,” Duke Glades said. “The mages hate charmcasters. They hate what you represent.”

  “They do not like commoners having access to magic” Rell agreed. “Now that I have gotten comfortable with my magic, I think I am happier as a charmcaster.”

  “You are?” Duke Glades said surprised. “I married your mother partly because she was one of the strongest mages the mountain people had ever seen. She was much better than I was. The amount of magical energy she had rivaled that of the Archmage himself.”

  “I have that energy. I can make many charms before I am tapped out. I have my own plans to arm the men and women in my lands.”

  “Arm the women?” Duke Glades said confused.

  “Everyone in the Cliffs is going to be responsible for defending our lands. I have been learning everything I can about my magic. One of my instructors had a weapon that made me jealous. It was easy to use by anyone and it got me to thinking.”

  “A weapon? The weapons I have bought you were all made by the finest smiths in the kingdom. Well all of it except for that axe you have. That was a gift from the mountain tribes but I am sure they had their best on it.”

  “My weapons are excellent. Even my axe is very well balanced and I train with it at least weekly. The weapon my instructor had was a staff.”

  “You are not a mage Rell,” Duke Glades said then rubbed his chin. “You are talking about fake magic staves?”

  “Fake?” Nothing about this weapon was fake.”

  “Some charmcasters were jealous of the magical staves mages carry and started carrying their own. You should see the gaudy things. Instead of the simple excellence of carved and polished wood they put jewels and things around them. I have only seen one or two and the jewels they used were probably fakes made of glass. No one I know would dare get close enough to inspect it. We don’t want to appear jealous when it fact we are disgusted. You don’t need to be seen with such a thing.”

  “The jewels are not for pretty decoration. Each of those charms holds a spell. The more charms on a staff the more spells it has. The more expensive and the sturdier the gems, the easier it is for them to accept a spell. The bigger the gem the more powerful the spell. Some charmcasters cannot fill up a gem so you will normally see smaller gems surrounding their magic staves. The reason most charmcasters are not walking around with those staves is because they are insanely expensive, that and the majority of charmcasters have little magical energy to imbue them. It would take a weak charmcaster a long time to fill up some stones and even then it would probably not be worth it. But with one of those mag
ic staves anyone could be a force to be reckoned with. Even mundanes with proper practice could be a tough fight.”

  “And you think these staves could let you stand up to a full mage?”

  “I don’t know for sure. It would depend on the mage and the power of the staff. But I wouldn’t often need it to fight a full mage. It would be used to fight mundanes.”

  “It wouldn’t be worth your money to outfit everyone with staves made of diamonds and such things” Duke Glades objected. “If you handed out things like that you would be wasting your money. People could just run away with the staff and pry off the stones to sell them.”

  “I have more power than most. I know many people look at charmcasters as weak. They call it commoner magic and I have to agree with them. However I think having one of these staves to fight with is worth more than the finest sword. I am of a level I can use colored glass embedded into a staff, I have already made a prototype and it performed well enough. I just need to mass produce them and outfit my guard, then my entire fighting force.”

  “Your guard,” Duke Glades said smiling. “I am happy you are embracing your title instead of being angry over not being named Duke.”

  “It is what it is. I plan on changing my piece of land into something for everyone to emulate.”

  “There is a family of mages on your lands. They may not take too kindly to having a charmcaster tell them what to do. If they give you trouble call me. I think it will be easier for me to deal with them than having your men get hurt.”

  “They would not dare strike at a Baron. I don’t care what their status is.”

  “It is your step mother’s brother and his wife and sons.”

  “I am not worried and you shouldn’t be either.”

  “Rell I wish my other children were as agreeable as you are. All of them need to be taken down a peg. None of them even take their magic seriously! I know from my reports on you that you are a superb student.”