A New Light (The Astral Wanderer Book 1) by D'Artagnan Rey (best romance ebooks txt) 📗

fist toward his young adversary’s face. Devol’s Anima flared quickly to life but he was careful to control it and use only enough to protect himself. The crowd hollered and gasped as the punch landed and the drunk smiled when it connected. A second later, his expression changed to one of shock when he realized that the young Magi was unmoved. “What the hells?” He scowled as he moved his fist away from the boy, who now stared at him with surprising calm.

“Three.” Devol finished the count, allowed his Anima to surge, and launched a charged fist into the warrior’s gut. His adversary uttered a pained shout as saliva spattered from his mouth. His feet lifted and he careened down the street, made a clumsy landing, and skidded along the cobblestones before he came to a stop in front of a group of guards who ran toward the town center.

The crowd stood in silent shock for a few moments and the boy let his Anima fade. As he composed himself, the spectators began to clap for him along with nods and shouts of approval to congratulate him on his victory. He waved a hand sheepishly to them in thanks as Jazai and Asla stepped beside him. The diviner clapped him on the shoulder. “Nice work, man. You’ve gotten the hang of Anima quickly.”

“Thanks. That week of training helped. I would probably have summoned too much without proper control. He would have known something was up even without knowing anything about Anima.”

“Or you might have killed him,” his friend pointed out “That was also possible.”

“It is a little sad,” Asla said as three of the guards dragged the warrior out of the street. “If he was speaking the truth, being able to survive this long as a mercenary without proper Mana training shows that he at least has good instincts and some discipline. What a waste.”

“If we’re done here,” Jazai began and stretched before he pointed at the inn. “Let’s go finish our meals before they get cold.”

“You there!” Devol turned as a guard ran toward them. “Are you the one who fought that ruffian?”

“Me?” he asked and pointed to himself. “I am.”

“Ah, come on guardsman!” a man shouted from the crowd. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna bring him in for that. He stopped him from causing more of a ruckus.”

“No, no, nothing like that,” the guard stated as he stopped in front of the three youngsters. “I need a report, and the guardsmen who initially confronted him are…well…” He and the young swordsman glanced to where another of his comrades walked up to the two the drunk warrior had knocked unconscious. “Probably not in the right headspace at the moment. I need to ask a couple of quick questions.”

“Oh, all right.” He nodded and gestured to Jazai and Asla. “It’s all right guys. I’ll be back soon.”

“Works for me.” The young diviner turned to stroll casually into the inn.

Asla fretted for a moment before she inclined her head in agreement and followed the other boy inside. “I’ll make sure they bring more bread for you.”

“Sounds good!” he called to her before he turned to talk to the guard. The other two men were escorted away for treatment as the crowd began to disperse and return to their activities. The man asked his questions quickly and seemed rather surprised that a young boy was able to hurl a large man like that away with one punch. Fortunately, he seemed more knowledgeable about the applications of Mana than the warrior so it was not too much of a stretch for him. He thanked him for his assistance but stated that the next time something like that happened, to summon the guards instead. They did not want civilians to potentially get hurt.

Devol nodded and waved as he left. Two guardsmen approached the ax and studied it cautiously. They probably needed to confiscate it given that it had been used in a crime.

He had taken a couple of steps toward the inn to join his friends when he felt an odd sensation like a mist enveloping him. He recalled a similar, albeit heavier feeling before with Vaust. This was Anima. Hastily, he looked over his shoulder and across the town center and his gaze settled on a figure that seemed to stare directly at him. He couldn’t make out many details from this far away other than purple-colored hair.

The figure slid into an alley and he hesitated as he considered calling the others, then changed his mind. He didn’t know who this person was. Perhaps it was the carrier? They did not call the password, though, so maybe it was too busy in the town center and they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves.

Instinctively, he reactivated his Anima and the heavy feeling dispersed as soon as his was summoned. This did not feel quite as strong as Vaust’s, but perhaps the stranger was deliberately hiding it. Well, there was a direct way to find out. He marched toward the alley and while the claustrophobic feeling from before was gone, he could not shake an ill sensation.

His hand hovered close to his blade. This mission might not be so simple after all.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Excuse me?” Devol called as he entered the alley. It was shadowed but the afternoon sun allowed sufficient light and he could see no one within. “Is someone here?” He took a few more tentative steps and looked around for signs of movement. The thoroughfare was as straight as an arrow. There were some skinny crevices, perhaps, but nothing for anyone to hide behind and he moved forward.

As he reached the halfway point, he felt nauseous and his hand moved from the grip of his sword to his head. He steadied himself and breathed deeply. His stomach felt like it was in knots. It could be the food, he reasoned, but he had been fine a moment before.

“A wonderful display back there,” a charming, light voice proclaimed playfully. When he looked