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  A SHAPER’S BIRTHRIGhT

  Karen

  MacRae

  This a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © Karen Lesley MacRae 2018

  All rights reserved

  Published by Little Silver Publishing Limited 2018

  PB ISBN 978-1-912828-04-3

  Ebook ISBN 978-1-912828-05-0

  ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

  Writing as Karen MacRae: A Shaper’s Promise

  Writing as K L MacRae: Kat

  AUTHOR’S BLOG

  https://klmacrae.weebly.com

  AUTHOR’S FACEBOOK PAGE

  @strugglingauthor

  List of Characters

  from ‘A Shaper’s Promise’ who appear or are mentioned in ‘A Shaper’s Birthright’

  Aibreann Braxton

  Only daughter of Lady and General Braxton. Sister to Finn. Killed in book one.

  Anna Northcott

  ‘The King’s Shaper’. White Aura Shaper and Healer Shaper who grew up in Straton.

  Beitris

  King’s Guard, born in Dornie.

  Bojek

  Agent of Nystrieth captured in book one. Gifted Compeller.

  Captain Laracy

  Captain of the King’s Guard in charge of Anna’s physical training at Alsham Castle.

  Chiara

  Healer in the Queen’s Court of Ruustra. Enslaved by Nystrieth. Worked for Elona. Mother of Luciado.

  Elona

  Agent of Nystrieth from Ruustra. Gifted Reader and warrior. Has an invisible aura. Also known as Margrit.

  Finn Braxton

  Leading agent of King Rybis. Gift of Attraction. Eldest son of Lady and General Braxton. Also known as Kai Geraint.

  General Braxton

  King’s Councillor and officer-in-charge of Alsham Castle. Gift of Sound.

  George

  The Goldsmith’s groom-come-bodyguard. Acted as groom to Kai Geraint in book one.

  Hew

  King’s Guard, born in Dornie

  Jimmy

  King’s Guard, born in Ionantis.

  Kai Geraint

  Finn Braxton’s alias.

  King Rybis

  Ruler of The Kingdom. Gift of Loyalty.

  Lachlan

  King’s Guard, born in Dornie.

  Lady Braxton

  King’s Councillor in overall charge of King Rybis’ agents and spy masters/mistresses. Gifted Reader. Also known as Vixen.

  Lady Kuri

  King’s Councillor and King Rybis’ representative on the Inner Quorum, the group that governs the Quorum of Gifted.

  Lady Marissa Goldsmith

  King Rybis’ Alscombe spy mistress. Gift of Body Heat Detection.

  Lord Edward Thornson

  Head of The Healers’ Guild. Introduced Kai Geraint to Lord Novac in book one.

  Lord Larry Goldsmith

  Married to Marissa. Gifted Businessman and wife’s deputy for King Rybis.

  Lord Novac

  Businessman in charge of Alscombe Financial Ring, Nystrieth’s underground investment scheme.

  Lord Witheridge

  King’s Councillor and Gifted Scientist. Inventor of glass that allows user to see auras.

  Luciado

  Gifted Singer enslaved as Elona’s ‘pet’. Developed gift of Echo Location after being Healed by Anna. Son of Chiara.

  Malik Brewcherrion

  Agent of Mastra, a key ally of The Kingdom. Long-time friend of Finn. Also known as Cherry.

  Mistress Manson

  Alsham Castle’s Housekeeper and agent of Nystrieth captured in book one.

  Mystrim

  Agent of Nystrieth, known as a weather mage.

  Nystrieth

  Emperor and self-proclaimed God. Black Aura Shaper.

  Pyteor

  Agent of Nystrieth, gifted Concealer.

  Seleste Peyton

  The King’s assassin, gifted in Dance, Reading and Swordsmanship. Twin of Spider.

  Sesi

  Empty shell used by Nystrieth to communicate with agents. Gifted Channeller.

  Sifry

  Bookkeeper in charge of slaves accompanying Mystrim, Elona and Pyteor.

  Spider Peyton

  Agent of King Rybis, gifted in Instinct. True name Saskia, but only uses Spider. Twin of Seleste. Also known as Willem Bethon.

  Syrano ‘Sy’ Ffion

  Native of Seask, a city in Sevia. Wife and son killed when Nystrieth ordered the city be razed to the ground. Gifted in Health. Agent of King Rybis. Also known as Tomas.

  Vixen

  Lady Braxton’s codename.

  CHAPTER 1

  T he music soared and the mourners felt their hearts lift upwards. Tears dried and small smiles began to turn the corners of mouths. Memories of happier times crept to mind until the smiles were wide and joy had replaced sorrow. The Singer kept them there for a while before bringing them gently back to reality. He was only a boy, but his gift was absolute, his understanding of what was needed far beyond his years. The last note died away to silence. It was too solemn an occasion for applause, but Luciado felt the quiet determination in his audience and was content. Lady Braxton would be pleased.

  The castle’s largest bell began to toll as soon as he sat down. Between each sound, the Priestess read out a name. The final tally had been twenty-three. Twenty-three souls lost to the light in a single horrific night. Anna flinched as each thunderous peal reverberated through the town and the open doors into the crematorium’s largest hall, General Braxton amplifying each booming sound with his gift. His anger poured into them, threatening to undermine Luciado’s good work. Anna saw Lady Braxton lean over and whisper in her husband’s ear. His back straightened and his bowed head lifted. Suddenly the bell echoed with resolution and courage. We will not be beaten, it said. We will fight and we will win.

  The King’s Shaper and her friends had strict instructions to get themselves to the castle gate as soon as humanly possible after the service, but the crowds outside the crematorium held them up. The whole town had turned up to pay their respects.

  “Vixen’s going to kill us,” Spider moaned.

  “We should have gone out the back,” Anna said.

  “Horses at the back would have been better still,” Sy added.

  “Unless she’s sprouted wings, she’ll be having the same problems we are,” Seleste pointed out quietly.

  Despite the visible absence of wings, Lady Braxton, or Vixen as she was known to some, was pacing when they arrived at the gate. “This is no time to dawdle. I need you in Alscombe now, not next week.” She ignored the chorus of “Yes, milady,” and handed Seleste an envelope.

  “Your orders. Finn will run the operation. If Finn does not…” The spy mistress took a deep breath before continuing. “If Finn is unable to travel, you are in charge.” Seleste bowed before putting the envelope in an inside pocket.

  Rather than her name, Lady Braxton had written ‘King’s Shaper’ on the front of Anna’s envelope. The spy mistress’ hand lingered before letting go. “Anna, inside you’ll find a King’s medallion. It is my own. I lend it to you until such time as you earn your own.” Lady Braxton noticed Spider bristle at her words and held up a hand to stop his objection. “I have no patience for niceties, Peyton. Still your sensibilities and your mouth.” She turned her attention back to the Shaper. “You’ve done more than some for the privilege of owning a medallion, but you must finish your training before you can be properly admitted to the King’s Circle and there’s no time to wait. I give you this freely and in the good faith you will uphold all the King’s Oath stands fo
r. Do you so swear?”

  “I do, milady.”

  “Good. By the powers awarded to me by King Rybis, I grant you provisional membership of the King’s Circle. Now, go save my son. I cannot lose another child.”

  Her orders delivered, Lady Braxton seemed to sag under the weight of her grief and worry. Losing Aibreann had been bad enough, but Finn also lay close to death, the poison from a crested sword only just being held at bay by an extended link of Healers. The news of Finn had arrived by bird only minutes before Aibreann’s farewell had begun. As Anna rushed after her friends, she wondered how the light his mother had got through the service or had the wherewithal to tell her husband to control his gift.

  Estrell, Rojoch, Hope and Seleste’s grey gelding, Ancora, waited patiently by the gate. They carried no saddlebags, only weapons. The baggage would follow at a more measured pace.

  “How the light did she get back before us?” Spider wondered aloud, as soon as they were out of earshot.

  “Horse at the back,” answered his sister.

  “How’d you know that?” Spider asked suspiciously.

  “And you call yourself an agent of the King?” she replied with a small smile.

  Anna and Sy rolled their eyes at each other as the bickering continued. Sy finally took pity on his long-time partner. “I think I preferred it when you two didn’t speak! Spider, the rear end of Vixen’s bay mare was being led around the corner when Seleste and I went through the gate. I’m guessing my manly stature hid her from your view.”

  “Manly stature? You mean immense expanse of fat?”

  “Oy! Don’t take your lack of observational powers out on me!”

  Anna smiled to herself. She doubted there was an ounce of fat on Sy’s considerable frame, but she could see the amusement in her companions’ auras as they bantered. It masked the undercurrents of worry for Finn. Her smile dimmed. She was worried for him too. She didn’t know if she’d be able to save him. Nystrieth’s poison would have been in his system for more than two days by the time they arrived. Thanks to Lord Witheridge, she knew the ground Alscombe was built on was rich with Aurovian crystal so there should be enough energy to destroy the black, but would she be strong enough? Would Finn even be alive when they finally got there?

  The group went straight to Lord Novac’s house, stopping only for water en route. It was the early hours of the morning when Malik Brewcherrion opened the door to them. “I don’t know what you can do, but it’s good to see you again lads,” he said to Spider and Sy. He nodded to the two unfamiliar women before gesturing for them to follow him. Introductions could wait for later. “I’ve done what Vixen told me to. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I knew better than to think for myself. We got as much as we could fit into the room.”

  Malik led the four through a series of well-kept, softly scented corridors until they reached a large room reeking of stale incense with an undercurrent of bodily fluids and death. The space was dominated by an enormous table, piled high and all around with thousands of crystal rocks. Only a narrow alley down one side of the room was passable. Candlelight bounced off the rocks’ reflective surfaces, turning the room into a dancing rainbow spotted with white light wherever their reflections merged into one. At the end of the passageway was a clearing surrounded by yet more piles of the freshly excavated crystal. At its centre lay a prone figure encircled by eight white-robed Healers.

  The disguise of black hair and beard made Anna pause momentarily, but she recognised the sea green glint in the man’s aura as she ran forward. She was horrified to find Finn lying in a pool of congealed blood, his breath coming in shallow gasps, his beautiful face twisted with pain despite being unconscious. Worse, though, his aura was almost completely pitch black despite the Healers’ efforts. The heart of it throbbed over Finn’s belly. The sword thrust had missed vital organs, but the poison had spread, strangling everything it touched.

  A middle-aged man stooped over the spy, his right hand on the belly wound. His brow was slick with sweat, his face grey, his eyes red with fatigue. He was acting as centre to the link. Anna had never seen it done before.

  “What the hell is he doing here, Cherry?” Spider hissed at Malik.

  “I caught him as he was about to run out of the room and told him I’d bury him alive if Finn died. It seems the sword I held at his chest persuaded him I was telling the truth. I’ve no idea why he’s struggling to fix the wound. He told me he needed more Healers and I got them here as soon as I could, but for some reason I don’t really understand, the first Healer has to stay the centre of the link and he seems to be getting nowhere. Worse though, if he stops trying to Heal Finn, the link will break and Finn will die. He keeps muttering that he can’t beat it, that it’s filling him up as fast as he can pass it to the others. Whatever that means. All I know is that they’ve changed the circle six times, but he’s had to stay at the centre. When he looks like falling asleep, I give him a prod. Hard.”

  “What happened to them?” Sy asked, pointing to a far corner. It was just possible to make out four feet protruding from beneath a white sheet.

  “Lord Novac’s in-house Healers. I think Thornson must have offloaded onto them as soon as I got them in the room. Poor souls died screaming. Finn will not be impressed when he finds out.”

  Anna wasn’t listening to Malik’s explanation. She’d sent her gift deep underground, as wide and deep as it would go. She could feel crystal rushing to answer her call. There was a massive seam of it right under the house. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. The crystal in the room hadn’t been necessary, but she applauded Lady Braxton’s sense in having it there, just in case. She heard Malik ask Spider if he should have his men start to fill the corridor with crystal too.

  “Thank you, sir, there’s enough,” she told him, not wanting to belittle his efforts. “I think I’ll have to Shape through the link though. I don’t think we can risk breaking it. It might be dangerous for the man at the centre. His aura’s weak. Repulsive too, but that’s a whole other matter.”

  “It’d be better to keep him alive, but no one’s going to be too bothered if you can’t. Edward Thornson’s a worm. An important one, but a worm nonetheless.”

  Anna recoiled at the name. Lord Thornson, the head of the Healers’ Guild. The man responsible for the abomination that kept thousands of Healers bound to their gift in the hope of the mythical Healer’s reward. She couldn’t feel any less like keeping someone alive if she tried. She took a deep breath. She wouldn’t do Finn any good if she couldn’t calm herself. She’d deal with his lordship afterwards, if he was still alive.

  “I think Vixen intended this for you, miss,” Malik said, holding a short staff out to her. “It was the best I could find. I hope it’s all right.”

  “Thank you, sir. It’s a welcome replacement for one I lost recently.”

  Anna felt the power before she even took the weapon. She turned it in her hands, picking out all eight colours of the rainbow through the cracks on its surface. The raw crystal felt good in her hands. She’d missed the staff that had been destroyed when she’d Healed the King. She’d be more careful with this one.

  She ignored the Lord Healer as she moved to stand on the other side of Finn. She stood with her toes touching his body, the staff planted firmly on her left. “You’ll need to keep your hand in place, Lord Thornson. You cannot move it. Do you hear me? Not at all. The link must continue.” The Healer mumbled his agreement and Anna raised her voice to speak to the whole room. “Healers, keep up the link, no matter what happens. Your patient’s life is on a knife edge. Everyone else, follow Seleste’s lead. She’s the only one who can see what’s happening.”

  “Get everyone you can spare in here,” Seleste told Malik. “I’ve done this before and we’ll need all the help we can get.”

  Malik went to the door and bellowed for every man but the ones who held the perimeter. Booted feet immediately came running. They crowded into the crystal-ringed clearing to see Seleste crouched ne
xt to Lord Thornson, her hand on top of his. Seleste told Spider to add his hand from the other side and Sy to sit behind the Healer, an anchor in the storm about to hit. Malik and his men were instructed to huddle around them and not let Thornson move an inch. They shrugged before obeying the order, oblivious to the magnitude of their task.

  Anna had started to draw energy as soon as Seleste was in place. The assassin closed her eyes before Anna’s brilliant white glow could threaten her sight. It was almost like looking at the sun. Already, the Shaper’s aura enveloped the whole group, swelling and burning more and more brightly as her gift channelled as much energy as she could hold. Then the rainbow burst from her right hand, swirling colours through her aura and filling the room. A torrent of white heat poured through the peristone bracelets and shot out of Anna’s right hand as a focused beam of light. It was aimed straight at Finn’s wound. Lord Thornson’s body rocked as the power went through his hand, but the support held. After three giant pulses, Seleste risked a peek. The black had receded only a tiny bit. It still overwhelmed the sea green. She closed her eyes tightly and called out encouragement for the men who were reeling from the sensation of being struck by invisible lightning.

  “Hold fast! His life depends on it!”

  Again and again, Anna thrust at the black. After a dozen pulses, Seleste dared another peek. Her head throbbed and her body felt like it had been pummelled by a landslide, but she could see they were winning. The black had shrunk and more of Finn’s true aura had been recovered. She risked a glance at Anna. She could see her pain, the thick black streaks bursting from her temples. The staff was being leaned on heavily.

  Another ten pulses saw the sea green returned to most of Finn’s body, but the heart of the black was holding on.

  Suddenly, the Shaper collapsed to her knees, only just managing to keep her right hand outstretched, still channelling white fire at the source of the evil. Seleste screamed at the men behind her to support the King’s Shaper. Only four were still conscious. Malik, Sy, Spider and one other staggered to Anna’s side. Seleste let go of the Healer’s hand and pushed his unconscious body away from Finn then joined them.