Thief's Magic

by Trudi Canavan

  Tyen shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll have to see if there’s a story in it.”

  The man laughed. “Good luck to you, then.”

  Mr Leadbeater returned and took them past the machines that attached the covers to shelving where he stored books waiting to be delivered to their owners. Tyen thanked the man for sparing them the time to show them the process, and said he had gained a lot of useful information. The man ushered them out into a sunny late afternoon.

  As they walked back towards the Academy, Tyen was conscious of Vella’s form pressed against his skin. He itched to take her out and see what she had thought of the printery. It had been a good demonstration of industrial processes driven by magic. Did she have any questions? What would she like to learn about next?

  Thinking back, he hoped she didn’t mind him asking if the binder had heard of a book made of bones, skin and hair. Was that a bit too personal a question? Would she rather I didn’t know the details?

  A hand tucked into the crook of his arm.

  “Well, that was more interesting than I expected,” Miko said, steering Tyen in the direction of a side street. “But those fumes! I think we need to stop and have a drink to clear our heads.”

  Neel laughed. “Since when does drinking clear anyone’s head?”

  “And you promised we could go somewhere I picked next,” Miko added.

  The side street was more of an alley, and Tyen felt a chill as they moved into its cooler shadows. Men and women in work clothing hurried along it, hunched and frowning. “Where are we going?”

  Miko let his arm go and took the lead. “A short cut. Don’t worry. I know where we are. I’ve been here before.”

  The alley kinked and curved, never staying straight enough for them to see its far end. They stepped into a doorway to allow a woman carrying a huge bundle to pass. Two children followed, tottering under equally large burdens. After a few hundred paces Miko turned into another alley, as busy as the previous, and a familiar smell tickled Tyen’s nose – the mingled smells of overly sweet perfume, cheap drink and blocked drains. It reminds me of …

  “Nectar Alley?” Neel asked.

  “No,” Miko said. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Its more respectable cousin, Flower Court.”

  “More respectable?” Tyen muttered. “Not from what I’ve heard.”

  Neel sent him a curious look, but Miko grinned.

  “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you’re too well behaved, Tyen.”

  Tyen huffed. “How many times do I have to come with you to these places to convince you I’m not?”

  Miko laughed. The sound sent a thrill of apprehension down Tyen’s spine. It wasn’t that he hadn’t visited places like Flower Court before, thanks to his friends, but he’d never done so in the company of a woman – even if she was a book.

  “It’s still light,” he said. “They won’t be open.”

  Miko patted the pocket of his coat. “They won’t mind a few early customers.”

  “How are you going to afford…?” Tyen stopped as he realised Miko must have sold the bauble. “Hey! You haven’t paid me back for the ride from the station yet.”

  Miko had turned away. “I’ll buy you a drink,” he tossed over his shoulder.

  The alley descended via crumbling steps. The damp smell became stronger and the perfume more powerful as if to compensate. Tyen could hear the sound of many voices, growing louder at every step. The final flight of stairs made a twist to the right and they stepped out into the roar and hectic swirl of a crowded, bustling courtyard.

  Looking back once to make sure they were following, Miko started wending his way through the crowd. At the edges of the courtyard men and women stood talking and drinking, some sitting on old half-barrels or boxes. In the centre, people strode about their business, their paths criss-crossing. As far as Tyen could tell, all of the buildings facing the yard were drinking houses. Plant boxes below the windows of the higher floors were filled with flowers, but, from the gaudy colours and stiff shapes, Tyen guessed they weren’t real.

  He and Neel followed their friend into one of the drinking establishments. The inside was furnished with sturdy chairs and tables, and a high bar and stools. There were fewer customers inside than out, but the sense of relaxed expectation suggested the calm was due to the hour and it would be busy soon. Miko hopped up onto a stool and waved at the server, who was talking to a thin young woman with large, startlingly blue eyes.

  “A round of your best dusky,” he declared.

  Tyen sighed. He doubted he’d ever get his money back now. He didn’t particularly want a drink so early in the day, but there was no point refusing. Miko would insist, then berate and tease Tyen for being no fun to be around.

  The server nodded and turned back to the woman as he poured their drinks. She was staring at Miko appraisingly. Miko was staring at her. He grinned. She smiled back. Tyen groaned silently.

  If this goes where I think it’s going … He was all too conscious of Vella resting against his skin. If it weren’t for Miko I’d have never set foot in a place like this, he told himself. But a part of him didn’t mind – no, was glad – that Miko had. He’d have never had the courage to come alone. Because Father had warned me against it. Yet it was almost expected that the spirited young students of the Academy would enjoy all the city had to offer. Just … I wish Miko hadn’t picked now, he thought.

  Miko turned to face the woman as she walked over.

  “I’m Gija. You look like you’re celebrating,” she said as the server set down their drinks.

  Miko took his and handed it to her. “Hi, Gija. We recently got back from a successful trip to Mailand.”

  “Oh? What took you over there?”

  “Treasure hunting.”

  “Find any?”

  “Nothing to compare with what stands before me now.”

  Gija smiled and lowered her eyes. Tyen let out a long sigh and reached for his glass. Whatever sweetener they’d added didn’t quite mask the bitterness of cheap alcohol. Best dusky indeed. Neel took one sip then grimaced and tossed the rest down.

  “What brings you here?” she asked, lifting the glass delicately to her lips and taking the smallest sip. She ran her tongue over her lips, leaned close to Miko’s ear and whispered.

  “Just you?” Miko asked.

  Her eyes slid to Tyen and Neel. “I’m expecting some friends. They’ll be here soon.”

  Tyen nudged Miko in the ribs. “Don’t worry about me. I can’t afford it.”

  His friend glanced back. “As you said, I owe you for the ride.”

  “Not that much.”

  Miko shrugged. “Let a man give a friend a gift, will you?”

  More like favour he’d have to return, Tyen corrected. Still, as two much prettier women bounced down the stairs, saw Gija and sidled over, he had to acknowledge he wouldn’t have resisted as much if he hadn’t been carrying Vella. Perhaps if he put her in his coat pocket …

  Introductions were made, Miko bought more drinks. Tyen found himself with two glasses, so he took Neel’s example and tossed down the contents of one. It burned down his throat. A warmth filled his belly and began to seep into his limbs. The dusky might not be quality, but it wasn’t weak.

  Miko began a flippant conversation with one of the other women, a round-faced brunette. Gija turned her attention to Neel, who appeared to find her more fascinating than was justified. He always was a fast drunk, Tyen thought. He regarded the glass in his hand and considered whether he should drink it or not. Slender fingers plucked it out of his grip and he turned to see the smaller of the three women smiling up at him.

  “I’ve got something better in my room,” she told him.

  They all began to move towards the stairs. Tyen’s head spun a little. He couldn’t remember why he hadn’t wanted a part in this. They staggered up the stairs to the first floor, where the girls pulled them in different directions. Neel was giggling. Tyen looked back in time to see Miko wave
and grin as the brunette ushered him through a door. He saw Neel and Gija walking away before he found himself gently shoved into a dark little sweet-smelling room. Hands grabbed his jacket and tugged it off. The movement unbalanced him and he stumbled and fell half onto the bed.

  He heard a smothered laugh. Turning over, he pushed himself up so he was sitting on the bed, closing his eyes and holding his head until it stopped spinning. When he opened his eyes again, the girl was standing a step away, holding out a new glass and smiling.

  “This is better than what they serve downstairs.”

  He reached out to take the glass. “Thanks. Um. Who…?”

  “Mia.”

  She dropped to her knees, skirt rustling as she moved forward and pressed between his legs so she could reach his shirt. “You?”

  “Oh. Tyen.”

  “Drink,” she ordered gently as she began unbuttoning. “Don’t waste it.”

  He brought the glass to his lips then froze as cold fingers slid down his chest and stopped where Vella lay against his side.

  Vella. Heat rushed to his face as he remembered why he’d been so reluctant to accept Miko’s generosity. A rush of alarm cleared his head as she drew out the book. She regarded it for a moment, then shrugged and set it aside on a low table mostly covered in clothing.

  “Wait.” Tyen reached over and picked up the book. Though he knew it was a strange thing to do in this situation, he opened it and stared at the pages, gathering his dusky-addled thoughts enough, he hoped, to communicate an apology of sorts.

  The dusky contains a drug. The whores intend to rob you and your friends.

  Tyen stared at the words, reading them over and over. Then he closed the book and slipped it back into his shirt. Putting the dusky down he pushed the girl away gently but firmly, stood up, located his jacket and the door and staggered out.

  Once in the corridor, he paused only to fasten enough buttons to be sure Vella wouldn’t slip out if he had to physically remove his friends from their rooms. Or his friend’s possessions from the women. The next ten minutes involved a lot of swearing, and not all from the women. By the end he and his friends were walking, Neel supported between Tyen and Miko, down the alley that had brought them to Flower Court – or so Tyen hoped.

  “How did you know they were going to rob us?” Miko asked for the third time.

  “I pretended to be asleep and she started going through my coat,” Tyen lied.

  “But … how did you…? Why pretend you were asleep?”

  “I … I had a feeling they were up to something.”

  “A feeling?” Miko’s tone was disbelieving.

  “A hunch.”

  “You never have hunches.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “It’s why you never found anything in Mailand. Wasting all that time measuring and looking for logical ways to predict where the caves were dug. Should have just got digging, like we did – eh, Neel?”

  Neel shook his head. His face was blotchy and pallid as he looked up at Tyen, his eyes wide.

  “Thanks for rescuing us,” was all he said.

  Then he stopped, bent double and vomited on Miko’s shoes.

  CHAPTER 6

  So … what the binder said … was that how you were made?

  More or less. The writing on the page was, as always, graceful and confident. Skin instead of cloth and paper. Hair instead of thread. Bone instead of card. Glue from sinew, rendered down.

  So there is bone large and flat enough in a human body?

  Bones can be moulded and reshaped with magic, just as a person’s appearance can be changed – if the sorcerer has the knowledge, skill and enough flesh and bone to apply it to. Roporien could alter his appearance to be more appealing or more frightening to others, if the advantage was worth the effort.

  I’ve never read of anyone capable of doing that, but I suppose he would not have needed to change often in this world since everybody was already so impressed by him. But shaping your bones, making glue, tanning skin … wouldn’t that have taken a long time?

  The process can be accelerated with magic.

  Even so, you must have been … well …

  Conscious. Yes and no. That part of me that became a book stayed so. The rest died with what remained of my body.

  Which was most of it, surely?

  Yes. And possibly most of my mind.

  Possibly? You don’t know for sure?

  I cannot lie. I cannot stop myself storing information and answering questions. I feel no emotions. Therefore some things were taken away, along with the parts of the mind concerned with controlling parts of the body I no longer have.

  Could those parts be replaced? Could you become a woman again?

  I don’t know the answer to that.

  Hasn’t anybody tried?

  Once, a young sorcerer attempted it.

  And failed, obviously. Do you wish to be a woman again?

  I know that I am not whole but I do not miss what is gone. I am not in great anguish, as you fear.

  Perhaps because you cannot feel it. I wonder if, now, in this age of discovery and invention, we could find a way to restore you. If you wished it, of course. It is likely you would then age and die, so I would not try such a thing if you did not want it. Though … forgive me for pointing this out, you’ve lived an awful lot longer than you would have if you hadn’t been made into a book.

  Yes, though if you only count the time I have been conscious I have not yet lived as long as I might have as a human.

  Perhaps, if you exist for many hundreds of years more, you will surpass a normal lifetime. After all, you’re in very good condition for a thousand-year-old book. I guess what I wish to ask is: if you could become a living human again, would you choose to?

  I would, because in this form I am a servant at best, a slave at worst. I would like to feel again. To experience all that being human entails.

  I would like to meet you, as your whole self.

  And I would like to meet you. Would you teach me how to live in this new era, with its fabulous machines and strange rules?

  Yes, I would be honoured. I—

  The book jumped in his hands then began to buzz. Tyen looked up, his heart racing, and realised it wasn’t Vella making the noise, but Beetle hovering behind her. The insectoid made a hoarse piping sound, as if something was wrong with the whistle it used to sound the alarm for—

  The door burst open. Miko strode inside, kicking the door closed behind him. Startled, Tyen snapped the book shut.

  “How were sorcery classes?” Miko asked, but didn’t pause for a reply. “Neel didn’t show today so I went by his room. Still sick he reckons. What?”

  Tyen realised he had been staring at Miko, still frozen in surprise. He shook himself.

  “Nothing. You startled me.”

  Beetle flew over to the desk and settled among the machinery, as it was meant to do when it needed repairs. Miko’s gaze dropped to Vella, then rolled towards the ceiling. “Are you reading that book again? Honestly, you are such a bore.” He moved closer and peered at it.

  Tyen resisted the urge to put Vella somewhere out of Miko’s reach, knowing it would convince the other student that he was hiding something. Miko reached out and snatched the book from Tyen’s hand.

  “I thought you said it was about statistics or sums or some such thing. There’s nothing written on the cover.”

  Tyen shrugged, though his heart was now racing. “It’s old. The title’s worn off.” He leaned forward to take it back, but Miko stepped away. His stomach sank as his friend ran his thumb over the edges of the pages, fanning them open. Miko frowned, then opened the book. Tyen’s insides turned over.

  “There’s nothing written in here.” Miko shook his head. “Why would you…? Oh.”

  Tyen bit back a curse. He watched Miko’s eyes move from left to right and back again, then widen and rise to meet his own.

  “A magical book!”

  “I did say it was a book o
f sorcery.”

  “About sorcery. Not of sorcery.”

  “I wasn’t that specific.” He held out his hand. “Give it back.”

  Miko’s gaze had moved to the page again. As Tyen rose and reached for the book he sidestepped. “It says that you found it in the tomb. That you didn’t give it to the Academy even though you knew they’d want it.” He glanced up at Tyen and grinned. “Seems you can misbehave, when it suits you.”

  This time Tyen cursed aloud.

  “But you do plan to eventually,” Miko continued. “After you’ve filled in the last six hundred years of history and invention. What do you want to do that for? I wouldn’t.”

  “Give her to the Academy or add to her knowledge?”

  His lips pursed in thought, Miko held the book out to Tyen. “Both, I suppose. I’d find out everything it knows then sell it. I’ve never heard of a book like this before. It’s probably very rare.”

  Tyen took Vella back and slipped her into his inner jacket pocket. “She is. That’s why I have to give her to the Academy.” As Tyen said the words his heart sank. “But not until she’s ready.”

  “Well, better that than keep her. It.”

  Tyen frowned. “Why?”

  “Magical objects can be dangerous. They should be handled by an expert.”

  “She’s not dangerous.” Tyen shook his head. He’d never taken Miko for a superstitious type. “All her magic is in storing knowledge. She’s no more dangerous than any book in the Academy library.”

  “Knowledge can be dangerous.” Miko’s expression was serious. “If the wrong person gets the wrong information at the wrong time. And why do you call it a ‘she’?”

  Tyen smiled. “She was once human. A woman.” But I’d best not mention she was made into one by Roporien. That will convince him she’s dangerous.

  Miko’s eyebrows had risen. “Really? Has she shown you a picture of herself?”