The Spirit Siphon (Magebreakers Book 4) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  About the Author

  Sample of The Mage War

  THE SPIRIT SIPHON

  By Ben S. Dobson

  Copyright © 2017 Ben S. Dobson

  Cover by OrangeSavannah

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used for the purpose of articles or reviews.

  For more information, visit bensdobson.com.

  Magebreakers Novels

  _____

  The Flaw in All Magic

  The Emperor’s Mask

  The Dragon Machine

  The Spirit Siphon

  The Mage War

  Other Works by Ben S. Dobson

  _____

  Scriber

  The Swampling King

  Sign up for my mailing list here or at bensdobson.com to be notified when new books are released, and get a free copy of my fantasy short story The Last Hero, exclusively for subscribers. And if you're interested in supporting my work further, check out my Patreon at http://patreon.com/bensdobson for even more exclusive benefits, including draft chapters of works in progress and advance copies of new books!

  Chapter One

  _____

  TANE CARVER FELT a hand slip into his pocket, and turned from the open file on his desk to see a pale green goblin girl with dark hair snapping her hand back.

  Tinga scowled. “I thought I had you this time.”

  Tane glanced at Kadka, sitting in a chair across from him with her feet up on the desk. “So you saw her coming and just watched?”

  A sharp-toothed grin broke across Kadka’s face. “Is your game, not mine. I want to see her get you.”

  “Your loyalty is inspiring,” Tane said dryly, and turned back to Tinga. “Don’t count on that kind of help if you ever try it outside the office. Anyone sees you, they probably say something. And I told you, it’s not just about a straight grab. You’re never going to get me that way. That’s not a boast—there’s just not many people in the world light fingered enough to pick a pocket like that. It’s about taking advantage of a distraction. Or making one.”

  “I’m not sure this is the kind of lesson the Vreegs had in mind when they let Tinga work with you, Mister Carver.” Cestra leaned against the wall of the small office, watching the two of them with a smile on her freckled face. “And if it was, she doesn’t seem to be learning it very well.”

  “Shut up.” Tinga stuck her tongue out at her human girlfriend. “I’m getting closer.” For months, she’d been using Tane as a practice dummy for the sleight-of-hand tricks he’d been teaching her. He never heard her coming—goblins had a gift for stepping quietly—but she’d yet to pull off the actual grab.

  “Shouldn’t you two be working on something?” Tane said. “I’m not paying you to pick my pockets.”

  Tinga spread her hands. “What work? I finished my last exam before the break yesterday, and clients haven’t exactly been breaking down your door lately.” She gave him a teasing grin. “Besides, the amount you pay me, I need to pick your pocket to make it worth coming in.”

  Kadka laughed. “Is true, Carver. Be glad they still work at all.”

  “I don’t work here,” Cestra piped in.

  “Is that so?” Tane raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re around so often, I must have forgotten.”

  Tinga leaned up against Cestra and stood on pointed toes to kiss her on the cheek. “She can’t get enough of me, that’s all.”

  Cestra rolled her eyes. “Right. Who could possibly get sick of a girl who spends all her time trying to put her hands in her boss’s pockets?”

  Kadka cackled long and hard at that.

  “Alright, alright. Enough.” Tane said, though he couldn’t hide his smile. “Look, I’m glad you’re doing well at the University, Tinga, and it’s true things here haven’t been busy of late. But we’ve got time, and I am paying you, if not very well. So we might as well finish organizing these old case files.” He gestured to the open file on his desk, and the pile beside it. “Take one, and get reading. I need the client name and date written on the front, and any payment information you can find.” He hadn’t exactly kept meticulous records of their past work, and Indree insisted he needed to fix that, in case the constabulary ever came looking. Which they very well might, one day. Chief Inspector Durren didn’t care for the way the lower classes celebrated the Magebreakers over his bluecaps.

  “Yes,” Kadka said with feigned solemnity. “Is important lesson to be responsible. Best to let them do it. I will… oversee.”

  Tane snorted. “Pretending you were ever going to lay hands on a single file, are we?” Kadka was incredibly capable and resourceful in a great many ways, but she had no patience for anything she considered ‘boring work’. “If these two weren’t here, you’d long since have told me Iskar needs you to babysit the dragons and left a Kadka-shaped hole in the door.”

  Kadka just leaned further back in her chair, clasping her hands behind her head. “Is not excuse. Not my fault growing dragons need attention.” That was fair—she had been spending a great deal of time with Iskar and his young siblings, and raising two dragonlings was a task that Tane wouldn’t wish on anyone without help. “But they are here, so is not problem, yes?” She grinned and waved at the files. “Go to work, girls.”

  Tinga sighed. “Just how I wanted to spend my break. Fine, fine.” She ambled reluctantly over and snatched a file off the stack. Cestra followed behind and took another. Whatever the girl said, she did do enough work helping Tinga that Tane felt guilty sometimes for not paying the both of them.

  Not that I could afford to, especially without any new work coming in. In the four months since Tane and Kadka had tracked down Tinga for her parents and put away Felisa Thorpe, they’d only been hired for small cases here and there, and not by anyone who could afford to pay well. A decline in need might be a positive sign for Thaless, but it was terrible for business. And Tane wasn’t convinced that it was a good thing, anyway—it felt more like the underworld was holding its breath along with everyone else.

  Waiting to see what Endo Stooke would do next.

  There hadn’t been any sign of the would-be emperor since he’d stolen Thorpe’s Astral excavation machine and the expired dragon egg that should have borne Iskar’s third sibling. But something was coming. Tane was sure of that, deep in his gut.

  And whatever it was, it was going to be big.

  A sudden pressure in his ears interrupted that thought before he could follow it any further into the dark. “Tane.” Indree’s voice sounded in his head. “Are you busy?”

  “Too busy for you? Perish the thought.”

  He felt a sense of amusement through the Astral link, but Indree’s tone was serious. “This isn’t social, unfortunately. I nee
d you and Kadka to meet me at the Brass Citadel.”

  “The Citadel?” That got his attention. Indree was the Lady Protector’s liason with the constabulary—if she was asking them there, Lady Abena was probably involved. He and Kadka had been to the seat of Audish government before, but they’d never been summoned there officially. “What is it, Ree?”

  “No one’s in any immediate trouble, but it’s better to explain it in person. How soon can you be here?”

  “Carver?” Kadka had noticed his distracted state now, and leaned forward in her chair. “Is this sending? A client?”

  “Ree,” he said. “She wants us at the Citadel, and fast.”

  Kadka stood up with a nod. “If Indree calls us, is important. Shouldn’t wait.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Tane got up from his chair, opened a drawer, and tucked the handful of emergency charms he kept on hand into his pocket. “We’re leaving now,” he sent to Indree. “Twenty minutes on the discs, probably. Longer if I pretty myself up for you.” He crossed to the door and took his old topcoat and scarf from a hook on the wall. An early winter chill had crept into the air of late, and a few light snows had already fallen.

  “No flirting while I’m working,” she sent back fondly. “I’ll meet you at the gate.” With that, the sending pressure in his ears died.

  Kadka was already holding open the door, waiting. She hadn’t bothered to so much as put on a coat, but then, she’d experienced winters in Sverna that were surely colder than anything Audland had to offer. Tane hung his scarf around his neck and took a quick backward glance at Tinga and Cestra.

  Tinga straightened eagerly. “Can I—”

  “This sounds official,” Tane interrupted. “They’re not going to let us bring just anyone in. Besides, we need someone here if a client comes by.”

  “But it’s—”

  “Mind the office!” he said over his shoulder, and threw the end of his scarf over his shoulder as he stepped out onto the street.

  He could still hear Tinga grumbling as Kadka let the door swing closed behind them.

  Chapter Two

  _____

  CROSSING AUDLIAN’S WAY toward the Brass Citadel, Tane couldn’t help but note how empty it was. A smattering of light early snow had been trampled underfoot in a single path down the center, but to either side small drifts remained relatively undisturbed. Dozens of protestors for non-magical rights had once stood shoulder to shoulder in that space, all the way up to the gates. And then Endo Stooke had destroyed the bridge in a torrent of spellfire, and too many had died plummeting into the Aud River below. The repairs had only recently been completed to the point that it could be crossed again.

  “Would take years to rebuild this in Sverna,” Kadka said, glancing at the few places where scaffolding still clung to the sides of the span. “Is what now, five, six months? Good to have magic, yes?”

  “It’s certainly useful,” Tane agreed. “But there are things it can’t fix. The memories don’t go away so easy. No one’s going to be lingering on this bridge for a long time.” And when he considered the drop below, he didn’t have much interest in being an exception. He picked up his pace and hurried toward the great brass dome of the Citadel on the far side.

  Indree was waiting for them at the gate, as promised. She wore a heavy navy topcoat for warmth against the early winter chill, with a woolen cap pulled down over her black hair and lightly-pointed half-elven ears. “Thanks for coming so quickly,” she said. “I know it wasn’t much notice, but it’s important. Lady Abena asked for you directly.”

  Tane snorted. “Right, and we’re just drowning in cases these days. I had to rearrange my whole schedule just for you.” He slid an arm around Indree’s waist and kissed her in greeting.

  She didn’t let it go on for too long, but she was smiling when she pulled back. “Not now. Save it for tonight.” He’d been staying with her most nights for the past few months—his cramped office wasn’t particularly good for entertaining guests.

  “I couldn’t resist,” Tane said. “You know I can never get enough of you solemnly talking about affairs of state.”

  “Well, you’re going to love this then.” Indree’s smile faded. Whatever they’d been called in for, it was clearly serious. “We should get moving. Lady Abena is waiting. Come on.” She gestured for them to follow, and headed for the huge brass doors across the Citadel grounds.

  “Why bring us here?” Kadka asked as they walked. “By your face, is something important.”

  “You’re not wrong,” said Indree. “But I can’t really talk about it out here.” She pulled open the doors and gestured for Tane and Kadka to hurry. “The faster we get to the Lady Protector’s office, the sooner you’ll know.”

  Lady Abena’s office was on the top floor of the Citadel, at the apex of the dome. When they reached the door, Indree knocked, and then ushered them inside without waiting for an answer.

  Although he’d visited the Citadel before and met the Lady Protector in person a half-dozen times, Tane had never been inside her personal offices—the same offices occupied by Protectors of the Realm going back to Audland’s founding. The room was massive, elegantly appointed in drapes and upholstery of Audish blue and white, with a rounded ceiling that followed the sweep of the outer dome and enormous curved windows on either side. They were false windows, of course—the Citadel was made entirely of brass without break, sealed against magical attack. But a sensor spell outside relayed information to an illusion set into the window panes, giving the room a facsimile of natural light and providing a view of what was happening beyond that could easily be mistaken for the real thing.

  Centered between those windows, in a massive, magnificent oaken desk, sat Lady Abena Jasani, Protector of the Realm. The most powerful woman in Audland—at least in theory, though political realities tended to complicate such things. A sharp-featured, regal looking woman of forty-some years, with dark brown skin and tight black curls cropped close to her scalp, she would have had the bearing of a powerful woman even absent the authority of her position. She looked up as they entered, and waved a hand at the half-circle of well-cushioned white couches on a blue rug centered in front of her desk. Tane took a seat on the left-hand couch, and Indree sat herself down close beside him. Kadka lowered herself into a seat across from them.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly, Mister Carver, Miss Kadka,” said Lady Abena. “I hope that Inspector Lovial adequately conveyed the urgency of this matter.”

  “She did, but she wouldn’t tell us any details outside,” Tane said.

  Lady Abena nodded. “At my instruction. I apologize, but I would rather not have word of this spread just yet.”

  There was only one reason Tane could think that the Lady Protector would call him and Kadka in to meet with her on a private matter. A heavy weight rolled in the pit of his stomach. “It’s Endo, isn’t it?” He’d been waiting for something like this for months. “He’s back.”

  Indree took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Not exactly. Let me start from the beginning.” She looked to Lady Abena, who gestured for her to continue.

  “There’s been a very serious accident in Belgrier,” Indree explained. “Their first airship—the one we gave them the plans for—crashed yesterday afternoon during a test flight. Duke Detehr Angred, a very close friend of the Kaiser, was on board. He was killed, along with most of the crew.”

  Kadka frowned. “I have travelled in Belgrier. Is not friendly to magic to start. Will blame Audland for this.”

  “Exactly,” said Indree. “It’s already happening. There are factions calling it Audish sabotage, seeking an end to the treaty the airships represent. Of course, the plans we gave them were good. Which means this was either pilot error, a mistake in their manufacturing process, or sabotage by some other element.”

  “And obviously you suspect the latter,” said Tane. “That’s where Endo comes in, right?”

  Indree nodded. “There were a few survivors. One man, an e
ngineer, claims that just before the crash, he saw a number of his fellow crewmen with a silver glow in their eyes.”

  “Thorpe’s elixir.” The ball in Tane’s stomach grew heavier. “It has to be him, then. He’s the only outside agent with access to Thorpe’s machine.”

  “Precisely, Mister Carver,” said Lady Abena. “But we must prove this to Belgrier, and they do not easily trust the word of a nation that embraces magic as freely as ours. And if they decide this is an act of war, it is a foregone conclusion that Estia will join them—the Lord Provost would love an excuse to wipe the Protectorate from the map. We cannot afford to let it get that far. Which is why I must ask a rather large favor of you and Miss Kadka.”

  Kadka leaned forward in her seat, already nodding her head. “We will help, if we can.” The Lady Protector had signed her Audish citizenship papers—there was little she wouldn’t have done in return.

  Tane owed Lady Abena some favors himself, for that matter. But he wanted more information first. “What do you want us to do?”

  “I’ve managed to convince Kaiser Gerrolt to allow us an investigative delegation,” said Lady Abena. “He shares his people’s distrust of mages, but has a certain fascination for the artifacts they produce. And he was very enthusiastic about the prospect of the airships. There is some will on his part to salvage our arrangement. A team of mages would never be accepted, but they have heard tales of the Magebreakers even in Belgrier. The Kaiser has asked that you two be the ones who look into the accident.”

  “You want us to go to Belgrier?” Tane frowned and glanced at Kadka. Her previous eagerness slumped away, replaced by the same hesitation he felt. He wanted to stop Endo, but Belgrier was an unfamiliar world, and a long way from home.

  “I… have people here.” Kadka said slowly. “Responsibility.” She didn’t mention the dragonlings—their birth was a secret even from Lady Abena.

  “So do I.” Tane looked at Indree. “You’re obviously on board with this, if you brought us here. You want me to go?”

  “You think I’d send you over there without me?” Indree shook her head, smiled slightly. “That would be begging for disaster. I’m coming too.”