The Wizard Assassin Read online

  The Wizard Assassin

  CHAPTER 1

  THE BEGINNING

  “Are you nervous?” Helen asked her son as she gave him his traveling pack.

  “What for mother?” Dax replied. “They can all act high and mighty but at the end of the day I still have my magic and they can't take that away.”

  “Dax you know you will looked down upon” Helen replied. “They will call you names.”

  “People call me names already but only behind my back” Dax replied. “The royal bastard, they say it like it is a title or something. I don’t know the man responsible for my birth and even if I did it wouldn’t change the fact that Linus Davary is my father.”

  “You look just like him though Dax” Helen replied. “You have the same fair hair and roguish looks.”

  “Yeah but I act like my real father” Dax replied. “Linus Davary taught me how to swing a blade, make and shoot a bow and skin game. You and my father used a good bit of your money to ensure I was educated and knew the basics in magic. I have nothing to be ashamed of and a bunch of loud mouths don’t frighten me.”

  “They are mages though Dax” Helen replied. “They are stronger than you are.”

  “They are” Dax admitted. “But they can only cast one spell at a time while I can do a number of different things with my magic. I also don’t need all of that nonsense they carry around with them, trust me mother I will be fine. Will you and father be okay with me gone?”

  “We have more than enough money and food” Helen replied. “You do know we were making it just fine before the great wizard came into his own as a magic user.”

  “How is father taking it?” Dax said seriously.

  In the kingdom of Tox, every man owed the kingdom two years of active military service, afterwards they would be required to meet once a month to maintain their skills for an additional ten years. Magic users had to give the kingdom ten straight years of service, Dax knew his adopted father would take the separation hard. Dax wasn’t supposed to know but Linus had suffered an injury while performing his military service when he was younger, Linus couldn’t have kids and raised Dax as his own. Dax used to be called Herschel, in respect to the man that adopted him he started using his father’s middle name as his own.

  “He will be okay” Helen replied. “He is just going to miss you is all. With all the unease in the kingdom, he just doesn’t want you dragged into something. Bad enough the Saul is always looking to war, now you have to watch out for our own nobles.”

  “I’ll always keep myself safe” Dax replied.

  “You ready?” Linus said as he walked through the door.

  “I am” Dax said as he looked over at his father. Dax looked at his father’s hands and could see he was carrying the sword he received during his service. Entwined in the metal were two black bands which wrapped around the blade at the midway point. Two other small bands went around the hilt letting everyone see that a killer wielded the weapon even when it was sheathed. During the war with the Kingdom of Halifax, his father had been verified as killing ten men. In Tox every warrior who had at least five verified kills received a sword with a black band. A band was added for every five enemies killed, Linus had never talked about it but Dax knew his father had to have killed at least ten men.

  “I want you to take this with you” Linus said as he held out the well-oiled blade.

  “Father I can't take this” Dax protested. “It is your favorite blade, you earned it.”

  “And I am gifting it to my son” Linus replied. “It is permitted.”

  “But father” Dax began.

  “Take this sword and I will hear no more of it” Linus growled. Dax knew when his father had reached his limit and could tell his father was barely keeping it together. Dax took his sword out of its sheathe and laid it on the table, he wouldn’t need it anymore if he was going to have a blade made by the King’s own smiths. Dax took hold of the sword his father just gave him and treated it like it was as fragile as a robin’s egg and sheathed it on his hip. His father was frowning but Dax knew it was all a show, whenever emotions threatened his father he would frown instead. Dax grabbed his father and gave him a hug, when Dax got on the road he would be unsure of who started crying first when he recalled the memory, but knew it was one of the few times his father had cried in front of him.

  “Take care of him, mom” Dax replied as he broke the embrace.

  “Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” Helen asked.

  “No” Dax replied with a smile.

  “You watch those mages Dax” Linus replied. “You haven't spent much time around them but they are different than the rest of us. They look down on regular people and I am sure they don’t like wizards either. Most of them will know who you are as soon as they take one look at you.”

  “I am Dax Davary” Dax replied. “Fuck them if they see otherwise.”

  “Nobles are a different breed though” Linus replied. “Are you sure you want to travel that far for your commitment? You can go to the trainers right here in the capital and get the same experience.”

  “I want to go to the same place you went” Dax replied.

  “They will still bring you back here in order to do that magic school” Linus replied.

  “Yeah but the trip will be nice” Dax replied with a smile. “It will be the first time I am off without my mother and father. No offense but I can't really have a dating life hanging around you all the time.”

  “Don’t you blame that on us” Helen said and put her hands on her hips. “The Wallace girl has been trying to get your attention for a while.”

  “I am not stupid enough to get caught up in one like that” Dax replied. “Tracey is the type to have men fight over her. She is a pretty girl but not worth the headache. Besides, she might want kids one day and I don’t think that is in my future.”

  “Take care of yourself boy” Linus said as he gave Dax another hug. “We are all horrible at saying bye, might as well get this thing over with.”

  ~

  “Dax Davary reporting as ordered” Dax said to the man behind the desk. The person he was speaking to was obviously in the army and wore his hair so short it looked almost bald. He reminded Dax of his father Linus, the same hair and face which betrayed no emotions. Like his father, the clothes the man had on contained no wrinkles or stains, Linus always looked the same way unless he was exercising.

  “I see you have your own sword” the man said as he looked at Dax’s hip.

  “It was my father’s sir” Dax replied. “He received it for gallantry and gave it to me as a present before I left.”

  “Do you think you are worthy of that sword you wear?” the military man asked.

  “No” Dax replied. “But my father insisted I wear it anyway, if I ever get to be half the man he is I will consider myself accomplished.”

  “Good answer son, how old are you, eighteen?” the man asked.

  “Yes Sir” Dax replied.

  “You know how to use that sword?” the man asked.

  “Yes Sir” Dax replied. “I have been practicing with a sword since I could walk, even beat the old man a couple of times when I caught him unawares.”

  “That is good to hear” the man replied. “I am Sergeant Tenkay, I handle inputting everyone coming to fulfill their requirement. Are you in some kind of shape?”

  “I believe so” Dax replied. “My father insisted on that as well.”

  “Well then I will put you in with the group starting tomorrow” Sergeant Tenkay replied. “We can always use another sword swinger.”

  “I am a wizard Sir” Dax replied.

  “A wizard?” Sergeant Tenkay said confused

  “Almost like a mage just not as power
ful” Dax replied.

  “I know what a wizard is boy” Sergeant Tenkay replied. “I have met two in my lifetime, none though were carrying swords. I have to look up how to place you. I don’t think the mages start their training for another couple of months.”

  “Can I train with the regular troops until then?” Dax replied. “I am certain I don’t fit in with most of those other folks anyway.”

  “You are an odd one Davary” Sergeant Tenkay replied. “You know there is no physical labor with the mages don’t you? Here you will be expected to do tough tasks and a lot of heavy lifting. Being a soldier isn’t just about swinging a sword.”

  “I am aware Sir” Dax replied. “I have to admit I knew when the last mage class went through and purposely waited until this time to show up with the hopes I can be put with the regular troops. Wizards are not highly thought of in the mage community, we are very rare but even then we are not as powerful as a mage”.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, who is your father?” Sergeant Tenkay asked. “I was under the impression that magic ran in families and only those of noble blood have mage bloodlines.”

  “The man who raised me is not the man who helped give life to me” Dax replied.

  “So you are a bastard then?” Sergeant Tenkay asked. “I mean no offense by it, obviously someone made you their own but I can't figure out why any noble would not want to have a say in their child’s upbringing if that child has magic. It seems to me they would want you to embrace the noble side of your blood so you won't go marry some common woman and share the gift of magic with the rest of us.”

  “Wizards are sterile” Dax replied. “We are considered a mutation of real magic users, besides the man has two children who are mages and around the same age. He has no reason to want to have anything to do with me. Not that I am bitter, I was raised by a good man who taught me a lot.”

  “Well then I will put you in with the rest of them but you know I will have to report a wizard has shown up for training” Sergeant Tenkay replied. “I am sure your status as a commoner will have many in an uproar.”

  “I understand” Dax replied. “But trust me, I am sure many of those mages will know who I am when they see me. My birth was a major scandal, at least that is what my mother told me.”

  “You are not the royal bastard are you?” Sergeant Tenkay asked.

  “The very same one” Dax replied. The third son of King Jared had been a womanizer from a young age. At the age of fourteen he met Dax’s mother Helen who was then a laundress in the palace and had sex with her. Dax didn’t know the details but his mother Helen had told him that she was no angel and welcomed the encounter, when she became pregnant is when rumors started flying. Also during that time his father had sweet talked himself into the skirt of Duke Nettleton’s second daughter Farah. She admitted the relationship and Helen had told Dax everyone thought the woman did it on purpose, she was already twenty-one, was unmarried and was not considered beautiful. Duke Nettleton’s daughter said she was not thinking clearly as a result of the wine she must have drank. Pressure was on his father to marry the girl, they were both mages and it turned out she became pregnant. When Dax was born many rushed to his mother to get a good look at him, his ash blonde hair and piercing blue eyes gave away his parentage. Helen was a brunette with dark eyes so the baby’s coloration could have only come from the father. Helen was cast out as a laundress and the gossip had spread almost everywhere. Helen stayed in the capital city of Galen and happened to meet Linus Davary on her first day as a tavern wench. Dax was from Galen and was openly mocked and bullied by some until his magic manifested and Linus taught him the sword. Dax was sure he was still mocked, but none were stupid enough to do it to his face now. Dax had purposely traveled eight days on horseback to the exact entrance station his father Linus had went to, he thought he would remain somewhat anonymous but he had ruined that in only a couple of minutes.

  “Well then” Sergeant Tenkay began. “Let’s hurry up and get you situated Davary, you know this is going to be quite rough. Because of your status you can quit at any time and wait for the next magic user class to start up.”

  “My status?” Dax said confused. “His highness does not claim me.”

  “I am talking about as a magic user” Sergeant Tenkay replied. “You will see little of me during the first part of your training. I will only be around when you recruits start weapons training. Until then you will have to lock up your blade.”

  “I expected it” Dax replied. “I hope though my status as a magic user can be kept a secret from anyone without a need to know” Dax finished as he followed Sergeant Tenkay down a narrow hallway and into a large room. The room had a long table which split the room in half, one side was a waiting area and the other had rows of shelves that contained military gear. A man came to the table from the other side and looked Dax over then started grabbing items. Dax was given a big sturdy looking bag to hold as the man dumped uniforms inside followed by a small shovel, a sleeping sack and a bunch of other items that Dax couldn’t see clearly. When the man was finished filling the sack, he then produced some boots and sized them to Dax’s feet. Dax was given two pairs of boots and sent on his way. Tenkay then took him to a much smaller looking room where a bored woman sat drinking something out of a tankard. When she saw Dax she got off the chair and gestured for him to sit.

  “Time for your hair cut” Sergeant Tenkay said as he also gestured towards the chair.

  Dax had known this was coming, he normally wore his hair a little long but had cut it right before leaving. His father had told him recruits were not allowed any hair, his head would be shaved and his face would be expected to be free from hair as well. His father also told him that appearance is everything and he should try his best to keep himself as neat as possible, Dax didn’t think that would be a problem since he knew magic that could take the dirt out of any garment and smooth out the wrinkles.

  “Totally shaved?” Dax asked already knowing the answer.

  “Of course” Sergeant Tenkay replied as Dax sat down.

  The woman was quick with the razor she had, she wet the little hair Dax had then put some kind of slick oily substance on his scalp and face. The razor shaved him completely and he was amazed he didn’t have any nicks or cuts from the fast moving woman. Once she was finished Sergeant Tenkay took him to the bath house new entrants used to clean themselves off. Dax cleaned himself and put on his uniform, Dax couldn’t help but grin at himself in the mirror. Dax cleared his mind and found his source of magic, for him to cast was much different than a mage.

  Dax was well educated in the differences between wizards and mages and thought overall he had the best one considering his situation. Mages had a lot more magical energy than a wizard did, Dax had a lot more magic than any of his wizard instructors had but was told he would only be middle of the pack if he were a mage. Mages though needed a way to tap into that energy, one way they did this is with gold. Magical energy was thought to be contained within the chest and gold helped weaken the barrier holding it all in, many mages had taken to wearing golden amulets around their necks to meet the requirement. Mages also carried wooden staffs, the wood made it easier for the magical energy to be directed after the gold helped tap it. Finally the spoken word let the magic know what to do, it seemed like a lot of work but the trade off was more than worth it for anyone fighting. Dax could conjure a fireball and throw it, it wouldn’t travel more than 30 meters before the spell broke apart and he was even happy to get that much. A mage’s fireball would be a lot bigger and travel four or five times the distance and do a lot more damage. One of Dax’s instructors told him he should count himself lucky for the thirty meters, the few wizards the man had ever met couldn’t do anything more than two or three feet with the instructor himself being able to manage two meters. Dax had heard what people believed the reason for the disparity was, while wizards had a smaller source of magical energy they also couldn’t tap it the way a mage could. If magical energy was
a bucket of water, wizards could only slowly pour out the water while mages could just turn it upside down. No one knew why wizards didn’t benefit from using mage instruments but Dax didn’t mind. As he looked at his uniform he was happy wizards could do things mages could not.

  Wizards could perform more than one spell at a time and didn’t need to say anything. Already Dax had the material his uniform was made of pulled taut and the heat wafting out from his skin was eliminating the wrinkles and even put in a nice crease. A mage wouldn’t have been able to use their magic for things like that. The biggest advantage though in everyday life Dax thought was the spell casting itself. Mages needed to know the correct words to cast a particular spell while Dax only had to think about it really. Some things required a bunch of smaller spells to accomplish, for instance if Dax thought to use his magic to get rid of the wrinkles, his clothes would have went taut then snapped back in place as wrinkled as they were before. What Dax’s instructors did was give him a different way of thinking to use his magic and how to compartmentalize his thoughts. By using more than one spell he was able to make his clothes wrinkle free. Casting wizard magic was easy, being able to keep five spells going at once required a sharp mind and most of Dax’s training centered on this. Dax looked down at his black leather boots and pulled out the cloth he had been given to wipe his boots clean and to restore the color. Dax sent the cloth with a little boot polish down to his boots and did a little wind spell working rapidly back and forth, it took no longer than a minute before Dax could see his magic had highly polished his boots to a luxurious shine any military officer would have been proud off. Dax grabbed the rest of his things and walked out to meet Sergeant Tenkay.

  “You dress up well” Sergeant Tenkay said confused. “Even your uniform is remarkable.”

  “Magic” Dax replied as he absently rested his hand on where the pommel of his sword should be before remembering he had packed it in the bag he now carried.