Copyright © 2005 by Blake Charlton. All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, reposting, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission of the author.
Home Samples Prolog Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five
Reflexively, Shannon's blind eyes swept across the room. His bookcases appeared as blazing walls of paragraphs; his desktop as a plane of luminescent notes. But when he focused on where Amadi sat, he saw only a pool of blackness. His blindness both frightened and infuriated him. "You believe," he said, forcing his voice to be calm, "I pushed Nora Finn from the Spindle Bridge?"
"It does not matter what I believe," Amadi answered calmly. "I seek the truth."
"But your accusation is absurd," he replied coldly. "There can be no connection between me and Nora's death." Suddenly he realized why Amadi had been behaving so strangely: all of her sudden familiarities and naive questions had been attempts to catch him in a lie. His hands began to shake with fury. Not a good sign. He stood and walked to the window. "Shouldn't I have blood on me? Nora's or my own?"
"Magistar," Amadi replied, her chair squeaking as she stood, "we discovered the body six hours ago. The villain has had ample time to conceal any evidence. And unfortunately there is a connection--two in fact. Two days ago, Astrophell sent a colaboris spell instructing the provost to give Magistra Finn the Chair for which you two were competing."
"So I killed Nora to steal her honors?" he asked, facing the window. "Hakeem's blood! Do you think--"
"Then" Amadi interrupted, "there is the second connection: Magistra Finn's body was riddled with a pernicious misspell that used her body to propagate itself. And every Starhaven wizard I interview tells me that no one knows more about misspells than you."
"I am a linguist researching textual intelligence," he growled. "Of course I study textual corruption and self-repair."
He could hear Amadi step toward him. "I wasn't thinking of your research--although that provides a third connection. I was thinking of your overseeing mentally damaged students who misspell texts simply by touching them."
Shannon turned his head to show her his profile. His tone became low, dangerous. "My students aren't damaged!"
"Magistar, deep down, I believe you're innocent."
He turned back to the window and fought the urge to reply with a snarl.
"Magistar, as a witch-hunter I must remain objective. I am risking much by telling you I think you're innocent. If you would help me, I'm sure I could clear your name."
He said nothing.
"But I must have your cooperation," she continued. "I need to know everything you know about misspells and misspellers."
Shannon forced himself to take three long breaths. Resisting her might paint him with shades of guilt. "If I agree," he said slowly, "may I continue my research during your investigation?"
She thought for a moment before answering: "Yes."
He bit his lip and nodded. "What do you want to know?"
Amadi let out a long breath. "Let us begin with the misspellers. Why are they here?" Five receding footsteps told Shannon that she was walking back to her chair.
But he didn't follow. She could not politely sit while he was standing, and it would be good for her to see that he was in control.
He took a moment to compose himself. "Here in Starhaven," he began, turning back to the window, "as in other wizardly academies, a spellwright must achieve fluency in Numinous or Magnus to earn a wizard's hood, fluency in both to earn a grand wizard's staff. Spellwrights who cannot learn either wizardly language may earn a lesser wizard's robe by mastering the common magical languages. But every year, a few fail even this. Unable to place the runes in the correct order, they can't help but misspell--often with unpredictable results. In the southern kingdoms, we call such unfortunate souls cacographers."
Amadi grunted "But it's the same in the North. We simply do not name our remedial students so."
"In Starhaven," Shannon said, rolling his neck, "we do not exspell cacographers; we permit them to fulfill what roles they can. At present there are maybe twenty living in the Drum Tower. All but three are under the age of twelve. So if you think a child murdered--"
Amadi interrupted him. "Why so many young ones?"
"The older ones learn to integrate themselves as lesser wizards."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Dangerous?" Shannon's voice rose. "Dangerous to the cacographers? Possibly. Every so often, a text reacts poorly to their touch. Still, I've never seen an incident result in anything more than bruises. But are cacographers dangerous for mature wizards? Dangerous to spellwrights fluent in one or both of the most powerful magical languages?" He snorted.
The woman paused. Shannon heard her feet shuffle. She was shifting her weight and wishing to sit down. "Shannon, this goes against what I was taught, against what you taught me."
He planted a hand on either side of the windowsill. "I taught you long ago, Amadi."
She clicked her tongue in frustration. "But I have read of these misspellers--or cacographers, as you call them. Many witches and rogue wizards come from their misspelling stock. In fact, one such misspeller was an infamous killer. He was a southerner, lived in this academy in fact...why can't I think of his name?"
"James Berr," Shannon provided quietly. "You are thinking of James Berr."
"Yes!"
Shannon turned toward his former student. His voice rang clear and patronizing. "Berr died three hundred years ago. You do know that, don't you?"
Silence filled the room for a moment, but then Amadi's chair sang out a creaking complaint as she sat heavily into it.
Shannon stiffened.
"Please continue, Magistar," she said acerbically. "What have I misunderstood? What was so terribly benign about that misspelling murderer?"
Turning away Shannon spoke in short, harsh words. "It was an accident. One of Berr's misspells killed a handful of acolytes. He admitted guilt and swore never to spellwrite again. They allowed him to stay on as a low ranking librarian. The boy was only trying to learn. No one would teach him, so he experimented. Unfortunately several wizards died from misspelling two years later. Berr fled and was never recaptured."
Amadi cleared her throat. "So cacographers are dangerous then?"
"Not once," Shannon lectured to the window, "in the three hundred years following James Berr has there been such a dangerous cacographer. It is our macabre fascination with misspelling that makes us suspect that every cacographer is a viper in the bush."
Amadi seemed to think about this before asking, "Are there any Starhaven cacographers with particular strengths?"
"A few," the old wizard said before frowning. "Why do you ask?"
"I need to know if there are any cacographers strong enough to write the misspell that infected Magistra Finn."
Shannon turned round, his face taut with anger. "Are you implying that one of my students is a murderer? I'll not have you pinning the blame on a cacographer simply because you've been spooked by a villain who uses a misspell."
Amadi cleared her throat. "You are protective of your students?"
"I am the master of their tower; it is my duty."
"Shannon," Amadi replied coolly, "I make no implication. I simply need to know if any Starhaven cacographer is strong enough to kill a grand wizard."
"There is one, but he would never--"
"And who," Amadi interrupted, "is this boy?"
Shannon glowered. "My apprentice."
Home Samples Prolog Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five