Chapter One

Chapter One: Summoned 

“It’s raining again,” Cassian remarked as he pulled the umbrella from its stand. The Lesser-Weaver silk umbrella cost more than he had ever seen and the Lowren family kept it casually stuffed in a stand with a half dozen other similar umbrellas. He wanted to roll his eyes at the display of excess wealth, but it was done with such casual nonchalance that he just accepted it as a part of his best friend's life. 

“It’s always raining on this godsforsaken island. I curse Uncle Henry for sending us here. Father named me after him, did I tell you that? Named me after that old codger and he still had the gall to send us to this cesspit.” Henrietta Lowren complained as she pulled on a heavy, black, raincoat. Her blonde hair was smashed under a red dyed tricorn of the same silk. 

“Yes, my lady. You have told me. Repeatedly.” 

“Oh, fuck off with that lady horseshit. You needed a job and I needed someone who wouldn’t report to my father my every doing.” 

“Of course, my lady.” 

“I regret this more and more every day.” 

“Come, we can’t keep the Lord Mayor waiting, can we, my lady?” 

“Let’s get on with this!” Henri stood to her full height of five and half feet and marched out the door Cassian held open for her. The rain instantly made its presence known as sheets of silver descended from the heavens in a torrential downpour. Cassian looked at the small umbrella and frowned.

“The tram?” Cassian asked. Henri was perched with one foot out the door on the steps of the stone front porch, the overhang turned into a waterfall. 

“Yes. We will have to run.” 

“I can run. Can you keep up?” Cassian asked as he reached down to tighten the laces on his boots. 

“You are my armsman. You can’t leave me in the rain by myself.” 

“Now I’m your armsman and not your friend. Oh how the tables turn.” 

Henri didn’t bother to reply, just wedging herself into Cassian’s side as he opened the white umbrella above his head. They stepped through the spilling water and into the torrential rains. The street in front of the manor was well maintained but the cobblestones were slick, the two teens fighting to stay on their feet as they hurried toward the tram station. 

Cassian kept his eyes on the sky while Henri’s nails dug through the thin fabric of his tan coat. His light sword bounced on his hip, unfamiliar with its weight it was a constant nagging presence. He was much more accustomed to the weapons that urchins could use. Mainly broken pieces of rock, fists, teeth, and nails. Henri had told him he needed to look presentable and handed him a sword he couldn’t use if his life depended on it. 

The central tram lines of gleaming metal guided them across the dim streets. Mana fueled lights emitted a soft blue-white light that struggled to pierce the gloom of the storm. People hurried from building to building, their own various umbrellas or lifted coats acting as shields as they ran. 

A bolt of gold lightning sheared the sky in twain and lit the world aflame. Cassian watched as a half dozen other lesser lordlings scuttled in front of them. All of the teenage nobility having been summoned at the last minute by the Lord Mayor. Part of Cassian wondered what it was that had Mayor Silkes in such a state that he would demand the immediate presence of every noble child between sixteen and twenty in less than two hours. 

There weren’t many nobles here on the DreadIsle. The most powerful of houses wanted nothing to do with the cursed place, surrounded as it was by mana rifts. The turbulent mana streams caused the powerful storms that battered the island and caused the many rifts to form. There were multiple garrisons posted around the island if any of the rifts formed too close. 

The work of Reese-Brothers had changed everything and caused the city to spring up. Which caused Cassian to curse the two men every single day. The mana converter was the single most pivotal invention in the history of man. A revolution to science, engineering, medicine, and war. The only thing was, they couldn’t harvest raw mana out of the atmosphere. They needed it in its stable form. Which only formed inside of rifts. 

Thus the DreadIsle was populated by a city whose only purpose was to mine the dozens of rifts that cracked open on the regular spewing abominations out into the world. The noble houses had sent their castoffs and the Emperor had a habit of sending bureaucrats who had fallen out of favor to run the city. Which had been aptly named Dreadful. 

Cassian supposed the place was dreadful, but it was an unimaginative temper tantrum the dregs of society had thrown when they were shoved here to manage the island a hundred years ago. They had stopped having their temper tantrums when they began to grow incredibly wealthy. 

The amount of raw materials that were being harvested in addition to the stabilized mana crystal was enough to elevate branch families over the head family. A boom of nouveau-riche had been created. And it had brought all of the excess and vices with it. Which is where Cassian’s father had come in. 

“Cassian, you’re brooding again. Stop thinking such negative thoughts, it’ll give you wrinkles.” Henri squeezed his arm as they got to the tram station. It was enough to shake him out of his waltz down the history of his home. 

“Never. It’s a critical part of my personality,” Cassian retorted, nudging her with an elbow. They walked up toward the tubular tram that sat idling on the rails. The quarter clock chimed, announcing it was six-fifteen. The tram began to pull out of the station, as one did every fifteen minutes. 

“Now we really do need to run,” Cassian said as he broke into a jog. Henri cursed as she stretched her own legs out as they chased the departing tram. People lined the edge of the tram on the rail and saw a series of smirks on the lips of the local lordlings as they raced to the back car. 

Cassian scooped her up around the waist and tossed her like a sack at the rail. Henri had an aborted scream as she grabbed at the rain slick rail, boots scrabbling to grab at the lip of the platform. Cassian put on another burst of speed and leapt with easy grace.  

He bounced over the rail with an easy spring, landing lightly as he spun to offer Henri his hand. She shot him a half grateful-half hateful look and took it. He steadied her as she swung her legs over the brass pole to land on the grating. A few faces peered out from the interior to stare at them as if they were exhibits at a zoo.  

“Oh, I hate you. You aren’t supposed to pick up a woman of the peerage like that.” 

“Would you have rather missed the Summoning, my lady?” 

“I will get you back for that.” 

“ I have no doubt. Let’s go see what the simpletons have to say, shall we?” Cassian asked as he pulled the back door open. A wave of heated air wafted out as Cassian waited for Henri to go. He tucked the umbrella away and under his arm and followed her. 

They took off their caps as they entered, Henri holding hers out to Cassian for him to take. He did without a word, standing a foot behind her and waiting patiently as he was supposed to. He wouldn’t embarrass her in front of this herd of jackasses if he could help himself. 

“Cutting close, Lady Lowren. It would have been a shame if you missed the Lord Mayor’s Summoning.” 

“Indeed Jason, it would have been an irreplaceable blow to the average intelligence in the room.” Henri smiled savagely at Lord Jason Koin. Jason’s smug smile faded away as he sat down on a cushioned stool with a grunt of annoyance. Lord Koin had several children with Jason somehow being the worst in every single way. Jason was more vicious than his older siblings, but lacked the intelligence and subtlety needed to be more than a rabid pitbull. 

Henri grabbed onto one of the brass poles and braced herself as the tram picked up speed as it left the Noble Quarter and headed towards the arc. Dreadful was built like a wheel with the tram lines running outwards from the Hub in the center of the city, 

The Lord Mayor had called for this meeting to be held in the Grand Hall in the very center of the city right next to his own manor. A subtle flex of his will and power to call forth the young scions to heel with just a word. Cassian was glad he didn’t have to play these games. There were some advantages to being a bastard afterall.