Bookworm Read online

  “Millicent needs to learn certain lessons for herself,” Lady Light Spinner said. “You will undo the transformation now.”

  Elaine felt cold rage bubbling up within her. How dare the woman lecture her like that, or try to force her into doing anything against her will? “She turned me into a frog for a week,” she said, remembering all the humiliations that Millicent had forced upon her. “Why shouldn’t I leave her like that forever?”

  “Because if you do, I will be forced to deal with you,” Lady Light Spinner said. She held up a single gloved hand and clicked her fingers. Elaine felt her body suddenly frozen helplessly, just as Millicent had done to Bee. The charms she’d used to shield herself had failed completely. “And you will not enjoy that experience.”

  She waved a hand dismissively and Elaine found that she could move again. “At least you’re not trying to pretend that Millicent is somehow a good person,” she said, after a moment. She wanted to yell and scream, but she had the feeling that that would be pointless, perhaps worse than pointless. “Why did you allow her such freedom of action?”

  “You know as well as I do that it is power that determines a person’s place in society,” Lady Light Spinner said. It was hard to be sure, but she sounded reluctant to talk openly. “Millicent will discover that even her power has limits – and on that day, she will discover her true place in society. Those who are weak are the servants of the strong.”

  And that, Elaine knew, probably explained why Prince Hilarion had been so desperate to learn magic. As a King, even of an isolated state like Ida, he would still have had to defer to the magicians. His Court Wizard wasn’t just the power behind the throne, but the person who would stop him if he tried to get above himself. And if he’d managed to gain a proper education without ever having to swear the Mage’s Oath, who knew what he might be capable of doing? Maybe he’d already enchanted and enslaved his Court Wizard, who should have warned the Grand Sorcerer if his charge was developing formidable abilities.

  “Millicent is a bitch, plain and simple,” Elaine said. It felt good to finally let it all out, all the hatred and resentment she’d been forced to feel over the years. “Why should I do anything for her?”

  They stared at each other for a long moment. “I can offer you power and wealth beyond anything you could obtain for yourself,” Lady Light Spinner said, finally. It was clear that she had limits on how far she could push Elaine. But then, magical compulsions worked poorly on magicians, at least if their mistresses wanted them to perform actual magic. “Or I can ensure that Millicent never bothers you again.”

  It was a tempting offer. “Very well,” Elaine said, finally. “If I can free her, you will have to swear an oath that you will keep her away from me – and that you will pay me one thousand Crowns in payment for helping her return to normal.”

  She’d expected Lady Light Spinner to haggle and was disappointed when she merely nodded slowly. “Very well,” she said. “I swear that I will keep Millicent away from you and that I will pay you for your services, once she is free of your spell.”

  Elaine nodded. She knew that most magicians who swore oaths had to keep them, if only for fear that their magic would rebound upon them. Lady Light Spinner wouldn’t have become so powerful without swearing the Mage’s Oath, would she? But Prince Hilarion clearly thought that he could gain power without attending to any of the obligations, such as they were.

  She reached over and picked up Millicent’s stony form. It had been years since she’d studied transfiguration – and enchantment – at the Peerless School, but the knowledge forced into her head told her that this wasn’t an ordinary statue. What would happen when the magic finally faded away? Millicent should have returned to normal, yet whatever Elaine had done hadn’t been a remotely normal spell. Maybe her awareness would just drift away into nothingness, like some of the unluckier victims of the Blight.

  Magic crackled along her fingertips, yet it seemed curiously reluctant to slide into Millicent’s form. Elaine closed her eyes and concentrated, dragging up spells she’d never used outside the Peerless School, but nothing happened. Had she killed Millicent outright when she’d transfigured her? It was possible.

  “Undo the spell,” Lady Light Spinner said, remorselessly. “Now.”

  “I don’t know how,” Elaine burst out, in frustration. “I don’t...”

  As if her outburst had triggered a thought in her mind, she felt new spells coming to the forefront of her awareness. She hadn’t really used a single spell on Millicent, but hundreds of tiny spells...all of which were now rebelling against her conventional attempt to free Millicent from her bondage. It would need something similar to undo the spell...she kept her eyes firmly closed and concentrated, muttering the words under her breath as they came into her mind. And Millicent’s form started to shift...

  Elaine threw her away and watched as she hit the floor. The statue was vibrating, stretching in and out of conventional reality as magic contested with the counter-magic she’d shaped in her mind. And then there was a loud bang and Millicent lay on the floor in front of them, breathing heavily. Her clothes were all torn and bedraggled by the magic that had warped her form into a tiny statue.

  “You’re free,” Elaine said. The look of absolute fear on Millicent’s face felt surprisingly good after the years of torment, though part of her was appalled at what she had done, even to a girl who had treated her terribly. “Welcome back to flesh and blood.”

  Millicent seemed to find it hard to talk. “You...you...”

  “You will say no more,” Lady Light Spinner said, cutting off her niece before Millicent could say anything that might have gotten her into real trouble again. “You will report to the druids for a full examination and then we will...discuss your future. Go.”

  Millicent threw one more half-scared look at Elaine and stumbled out of the room. Elaine felt tired and dizzy, almost as if she was on the verge of being sick. Using magic like that should have been impossible, surely. And yet she’d done it twice. Lady Light Spinner looked up at her, her blue eyes expressionless, her face invisible behind the veil.

  “You will receive your money,” Lady Light Spinner said. “I thank you for your service.”

  “You’re welcome,” Elaine said, tartly. She already regretted what she’d done. “Give me the money and then I will take my leave.”

  “I have an offer to make to you,” Lady Light Spinner said. “I need powerful young magicians to assist me in my work. Join me; work with me.”

  Elaine shook her head, quickly. “I’m really not that powerful,” she said, truthfully. Millicent could have beaten her effortlessly if they’d matched talent against talent. “All I did was...”

  “Something new,” Lady Light Spinner said. “I could use you. Do you really wish to see Sorcerer Deferens wearing the robes of the Grand Sorcerer?”

  “I don’t think I could tip the balance,” Elaine said. Surely the contest was between the candidates themselves, not their clients. But very little was known about the contest the first Grand Sorcerer had devised. If more had been known, the touts would probably have been happier – and it would have been easier for them to start placing their bets. “I just want to get on with my life.”

  “Your former boss has left the Great Library,” Lady Light Spinner informed her. Elaine’s eyes opened wide. Miss Prim couldn’t leave the Great Library...but it had been the Grand Sorcerer who had bound her to serve in the Library until his death. The charm holding her there would have died along with the sorcerer who’d cast it. “My patronage could ensure that you get her post as Head Librarian.”

  That was tempting, Elaine had to admit. Some of her co-workers hadn’t wanted to stay in the Library for their entire careers, but Elaine would have been quite happy if she’d slowly risen up in the ranks until she became the supervisor of the entire building. It had always felt warm and friendly to her.

  But she didn’t want to owe anything to Lady Light Spinner.

  “No,�
� she said, finally. “I will work my way to the top on my own.”

  “Then go,” Lady Light Spinner said. “Collect your money from the men downstairs and then walk home.”

  Forcing her to walk home had probably been intended as a slap across the face, but Elaine was silently grateful. She needed time to think.

  ***

  “You turned her back to normal?”

  Elaine nodded. “I don’t think I had much choice,” she said. “What would have happened if she’d gotten the Inquisition involved?”

  “They would probably have been impressed that you managed to do it in the first place,” Daria said. “But never mind...guess who came calling while you were out?”

  Elaine was too tired for guessing games. “Tell me.”

  “Bee,” Daria said, with a grin. “I took the liberty of assuring him that you’d be more than happy to go out with him tomorrow night. I think he plans to take you somewhere very fancy.”

  Elaine flushed. “I have to go to Ida the day afterwards,” she said. It would have been simple to use one of the teleport stations constructed by various magicians, but it would have drained even the money she’d been given by Lady Light Spinner. Besides, she’d never travelled outside the Golden City before and she was curious to see the countryside. An iron dragon would take her all the way to Ida – and the station built below the mountain peaks. “I suppose dinner would be nice...”

  “Just don’t let him go too far,” Daria advised. “Men simply cannot be trusted to know what’s best for them, or for the girl. Don’t let him do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Elaine promised her. She glanced at the calendar on the wall while she considered. She had ten days of leave left before she had to return to the Great Library, unless she was called in early to help prepare the groundwork for Miss Prim’s successor. It was possible that they would call her in, but she was ill. The druids would probably have told them not to bother Elaine unless it was vitally important. “Are you going to be coming?”

  Daria gave her a look that suggested that she might have gone insane. “It’s a chance for you to be with him, twit,” she said. “Now why don’t we go shopping. You’ll want to look your best...”

  She made a show of considering Elaine’s face. “White is really too bright for your hair, but green or red wouldn’t set it off well,” she said. “Black might be good for you...”

  “I am not going to buy a new outfit just for one date,” Elaine said, firmly.

  “Of course you are,” Daria said. “This isn’t just the first date, my dear; it could be the start of a whole new life for you. Just think about all the men who will be asking you out in the future.” She paused in thought. “Maybe gold cloth – it should set your hair off nicely and will make you look like a lady who’s worth a few thousand Crowns...”

  Elaine put her hands on her hips and prepared to be stubborn. But Daria – of course – just kept going.

  And she might be right. It might be fun.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Well, how do you feel?”

  Elaine scowled at her friend. “Exposed,” she said, finally. “I can’t wear this in public.”

  She gazed at the mirror and saw her own reflection looking back. Daria had found her a gold-tinted dress from somewhere, which she had to admit looked nice with her hair, but it showed off more of her chest than she found comfortable. She had always been a little self-conscious about her chest – both Daria and Millicent had far larger breasts – and showing it off to a guy she barely knew was too much. At least on the first date.

  “Then pull it up,” Daria said. She reached for the dress, pulled it up to Elaine’s neck and muttered a spell to keep it in place. “That should hold long enough to keep you covered – just use a standard countering spell if you happen to want to get rid of it quickly.”

  “As if,” Elaine said, crossly. She hadn’t even been on the date yet and she already wished that it was over. “I’m not going to take it off until I get back home.” She paused, suspiciously. “The spell isn’t going to wear off halfway through the dinner, is it?”

  “I don’t think so,” Daria assured her. She’d heard the rumours about fashion disasters too, caused by spells wearing off at the wrong time. Some unlucky girls had been revealed to be wearing nothing more than charmed rags in the finest restaurants in the city. “It’s tied in with the cloth – it won’t fade unless you deliberately banish it. And it has protection wards to prevent someone else from making the spells fail.”

  Elaine snorted. She didn’t need the knowledge from the Great Library to know that such spells always had their limits. If she was particularly unlucky, she might even discover that her dress fell to pieces when one of Millicent’s cronies set out to embarrass her, although maybe that wouldn’t happen in a hurry. Lady Light Spinner had sworn her oath to keep Millicent from bothering Elaine any longer.

  ...Although Elaine wasn’t sure how far she could trust Millicent to do as her aunt commanded. The girl was a bully, someone who considered herself superior to everyone else – particularly Elaine. She’d be more likely to believe that her transfiguration was an unlucky accident rather than Elaine suddenly developing the power to make her pay for years of torment and humiliation. And that might lead her to believe that she could win a second magical duel.

  “I’m dressed,” she announced, pushing the thought aside. She was going to have a good time tonight, damn it. Even if she had to kiss Bee...the funny thing was that that thought wasn’t even remotely repellent. “Now should I undress and wait for this evening?”

  Daria blinked at her, owlishly. “Of course not,” she said. “We have to do your make up and brush your hair...you should be ready just in time for when he arrives.”

  “But...” Elaine began. She’d never taken much time over her appearance. Getting dressed only took a few minutes, even when she’d had to wear her graduation robes for the funeral. And there were still three hours before Bee was due to arrive. “I can’t wear this until then.”

  “Of course you can,” Daria said. “I’ve known girls at the parlour who have worn their dresses for hours rather than go to all the trouble of getting undressed and then redressing later. You’re lucky you don’t have to go in for semi-permanent beauty transfigurations. Some of the girls I know would probably be in real trouble if their magic ran out suddenly and their faces tried to snap back to normal.”

  She chuckled, mischievously. Elaine shivered at the thought. Transfiguring a person – or even part of a person – placed a strain on reality. Repeated transfigurations made someone or something flexible, capable of changing its form without needing the massive level of magic needed to overwrite reality, but it also made their form somewhat fluid, without even a clear idea of what it should be. Losing the spells that pinned the new form in place might leave the victim nothing more than a fleshy mass, struggling to breathe – or kill them outright if they became stuck between transfigurations.

  “Anyway, hold still,” Daria added. “It’s time for the next part of the program.”

  She pushed Elaine gently back onto a stool and started to work on her face with a tiny pair of charmed brushes. Elaine almost giggled as the brushes tickled her, just before Daria held up a mirror in front of her face, showing how her skin had paled under her touch. The porcelain doll look was popular right now, but Daria had pointed out that it wouldn’t really suit Elaine at all and what she really needed was a minimal effect that showed up her eyes and hair. Elaine had found it hard to follow the technical terms and had resigned herself to doing as Daria said, and hoping. She could have changed herself using one of the new spells if necessary...

  She sighed as Daria prodded at her cheekbones, thinking about the Blight. If she could do something about it, maybe she could claim to have been testing something new when Millicent had had her little accident. There was no reason why long-lost magical knowledge couldn’t be rediscovered, even the darkest secrets of necr
omancy. But she’d never had a reputation as a researcher into magical techniques and someone would probably start asking questions until they got to the truth, whereupon they would execute whatever was left of her for possessing illicit knowledge. It was a shame, she told herself. The reward for cleansing the Blight would have given her enough money to build a proper life for herself.

  “Not too bad,” Daria said, critically. “You know how much some of the girls at the parlour would give for looks like yours?”

  “Nothing,” Elaine said. She had never thought of herself as precisely ugly, but it seemed obvious that men preferred large breasts and a certain lack of brains. “I don’t look anything like as pretty as Millicent.”

  “Millicent the statue or Millicent the bitch?” Daria asked. “But you’re really too old to be a blunt instrument in the wars between the sexes. You have a more subtle beauty that comes out as you grow older.”

  Elaine laughed. “And how much would I have to pay for compliments like that at the parlour?”

  “We don’t lie to our customers,” Daria assured her, in mock horror. “That would be bad. We just tell them the better news and gloss over the worse news, like the fact that showing off too much of one’s chest makes it easy for the boys to see everything they want to see.”

  Elaine narrowed her eyes. “But you wanted me to show off most of my chest,” she pointed out. “Even Bee would be too busy staring at my dress to look into my eyes.”

  “It’s different for you,” Daria said. “I have to make sure that you look striking, but not too striking...because too striking would be bad for you and Bee. You just want to look spectacular without giving too much away.” She winked. “Men value things they actually have to fight for more than things that are given away for free.”

  Elaine blushed. “You keep telling me that,” she said.

  “And it never stops being true,” Daria agreed. She stood up and peered down at Elaine. “You look good, so...why don’t you wait here while I go and get you a snack? I’ll have to make sure you know how to eat properly before you go – food on the dress isn’t good.”