Calamity's Child by Steve Miller, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

mention all
those rather graphic descriptions of disease and malformation." He
shuddered, deliberately, and fortified himself with a sip of
wine.
    Brian laughed. "Trust me, you'll want
to look this issue up and take a look at Wolheim's refutation of
our dear Hillier's pet theory."
    "Not the spellchucker
again?"
    "No, dear boy -- you are
out of touch! Hillier's got himself a new pet theory. Mind you, he
hasn't given up on the spellchucker, but, if you'll recall, that
little bit of legerdemain required an organic host -- and a very
specific host at that. Now, he's gone the next step and declared
that it is possible to store --
store
-- a spell! Rather like a
battery, you see. Well, as you might expect Wolheim was all over
that. The usual thing -- states that his own tests, following
Hillier's method, did not produce the results described, prosed on
about the philosophy of magic, the theory of conservation of
energies -- oh, and the obligatory insult. Rather a nasty one this
time. Said he hoped Hillier is a better engineer than he is
magic-worker, else the city is in for a rash of bridges falling
down."
    "Well, that was too bad of him," Nicky
said. "But, really, Brian, there's no need to suppose Hillier to be
sulking. He and Wolheim have been at each other's professional
throats for years now. Nora swears that they each live for the
opportunity to refute the other's newest favorite theory or
method."
    "Oh, it's worse than that!" Brian said
earnestly. "Wolheim lost Hillier a perfectly good assistant a few
years back -- you and your lady were traveling at the time, I
believe."
    Nicky frowned. "You mean Sarah Ames? I
remember hearing about that -- a tragedy, of course. But I really
don't see how Wolheim can be blamed for the lady's decision to end
her own life."
    "Wolheim had cost her a fellowship, as
I heard it. Hillier was badly broken up for -- well, here's the
fellow now!" he cried, turning his head with a wide smile for the
tardy guest. "Hillier, old thing! It's been an age."
    "Or at least a week," the latecomer
returned, removing his top hat. He nodded cordially at his host.
"Nicholas."
    "Benjamin. Denora was
concerned."
    "Then I'd best make my apologies at
once," he said and stepped energetically forward.
    "Benjy!" Denora looked around
Beyemuir's shoulder, and held out her hands. "You are so terribly
late! Look, the lights have gone down once already."
    Hillier kissed both hands, with flair,
and a careful eye to a husband's pride, and stepped back, smiling.
"My apologies, dear Lady Charles! That a mere inconvenience of
traffic should cause you an instant's worry!"
    "At least it was worry rewarded," Nora
said, smiling brilliantly upon both Hillier and Beyemuir. "Elihu,
do pour Benjy something while he tells me how his daughter goes
on."
    "Aletha goes on quite well," Hillier
said promptly, with another smile for her sweet courtesy. "Her
talent for the Arts Magical is growing. Her tutor is quite
encouraged."
    "I am gratified to hear it," Denora
said warmly. "So she is responding well to the
treatment?"
    Hillier's face darkened, as he glanced
aside to take his glass from Beyemuir. "Thank you, Elihu." He
sipped and looked back to Nora.
    "The treatment is not a panacea, and
not even those who love her best believe that she will ever embrace
a normal life. Indeed, her tutor speculates that her affliction
adds potency to her talent. I find no collaboration in the
literature, and one does not like to subject her to any further
testing..."
    "Certainly not!" Denora said warmly,
and met her husband's eyes across the box. "Nicky dear, I think we
should get everyone seated, don't you? I do believe the lights have
gone down again..."
    *
    It was Nicholas and Denora's pleasant
habit, on the mornings when they were both at home, to breakfast
together in their private room, sharing buttered toast, coffee, and
the Times between them.
    Two days after opera party, they sat
cozily together in the window nook, she in her carmine silk robe,
he in