The King's Spy (The Augur's Eye Book 2) Read online

  Book Two

  By

  Guy Antibes

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Author’s Note

  Map of the World of Fortia

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Augur’s Eye Characters & Locations

  Excerpt from chapter one of The Queen’s Pet

  A Bit About Guy

  Books by Guy Antibes

  Copyright Page

  The King’s Spy Copyright ©2021 Guy Antibes. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the permission of the author.

  ~

  This is a work of fiction. There are no real locations used in the book; the people, settings, and specific places are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual persons, locations, or places are purely coincidental.

  Published by CasiePress LLC in Salt Lake City, UT, September 2021.

  www.casiepress.com

  ISBN:

  Cover Design: Kenneth Cassell

  Book Design: Kenneth Cassell

  Editing: Amy Hoffman

  Principal Reader: Bev Cassell

  ~

  Author’s Note

  ~

  The King’s Spy was fun to write. Most of the action takes place in Perisia where we get a good dose of pixie culture. Deechie remains a thorn in Whit’s side. This is the start of the Augur’s Eye retrieval adventures. There are more to come after this one.

  — Guy Antibes

  Map of the World of Fortia

  Book Two

  Chapter One

  ~

  W hit pressed his lips together as he sat in the lecture hall, looking down at Greeb Deechie, who was just anointed as his expedition’s advisor from the College of Magic. He looked at Laring Gambol frowning and rubbing the stubble on his gnomish chin.

  “I’d consider that the College of Magic has thrown a gauntlet at our feet,” the professor of mechanical engineering said.

  “If gauntlets were permitted in Ayce,” Whit said. “It is more of a slap in the face or a thumb in the eye.”

  Argien chuckled in the seat behind him. “At least you haven’t totally lost your sense of humor,” the angel said.

  Whit turned to his friend. “Did you see the thumb across his throat?”

  “Is that what that was? I thought he was throwing you a kiss but missed his lips,” Argien said.

  “We don’t have to take his advice,” Laring Gambol said.

  “We? You are still coming on the expedition?” Whit asked.

  “I don’t see why not. Someone needs to remind Deechie that not everyone returns from a quest,” the gnome said, leaning back in his seat.

  “As long as he doesn’t bring an entourage,” Fistian Torque, the big gnome, was sitting on the other side of Laring Gambol.

  Whit sighed. “We will have to exercise our creativity in keeping certain pieces of information from him.”

  “Anything we say will go directly to the magic college’s team seeking the Augur’s Eye components just like us,” Argien said.

  “And the strategy becomes clear,” Whit said. “His appointment is meant to give the College of Magic opportunities to sabotage our quest and spy for the other team. Do we have any chance of getting someone else?”

  Gambol laughed. “Whoever the magic college assigns will be doing the same thing. Deechie isn’t the only person who can make lives difficult for people.”

  “We all will learn to do that for a certain human,” Whit vowed as he clenched his fist.

  Whit immediately walked out of the lecture hall as soon as the announcements were finished and gathered his team together inside the exercise hall on the next terrace where Laring Gambol usually conducted his gnomish fighting practices.

  “Deechie is not a member of the team but a spy for the competition. Do not speak to him about any of our strategies. Unfortunately, I was going to give you a lot more information about our trek after we were accepted, but I’m going to cut that down, because anything I hand out will go directly to the competition,” Whit said.

  “But they will still know where we are going,” Razz Potrian said, the quartermaster and guide of the team.

  “They could find that out anyway by having someone follow us,” Laring said, “but I think Whit is right. We will have to resort to verbal briefings until we find a way to scare Deechie off.”

  Whit sighed again for the fortieth time. “If he gets too bad, we can withdraw from the competition, but the quest will continue even if I have to spend all my money to do it.”

  Laring patted Whit on the shoulder. “Let’s not make it come to that,” the gnome said.

  They walked out after deciding when to meet next and where. Greeb Deechie, the human who was Whit’s bane at Herringbone University, stepped up.

  “Talking behind my back?” Deechie asked.

  “Yes, and you’d better get used to it,” Sedge Oriole said, “or…” he drew his thumb across his throat, mimicking Deechie’s gesture in the lecture hall.

  “Don’t think you can threaten me,” Deechie said.

  “I’ll think what I want,” Sedge said. “I’m not a College of Magic student.”

  Laring stepped between the two. “You have to understand we do not trust you, Greeb Deechie,” he said. “I’m on the team and will still participate in the expedition. If you don’t threaten us, we won’t threaten you.”

  “I don’t have to worry about you,” Deechie said with a sneer, pulling a paper from within his robe. “Sergeant Oriole is not permitted to participate. The College of Magic evaluation committee disqualified him. His cousin is on a competing team.”

  “That’s not fair!” Sedge said. “I was on Whit’s team before my cousin.”

  Deechie lifted his chin. “I will decide what is fair on this team or not.”

  “No, you won’t,” Gambol said. “I’ve read the rules as I’m sure you have. Whit and I will let you in on some of the decisions, but not all. I can’t stop you from disqualifying Sedge, but I wouldn’t concern yourself about doing much advising.”

  “However, if you come up with any good ideas that will help us, I’ll listen,” Whit said, not meaning it, but he didn’t see a way to get Deechie off his team, and they would all have to live with the human for months. “Let’s sit on the bench over there. The team knows when we will meet tomorrow.”

  After saying goodbye to the rest, including the dejected Sedge Oriole, Whit and Gambol sat down with Deechie between them. The human didn’t look very comfortable, and that was intentional.

  “Everything you need to know is in the application,” Laring Gambol said. “We take our directions from Whit, who is our leader. Since you are t
he advisor, I formally step aside and join the team as a regular member.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Deechie said. “I’d simply prefer that you stay in Herringbone.”

  “That is advice I won’t be following, I’m afraid,” Whit said. “Laring’s background is mechanical engineering, and we need someone who can tell us how everything fits together, and if we need to fabricate a part, Professor Gambol can design it and tell us how to best assemble the components we find.”

  Deechie looked like he had been sucking on a lemon. “I’ll have to talk to the committee about having another professor along.”

  “Having multiple faculty members isn’t an issue,” Gambol said. “I went over all the teams, and some teams have four faculty members. We have three, including you.”

  Whit smiled, but Deechie didn’t even seem fazed by it. “We were looking to fill a team slot with a human, and it looks like the College of Magic has helped us out,” Whit said.

  The sour look didn’t stop. Whit gave Deechie the time and place for the next team meeting. “We are going to hash out the specific time of departure and our first few stops. As you read in the application, Razz Potrian schedules routes for his family business, so we have an expert on the team.”

  Deechie frowned but stood up and nodded. “I’ll be there. Don’t do anything without me.”

  Gambol and Whit didn’t reply and let the magician walk away. They sat down again.

  “We are going to set up another meeting?” Laring asked.

  Whit shook his head. “I’ll talk to everyone individually. I don’t want Deechie to know about the enchanted pages. I thought he would ask how we knew what the Augur’s Eye looked like, but he didn’t. Can I give you an assignment, Professor?”

  Gambol grinned. “Anything you say, Taskmaster.”

  He thought about sniffing around opposing scout teams before playing them, and he would do the same to their expedition competitors. “See if you can get a copy of the competing team’s application. We might as well know as much as we can about the team Deechie is really on. I’m sure Barine Jarkian is a member.”

  ~

  Whit sat at his desk in the sitting room of his flat in Glory Bache’s boarding house when Canis, Glory’s husband, sauntered in and sat in one of the easy chairs.

  “Are you almost ready to go?” Canis asked.

  Whit waved the stack of papers. “Last minute purchases. We won’t get our funding from the university for another week, and I’m not going to wait days to make sure we have what we need.”

  “Good point,” Canis said. He took an envelope from an inside coat pocket and tossed it on the desk. “I have written down a list of things I’d like you to investigate while you are wandering around Fortia.”

  “I’m not going on my expedition for you,” Whit said, getting a little irritated by the timing as much as the imposition.

  Canis leaned forward in his chair. “There are some things afoot in and around Ayce, and the king is concerned. Yetti already knows there is a list, but she doesn’t know what is on it.”

  “I can’t put my team in danger,” Whit said, now knowing the real reason Canis sponsored Yetti, not that it was a surprise.

  “You won’t see much danger when you’ve read what I’d like you to do. Most of the information, you’ll pick up as a matter of course.”

  “What is in it for me?” Whit asked.

  “You’ve got a beautiful house with some special rooms put in at the king’s expense. That is a down payment. The king will pay for whatever comes out of your pocket when you are finished with your project. How does that sound?”

  Whit picked up the envelope and resisted the temptation to read what was inside while Canis looked on. He was sure the spy enjoyed watching people’s reactions, and Whit wouldn’t be feeding that desire.

  “I’ll do what I can.”

  Canis shrugged. “That is all that I can ask. You can share the list with Yetti, and I would guess you can have her complete most of the items. I will be expecting reports soon after you complete each part. Those will need to be written by you since you are now trained in political geography.”

  “I didn’t take those classes to be your spy,” Whit said sharply.

  Canis gave Whit a chilling smile. “You aren’t my spy, Whit. You can now consider yourself the king’s spy.”

  ~

  Whit maintained his anger when he walked into a private room at an inn that Razz had arranged to leave from. Gambol and Torius Pott were examining supplies piled on a banquet table. Everyone had spent the day learning how to drive a carriage. Whit wasn’t too sure about Yetti, but at least she had tried without complaining.

  “You don’t look excited about leaving,” Gambol said.

  Whit pursed his lips. “I’ve been asked to do something for a friend of mine in the government.”

  “That Bache fellow?” the gnome professor asked.

  Whit nodded. “He wants me to contact people in various countries.”

  “And do what?” Torius asked. “I thought Canis was benign.”

  Whit shrugged his shoulders. “He still might be. All I could see was that I was to meet them, size them up, and report what I think,” he said. “Same goes for the state of the country.”

  That was all he really knew, but Whit guessed there would be more involved. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Yetti about it, but he would before they left. Canis wouldn’t have been so insistent if the set of tasks were benign. He looked down at the equipment. There was no use worrying about that now.

  Fistian walked in, lugging a bulging bag. “This is the metalworking stuff.”

  Whit watched Fistian remove it from the bag on another table. Gambol joined them.

  “That is most of what we need. With the special metalworking equipment, we will be able to recreate most of what we find should we not be able to remove a component from a country. All we will need is any blacksmith’s forge, and we can pay to rent one.”

  “Assuming you get the proper permission,” Torius said.

  “Assuming we don’t get the permission, as well,” Gambol said with a grin. “I can create an accurate drawing, and Fistian can do the heavy work. All it will take is some time.”

  “Time that we might not have,” Whit said. He noticed that Fistian held his breath, not liking what he heard Whit say. “But it’s better to be prepared than not.” Whit’s comment mollified the gnomish metallurgist.

  Deechie walked through the door. Everyone held their breath when the human magician arrived unexpected and unannounced.

  “So, this is where you are. Were you ever planning on telling me?” Deechie said without even the hint of a greeting.

  “We were, but you are an advisor, not a team member,” Gambol said. “We are leaving tomorrow after an early lunch. Our first night is an inn half-a-day away. You don’t have to eat with us, but we won’t be waiting for you.”

  “I deserve more respect than that,” Deechie said.

  Whit laughed. “Deserve? After you were foisted on us by the College of Magic? You will have to earn our respect. Until that happens, you are tolerated.”

  “You can’t talk to me like that.”

  “He just did, Greeb Deechie,” Torius Pott said. “I won’t be going, myself, so I will have to be content to cheer them on from afar.”

  Deechie looked at the equipment piled on the tables. “Don’t you just need clothes and backpacks?”

  “That is all you need,” Torius said. “Whit’s team is embarking on an expedition and won’t know what will confront them as they search for the Eye’s parts. Success is made surer by superior preparation.”

  Deechie walked around the room. “I’ll be here exactly at midday. Don’t leave without me.” He looked at the tables again before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

  “Want to bet he is heading over to the competing team and telling them what to bring with them?” Gambol said with a grin.

  “They can take whateve
r they wish, but unless someone on their team knows how to use what you take, the extra equipment just takes up useless space,” Torius said.

  Whit nodded. “I think we will need to talk about our strategy. I’m sure Deechie is going to tell the other team to follow us. A little craftiness never hurt, did it?”

  Torius smiled. “Never. You should run over to Razz’s office and come up with an alternate plan.”

  Whit looked at Gambol, who nodded.

  ~

  Whit walked in on Razz arguing with an unpleasant-looking sky elf in her thirties, Whit guessed. She made Barine look like sweetness and light in comparison.

  “My cousin Eggia Marcian,” Razz said. He looked at his cousin who peered disapprovingly at Whit. “This is the mud elf you are associating with this summer?”

  “He is the one,” Razz said. “Whit is a better scout player than I am, and he is a much better magician.”

  The woman grunted. “He is all yours,” she said as she left the room.

  Razz laughed. “I don’t know who she referred to as ‘he,’” Razz said. “I suppose we have each other.”

  “And the rest of the team, of course,” Whit said.

  “Definitely,” Razz said. “I’ve told her all she’s willing to hear. My grandfather is going to have a lively time working with the other side of the family. My father gave his notice yesterday. He told me that going on the expedition couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m afraid there won’t be much of a business left when we return.”

  “What will you do?”

  “If my father isn’t asked to pick up the pieces, he will start a competing firm. He knows I’m good at what I do.”

  “Then let’s put it to the test,” Whit said. “Deechie looked at the equipment Professor Gambol had been sorting through and ran out of the room.”

  “And right to the competition?”

  Whit nodded. “They could follow us. Is there a way to ditch them?”

  “The plan we submitted had the simple parts to retrieve.” Razz pulled out a map that had lots of notations on it. “We were heading to Tarash, but what if we left the main road north where we spend tomorrow night and head on this road to Perisia. That has three parts on your list and rumors of an important fourth somewhere else in the country.”