The Ancient Gate (The War For Ezryn Book 1) - R.S. Penney

The Ancient Gate (The War For Ezryn Book 1) by R.S. Penney

Book excerpt

The City of Bekala

Desa Nin Leean was happy.

Basking in the warm sunlight that came through her living room window, she watched her son Brendan crawling across the hardwood floor. The child had a smile that melted her heart, and he giggled as he scampered up to her feet. With black hair and slightly tilted eyes, Brendan resembled her partner Kalia, though, in truth, neither she nor Kalia had carried the boy to term.

Sometimes, she wondered what she would say when her son started asking about his birth parents. It wouldn’t take long for Brendan to realize that he and Desa looked nothing alike. She had a darker, olive complexion and features that were more common among people from the east coast. Brendan, on the other hand, would fit right in here on the western plains.

Seated in her mother’s old rocking chair with a blanket folded over her lap, Desa leaned forward to greet her son with a smile. “Hi there,” she murmured, picking him up. “I’m going to have to start locking all the cupboards. Pretty soon, you’ll have the run of the house.”

Brendan pawed at her nose.

Chuckling, Desa shook her head violently, strands of brown hair whipping across her face. “Agh, no!” she said, blinking. “We don’t grab Mama’s nose.”

Desa held the boy close with his head resting on her shoulder, and he mumbled as she bounced him. Any moment now, he would drift off, and she would put him down for his afternoon nap. She never had a hard time putting him to sleep. Kalia kept insisting that she must have a magic touch.

Thinking of the other woman made her appear.

Kalia emerged from the bedroom in a simple, white dress with short sleeves. After nine years together, she was still every bit as ravishing as she had been the day they met. Long, brown hair framed a perfect face with a delicate nose and eyes that sparkled. “You’ve got him settled?” she asked, checking the clock on the wall.

“He’ll be fine,” Desa promised. “Go to your meeting.”

Shuffling across the room, Kalia bent to retrieve a leather bag full of documents. Ten years ago, she had been the sheriff of a backwater town in the middle of a desert that no sane woman would visit even if you paid her a wagon full of gold. Now, Kalia sat on the council of a bustling metropolis. Some people believed that, within twenty years, Bekala would become the largest and most influential city in the Northern Hemisphere. The schematics that Kalia carried in that bag were a big part of why.

“You think they’ll approve the plans?” Desa asked.

Standing up straight, Kalia brushed the hair out of her face. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “They keep talking about charging people for access to the electric grid.”

Desa frowned. “I thought we agreed that electricity would be free for all of our citizens.”

“Yes, but then the Dawnchaser Coalition decided that our fair city would be the perfect venue to conduct their research into new transportation technology. They want to replace the steam engine with some kind of electric version. They built a track out on the plains, and they keep trying to run their new train. The southwest quarter experiences brownouts every time they do.”

Slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder, Kalia shot a glance toward Desa. “Mr. Tormun insists that we should expand the grid, but that costs money. So, we get into these debates about whether we should charge people.”

“I assume you told him that the wellbeing of our citizens takes precedence over any…technological research.”

Exhaling roughly, Kalia spun on Desa with a frown that said they would be having an uncomfortable conversation. “You need to be on the Council! I’ve been saying it for years!”

“I have no desire to be a politician.”

“I’m pretty sure you had no desire to spend fifteen years hunting down a murderer, but you did that without complaint.”

“Those were different circumstances.” The murderer in question had used Field Binding to commit his crimes. The Great Art of Aladar, the legacy of Desa’s people, was the ability to Infuse inanimate objects with the power to manipulate the fundamental forces of nature.

Desa had taught Bendarian to harness that power, and thus it became her responsibility to stop him when he misused it.

Kalia bent over, pressing a soft kiss to Desa’s forehead. She pulled away, batting her eyes, and then caressed Brendan’s cheek. “Just think about it.”

She turned to go, disappearing into the kitchen. “And eat something before you go to class!”

The baby was sound asleep now. Desa carried him back to his bedroom, setting him down in his crib. He barely made a sound as she pulled a blanket over his tiny body. What she wouldn’t give to just stay here in her quiet little house, to spend an afternoon reading and listening to Brendan sleep. But she had obligations to fulfill.

Founding a town with the specific intention of providing a better life for everyone who lived there was somehow enough to convince people that you should be in some kind of leadership position. She was just glad that they were willing to let her teach Field Binding at the Academy instead of forcing her into a political role. Kalia wasn’t the first person to suggest that Desa should serve on the Council.

The kitchen was a small room with an electric stove in the corner and a table that supported a vase full of colourful flowers. The sink had been acting up recently. Kalia insisted that it took too long to drain. Well, maybe it did, but after fifteen years in the wilderness, Desa was still grateful to have running water.

Checking the clock, she noted the time. Sali, the young woman she had hired to watch Brendan while she was at work, should be here any moment now. A positively fiendish idea occurred to Desa.

She made herself one with the Ether, the universal energy field that gave a Field Binder their power. The world transformed before her eyes, solid objects becoming a sea of vibrating particles.

Wrapped in the Ether’s embrace, she could see through walls and track the people walking past on the street. She could sense Brendan in his crib and know with perfect certainty that he was safe. She could even scan the pipes for whatever might be causing the sink to malfunction. Sure enough, she found a blockage in the drain.

Hmm…

If she could Infuse the pipe with an excess of kinetic energy, it might be enough to clear the obstruction. On the other hand, it might cause the pipe to burst. Perhaps it would be best to consult a plumber first.

She let her mind drift to the sidewalk and found Sali climbing the steps that led to her porch. Excellent.

Desa released the Ether, turning on her heel and marching to the door. She pulled it open before Sali could knock, causing the young woman to jump. “Almighty! Mrs. Kincaid! You startled me!”

It rankled Desa that people still called her by her late husband’s name. Not that she bore any ill will toward Martin. He had been a good man, but the marriage had been one of convenience, a means for him to leave his assets to her after he passed.

Desa’s people did not use surnames; so, anyone who did got flustered when they realized that they didn’t know what to call her. If anything, she should be Desa Troval, but the ridiculous customs of Eradia insisted that a woman should take her husband’s last name and not the other way around. What did you do when there was no husband?

“It’s all right, Sali. Come in.”

The young woman was somewhat plump with a pale face and blonde hair that she wore tied back. “Thank you,” she said, shuffling through the door. “How is the little angel?”

Shutting the door, Desa leaned against it with her arms folded. “Sleeping,” she said with a shrug. “He should be down for most of the afternoon. Kalia will be back in a few hours; so, you’ll have the evening to yourself.”

Pausing in the middle of the kitchen, Sali spun around to favour Desa with a smile. “Oh, I never mind spending time with Brendan! He’s such a good boy! Enjoy your day, Mrs. Kincaid. I’m sure the students are looking forward to their lesson.”

Desa sighed. “Of course they are.” It was the first day of a new term, and she just so happened to be saddled with the most popular – and most dangerous – course at the Academy. Every year, it was the same thing: two dozen adolescents gathered in her classroom with far too much enthusiasm and ridiculous dreams about going on adventures.