The Rings of Salammis

Kronos - Part 2

     "Master Gown!" called the scribe secretary, a pretty thing with sandy blonde hair that spread out in a golden fan across the shoulders of her midnight blue shawl. "There's a package for you. Books by the look of it."

     Thomas spun around in excitement and Lirenna, his wife, followed him to the post office; the small alcove fronted by a rosewood desk where all mail entering and leaving the University was handled. The secretary ducked gracefully under the table, rooted around among various drawers and cupboards and produced a package of tough leather tied up with strong cord that the two wizards fell upon as eagerly as starving cats on a mouse.

     "Our spellbooks!" cried Lirenna with equal excitement. "At last!"

     When they'd brought their son Derrin to the University just over a year before to be educated in preparation for his training as a wizard, they hadn't expected to be staying very long. They'd expected to be able to teleport to and from their home in the hidden Kingdom of Haven, visiting their son for a few days every couple of months, and so they'd brought only their travelling spellbooks, leaving most of their books in their cottage. What they'd had no way of knowing, though, was that the whole world had become enveloped by a mysterious magical interference that limited the range of safe teleporting to only a few hundred miles. The several thousand mile jump from Haven had almost killed them, therefore, and realising that regular commuting was impossible they'd sent back a request for the rest of their spellbooks to be sent on to them, only half expecting their letter to survive the long overland journey to the safe house inhabited by one of the few people who knew the true location of Haven. Months had passed, during which they'd had no reply to their request and they'd begun to give up hope, but now, at last, their books had arrived.

     Thomas tore madly at the leather, teasingly exposing the corner of the precious spellbook, but he couldn't untie the string with his fingers so he reached for his penknife. Two slashes and the package fell open, and the two wizards reached eagerly for their books, caressing the worn blue covers with joy and relief. Two of the books were older than the others. Battered and fraying from long use. They were the spellbooks they'd had as apprentices. The books in which they'd written the very first spells they'd ever learned. Thomas thought fondly back to that moment as he lifted the book with loving fingers, remembering the tremendous pride he'd felt. The sense of accomplishment. That had been one of the crowning moments of his life, ranking alongside his wedding day and the day Lirenna had told him that she was expecting his child. Part of his life had gone into that book. A big part, and part of him would die if anything happened to it.

     They'd both long since filled up their first spellbooks, of course, and Thomas was well on his way to filling up his second; a larger, newer book, the spine and corners of which were protected by metal studs. He picked it up, opening it carefully to check that it hadn't been damaged by the journey, and that was when Lirenna saw that there was a fifth book in the package.

     "Why did you send for that?" she demanded, fear and loathing in her voice.

     Thomas put the spellbook carefully down and picked up the fifth book; an ancient and waterstained copy of the Pardatano. The book of secrets or the book of forbidden knowledge, depending on how you translated it. "There are a couple of things I want to check up in it," he replied. "Things I learned in the Southern Continent. It could be important."

     "We wrote the letter just after we arrived here. Months before you went to the Southern Continent."

     "Yes, I know. Look, I know you don't like it, but there are things in here we really need to know about, and I haven't translated half of it yet. It's important, Lenny. I need to do this."

     The demi shae scowled unhappily, but then nodded reluctantly. She trusted her husband. "Just keep it away from Derry. Promise me that."

     "I promise. You know I'd never expose him to anything like this."