The Vault Of Mysteries (Marshyl Stories Book 1) Read online

  Vault Of Mysteries

  Marshyl Stories ~ Book I

  by

  Toby Neighbors

  Vault Of Mysteries

  © 2016, Toby Neighbors

  Published by Mythic Adventure Publishing, LLC

  Idaho, USA

  All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Cover art by Michael Clarke

  Copy Editing by Alexandra Mandzak

  Books By Toby Neighbors

  Avondale Series

  Avondale

  Draggah

  Balestone

  Arcanius

  Avondale V

  Five Kingdoms Series

  Wizard Rising

  Magic Awakening

  Hidden Fire

  Fierce Loyalty

  Crying Havoc

  Evil Tide

  Wizard Falling

  Chaos Descending

  Into Chaos

  Lorik Trilogy

  Lorik

  Lorik the Defender

  Lorik the Protector

  Other Novels

  Third Prince

  Royal Destiny

  The Other Side

  The New World

  Zompocalypse Omnibus

  Books By Toby Neighbors

  Dedication

  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 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  To Camille

  Chapter 1

  The rowdy tavern had gone silent and Dex knew that someone was about to die. He didn’t want to see it, but he couldn’t look away either. The two men stood several paces apart just beside the bar. One wore a ring, the other had a wand in an ornate sheath hanging from his belt. They were wizards and both were tense, waiting for the other to make the first move.

  “This is insane,” Kyp whispered. “We should get out of here.”

  “Don't move,” Dex said, the words barely audible even in the tense silence.

  The wizard with the wand at his belt was young. He wore tall riding boots and a leather vest that revealed well-muscled arms. There were black tattoos snaking up from his wrists, but Dex couldn’t tell what they were meant to be. The wizard’s hair was pulled back into a pony tail and he had a wispy mustache that made him look a little silly, in Dex’s opinion.

  The other wizard was older, with streaks of gray in his hair and a long, wiry beard. He wore the traditional garb of a ring wizard, billowing pants that cinched up high across his stomach and a loose-fitting shirt that overlapped across his chest. Dex imagined that the wizard had weapons hidden up the almost ridiculously wide sleeves.

  “This could get ugly fast,” Kyp said.

  “Just be quiet,” Dex ordered.

  The sleeveless wizard’s hand twitched toward his wand and the ring wizard stepped back. The step was expected and didn’t set off the tension that was still growing between the two men. Dex risked a glance around the tavern. It was filled mostly with locals like Dex and Kyp. There were weapons in abundance, but mostly swords and daggers, nothing that would match the power of the wizards about to fight.

  “You two should take this outside,” the man serving drinks behind the bar said in a shaky voice.

  Before anyone could respond, the sleeveless wizard whipped his wand out of the leather sheath and shouted a spell. Blue light erupted from the wand’s tip and shot across the space between the two wizards. The ring wizard dropped into a fighting stance with his legs spread wide and his arms moving in a graceful display with the large, magical ring facing his opponent. The blue light of the spell hit an invisible barrier and ricocheted into the rafters of the tavern, where it scorched a heavy wooden beam and split one of the wooden shingles.

  The sleeveless wizard drew back his wand and shouted another curse, this time sending a yellow plume of magical light toward the ring wizard who spun to the side to avoid the spell. The table behind the ring wizard burst into flames almost as if it had been soaked in oil.

  The ring wizard went on the offensive, twirling his arms and punching the air. The sleeveless wizard swung his wand like a swordsman to parry the wave of magical energy that shot out of the other wizard’s ring. The magic slammed into a shelf behind the bar, sending the neatly arranged wooden cups flying through the air.

  The sleeveless wizard slashed with his wand and bellowed an incantation. The ring wizard was able to raise a defense but just barely. His ring seemed to absorb the power, but the force of the magical attack knocked him backward. He slammed into a small table and sent the chairs flying.

  “We have to get out of here!” Kyp shouted.

  “No, wait!” Dex called out, grabbing his friend by the arm.

  The sleeveless wizard’s next attack was a thrust that sent an icy blue ray of light shooting from his wand toward the ring wizard who was still on his back but had his head up and his ring ready. The shard of light bounced off an invisible shield and shot past where Dex and Kyp were hiding. If Dex hadn’t pulled his friend down, the spell would have struck him. Instead, it hit a large man with wood shavings tangled in his unruly hair. A large gash tore open across the back of his shirt and the skin underneath was torn apart. The man screamed and fell on his face.

  “That was too close,” Dex said, as the ring wizard rolled to his feet.

  Kyp just stared at his friend, looking bewildered.

  The sleeveless wizard was fast and attacked furiously, but the ring wizard quickly took the upper hand. He danced and dodged around the tavern, only using the magic of his ring when he had to. The patrons were screaming and fleeing the tavern when they could, but more than one was hit by the sleeveless wizard’s wild attacks.

  The ring wizard eventually took cover behind the thick bar and the sleeveless wizard began to rip the wood apart. It was a mistake to take his attention away from the ring wizard, who hurried to a different section of the bar, stood up suddenly, and leveled his own attack at the sleeveless wizard. A wave of dark energy swept toward the young man, who tried to block the spell with his wand. Unfortunately, his timing was off, and he swung his wand too soon. The wand swished through the air just before the wave of magic hit the wizard. Dex heard bones snap as the sleeveless wizard went flying through the air. His scream made the hair on the back of Dex’s neck stand up.

  For a moment it seemed like time stood still, but then the ring wizard stalked toward his fallen opponent. Dex couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sleeveless wizard’s broken body. Blood was seeping from the man’s ears and nose. Red-tinged bubbles were forming between his trembling lips as he moaned in agony. The ring wizard picked up the other man’s wand and slipped it inside his shirt.

  “Today was not your day, conjuror,” the ring wizard said.

  The other man’s eyes opened wide in fear.

  “Scozzi,” the ring wizard said, pointing his magical ring at the fallen man’s chest.

  What looked like a single drop of black liquid fell from the ring’s magical gemstone. It dropped onto the sleeveless man’s chest and began to eat its way into his body. The sleeveless wizard screamed again and Dex could smell burning flesh. The magic burned a hole the size of a man’s fist into the sleeveless wizard’s chest cavity. It smoked a dark, oily fog that was unnatural and made Dex’s eyes burn. Or perhaps it was the tears that had formed in his eyes as he watched the sleeveless wizard die.

  There were several wounded men in the tavern, all of them collateral damage from the wizards’ duel, but the ring wizard paid them no mind. He returned to the bar and leaned over the rail to reach for a bottle of spirits, which he opened with his teeth.

  “We have to get help,” Kyp said.

  “I know,” Dex agreed.

  They stood up together, their legs shaking and their minds numb from the carnage of the duel. It was nothing like Dex had thought it would be. There had been a panic to the fight, a desperate scramble that was nothing like the fights Dex had heard about in stories. He felt sick to his stomach and had to hold onto the wall for a moment until the sensation passed. Kyp was shaken up as well and there were tears in the larger boy’s eyes.

  “You okay?” Dex said.

  “Yeah, I just want to get out of here.”

  “Me too.”

  They turned to leave but there was a large figure in the doorway. It was a Marshyl in full armor and Dex knew the fighting wasn’t over.

  Chapter 2

  “Is that…?” Kyp asked.

  “A Marshyl Knight,” Dex said. “Has to be.”

  The truth was that Dex had never seen a Marshyl Knight before, he’d only
heard about them. They were feared by wizards and revered by men. Dex had seen soldiers before, even knights and lords as they passed through Rycaster City. He had seen men fully armored, with helmets and swords, chest plates and scalloped armor over their shoulders, but he had never seen anyone like the man who stood in the doorway.

  He had an open-faced metal helmet that was dull gray. The armor around his shoulders seemed almost contoured to fit the rolling muscles beneath. The chest plate was a dark red color and impressed into the shape of his chest and abdomen. Where most armor was simple and straight, just thick metal made to stop a sword blade or spearhead, the Marshyl’s armor was like an extension of his body. He had a long sword slung to his hip, and a square shield hung on his left arm. Around his waist was a thick, leather belt and below that hung a skirt of metal rings. His pants were made of fine wool and his boots looked supple but had strips of metal worked down the sides to protect his lower legs.

  The Marshyl walked through the door and approached the ring wizard. Other than the groaning of the wounded, the tavern fell silent again. The Marshyl put one hand on his sword and held his shield up slightly, then cleared his throat.

  “Give me the ring,” he said in a low voice that Dex had to strain to hear.

  The ring wizard didn’t move. He stood with his hand on the bottle he’d been drinking from. Dex saw the knuckles on his hand turn white.

  “I won’t tell you again,” the Marshyl said.

  For a long moment the room was once again as tense as it had been before the duel, and then the wizard jumped to the side. In one fluid motion the Knight drew his sword, but he didn’t attack. In fact, to Dex’s eyes, it seemed as if the Marshyl was completely relaxed, almost lackadaisical in the way he drew his weapon and prepared to fight.

  The ring wizard spun and slid to a stop, his arms swinging as he threw up a magical shield to ward off the attack he thought was coming. There was fear on his face and his eyes shifted between the Knight and the door of the tavern.

  “You run, I’ll strike you down,” the Marshyl said.

  “You want my ring,” the wizard said. “You’ll have to cut it off my finger.”

  “If that’s the way you want it.”

  “I’ll leave town.”

  “I know you will, but you’ll leave the ring here.”

  “The ring is mine!” the wizard shouted. “I’ll die before I give it to you.”

  “Somehow I don’t think that’s true.”

  The ring wizard waved his hand and a plume of smoke seemed to explode in front of him. He was just about to bolt toward the tavern door when the smoke seemed to vanish as the Marshyl chanted quietly. The ring wizard’s eyes narrowed and then he launched into an attack. He swung his arms in a figure eight pattern before punching the air and shooting a wave of magic from the ring.

  The Knight raised his shield, which absorbed the magic. Dex thought the Knight took the wizard’s attack in an almost effortless fashion. Then it was the Marshyl who attacked, flicking the tip of his long sword up and thrusting it forward so that it gouged a bloody line across the back of the wizard’s hand.

  The ring wizard jumped backward with a yelp and looked down at his hand with surprise. The Knight waited, obviously hoping the wizard would surrender the ring. Instead the wizard shouted angrily and cast a series of spells. Dark waves of magical energy shot out of his ring as the wizard jumped and punched in the air. It reminded Dex of the local militia training for war. He had seen the soldiers going through the paces with their weapons; posing, striking, shifting one way, then another, as if they were really fighting. The wizard did the same, punching and blocking, dancing from side to side, all the while chanting spells in a fevered rush.

  The Knight caught each spell on his shield, slowly moving forward to close the distance between himself and the wizard. He was careful, but the spells were no match for the Knight’s shield. The square looked like it was made of common steel, yet it absorbed the magical power like a dry sponge soaking up raindrops.

  When the Marshyl was close enough he thrust his sword forward, straight toward the ring wizard’s stomach. They were close to the tavern wall and there was nowhere to run. The wizard conjured a shielding spell. A smoky gray bubble formed around the ring wizard, but the sword punctured it, the metal crackling with orange lightning. When the magical bubble popped, it sent all the magical power slamming into the ring wizard, knocking him senseless. His body flew into the wall, his head smashing against the wooden boards before he dropped to the ground.

  The Marshyl held himself back, staying on the defensive. Dex stood up so he could see exactly what was happening. After it became obvious that the ring wizard was truly unconscious, the Knight used his boot to flip the wizard’s body over. He waited another beat before stooping low and snatching the wand from inside the ring wizard’s shirt. Then he sheathed the long sword and drew his dagger before bending low and pinning the ring wizard’s shoulder to the floor with his knee.

  “What’s he doing?” Kyp asked.

  “Going after the ring, I think,” Dex said.

  “Why doesn’t he just take it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The Knight waved the boys over. At first they balked, afraid to move after all they’d seen, but the Marshyl’s smile won them over.

  “Come on,” Dex said to his friend. “He needs our help.”

  “I doubt that,” Kyp said as they slowly crossed the wrecked tavern.

  There were several bodies on the floor among broken tables and chairs. The cries of the wounded were etching themselves into the impressionable minds of the two boys. They approached the Knight cautiously.

  “I think maybe a little water might be just the thing to wake him up,” the Marshyl said.

  “I’ll get it,” Dex said, stepping over to the bar.

  He found a wooden bucket that had soapy water in it. He carried the bucket back to the Knight and handed it to the man. Up close the Marshyl looked ordinary. He had deep lines around his eyes and across his forehead, but above everything else there was something disarming about his smile.

  “This should do the trick nicely,” the Knight said.

  He lifted the bucket of water and swirled it before dumping it into the ring wizard’s face. The wizard coughed and sputtered, gasping for breath as the water sprayed from his nose and mouth.

  “Time to give me the ring,” the Knight said.

  “Never!” the wizard replied.

  “I’ll cut it off, but I’d rather not.”

  “You can’t have it!”

  “I will have it. That much is inevitable. The only choice left to you is whether you give it freely, or I take it by force and believe me, you’d rather not lose a finger.”

  The wizard looked uncertain, and Dex felt a tremor of terror thinking that the defeated man might refuse. He couldn’t imagine the Knight cutting off the man’s finger, even though he’d just seen the ring wizard cast a spell that burned a fist-sized hole into the sleeveless wizard’s chest. After a long moment’s hesitation, the wizard pulled the magical ring from his finger and gave it to the Knight.

  “Wise choice,” the Marshyl said. “You will serve the owner of this establishment until you’ve paid for the damages you’ve caused. Do you understand that?”

  The man nodded.

  “Good,” the Knight said.

  He stood up in a swift movement that Dex found surprising. Most Knights in armor struggled under the weight of the heavy metal, but the Marshyl seemed oblivious to his armor’s heft.

  “Time to go,” he announced, and with a smile at Dex and Kyp, he left the tavern.

  “What now?” Kyp asked Dex. “Should we follow him?”

  “Of course!” Dex said.

  Chapter 3

  They hurried out into the street. It was just before twilight and the sky was cast in a brilliant pink color. Rycaster City was busy as people hurried down the dusty streets. The town had been formed as a natural stopping place along the southern trade road through the kingdom of Tu’kyr before reaching the coastal fishing villages. There were several inns, taverns, and cafés, along with the usual shops and industries that naturally sprang up wherever communities formed.

  Rycaster was also a haven for orphans. The southern part of the kingdom was a dangerous place for everyone, from fishermen who died at sea to merchants who were attacked by outlaws as they moved their goods up toward Mount Royal, the capital of Tuckerron. Dex and Kyp had been on their own for almost two years. Dex’s father had been a fisherman who was lost in a storm. His mother remarried but Dex’s stepfather was a cruel man who took his anger out on anyone smaller and weaker than he was. When Kyp lost his own parents in a fire, Dex left home to help his friend and they had been inseparable ever since.