Thief’s Magic (13 page)

A shiver ran down his spine. Looking back up at his first list, he considered the third point. Remembering what Gowel had said, he added “
on relatively short notice
” to the end. He stared at the words and his heart faltered.

How short could that notice be?
As short as tonight?

He had to warn the Academy now. Standing up, he grabbed his coat, slid the notebook in his pocket and hurried out of the room.

H
e walked – too late to stop – straight into Miko.

They both grunted at the impact, then Miko let out an embarrassed laugh. “Steady on, Tyen. What are you in such a rush for?”

“I have to find Kilraker.”

“Oh, I bumped into him before. Well, not as literally as we just did. He was heading for the library.”

To the vault? Had he discovered the threat? “Right. Thanks.” Tyen ducked around Miko to the stairs and descended them two at a time, then hurried through the Academy. He passed a few students and one professor. The former ignored him and the latter eyed him suspiciously. When he burst through the library doors at last, a few heads peered around bookcases to see what the noise was. Kilraker was nowhere in sight, but this was the lowest of five levels and only the wide central aisle with its reading tables was visible. Tyen started along the room, looking between the rows of shelving on either side.

Then he started to a halt as a voice spoke from directly above him. “Who might you be looking for, young Ironsmelter?”

Looking up, Tyen saw that the Librarian was leaning on the railing of the second level. Nobody had ever told Tyen the man’s name, and it was hard to guess his age. His hair was silver-threaded, his back a little hunched and he wore lenses, but his face was not overly lined and his teeth were good.

“Good evening, Librarian. I’m after Professor Kilraker.”

“He was here earlier. I’m afraid you have missed him. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Tyen opened his mouth to say “no”, then hesitated. He could chase Kilraker around the Academy all night only to find Vella had been stolen in the meantime. The Librarian was in charge of the vault, so he ought to be warned of a possible theft attempt.

“Yes,” Tyen said. He looked around, wondering how far his voice might carry. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

The Librarian’s eyebrows rose. “My office. I’ll come down.”

As the man’s footsteps on the floor above moved towards the stairs, Tyen wondered how he was going to convince him – or any of the professors – of his fears. And how much he would have to admit to. Warning the Academy might improve him in their eyes, but fraternising with Gowel might spoil any good regard he gained.

The Librarian descended the stairs and led Tyen between two bookshelves to a tiny office, furnished with a small desk and two chairs. Noting Tyen’s expression, he smiled. “I need little private work space,” he said, then gestured out of the door. “And if you consider the whole library as my work space then I have the largest office in the Academy.” He gestured to a chair. “So, what is bothering you?”

“I have no solid proof,” Tyen began as he sat down. “Only conclusions drawn from evidence that may be in part coincidental.” He paused, then pushed on. “A man approached me today who is not a radical but associates with them, and offered to help me steal Ve— the book I found in Mailand.”

The man’s eyebrows rose again. “Did he really?”

“He said the Society of Magical Preservation could get into the vault – and at short notice, too.”

“So you had told him the book was in the vault.”

Tyen felt his face warming. “Ah … stupidly, yes.”

The Librarian smiled again. “He seemed an ally? A sympathetic listener? Helpful, and made you wish to help him in return?” As Tyen nodded, he sighed. “The best beguilers always do, and smarter men than you and I have given away a little too much of far more important information for lesser reasons.” He stood up. “Your discovery is safe.”

“Are you sure?” Tyen bit his lip. “He seemed very certain.”

The Librarian chuckled. “I can see I won’t convince you unless I show you.”

As the man stood up Tyen’s heart skipped. Few students ever saw the vault, but not because it was forbidden. They were allowed inside in the company of a professor or the Librarian, usually for research purposes. Rising, Tyen followed the man out of the room and down the central aisle to the furthest wall. The Librarian opened one of five doors, all similarly sized and decorated. A flame of magic appeared in front of him and floated outward to reveal a small, round room with a domed ceiling – and no floor. Walls descended into darkness. The Librarian stepped past Tyen out into nothingness …

… but didn’t fall. Instead he stood suspended, as if standing on an invisible floor. Looking closely, Tyen saw the ripple of air across the room and sensed the Soot forming around the Librarian in an aura of fine, radiating lines.

Seeing that aura, Tyen realised that the man was a sorcerer of some skill. Drawing magic in such a delicate pattern meant he would not deplete all the magic in one location at once. The finer the lines, the sooner the Soot would fade and be replaced by magic again, though it would be thinner overall in the room until the greater magical atmosphere evened out.

The Librarian beckoned. Ignoring a tingling anxiety, Tyen stepped onto the “floor”. The resistance under his feet was slightly spongy, giving him the unwelcome impression he might sink through it at any moment. When they began to slowly descend he thought that they were – and gasped.

“Do not fear, Ironsmelter. We will not fall. You are a student of sorcery. Have you learned to elevate yourself yet?”

“Not officially.”

“Unofficially?”

“It seemed prudent, since I was driving Kilraker’s aircart on our recent expedition, to teach myself.”

“A wise precaution.” The Librarian chuckled. “Touch the wall, Ironsmelter.”

Tyen obeyed. The surface was unmarked and slippery smooth.

“Hard to climb.” The flame had followed them down, so that the ceiling above them was no longer visible and Tyen was unable to track how far they’d dropped. “Now we turn.”

A floor of sorts rose to meet their feet. It was not flat, however, but curved. Like the inside of a tube, it curled to the right and upwards again.

“Someone might secure a rope in the doorway we passed through, but they would have nothing to attach one to, to get up the next section,” the Librarian explained. He pointed up to the underside of the passage, where the wall briefly became the ceiling. A metal edge had been inserted into the stone, jagged and sharp. “If they used a very long rope and managed to throw the other end up over the next turn, the blade would cut it. Even if they managed to protect the rope or remove the blade, there’s nothing at the other end for a grapple to catch onto, unless someone leaves the next door open.” The Librarian’s invisible platform carried them through the turn and up to another, that had them descending again. “The only way a non-sorcerer could enter the vault without magical help or incredible luck would be from a helper already at the vault. As for sorcerers…”

Another floor appeared below, but this time it was flat. As their feet touched the ground the Librarian turned to the outline of a doorway.

He brought a chain out from under his collar. On it was a tube with several lines of holes down its length. He inserted this into a hole in the door and twisted several times one way, then the other, then back again.

“The combination changes each time we open it,” he told Tyen. “The formula is known by a select few.”

With a soft sigh, the door swung outward. It was as thick as a man’s thigh. They moved into a short passage, the Librarian closing the door behind him. Several small alcoves were set into the opposite wall, surrounding another door. Tyen was unable to see what the man did as he reached inside them.

“Again, a combination lock that just a few can work and only if the first door is closed,” the Librarian told him.

At a clunk the man withdrew his hand. The door swung inward and the Librarian led Tyen into what looked like another library but one of more modest dimensions. It was a single, long room divided by thick, square columns and filled with cabinets rather than shelving, and enormous chests instead of reading tables. The chests were so large that Tyen could not see how they had ever been brought through the door.

So this is the vault.
Normally Tyen would have been excited and full of curiosity. Few students ever saw the inside of the Academy’s most secure room, and it was likely a few professors had never had good cause to venture down here either. Yet it seemed a cold and lonely place for Vella to end up. And while he should have been reassured by all the precautions that she was safe, he knew he wouldn’t be until he laid eyes on her.

The cabinets were full of boxes of different sizes, each collection identical but for numbers on a small plate. The Librarian opened a door and lifted one out. He smiled at Tyen.

“No touching, of course.”

The lid opened and Tyen felt his heart skip as he saw Vella lying within. She was separated from the inner walls of the box by a bed of cloth that made her look somehow cleaner and more like a treasured object. The hue of the Librarian’s flame made her leather cover seem a little redder – or perhaps they had rubbed her with preserving oil.

“See? Still here,” the Librarian added.

Tyen nodded. It was frustrating to be so close yet unable to give her some relief from the oblivion she was trapped in. Yet it was also a relief to see she was where she was supposed to be.
Ah, but I wish I could tell her she was safe, and that I am going to free her.
Perhaps she could sense his thoughts if he was close enough. He extended his senses, looking for that faint warmth that he remembered, or some stirring of her presence, but found nothing.

Sighing, he reluctantly forced himself to look at the Librarian and nod. The man closed the box and replaced it in the cabinet.

“So, do you find our protection adequate?” he asked, gesturing around the room.

Tyen smiled. “I do. I should not have doubted the Academy’s vault would be secure. You will check on h— it, now and then, just to be sure?”

The Librarian’s attention had moved away, however. He was staring at something past the nearest column and he frowned. “That’s odd…” he said. “Stay here.”

The man’s sudden concern sent a thrill of anxiety through Tyen. The Librarian walked past the column to a chest. The lid was partly open and an object protruded from inside. As the man lifted it fully open, Tyen saw that the object was the corner of a piece of cloth. It slithered back inside and the Librarian sighed as he reached in and adjusted something within the chest. He closed the lid and returned to Tyen.

“Nothing to worry about. Some people are incapable of leaving things as they find them.” He led Tyen back to the door. “What was I saying? Ah, yes. You were right to tell me. No vault can ever be inaccessible to thieves without being inaccessible to those who legitimately need to enter it. But I think that ours is secure enough, don’t you agree?”

Tyen nodded. “Yes. I do.”

They made the return journey in silence. Tyen could think of nothing to say now that his anxiety had proven unfounded, and the Librarian radiated a quiet satisfaction. Once in the library, he thanked the man then started back towards his room.

Passing a clock, he noted the time and felt a mild surprise. It was two hours past dinner, but it felt much later. It had been a long day, he decided. First the job search, then Gowel … What
had
Gowel been up to, by suggesting he could help Tyen steal Vella back? Was he testing Tyen, to see if he was willing to act against the Academy, and therefore be a potential recruit to the Society of Magical Preservation? Had his radical friends lied to him about their ability to steal from the Academy? The Librarian’s words repeated in Tyen’s mind: “
No vault can ever be inaccessible to thieves without being inaccessible to those who legitimately need to enter it.
”

Which meant that the thieves, if there were any, had to be those who already had access.

Tyen stopped.
Is the Librarian trying to tell me that one of the professors might try to steal her?

He looked over his shoulder, even though the library was far behind. Surely the man had only been telling him that it was highly unlikely, even if it wasn’t completely impossible. Sighing, he turned away and continued walking. He would not sleep easily tonight. He’d now have fear to add to his loneliness, shame and worry over Vella. He wished he could talk to someone – someone who would tell him he was worrying about nothing. Miko? No, it was too soon. Neel? No, Neel had been avoiding him as if afraid the taint of disfavour would rub off on him.

Professor Kilraker? He should not disturb the man during his private hours. But Kilraker might want to know what his former friend had suggested. He would be a better judge of what Gowel was capable of, too.
Better to risk disturbing him than neglect to tell him. If he looks unconcerned I’ll apologise and leave.
Changing direction, Tyen headed for the professor’s quarters.

He was glad of his coat as he walked through the garden towards the building that provided on-grounds accommodation to professors. A clear night sky meant no insulating clouds blanketing the city, so the air was frosty. He’d heard that a heated underground tunnel allowed the professors to access the main buildings and return to their private quarters, but it was off-limits to students. Burying his hands in the pockets of his coat, he felt something smooth and metallic and wondered what it was before he remembered he’d taken Beetle on his job-seeking trip.

Kilraker’s rooms were on the second level. The stairs and hall were empty, but he could hear muffled voices, laughter and even music from inside the rooms. He reached the professor’s door and knocked. No response came for long enough that he was ready to assume the professor was out, but as he turned away he heard a noise from behind the door. He stopped and turned back in time as it opened. Kilraker regarded Tyen with an odd expression.