The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump

"I was just getting to that Legate," the sorce-and-rescue man said, and some of the sudden hopes I'd got up came crashing down again - he didn't sound what you'd call upbeat. The spirit's here - it's manifested enough so we can move it - but it's not in good shape, not even slightly. Preliminary diagnosis is that whoever set the fire went after the poor creature on the Other Side, too."

"Poor Erasmus," Brother Vahan said, with as much concern as if he were talking about one of his monks.

"Erasmus? Oh," the sorce-and-rescue man said; then: "I don't think it'B perish, but it's had a rough time. Hard to characterize torments on the Other Side, but - did it used to manifest itself with its spectacles cracked?"

"No," Brother Vahan said, and started to weep as if that was to him the crowning tragedy of all those which had befallen the Thomas Brothers monastery tonight. I remembered the fussy, precise spirit and the neat little pair of glasses it had worn. How could you crack lenses (hat weren't really there? I suppose there are ways, but I got queasy thinking about them.

"We can run the spellchecker on this access spirit," Thaumatech Bornholm said. "Maybe we'll learn just what hit the monastery by finding out how the spirit was tormented." "Tor that matter, simple questioning may yield the same information," said Kawaguchi, who sounded ready to start asking poor abused Erasmus questions right then and there if the sorce-and-rescue man would summon the spirit onto a ground-glass screen.

But the sorce-and-rescue man shook his head. "Nobody's going to run a spellchecker on that spirit any time soon. Any sorcerous nudge right now, before it has a chance to regain some strength, and it'll be gone for good. I'm not kidding - a sorcerous nudge right now with destroy, uh, Erasmus, and I'll set that down on parchment. The same goes for interrogation. If that spirit were a material being, it would've gotten last rites. Because it's not material, it has a better chance of recovering than thee or me, but I warn you: you'll lose it if you push."

"I shall pray for Erasmus' recovery along with the recovery of my brethren who took hurt in the fire," Brother Vahan said, "and for the souls of the brethren who lost their lives."

He spoke slowly and with great dignity, partly because he was that kind of man and partly to hold the tears back from his voice.

Judy stepped up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

He twitched a fade; you could see how unused he was to having a woman touch him. But after a couple of seconds, he realized she meant only to comfort him. He eased, as much as you can when everything that matters to you is gone.

I wished I'd thought to make the gesture Judy had. I suspect the trouble is that I think too much. Judy felt what she ought to do and she did it. I'm not saying she doesn't think - oh my, no. But it's nice to be in touch with This Side and the Other Side of yourself, so to speak.

I turned to Legate Kawaguchi. "Do you need us for anything more here, sir?"

He shook his head. "No, you may go, Inspector Fisher.

Thank you for your statement I expect we will be in touch with each other about aspects of this matter of mutual concern." I expected that, too. Then Kawaguchi unbent a little; maybe a human being really did lurk behind the constabulary uniform. "A pleasure also to meet your fiancee, Inspector. A pity to drag you out of doors at such an unholy hour. Mistress Ather, especially on dark, grim business like this."

"I asked David to let me come along," Judy said. "And you're right - this business is dark and grim. If I can do anything to help you catch whoever did it, let me know. I'm no mage, but I'm an expert on sorcerous applications."

"I shall bear that in mind," Kawaguchi said, and sounded as if he meant it.

Judy and I ducked under the tape the constabulary had put around the Thomas Brothers monastery and walked back toward my carpet. The sun was just starting to paint the sky above the hills to the east with pink. I asked my watch what time it was and found out it was heading toward six. By my body, it could have been anywhere from midmoming to midnight We fastened our safety belts and headed back toward the freeway. A couple of minutes before we got there, Judy said,

"I didn't know I was your fiancee."

"Huh?" I answered brilliantly.

The way you introduced me to Legate Kawaguchi," she said.

"Oh. That." I'd just done it because it seemed the easiest way to explain what she was doing over at my place at twosomefhmg of a morning. I thought about it for a few seconds, then said, "Well, do you want to be?"

"Do I want to be what?" Now Judy was confused.

"My fiancee."

"Sure!" she said, and her smile was brighter than the sun which just that moment poked itself into the sky. It wasn't the traditional way to answer a proposal of marriage, but then I hadn't proposed the way I'd intended to, either. I really had intended to get around to it, but I didn't know just when. Now seemed as good a time as any.