“My head hurts,” Johan complained, making a show of rubbing his temples. “Can we just tell everyone that I’m your apprentice?”
“They’ll want to see proof,” Elaine pointed out. “And without a working bond, we couldn’t present them with anything.”
“I’ll think about it,” Johan promised. He looked down at the table, then up at Elaine. “What are we going to do today?”
“There are some ideas I wish to try,” Elaine said. “But we can deal with them after breakfast.”
Johan nodded. “Can I look at the broadsheet?” He asked. “I want to know if there’s anything about me in it.”
Elaine shrugged. Johan took the broadsheet and frowned as he saw a drawing of Jamal glaring up at him. The artist had managed to make him seem mad, bad and dangerous to know, something that made Johan smile. It was a perfectly accurate rendition, at least in his opinion. The text beside it noted that Jamal had been arrested by the Inquisition and was currently being held in the Watchtower, but very little else. His father’s lawyers had probably had a few words with the editor, Johan decided. If they printed anything they couldn’t prove, they’d be sued until they didn’t even have clothes to wear while begging on the streets.
“I thought they would have kept it a secret,” he muttered. “But the whole city knows he’s under arrest.”
“Someone in the Watchtower probably leaked it,” Elaine said, sourly. “Or one of the Privy Councillors, taking an opportunity to embarrass your father. There’s no way to know for sure.”
“Nothing about me,” Johan said, unsure if he should be relieved or annoyed. “How many people know?”
“Your family, the Grand Sorceress, the Inquisitors and myself,” Elaine said. “And that wretched druid.”
Johan nodded and went to the second page. This story mentioned that the Dark Wizard Hawthorne had been sighted near a city in the Western Hills, where several children had been reported missing. The writer stated that a number of Inquisitors were already in the area and expected an arrest soon. Johan suspected that the writer didn’t really know what he was talking about. If the Inquisitors were really closing in on the Dark Wizard, they wouldn’t want a broadsheet story to scare the bastard off before they caught him.
“That’s the problem with the broadsheets,” Elaine commented, wryly. “They either print nonsense or they print the truth in embarrassing detail.”
“Maybe I should go after him,” Johan said, seeing a line that claimed that there was a ten thousand gold bounty for Hawthorn’s head, preferably detached from his body. “I could get the gold and ...”
“Get killed,” Elaine snapped. “You are nowhere near ready to face a hostile magician, let alone one so touched by darkness.”
Johan winced at her tone, but had to admit that she had a point.
A letter floated into the room and landed on the table in front of them. Johan took one look and felt his heart sink. His father’s handwriting was distinctive, particularly when he was annoyed. He’d seen enough notes his father had sent to various tutors to recognise the signs of irritation. It was a droll reminder that, no matter how hard he studied, he could never please his father.
“I don’t want to read it,” he muttered. “Can you destroy it?”
“I could,” Elaine said. “But I think you should read it.”
Johan sighed. “Is it even safe to touch?”
Elaine waved her wand over the envelope, casting a simple charm. “There’s a spell to ensure that only you can open it,” she said, “but nothing else. It should be fine.”
Swallowing, Johan picked up the letter and tore it open. His father had written a note on his finest paper, paper that cost one gold per sheet. If nothing else, it was a way of telling him just how much his father cared. But it was really too late for that.
Son,
I have heard the news from your sister that you are now a magician. This is good news, particularly in light of other recent developments. I believe that you should come home, where you and I can sit down and discuss the family’s response to these new challenges. You would be welcome. Charity has forgiven you your little mistake.
My treatment of you in the past has been far from ideal. I am truly sorry for the suffering you have undergone on your path towards magic. Now, I believe that we can rebuild our relationship and work together to ensure that the family’s position is solid. Towards this, I would be willing to sponsor you to enter the Peerless School ...
Johan felt the letter grow suddenly warm and dropped it, a half-second before it burst into flame. How could his father so casually claim to accept him, now that he was a magician? The message was arrogant and condescending and ... he gritted his teeth, willing his rage to abate. His father didn’t even realise that he couldn’t enter the Peerless School ...
“That’s a no,” he said, addressing the pile of ashes. Surprisingly, the fire hadn’t spread to the table, despite the heat. “I am not going home.”
“You may wish to write and tell him that,” Elaine said. “He did send you a formal letter.”
“Fine,” Johan sneered. “Can you pass me a sheet of the cheapest paper you have?”
Elaine sighed, but walked over to a drawer and produced a cheap notepad. Johan took it and glared down at the blank sheet, trying to decide what to write. He didn’t know any words unpleasant enough to get the full depth of his feelings across to his father ...
... And to think that he would once have done anything for his father’s approval.
“I’ve made up my mind,” he said, firmly. “I wish to be your apprentice.”
“Then read the book,” Elaine said. “I’ll give you an hour.”
Chapter Sixteen
True to her word, Elaine gave Johan an hour to read the book. It shouldn’t really have taken that long – it was a short book – but it would give them both time to think. Johan should not enter into an apprenticeship without knowing the possible dangers, while she needed to think about his latest display of accidental magic. It was more interesting, she knew, to note what hadn’t happened as well as what had.
He hadn’t damaged the wards, or the table, or anything else. The only thing that had been destroyed had been the letter, while the rest of the room had been completely unharmed. It suggested that he was definitely better off visualising the outcome of what he wanted, rather than trying to guide his magic through the words and gestures used by other magicians. But what did it really mean?
Taking a breath, she tapped on the door and waited for him to call her inside. When he did, she was surprised to see Jayne there too, unloading a trolley of books. They were all on apprenticeships, she noted, as Jayne saw her and gave a hasty bow. Evidently, Johan had worked out how to request books and other materials from the library staff.
“Thank you, Jayne,” Johan said, flushing slightly. “I’ll call you when the books need to be returned.”
Elaine watched the younger girl go, then looked at Johan. He was clearly attracted to Jayne, unsurprisingly. She was attractive ... and she wasn’t as much of a brat as many of the other girls from various Great Houses. And she had something apart from fluff between her ears.
“The staff aren’t there for you to bother,” she said in mild reproof. She smiled as he blushed bright red. “If you want to flirt with her, you can do it when she’s off-duty.”
Johan’s face turned even redder. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just ...”
Elaine understood. He wouldn’t have met many girls, given his effective imprisonment, and those he had met would have shunned him; Jayne might have been the first girl who had responded to him as a person, rather than a horror to be ignored or even killed for daring to exist. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to try his luck ... after all, magicians had a degree of sexual freedom unthinkable to mundanes.
“Flirt with her when she’s off-duty, or even invite her here,” Elaine said, remembering days when she’d thought that she would go through life alone. She still did, even
though she was no longer a maiden. “But for the moment ...”
She settled back on a comfortable chair and met his eyes. “Did you read the book?”
“I did,” Johan said. He frowned, breaking eye contact. “It wasn’t always pleasant reading.”
Elaine nodded. One advantage of the Peerless School was that it was hard for tutors to take advantage of their pupils. An apprenticeship bond, on the other hand, allowed an unscrupulous teacher to take merciless advantage of his apprentice. The apprentice could become an unpaid servant, a criminal accomplice or even a sexual partner, and it would be completely legal. She couldn’t blame Johan for hesitating. There was a good reason why apprenticeship bonds were rare.
“The choice is yours,” she said, flatly. “I won’t force it on you.”
“My father might,” Johan said. “Did you read the letter?”
Elaine quirked her eyebrows. “And how was I supposed to read the letter?”
Johan nodded, ruefully.
“My father said that he wanted me home because of my magic,” he said. “And that Charity forgave me. And that we could work together to save the family. And that he would sponsor me to enter the Peerless School ...”
“So he doesn’t know everything,” Elaine said, thoughtfully. Light Spinner and Dread wouldn’t have said a word to anyone, but she knew just how easy it was for rumours to spread. Clearly, Charity’s report of her accidental transformation hadn’t allowed her father to deduce that there was something weird about Johan’s magic. But it should have done. “Or maybe he’s hoping that you don’t know everything.”
Johan slapped the table. “Will I ever be free of him?”
“My father is dead,” Elaine said, although she understood what he meant. Whatever his faults, Johan’s father hadn’t knocked up a random woman just to ensure that his abandoned daughter eventually became a Bookworm. “As you grow older, he will have less and less influence over you.”
“I can’t enter the Peerless School,” Johan protested. “Doesn’t he know that?”
“Not yet,” Elaine said. It was a problem. Any normal magician would jump at the chance to enter the Peerless School. It would puzzle anyone who realised that Johan wasn’t going to go there. Combined with what had happened to Charity, she knew, it would be far too informative. “But you couldn’t go there until the start of next term anyway, which is four months off. There will be time enough for us to work out a solution by then.”
She smiled, then stood up. “I have some other experiments I would like to try,” she said. “Coming?”
Johan stood up, eying her nervously. “Do you have any ... advice to offer about Jayne?”
Elaine almost giggled. What sort of person would view her as an expert on relationships? The sole relationship she’d had had been destroyed by a pair of bright red eyes ... and besides, she knew almost nothing about Jayne. She was just a student who was looking for extra money by working in the library when she wasn’t in classes.
“Just be careful,” she said, finally. “Men and women often see things differently. She may not realise that you’re interested in her; she might even have a boyfriend already. And she might be put off if you come on too hard. So be careful.”
She turned away so he wouldn’t see her smile, then led the way back to the experimental chamber. The wards Johan had damaged had regenerated themselves completely, she was relieved to discover; rebuilding them would have been a nightmarish task if they’d been shattered beyond hope of repair. In the long run, they would definitely have to move out of the Great Library. An accident here could have disastrous consequences for the entire Empire.
“The first piece of magic you did was to break your brother’s spell,” she said, once the door was shut and the analysis spells were running properly. “What did you do to do it?”
“I don’t know,” Johan admitted. He sounded rather frustrated by the question. “I just did it.”
“Two-thirds of the entire magical population of the world would be unable to do it,” Elaine said, calmly. “Cancelling spells can require gestures ... and it’s hard to move if one is frozen in place. Even I would have great difficulty in breaking free. But enough magicians can do it to convince duellists that the only way to win is to kill their opponents while frozen, before they can break free.”
She shivered as memories ran through her head, memories that weren’t really hers. Duelling as practiced today was a pale shadow of the past, when magicians had fought at the drop of a hat and done truly terrifying things to their enemies. A magician who froze his opponent could do anything to him ... and many had, while their enemies were helpless.
Johan’s voice penetrated her thoughts. “Are you all right?”
Elaine nodded, pulling herself back to the present. “I think so,” she said, numbly. “I want to cast another such spell on you and see if you can break free.”
***
Johan swallowed, hard. His mouth felt so dry it hurt.
He trusted Elaine, insofar as he trusted anyone. She certainly didn’t have the malice that Jamal and the rest of his siblings, even Charity, had shown from time to time. And she talked to him as though he were an equal. But the thought of being helpless again scared him so deeply he could hardly speak.
“All right,” he managed, finally. He tried to stop his body shaking, but it only made it worse. “Do it.”
Elaine frowned, then waved her wand. Johan felt his body simply ... stop. The spell prevented all voluntary movement; indeed, he wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. He could hear his heartbeat pounding inside his chest, hammering faster and faster as panic threatened to set in and ... he wanted to be free, he needed to be free, he ...
He fell towards the floor, landing in a heap. The pain helped focus his mind, but his head was still spinning madly as he fought to control himself. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and looked up to see Elaine’s concerned eyes staring down at him. But there was something wrong with her eyes ...
“What ...” He stopped, swallowed, and tried again. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
“Long story,” Elaine said. She held out a hand, helping him to his feet. As his thoughts settled, the strange blur he’d seen over Elaine’s eyes faded away. Soft brown eyes held his, looking sad and guilty. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to panic you.”
Johan grinned, pushing the mystery of her eyes to one side. “I broke the spell, didn’t I?”
“You did,” Elaine confirmed. “Well done.”
“Jamal is in for one hell of a surprise,” Johan said, fighting down the urge to start laughing hysterically. Who would have thought that the way to deal with his brother’s torments was to tell them to stop. “Do it again!”
Elaine’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she said. “You’re clearly not in a good state.”
“Please,” Johan begged. The sheer absurdity of the scene struck him and he started to giggle helplessly. He was begging for a spell he’d always considered a tool Jamal used to torment him. “Do it, please!”
“Fine,” Elaine said. She waved her wand. Johan froze. “Break free, now.”
Johan staggered as the spell snapped. This time, he had balanced himself before Elaine used the spell, ensuring that he wouldn’t fall over. But there was still some effect when the spell snapped ...
“Tell me,” Elaine said, as Johan sat down on the cold floor. “Did you feel anything when the spell struck you?”
“I froze,” Johan said, dryly. But he thought he knew what she meant. “I didn’t sense any magic before then.”
“Interesting,” Elaine said. “A normal magician would have sensed me casting the charm, giving him a chance to block it. You ... do not.”
She frowned, stroking her chin. “I want you to try to block the charm this time,” she said, as she motioned him back to his feet. “Start walking, but concentrate on wanting to keep walking.”
Johan started to pace around the room. Twelve seconds later,
the spell struck him and he froze. He broke out a moment later and started to walk again; the next time, he froze again.
“Interesting,” Elaine said, again. “You have to actually be affected by the spell to counter it.”
“Not good,” Johan said. If it took him a few seconds to break the spell every time it caught him, it gave his enemy a chance to hit him with something more lethal. “Do I have to think about a defence all the time?”
“Maybe,” Elaine said. “This time, I want you to imagine that there is a shield protecting you from all attacks. It protects you completely – you have to keep that in mind.”
“While walking,” Johan commented. “Do I have to keep both things in my mind at the same time?”
“Yes,” Elaine said. “Or else it may not work.”
Concentrating, imagining a protective bubble centred on him, Johan started to walk.
***
Elaine had been told, once, that when a student wanted to learn it was a bad idea to discourage them. It was the principle the Peerless School followed, although half the time the students wanted to learn magic they could use on their fellow classmates rather than anything useful. But she was deeply worried about Johan. No matter what sort of brave face he tried to project, it was far too clear that the paralysis spell brought back bad memories, if not outright trauma. Traumatising a magician was far from a good idea even at the best of times.
“Last time,” she said, and raised her wand. “Here we go.”
She cast the spell. Magic flared around Johan – for a moment, she saw a translucent bubble protecting him – and then it flashed back at her. There was no time to react before it caught her and her entire body locked solid, caught in a ridiculous pose. She’d been trapped by her own spell.
It shouldn’t have done that, she thought, trying to summon the discipline to cancel the spell without needing to move her hands. The spell shouldn’t have had the energy to reflect all the way back to me ...
Bookworm II: The Very Ugly Duckling Page 15