Spellwright

Shannon laughed and accepted Azure’s empty walnut shells. “You flatter me, Magister, to claim I’m capable of such a feat at my age.” He laughed again. “In fact, I left the privy by the balcony so that I could question the gargoyle that empties the latrine. Surely your companion watching the balcony saw me.” He raised his eyebrows at the fat sentinel.

The man looked away.

“Oh, how embarrassing,” Shannon said through a half-smile. “You didn’t consider that the privy might have more than one exit. Well, no matter; you may question the balcony gargoyle. It will recall our conversation.” He handed Azure another walnut. “I examined other gargoyles afterward.” He listed them.

Amadi eyed her underlings. “Go and verify what Magister says.”

With a commotion of bobbing heads, the two hurried from the study.

“And Kale,” Amadi said to her secretary, “you may deliver those messages now. Interrupt me only with urgent news.”

The young Ixonian nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Amadi, pushing a dreadlock from her face, turned back to Shannon. “Magister, I thought we had an understanding. I am trying to prove your innocence.”

“Amadi, I simply did not know I was being… guarded, as you put it.”

“Magister, I’m not a child anymore.” A hint of pain sounded in her otherwise controlled voice. “You knew you were being watched.”

“Amadi, I don’t-”

“Very well.” Her tone was testy. “So there will be no future misunderstandings, I tell you now that we’ve placed a watch on your quarters above the Bolide Gardens. We did this after following Nicodemus there. We did not disturb his sleep, but after he left my authors searched the place, taking care not to disturb anything. If you persist in this suspicious behavior, we will have to search it more thoroughly.” She paused for effect. “Also we have written robust wards on the doors and windows.”

Shannon raised an eyebrow.

“No author or text will be able to enter or leave your quarters without disspelling a ward. I would advise against such an action; anyone attempting to sneak in or out of your quarters will be cut in two at the waist. Of course, the sentinels watching your quarters will disarm the wards when you enter or leave.”

Shannon made no attempt to hide his irritation. “Your reaction seems extreme considering that you have no evidence of misconduct on my part.”

“None indeed? Do you care to explain why your face looks like a lion’s scratching post?”

He rolled his blind eyes. “I told you a spellbook deconstructed when I was working late last night. I can fetch what’s left of the book, several books, actually.”

“Of course you can. And the men I sent to confirm your story about researching gargoyles, no doubt the constructs will exonerate you. You’re a linguist studying textual intelligence. No doubt you edited-”

“Magistra, you go too far! I have answered your every question, allowed you to interrupt my research, even given you access to my students. And how do you repay my good will? By spying on me, by ransacking my library, by accusing me of tampering with academy constructs.”

Amadi pursed her lips.

“So I will say again,” he continued, his voice calmer, “that you owe me an explanation.” He held out another nut for Azure. “Without one, I must complain to-”

“Two of your students have died.”

The walnut dropped from his hands. “What did you say?”

“Two of your students have died. Adan of Roundtower and Eric Everson. Adan was found on the smithy roof. It seems he jumped from the Weshurst Bridge. His older brother perished in the Astrophell fire. The other boy, Eric, came running in from the forest with a misspell tearing up his insides. The curse worked him to exhaustion. In his robes, the boy had a Numinous scroll-seems he stole the manuscript and was playing with it in the forest.”

“Blood of Los,” Shannon whispered and sat heavily in his chair. Azure climbed onto his shoulder and began preening his dreadlocks.

Amadi took the seat in front of his desk. “There’s no sign that either death was murder. But in light of what happened to Nora Finn, I believe something is awry. So I will ask you again: Magister, where have you been for the past hour?”

“I speak the truth when I say that I was talking to gargoyles,” Shannon said numbly.

The murderer had struck faster than he had thought possible. More terrifying, Shannon had issued orders to all wizards supervising cacographers that their charges were not to leave Starhaven. How could the murderer have induced the boys to disobey and escape their teachers?

The murderer had said he could wield dreams as others might wield a net. The monster must somehow be using dreams to compel the boys to stray out of Starhaven’s protective walls. “Creator forgive me!” he whispered to himself. This changed everything.

Amadi began to ask a question about the two poor boys.

He stopped her and withdrew the severed clay arm from his robes. The thing was beginning to lose its shape. Nevertheless, he laid it on the table.