Comrades in Magic

~ Book Five ~ By Guy Antibes Table of Contents Copyright Page Author’s Note Map of Comrades in Magic 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 Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Gags & Pepper Characters & Locations A Bit About Guy Books by Guy Antibes Copyright Page Comrades in Magic Copyright ©2023 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, March 2023. www.casiepress.com ISBN: Cover Design: Kenneth Cassell Book Design: Kenneth Cassell Principal Reader: Bev Cassell ~ Author’s Note ~ Boy gets girl. Gags gets Miria. Pepper gets Patricia. Lucian gets Ann. Lots of potential romance, but Comrades in Magic remains another sword and sorcery action adventure with the heroes fighting evil wizards. This is the last of the series, and writing about Gags, Pepper, and the rest was a lot of fun. By the way, a coif is a hooded cowl made out of chain mail protecting the head and shoulders. Miria is given one in the story. — Guy Antibes Map of Comrades in Magic Book Five ~ ~ Chapter One ~ C oming home never felt so good, Duke Vingus Gags thought, as Otto Long and he followed the small carriage carrying Miria, Darlia, Lucian, and Ann. The ride from South Pustule was serene compared to traveling in Oroia, where they had just been, saving Miria from a life as a unicorn. The air carried the familiar scents from Perian trees and plants. After a few months of Oroian cuisine, Perian food was welcome, although Gags never thought badly of Baxterian food. He wished there had been room in the carriage, but the passengers’ belongings were stuffed around them. He and Otto made the trip less tedious by swapping stories. When Gags crossed into Yearsend Vale and recognized the road, he broke into a smile. Gags looked forward to a few weeks’ rest, catching up with the Gags & Pepper Protection Agency and his friends. He only had one worry; what to do about Miria. As they entered the long drive to the hunting manor that served as the agency’s headquarters, Gags frowned. He had expected guards training in the field at the side of the manor, but the estate was silent as if no one was around. Gags rode ahead and jumped off his horse at the front door. He tried the latch, but the door was locked. In his excitement, he failed to notice a posted notice at the side of the entry. The Gags & Pepper Protection Agency headquarters have been temporarily closed pending disposition of the estate of the late Vingus Gags. Address any inquiries to Tibbeus Pepper, 7 High Street, Yearsend. Gags cupped his hands to look through a window. Everything looked intact except for a scattered pile of papers on the small dining room table. The rest of the manor appeared abandoned. The carriage passengers alighted and gathered at the front door. Lucian frowned as he read the notice. “Balderdash!” Lucian said, ripping the notice from the wall. “It’s on to Yearsend! Get back inside, ladies. We will get to the bottom of this.” Gags pursed his lips. “What is wrong?” Miria asked, walking back to the carriage. “Do I look dead to you?” Gags asked. “No,” she said. “Show her the notice,” Gags said to Lucian. “Oh. There is a misunderstanding,” Miria said with narrowed eyes that mirrored the feelings behind her words. “Maybe none of my messages made it through,” Gags said. “Let’s talk to Pepper.” ~ The village of Yearsend looked pretty when the leaves were starting to turn, but that beauty was now lost on Gags as he led the carriage into the town. Number 7 was an unoccupied shop when Gags had left Yearsend months ago. Gags tied up the horse and walked inside. Portia Dapple, the agency manager, stood up, amazed, as Gags entered. “You. You’re alive!” Portia said before putting her hand to her mouth. “Thanks for noticing,” Gags said. “Who said I died?” “A letter came from South Pustule. Pepper has it,” Portia said. Her astonishment turned into a gush of relief. “You are alive!” She hugged Gags and kissed him on the cheek. “And who is she?” Miria asked, walking through the front door with Ann Pearton and Darlia Westmount. Portia knitted her brow and disengaged. “I’m Portia Dapple.” Portia examined each of the women before speaking again to Gags. “I hope Miria is one of these ladies. They are all magicians, and even I can see that.” Lucian stood behind and came forward. “This beautiful blonde lady is Ann Pearton. We are betrothed. I’d like to introduce Darlia Westmount, a former scout in the magicians army, and this,” Lucian grinned, “is Miria Dorling, the former unicorn Gags rescued from Oroia with a little help from his friends.” “A lot of help from my friends,” Gags said. “Where is Pepper?” “On a short job with Soxus, Patricia, and the guards who stayed on. Most of our people left, including Dame Gamina, when we were evicted from the manor.” “Who evicted you?” Portia took a deep breath. “Galius Karkle.” “He has turned betrayer?” “No, not at all,” Portia said. “Galius said that Lord Ottavius Bottle is behind the eviction.” “Who is Lord Ottavius Bottle? Is he the new