“I don’t want to be the Heir,” Johan insisted. “And it isn’t as if Jamal is going to be executed for this, is it?”
He looked over at Elaine. “Is it?”
“I don’t know,” Elaine admitted, reluctantly. “It depends which way the Privy Council jumps.”
“You’ll see,” Johan predicted. “Jamal will get away with it. He always does.”
The pain in his voice made Elaine wince. She could understand precisely why Johan didn’t want to go back to his family, even though he was still a declared minor. Legally, however, they would have every right to claim him ... unless Light Spinner agreed that Johan should stay in the Great Library.
It might be dangerous if they did try to claim him, Elaine thought, with a hint of rueful amusement. Most people would be careful around magicians, even low-power ones like herself, but Johan’s family had thought of him as powerless for so long that they might not realise that everything had changed. I wonder what he would do to them.
Charity leaned forward, reaching out to take Johan’s hand. “And if he doesn’t?”
“Father will bribe or threaten whoever it takes to free Jamal,” Johan said, pulling his hand away from her. “I think he’ll be out of jail by the end of the week.”
He stood up and stepped away from his sister. “Tell father that I have no interest in returning to the family,” he added. “If he didn’t want me when I had no magic, he won’t get me when I do have magic.”
“Wait,” Charity said. “Please ...”
“I didn’t notice you insisting that I should be treated better,” Johan snapped. “I remember you laughing at some of Jamal’s games. But they weren’t games to me, were they?”
He headed for the door. Elaine hesitated, then nodded slightly. “Wait in the next room,” she said, hoping that he would obey orders. She wasn’t sure what she could do if he refused, short of trying to force him to obey. “I need a few words with Charity.”
Charity started to speak as soon as Johan had slammed the door behind him. “I apologise for my brother,” she said, softly. “He’s not had an easy life.”
“No,” Elaine agreed. The orphanage had been bad, but growing up a Powerless among magicians had been worse. Much worse. “He hasn’t.”
“I am not sure why you are dealing with this,” Charity said, clearly digging for information. “But I do know that it involves my family.”
“Yes,” Elaine agreed.
Charity’s eyes narrowed. “My father would insist that you immediately send Johan home,” she said. Her voice was calm, but there was a deadly glint in her eyes. “And my father does have the influence to bring pressure to bear on you ...”
“Yes,” Elaine said, again.
“I really don’t understand why this is your problem,” Charity said, having decided that threats weren’t likely to work. “My father ...”
Elaine scowled at her, remembering Millicent and her cronies, boys and girls who had had the Empire presented to them on a silver platter. Charity was just like them; young, beautiful, wealthy and powerful. She had never realised just how unfair the world could be.
“Your father has other problems at the moment,” she said, wondering if Charity would pick up on the subtext. Elaine would be one of Jamal’s judges. “I suggest that you tell him to respect Johan’s wishes and leave this affair strictly alone.”
Charity looked oddly despondent. “And if he wishes to see his son?”
“He can send along a visiting card, like everyone else,” Elaine said, fighting down the urge to yawn. It had been a long day and it was far from over. “And Johan will decide if he wants to see him, like everyone else.”
She headed to the door. “The library will show you out,” she said, as she paused in the doorway. “I would advise you not to forget what happened today. Your brother is not what he used to be.”
Elaine stopped outside the door and made contact with the wards, altering the interior of the library to steer Charity to the main entrance without allowing her to go anywhere else. It was impolite, to say the least, but she doubted that Charity would want to stay in the library in any case. Besides, it would demonstrate her power for the younger – but far more arrogant – girl.
Bracing herself, she turned and marched into the room Johan occupied. He was sitting in one of the seats, staring down at his hands and trying, desperately, not to cry. Elaine couldn’t really blame him; no matter his feelings towards his family, cutting ties with them was a hard decision at the best of times. And these were far from the best of times. She still couldn’t believe that Charity had attempted to guilt him into coming home.
“I ... my father only wants me back because I have magic,” Johan said. His voice dripped of bitterness – and helpless rage. “Now I have magic, I’m useful.”
“It has happened before,” Elaine said, knowing that it would be no consolation. “And you can give your brother a nasty surprise if you ever meet him again.”
Johan looked up at her. “Do you think that father knows I was the one who identified Jamal?”
“The Inquisitors wouldn’t have mentioned names,” Elaine said. “Too many witnesses got pressured into changing their stories. I think your father probably doesn’t know who told them about his son.”
“I should tell him,” Johan said. He laughed, rather weakly. “He wouldn’t want me home then.”
Elaine scowled. The Patriarch of a magical family had wide authority to bring up his children – and discipline them – as he saw fit. He might just declare that Johan was no longer part of his family, disinheriting him completely ... or he might try to assert his authority to punish his rebellious son. Legally speaking, the law would be on his side. Johan wasn’t an apprentice or an Inquisitor ...
“It might not be a good idea,” she cautioned. She reached out and touched his shoulder, lightly. “What happened between you and Charity?”
“I called her a rat,” Johan said. “And ... and she became one.”
He looked up at her, eyes bright with unshed tears. “Is that always going to happen to me now? My magic sparking off by accident and ... things happening?”
“I think you just have to learn how to control it,” Elaine said. Magicians knew that they were using magic, even when stress or panic caused them to lose control. Johan, it seemed, didn’t even have that level of awareness. “There are some spells we might be able to use, but ...”
She shook her head. “I will need to do some research,” she admitted. “And maybe consult with a few other experts.”
“Please,” Johan said. “I could have really hurt her.”
“Charity didn’t panic,” Elaine reminded him. “She knew what to do if transfigured. All you have to do is keep your magic under control in future.”
Johan grimaced. “Easier said than done.”
Elaine cleared her throat. “I will have to attend a meeting at the palace tonight,” she added, reluctantly. “Do you want me to find someone to stay with you in your rooms?”
“No,” Johan said, quickly. “I’m not a baby!”
Elaine nodded, regretting Daria’s absence. She would have made an ideal supervisor, unlike most of her other friends and acquaintances. Daria had a gift for making friends; Elaine often found herself tongue-tied when meeting new people. It had turned her into a social recluse even before she’d become a Bookworm.
Johan met her eyes. “What do you think I could do with my magic?”
“Once you learn to control it,” Elaine said, after a moment, “you could do almost anything with it. There are no shortage of jobs for skilled magicians. Or you could help us study your gift, let us see how it works ...”
“I want to be someone,” Johan said. “I always wanted to travel, to see the world ... and my father would have left me shut up in my house.”
Elaine frowned. Ambition was something she understood, but it wasn’t really something she shared. She had been happy enough as a library assistant, then as the Head Librarian. Being
a Privy Councillor, even one who rarely attended meetings, was somewhat beyond the limit of her ambition. But Johan had been born to a powerful family, often overshadowed by his relatives. Why would he not be ambitious?
And he wants to get away from his family, Elaine thought. She could certainly understand that.
“I rarely travel,” she admitted. “But there are places we could go, if you wish. How much of the city have you actually seen?”
“Very little,” Johan said. The way he said it made Elaine’s heart go out to him. “I was rarely allowed to leave the house.”
“I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow,” Elaine promised. She reached out mentally and touched the library wards. “Your room will have a few books for you to study, along with some food. If you feel hungry, eat; if you feel tired, sleep. The meeting ... could take a while.”
Johan frowned. “You’re going to be discussing me?”
“I’m afraid so,” Elaine said. “And your brother.”
“Tell them to hang him,” Johan said, darkly. “I saw what he did to those helpless people.”
That was a good sign, Elaine told herself. Johan had magic now, but he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be powerless. But it still didn’t answer the real question nagging at her mind. What, really, was the source of his strange powers?
“I’ll pass on your words,” she said, “but it may be a long hard fight before sentence is passed.”
“Why,” Johan asked sardonically, “am I not surprised?”
Chapter Thirteen
There were additional guards on the streets, Elaine noticed as she walked towards the Imperial Palace, backed up by a handful of Inquisitors. None of them looked happy; there just weren’t enough Inquisitors to waste on patrolling the city, even when there was a strong possibility that another riot might break out. Elaine nodded to a couple she knew as she passed through the gates and walked up to the palace, praying that Light Spinner hadn’t called a full meeting of the Privy Council. She hated sitting at the table and hated speaking still more.
Thankfully, the only other person in the room was Dread, looking tired and cross as he stood to attention, clearly having declined the offer of a seat. The Grand Sorceress wasn’t a monarch from the ancient times; there was no rule that dictated that everyone else had to remain standing in her presence, let alone prostrate themselves in front of her. Elaine bowed quickly as she entered the room, then took one of the comfortable seats. Light Spinner’s eyes glinted tired amusement at her.
“I have just been speaking with the Conidian,” Light Spinner said. There was no trace of amusement in her voice, merely a bone-weariness that matched Elaine’s own feelings. “He wishes his son to be freed from the Watchtower.”
Elaine rubbed her eyes. “I thought that there was a case against him,” she said, crossly. “We know he was there.”
“Several aristocratic brats have sworn blind that he was gambling with them until the wee small hours that day,” Dread said. “We don’t believe them, of course, but as they are not suspects in a crime we cannot use truth spells to ensure that they are telling the truth.”
“They might well be the others,” Elaine said. Johan had been unable to identify the others, but somehow she doubted that Jamal Conidian would associate himself with lower-class magicians, even if they had magic. “We could arrest them on suspicion.”
“And then have half the establishment up in arms,” Light Spinner said, coldly. “But we will also have riots if someone isn’t brought to justice for the crime.”
“Right now, they are waiting to see if someone is hauled in front of the authorities,” Dread added. “If we fail to do so ...”
“Jamal Conidian is not suited to be the Head of a Great House,” Elaine said, flatly. “If half the stories his brother tells are true, he is a bully, a cad, a liar, a philanderer ...”
“We get the idea,” Dread said, hastily. “But we have to work within the boundaries of the politically possible.”
Elaine scowled. Convict Jamal; have the Conidian Family as enemies, perhaps joined by several of the other Great Houses. Don’t convict Jamal; have riots, perhaps even an uprising, by the non-magical community. Light Spinner was caught between the demons of all seven hells and the great blue sea. It was hard to escape the thought that she might choose to free Jamal, believing that the Levellers posed the lesser threat. Elaine knew that it would be hard to blame her.
“But that is a secondary matter right now,” Light Spinner said. Her dark eyes met Elaine’s and held them. “What progress have you made with Johan Conidian?”
Elaine took a moment to gather her thoughts. “He has definitely developed magic,” she said, “of a very strange nature. As far as I know” – and thanks to the Witch-King her knowledge was extensive – “his existence is utterly unprecedented.”
She took a breath, then continued. “The average magician requires both knowledge and power to work magic reliably,” she explained. Both of them knew it already – it was common knowledge – but it had to be said again, just to make sure they understood. “They are taught the words and gestures required to cast spells, yet the more power they have, the more steps they can skip or simply overpower to cast the spell. Their magic is strong enough to overcome failings in technique.”
The words brought back bitter memories. Millicent had been casting spells effortlessly, while Elaine had had to cast them over and over again before she got everything right and the spell condescended to work. Now, she understood magic intimately, she understood just how much Millicent had been skipping over and how much more she could have done ... but it was still humiliating. It had taken her nearly a year to learn how to start protecting herself against some of Millicent’s tricks.
“But even a normal magician requires some technique,” she said, pushing her thoughts aside. “At the very least, he or she requires a close connection to his magic. Johan, on the other hand, seems to be all power and no technique. He can make things happen without, I suspect, ever needing an understanding of why certain things work and others don’t.”
She met Light Spinner’s eyes, willing her to understand. “He cannot cast spells without being able to visualise the effects,” she said. “If he doesn’t know what a spell is meant to do, he can’t cast it. On the other hand, upon being given a fake spell, he managed to make it do what I said it should be able to do. And when he does cast spells, the results are always squinty. The only spell that could be said to have worked properly was one he cast without any of the standard spells.”
Dread leaned forward. “What did he do?”
“Turned his sister into a rat,” Elaine said. The memory made her want to shiver. Too much could have gone wrong, crippling or killing Charity outright. “No wand, no words, no gestures ... he just did it.”
“Maybe trying to teach him standard spells is a mistake,” Light Spinner mused. “Maybe you should concentrate on the effects you want instead.”
Elaine nodded. It was a good thought. Most practical magical training revolved around proper spellcasting; intent, vocalisation and gestures. The wand served to help students focus their minds, channelling their power out of their body. But perhaps if they concentrated on intent alone ...
“That leads to a different question,” Dread said, bluntly. “Is Johan a danger to anyone else?”
“... Perhaps,” Elaine said. She had never thought that she would be grateful that forced transfiguration was regarded as nothing more than a prank, at least as long as it was inflicted on another magician. “The blunt truth is, Inquisitor, he doesn’t have any real control over his magic ... and what spells he casts are often far too overpowered. His attempt to learn how to cancel his magic accidentally destroyed my protections too.”
Dread gave her a considering look. “That must have been terrifying.”
It had been, Elaine knew, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Not yet and perhaps not ever.
“I do not believe that he intended to turn his sister into
a rat,” she said, instead. “It would probably be best if he continued to receive private training, rather than being allowed to enrol at the Peerless School. And, ideally, he should be kept away from his family.”
“The Conidian has not mentioned Johan to me,” Light Spinner said. “But he does have a legal claim on his son.”
Elaine blinked in surprise, then realised that Charity probably hadn’t had a chance to mention Johan’s determination to stay at the Great Library before the Conidian had gone to speak with Light Spinner. Once he found out, Elaine had no doubt that he would be on his way back to the Imperial Palace. Charity’s story, if she told him everything, would whet his appetite for drawing his newly-empowered son back into the fold.
“Not if you choose to assert the Security of the Realm,” Elaine pointed out. “You could block the Conidian’s attempts to regain control of his son.”
“True,” Light Spinner agreed.
Dread had a more practical concern. “I dislike the thought of a magician with unpredictable powers,” he said, “but we are ignoring the real problem in the room. Is Johan connected to the Witch-King?”
Light Spinner turned to look at Elaine, expectantly.
“It may be impossible to give any certain answer,” Elaine said, carefully. “We know so little about how the Witch-King works his manipulations that it is difficult to say anything for certain. However, I do not believe that this is necessarily his work.”
“Are you sure?” Dread asked. “Do you have any reason not to be suspicious?”
He leaned forward. “The last freak magical accident we had was yours,” he said. “The Witch-King used you to steal all the knowledge in the Great Library. You were not evil, you were not deliberately involved, but you were still his tool. Johan may not be evil, yet he could still be being manipulated by an unseen foe with incredible patience and knowledge at his disposal.”
The hell of it, Elaine knew, was that he was right. It was impossible to prove that the Witch-King was involved ... or that he wasn’t involved. The handful of people who knew that the Witch-King had somehow survived the Second Necromantic War had been digging through the files, trying to see his fingerprints, but it was like chasing ghosts. Two items, separated by a century, might be part of his plan. Or they might just be imagining a connection where none existed.
Bookworm II: The Very Ugly Duckling Page 12