9789147155910

MAGESMITH, BO AND EG

A NDY C OOMBS S ARAH S CHO

ISBN 978-91-47-15591-0

© 2024 Coombs Andy, Scho Sarah och Liber AB

Title of the original Work

Magesmith, Bo and Eg, Book Two © Andrew Coombs & Sarah Scho, 2021

REDAKTION Maria Jones

FORMGIVARE Ingela Jönsson

ILLUSTRATION OCH OMSLAG Sarah Scho

PROJEKTLEDARE Emilie Szakàl

Första upplagan

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TRYCK People Printing, Kina 2024

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Prologue 4

26. Summoned 7

27. An argument 19

28. The third day 25

29. A transformation 29

30. The kitchens 33

31. The quest 39

32. Listening carefully 47

33. Reunion 51

34. Balendin and Bil 57

35. The backdoor 59

36. Balendin and Bodin 63

37. Balendin and Egil 79

38. Firelight 85

39. A Moment 93

40. A chance 95

41. A terrible thing 97

42. Escape 103

Prologue

Egil was above her, his face drained of all color, his teeth gritted as he struggled to hold her. His right hand gripped painfully into her left wrist.

“Don’t look down Bodin! I’ve got you!” and as Egil said this, Bodin dropped a couple of inches. He slid further towards the edge.

Bodin swung slowly, her feet dangling into the blackness. But she wasn’t afraid. She closed her eyes and saw the flowers encircling the castle. She felt a calm certainty. This was supposed to happen. She looked up at Egil. His eyes were tight shut. His breath forced in steam through his clenched teeth. She could feel him straining to pull her up. His other hand was dug into the snow, trying to stop them both from falling.

Bodin looked around her; the white of the snow, Egil above her and below her, darkness. The darkness was waiting.

“Egil,” Bodin called softly. “It’s ok. You can let me go.”

Egil’s eyes opened wide and as he did so, he slid a bit further over the edge.

Bodin could hear his feet and other hand scrabbling for a hold.

“I won’t let you go! Try and use your other hand to reach the top. I can swing you.” With an effort that caused him to cry out in pain, he swung Bodin to the left. The movement dragged him further forward.

“Egil. You can let me go. It’s all right. I’ve seen this. I am supposed to fall. I will be all right.”

She looked into his terrified eyes. Water squeezed from his eyes and froze to his cheek.

“I can’t hold you Bodin! My gods, I can’t hold you.”

“Egil. Let go!”

“No Bodin! We can make it. Come on!” Egil tried with one huge pull to swing Bodin up, but beneath him the snow gave way and then, as one, they fell, spinning from the mountain and into darkness.

Bodin falls. Darkness. Then. Sunlight pierces her and when she twists, she sees the light that has gone through her, split into fading colors that blend once more into whiteness. She has no breath to breathe and doesn’t feel the need.

A ray of light, warm and seductive, washes over her. She feels its heat stroking her, unravelling her substance. But it’s right. It’s good to be unraveled; to start to break apart. She sees Egil. He fractures into green and glowing Stoft. Kindness. Bravery. Heart. His smile drifts one way. His eyes, so full of concern, drift another. They mix with other Stoft. Bodin realizes the Stoft are herself. She wants to laugh. Has no mouth. And those Stoft of her go different ways. Some fall down towards the trees and others drift upwards. She can dance with the Stoft of her. She can flow with the Stoft of Egil. She can slow them falling. She can breathe them and be breathed in to winds that flow. She is the wind. She is the breath. Slow. Float. Fall. Rise. Bodin sighs and…

Opens her eyes.

Summoned

The sun was completely gone now. Far, far above her, Bodin could see the snow-covered top of the mountain they had fallen from. It looked as though it touched the sky. Nothing could survive that fall.

She was lying in soft, thick grass. Egil was standing over her, but he was not alone. Flanking him were two soldiers dressed in red robes and plumed helmets. She caught Egil’s eye.

Egil said, “They’re not with Balendin. They’ve come to take us to a castle.”

He bent down and offered her a hand. She took it and got to her feet.

One of the soldiers was looking at her. His eyes cold and empty.

“Come,” he said and both soldiers turned and walked away.

“How did we survive that fall?” Egil said, his voice shaky. “How did you know we wouldn’t die?”

“I don’t know. I just… knew.” Bodin closed her eyes, remembering.

Egil dissolving to Stoft and her floating but not. What had happened? It was like a Moment, but different. Real.

“My bag is gone. Our food! Where is my bag? Egil, what’s going on? How could these soldiers find us?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t say. I know as much as you do. They woke me up, said I should follow them to a castle and then they woke you.”

“A castle? Egil, I saw a castle in a dream. I think it’s where we will find the Magesmith. He must have sent these soldiers to find us.”

“Well, let’s catch them up. If they wanted to hurt us, they could have done so before. And don’t worry about your bag. If there’s a castle, then there must be food. Come on Bodin, hurry.”

The soldiers were walking at a brisk pace up a small hill. They didn’t turn to see if Bodin and Egil were following.

“Egil, something is wrong here. These soldiers don’t feel right.”

Egil ran up the hill. He turned. “Bodin you wanted a castle and there it is!”

Bodin ran to catch up and, as she got to the top of the hill, she saw something that took her breath away. It was the castle she had seen in her Moment, but it wasn’t the same. This castle looked newly built. It was tall and black in the fading light. Magnificent turrets flew banners of green and gold. The soldiers started down the hill.

“It looks different Egil. I still think something is wrong.”

“Come on Bodin. We are here. Let’s go in, find the King or the Magesmith or whatever, sort out this Big Spell stuff and then go home as heroes.”

Egil ran down the hill to catch up with the soldiers. Bodin shook her head. Whatever her bad feeling was, this was the castle she had seen encircled with daisies. She was supposed to find this place. Bodin jogged down the hill.

Close up, the castle was even more impressive. Above them, the thick stone walls stretched to the skies. A dark moat circled the fortress, and the huge drawbridge was down, its wood tarnished black and smooth.

“Our king asked us to bring you here. Please enter,” said one of the soldiers. And without another word they turned and jogged away, keeping time with each other’s steps.

“Thank you very much,” called Egil after them and then to Bodin. “Nice soldiers. I like the helmets. Very professional looking.” Egil looked ahead into the courtyard of the castle. “Well, I guess we go in and introduce ourselves.”

Egil strode ahead over the drawbridge. Bodin started to call to him; to stop him from going in, but where else could they go? She followed him in.

The courtyard was magnificent. A huge fountain made of twists and spirals of a metal Bodin didn’t recognize, stood in the middle. Sunlight reflected in the metal giving it a radiant quality. Water spurted high and crashed down to a sparkly silver pool. The dark stones of the surrounding walls were covered in red and yellow creeping plants and little purple and white flowers grew between the massive marble slabs of the floor. The air was thick with a sweet smell – jasmine and citrus. Ahead of them was a bulky carved wooden door and, as their eyes fell on it, it swung silently open.

“I guess that’s where we go in,” said Egil.

“Yes. Let’s go find this king and see if he can help us find the Magesmith,” replied Bodin.

MAGESMITH, BO AND EG

BOOK 2: LIES, DEATH AND MAGIC

Hot magic. The source of creation. The source of power.

“Outside of Time and Space, I exist. Some call me Spell. Others call me Law.”

Bodin and Egil have escaped from Balendin’s army. They are not much closer to the truth. Somewhere out there is a powerful Magesmith who may help them find The Big Spell.

Book 2 in the Magesmith series

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Copyright

2024 by Andy Coombs & Sara Scho

by Liber AB