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Thais Soter

Faculty of Combat Magic. Difficult relationships

© T. Sauter, 2017

© Design. AST Publishing House LLC, 2017

Instead of a prologue

A year ago I had everything I needed for happy life. Your own home in the capital, a diploma as an artifact designer, an invitation to teach at the university. And I also had a fiance. Martin Schäfner, head of the Imperial Security Service. A caring, faithful, understanding man who soon became my husband. And even though “they lived happily ever after” is possible only in fairy tales, then I believed that our marriage would be strong. After all, we loved each other.

How did it happen that now I was forced to go into the unknown, with a completely different man, and even in the ninth month of pregnancy? Failure, punishment for making wrong decisions, retribution for Martin's arrogance and my naivety... Or, perhaps, it is love that forces me to commit monstrous acts with the most sincere intentions.

I felt something was wrong on the train. The lower abdomen was tight, the dull pain in the back became so strong that it was no longer possible to fall asleep. After turning around a little on the narrow bed, I finally sat down. I wanted to go to the toilet again. How many times a night already? I looked at my companion, wondering if it was worth waking him up so that he would escort me to the end of the car, where the amenities were located, and decided not to touch it. Corbyn hardly slept anyway last days.

Having risen with difficulty, she gasped, feeling wetness running down her legs. This was already serious. The alchemist immediately opened his eyes and sat up.

“Is everything okay, Sophie?”

- It seems it has begun.

A little out of time. Bad timing. I was hoping I had at least another week. Corbyn repeated incomprehensibly:

- Has it started? - Then his eyes widened: - How did this start?! It takes us a day to get there!

“I’m afraid the child doesn’t know this.” Should I ask him to wait? – asked, hiding fear behind sarcasm.

Richter took several deep breaths, calming down.

“I can handle this,” he said decisively, convincing himself of this more than me.

- Of course you can handle it. It's not for you to give birth on a train.

A spasm twisted the body, the breath was taken away. But the desire to take out my irritation on Richter immediately passed. I leaned my hands on the wall of the carriage, waiting for the painful sensations to disappear. Richter soothingly stroked my shoulders and back, and the warmth of his hands really made me feel better.

- Should I help you lie down? – he asked carefully.

She smiled crookedly.

- I’d better wait. This way your back hurts less.

“Then I’ll look for a guide.” Perhaps there is a healer or doctor on the train.

Having abandoned the irrational desire not to let the alchemist leave her, she nodded.

He was gone for a monstrously long time. During this time, I managed to get to the toilet stall, return, change clothes and experience another attack of contractions. The pain came in a wave, covered the hips and went to the stomach, which became hard.

Along with Richter, not only the sleepy and slightly drunk guide returned, but also an elderly lady who introduced herself as Frau Gunteg. Her husband, who died several years ago, was a village doctor, whom she often helped deliver babies. Having kicked the men out into the corridor, Frau asked me a few questions about the onset and frequency of contractions, felt my stomach, and watched me.

“You’ve barely started, and you’re already breathing as if the baby is about to appear,” the woman said disapprovingly. – You are a sorceress, right? That's what your husband told me.

- Yes. I'm an artifacter.

Realizing that she was tired, she lay down on her side, clasping her huge belly with her hands and instinctively stroking it, trying to calm the child inside herself. I was not a mentalist, but now I felt the child's anxiety. He was just as scared now as I was.

“Then you must understand that it won’t be easy for you.” You get used to the strength that ferments in your blood, and when you lose it, you become weaker ordinary people. When did the magic disappear completely?

The sooner the expectant mother, if she was magically gifted, lost her abilities, the more powerful the child’s talent was supposed to develop in the future. On average, this happened at the beginning or middle of the third trimester, for some even a week before giving birth. Over the past months, I have more than once regretted that I am not one of those women. Life without magic, and even in not very comfortable conditions far from home, sometimes seemed unbearable. But when I first felt the baby move in my belly and began to realize that I would soon actually become a mother, my attitude began to change. There was not a faceless creature inside me making me weak and ugly. No, it was my child, flesh of flesh and blood of blood. And he also received his gift from me... or from my husband. I didn’t really want to admit the latter, but I almost accepted that, perhaps, the baby would not become an artifactor.

- So what are you doing on the road then? “Frau Gunteg shook her head in frustration: “You can’t give birth without proper supervision and care, especially when you are so weakened.” And where is your husband looking? It’s good that labor has just begun, and in an hour there will be a stop in Delva. You will get out there and go to the hospital.

- What if I don’t have time?

“You have time,” Frau reassured me. “They should last until morning, or even longer.” I will explain everything to your husband. And forgive my curiosity, is he also a sorcerer?

- Alchemist. And what?

– His glasses surprised him. When I first saw him, I decided that he was blind, but then I realized that I was mistaken.

Richter had too noticeable eyes, and we avoided attention. So he was forced to wear tinted glasses indoors, despite the inconvenience.

– My husband injured his eyes during the experiment. Now he can see, but for now he has to wear additional protection at night,” I lied for the umpteenth time.

People were afraid of Corbin, not even knowing that he was an elemental magician, as if on a subconscious level they sensed how dangerous he was. That's why all the questions about Corbyn were asked to me. After my pregnancy became noticeable, people's attitude towards me completely changed. Older women showed participation, children showed sincere and unclouded interest. But for men I ceased to exist at all, not counting those moments when they considered it necessary to help me. And even then they did it awkwardly, avoiding looking me in the eyes or speaking, as if if they did this, I would never get away from them. I'm not at all used to this. Only Corbin Richter looked at me the same way. It's as if nothing has changed between us. As if I was still his student.

We decided to get off in Delva, a small town, but not so small that there was no hospital in it, but a telephone at the railway station. Well, I’m lucky that progress has reached the north of Graydor, since several years ago this technical miracle was unheard of outside the capital. And now there were as many as five telephones in this city - and one of them, fortunately, was in the hospital.

Faculty of Combat Magic. Difficult relationships Thais Soter

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Name: Faculty of Combat Magic. Difficult relationships

About the book “Faculty of Combat Magic. Difficult relationships" Thais Soter

It is not easy to become an exemplary life partner, especially when you are an ambitious sorceress with huge plans for the future, and your husband is Martin Shefner, the powerful head of the Security Service. And when can one learn to be exemplary, when one’s own studies and an equally powerful mentor are just around the corner? And the young battle mages also decided to test the strength of the seemingly weak sorceress...

Will Sophie's feelings for her husband be that strong? Will she create an artifact worthy of the Werner family? Will Martin be able to understand in time that in his desire to protect his beloved, he may lose her trust?..

Their relationship will not be simple until they understand why they should be together.

On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online book“Faculty of Combat Magic. Complex Relationships" by Thais Soter in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. Buy full version you can from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers there is a separate section with useful tips and recommendations, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.

Thais Soter

Faculty of Combat Magic. Difficult relationships

© T. Sauter, 2017

© Design. AST Publishing House LLC, 2017

Instead of a prologue

A year ago I had everything I needed for a happy life. Your own home in the capital, a diploma as an artifact designer, an invitation to teach at the university. And I also had a fiance. Martin Schäfner, head of the Imperial Security Service. A caring, faithful, understanding man who soon became my husband. And even though “they lived happily ever after” is possible only in fairy tales, then I believed that our marriage would be strong. After all, we loved each other.

How did it happen that now I was forced to go into the unknown, with a completely different man, and even in the ninth month of pregnancy? Failure, punishment for making wrong decisions, retribution for Martin's arrogance and my naivety... Or, perhaps, it is love that forces me to commit monstrous acts with the most sincere intentions.

I felt something was wrong on the train. The lower abdomen was tight, the dull pain in the back became so strong that it was no longer possible to fall asleep. After turning around a little on the narrow bed, I finally sat down. I wanted to go to the toilet again. How many times a night already? I looked at my companion, wondering if it was worth waking him up so that he would escort me to the end of the car, where the amenities were located, and decided not to touch it. Corbyn hasn't slept much these days.

Having risen with difficulty, she gasped, feeling wetness running down her legs. This was already serious. The alchemist immediately opened his eyes and sat up.

“Is everything okay, Sophie?”

- It seems it has begun.

A little out of time. Bad timing. I was hoping I had at least another week. Corbyn repeated incomprehensibly:

- Has it started? - Then his eyes widened: - How did this start?! It takes us a day to get there!

“I’m afraid the child doesn’t know this.” Should I ask him to wait? – asked, hiding fear behind sarcasm.

Richter took several deep breaths, calming down.

“I can handle this,” he said decisively, convincing himself of this more than me.

- Of course you can handle it. It's not for you to give birth on a train.

A spasm twisted the body, the breath was taken away. But the desire to take out my irritation on Richter immediately passed. I leaned my hands on the wall of the carriage, waiting for the painful sensations to disappear. Richter soothingly stroked my shoulders and back, and the warmth of his hands really made me feel better.

- Should I help you lie down? – he asked carefully.

She smiled crookedly.

- I’d better wait. This way your back hurts less.

“Then I’ll look for a guide.” Perhaps there is a healer or doctor on the train.

Having abandoned the irrational desire not to let the alchemist leave her, she nodded.

He was gone for a monstrously long time. During this time, I managed to get to the toilet stall, return, change clothes and experience another attack of contractions. The pain came in a wave, covered the hips and went to the stomach, which became hard.

Along with Richter, not only the sleepy and slightly drunk guide returned, but also an elderly lady who introduced herself as Frau Gunteg. Her husband, who died several years ago, was a village doctor, whom she often helped deliver babies. Having kicked the men out into the corridor, Frau asked me a few questions about the onset and frequency of contractions, felt my stomach, and watched me.

“You’ve barely started, and you’re already breathing as if the baby is about to appear,” the woman said disapprovingly. – You are a sorceress, right? That's what your husband told me.

- Yes. I'm an artifacter.

Realizing that she was tired, she lay down on her side, clasping her huge belly with her hands and instinctively stroking it, trying to calm the child inside herself. I was not a mentalist, but now I felt the child's anxiety. He was just as scared now as I was.

“Then you must understand that it won’t be easy for you.” You get used to the strength that ferments in your blood, and when you lose it, you become weaker than ordinary people. When did the magic disappear completely?

The sooner the expectant mother, if she was magically gifted, lost her abilities, the more powerful the child’s talent was supposed to develop in the future. On average, this happened at the beginning or middle of the third trimester, for some even a week before giving birth. Over the past months, I have more than once regretted that I am not one of those women. Life without magic, and even in not very comfortable conditions far from home, sometimes seemed unbearable. But when I first felt the baby move in my belly and began to realize that I would soon actually become a mother, my attitude began to change. There was not a faceless creature inside me making me weak and ugly. No, it was my child, flesh of flesh and blood of blood. And he also received his gift from me... or from my husband. I didn’t really want to admit the latter, but I almost accepted that, perhaps, the baby would not become an artifactor.

- So what are you doing on the road then? “Frau Gunteg shook her head in frustration: “You can’t give birth without proper supervision and care, especially when you are so weakened.” And where is your husband looking? It’s good that labor has just begun, and in an hour there will be a stop in Delva. You will get out there and go to the hospital.

- What if I don’t have time?

“You have time,” Frau reassured me. “They should last until morning, or even longer.” I will explain everything to your husband. And forgive my curiosity, is he also a sorcerer?

- Alchemist. And what?

– His glasses surprised him. When I first saw him, I decided that he was blind, but then I realized that I was mistaken.

Richter had too noticeable eyes, and we avoided attention. So he was forced to wear tinted glasses indoors, despite the inconvenience.

– My husband injured his eyes during the experiment. Now he can see, but for now he has to wear additional protection at night,” I lied for the umpteenth time.

People were afraid of Corbin, not even knowing that he was an elemental magician, as if on a subconscious level they sensed how dangerous he was. That's why all the questions about Corbyn were asked to me. After my pregnancy became noticeable, people's attitude towards me completely changed. Older women showed participation, children showed sincere and unclouded interest. But for men I ceased to exist at all, not counting those moments when they considered it necessary to help me. And even then they did it awkwardly, avoiding looking me in the eyes or speaking, as if if they did this, I would never get away from them. I'm not at all used to this. Only Corbin Richter looked at me the same way. It's as if nothing has changed between us. As if I was still his student.

We decided to get off in Delva, a small town, but not so small that there was no hospital in it, but a telephone at the railway station. Well, I’m lucky that progress has reached the north of Graydor, since several years ago this technical miracle was unheard of outside the capital. And now there were as many as five telephones in this city - and one of them, fortunately, was in the hospital.

The night duty officer at the station was unhappy that a woman who was about to give birth and her nervous, and therefore very aggressive husband fell upon him, and he did everything to get rid of us. Except that they couldn’t provide us with normal transport at five in the morning, and we got to the city in a covered wagon, from which we hastily pulled out boxes of goods. They laid fresh straw on the wooden bottom, covered it with canvas on top, and on such an improvised bed I had to get to the hospital.

By this point, the contractions had become even more frequent and longer, giving me very little time to rest. Richter didn’t reassure me either, clinging to my hand and all the time glancing cautiously at my stomach, as if I was about to explode.

“You’ll tell me when the baby starts coming out?” – he finally asked, revealing the reason for his concern.

“This is not how it happens,” I muttered, gritting my teeth. - It takes time. Frau...what's her name? She said that I would give birth no earlier than in five or six hours, maybe later. If I can stand it... ah...

Feeling the contractions begin again, I hurriedly got down on all fours, feeling extremely stupid. But the advice turned out to be practical - it really became easier. Now, if only our transport didn’t shake so much on the cobblestones, it would be wonderful. Added to the weakness and chills was nausea, aggravated by the smell of sour cabbage, which stank the entire cart.

- How many generations of women before you went through this, and nothing!

Probably Richter was trying to cheer me up, but it sounded like a reproach. So I raised my head and gave him a withering look.

The journey, fortunately, took only twenty minutes. At the hospital, small but quite clean, a doctor and two nurses were already waiting for us.

– What, you don’t have a healer?! – the magician was indignant, examining the phlegmatic and slightly sleepy old man in a washed out white robe.

“There was one, but a year ago he left for the capital to look for a good life,” said the doctor.

- What if my wife...

“Corbin...” I urgently called Richter, tugging at his sleeve, but he only hugged me tighter.

Instead of a prologue

A year ago I had everything I needed for a happy life. Your own home in the capital, a diploma as an artifact designer, an invitation to teach at the university. And I also had a fiance. Martin Schäfner, head of the Imperial Security Service. A caring, faithful, understanding man who soon became my husband. And even though “they lived happily ever after” is possible only in fairy tales, then I believed that our marriage would be strong. After all, we loved each other.

How did it happen that now I was forced to go into the unknown, with a completely different man, and even in the ninth month of pregnancy? Failure, punishment for making wrong decisions, retribution for Martin's arrogance and my naivety... Or, perhaps, it is love that forces me to commit monstrous acts with the most sincere intentions.

I felt something was wrong on the train. The lower abdomen was tight, the dull pain in the back became so strong that it was no longer possible to fall asleep. After turning around a little on the narrow bed, I finally sat down. I wanted to go to the toilet again. How many times a night already? I looked at my companion, wondering if it was worth waking him up so that he would escort me to the end of the car, where the amenities were located, and decided not to touch it. Corbyn hasn't slept much these days.

Having risen with difficulty, she gasped, feeling wetness running down her legs. This was already serious. The alchemist immediately opened his eyes and sat up.

Is everything okay, Sophie?

It seems to have begun.

A little out of time. Bad timing. I was hoping I had at least another week. Corbyn repeated incomprehensibly:

Has it started? - Then his eyes widened: - How did this start?! It takes us a day to get there!

I'm afraid the child doesn't know this. Should I ask him to wait? - asked, hiding fear behind sarcasm.

Richter took several deep breaths, calming down.

“I can handle this,” he said decisively, convincing himself of this more than me.

Of course you can handle it. It's not your place to give birth on a train.

A spasm twisted the body, the breath was taken away. But the desire to take out my irritation on Richter immediately passed. I leaned my hands on the wall of the carriage, waiting for the painful sensations to disappear. Richter soothingly stroked my shoulders and back, and the warmth of his hands really made me feel better.

Should I help you lie down? - he asked carefully.

She smiled crookedly.

I'd better wait. This way your back hurts less.

Then I'll look for a guide. Perhaps there is a healer or doctor on the train.

Having abandoned the irrational desire not to let the alchemist leave her, she nodded.

He was gone for a monstrously long time. During this time, I managed to get to the toilet stall, return, change clothes and experience another attack of contractions. The pain came in a wave, covered the hips and went to the stomach, which became hard.

Along with Richter, not only the sleepy and slightly drunk guide returned, but also an elderly lady who introduced herself as Frau Gunteg. Her husband, who died several years ago, was a village doctor, whom she often helped deliver babies. Having kicked the men out into the corridor, Frau asked me a few questions about the onset and frequency of contractions, felt my stomach, and watched me.

“You’ve barely started, and you’re already breathing as if the baby is about to appear,” the woman said disapprovingly. - You are a sorceress, right? That's what your husband told me.

Yes. I'm an artifacter.

Realizing that she was tired, she lay down on her side, clasping her huge belly with her hands and instinctively stroking it, trying to calm the child inside herself. I was not a mentalist, but now I felt the child's anxiety. He was just as scared now as I was.

Then you must understand that it won’t be easy for you. You get used to the strength that ferments in your blood, and when you lose it, you become weaker than ordinary people. When did the magic disappear completely?

The sooner the expectant mother, if she was magically gifted, lost her abilities, the more powerful the child’s talent was supposed to develop in the future. On average, this happened at the beginning or middle of the third trimester, for some even a week before giving birth. Over the past months, I have more than once regretted that I am not one of those women. Life without magic, and even in not very comfortable conditions far from home, sometimes seemed unbearable. But when I first felt the baby move in my belly and began to realize that I would soon actually become a mother, my attitude began to change. There was not a faceless creature inside me making me weak and ugly. No, it was my child, flesh of flesh and blood of blood. And he also received his gift from me... or from my husband. I didn’t really want to admit the latter, but I almost accepted that, perhaps, the baby would not become an artifactor.

So what do you do on the road then? - Frau Gunteg shook her head in frustration: “You cannot give birth without proper supervision and care, especially when you are so weakened.” And where is your husband looking? It’s good that labor has just begun, and in an hour there will be a stop in Delva. You will get out there and go to the hospital.

What if I don’t have time?

“You have time,” Frau reassured me. - They should hold out until the morning, or even longer. I will explain everything to your husband. And excuse my curiosity, is he also a sorcerer?

Alchemist. And what?

His glasses surprised me. When I first saw him, I decided that he was blind, but then I realized that I was mistaken.

Richter had too noticeable eyes, and we avoided attention. So he was forced to wear tinted glasses indoors, despite the inconvenience.

My husband injured his eyes during the experiment. Now he can see, but for now he has to wear additional protection at night,” I lied for the umpteenth time.

People were afraid of Corbin, not even knowing that he was an elemental magician, as if on a subconscious level they sensed how dangerous he was. That's why all the questions about Corbyn were asked to me. After my pregnancy became noticeable, people's attitude towards me completely changed. Older women showed participation, children - sincere and unclouded interest. But for men I ceased to exist at all, not counting those moments when they considered it necessary to help me. And even then they did it awkwardly, avoiding looking me in the eyes or speaking, as if if they did this, I would never get away from them. I'm not at all used to this. Only Corbin Richter looked at me the same way. It's as if nothing has changed between us. As if I was still his student.

We decided to get off in Delva, a small town, but not so small that there was no hospital in it, but a telephone at the railway station. Well, I’m lucky that progress has reached the north of Graydor, since several years ago this technical miracle was unheard of outside the capital. And now there were as many as five telephones in this city - and one of them, fortunately, was in the hospital.

The night duty officer at the station was unhappy that a woman who was about to give birth and her nervous, and therefore very aggressive husband fell upon him, and he did everything to get rid of us. Except that they couldn’t provide us with normal transport at five in the morning, and we got to the city in a covered wagon, from which we hastily pulled out boxes of goods. They laid fresh straw on the wooden bottom, covered it with canvas on top, and on such an improvised bed I had to get to the hospital.

By this point, the contractions had become even more frequent and longer, giving me very little time to rest. Richter didn’t reassure me either, clinging to my hand and all the time glancing cautiously at my stomach, as if I was about to explode.

You'll tell me when the baby starts coming out, right? - he finally asked, revealing the reason for his concern.

This is not how it happens,” I muttered, clenching my teeth. - It takes time. Frau...what's her name? She said that I would give birth no earlier than in five or six hours, maybe later. If I can stand it... ah...

Feeling the contractions begin again, I hurriedly got onto all fours, feeling extremely stupid. But the advice turned out to be practical - it really became easier. Now, if only our transport didn’t shake so much on the cobblestones, it would be wonderful. Added to the weakness and chills was nausea, aggravated by the smell of sour cabbage, which stank the entire cart.

How many generations of women before you went through this, and nothing!

Probably Richter was trying to cheer me up, but it sounded like a reproach. So I raised my head and gave him a withering look.

The journey, fortunately, took only twenty minutes. At the hospital, small but quite clean, a doctor and two nurses were already waiting for us.

What, you don’t have a healer?! - the magician was indignant, examining the phlegmatic and slightly sleepy old man in a washed out white robe.

There was one, but a year ago he left for the capital to look for a good life,” the doctor said.

What if my wife...

Corbin... - I persistently called Richter, tugging at his sleeve, but he only hugged me tighter.

No, I’m not belittling the capabilities of conventional medicine, but still healing magic...

Corbyn! “I poked the alchemist in the side with my fist, moving away.

“I believe your wife wants to say that magic cannot be used in such a delicate process as childbirth,” the doctor explained. - Frau, let me take you in and examine you. In the meantime, I'll talk to your husband.

With me?! But I don't know anything!

The alchemist looked at me in confusion, as if calling for help.

But you won’t force your spouse in this state to be distracted by formal issues? - the Delvian asked insidiously. “Besides, right now she doesn’t need your presence, but a little rest.”

But I shouldn't have shown my fear, otherwise Corbyn would create even more problems. I touched his forehead with my palm, marveling at how cold it was. Or maybe it was just my hand that was so hot.

You yourself said that all women go through this. So you don't have to worry.

Richter grabbed my hand and kissed the middle of my palm.

The nurse was already looking impatiently in our direction, hurrying me along. The pain in my lower abdomen grew again. I leaned my back against the light wooden wall and pressed my forehead against the magician’s shoulder, looking for support from him. Corbin Richter, the man responsible for many of my troubles. And yet the only one who could help me now and in whom I did not doubt.

Are you still mad at him? - the alchemist asked understandingly.

I didn’t answer him right away, waiting until he let me go again. It seems that I began to get used to what was happening to me, or simply the fact that I was now in the hospital calmed me down somewhat.

Now it doesn't seem important at all.

Allowing herself to be led away, she turned around, wanting to look at Richter again, but he was already hastily telling the doctor something, obviously in unnecessary detail.

Is this your first birth? Your husband is very worried, but he seems so...

Rude? - I smiled faintly. - He's actually very caring. I've always been like this for as long as I remember.

Only differently than Martin. How would he behave now if he were next to me? Would he worry like a master, would he be calm and stern, as always, when someone else was around, or perhaps mock, pretending to have everything under control?

I'll never know. And Martin will never know how much I missed him. Even now.

Yes, Frau...

Sofia. “I’m more used to being called by name,” I realized, obediently turning around so that it would be more convenient for the nurse to remove my outerwear.

“I’m Lana,” the middle-aged woman smiled, helping me climb onto the couch. - Frau Sofia, how did you get here, to our city? It seems you have a capital accent.

This is true. I'm from Braig. But... these are difficult times, you know. Therefore, my husband and I were forced to leave.

Sorry, you probably don't like talking about this.

I nodded. I really didn't want to talk about the past. Too much has happened in a while last year, and not all of this I would like to stir up.

Although there was something to remember.