{"id":6830,"date":"2011-09-14T08:50:30","date_gmt":"2011-09-14T16:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/?p=6830"},"modified":"2011-09-14T08:50:30","modified_gmt":"2011-09-14T16:50:30","slug":"free-readin-spellbound-by-blake-charlton-chapter-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/news\/free-readin-spellbound-by-blake-charlton-chapter-four\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Readin’ | SPELLBOUND by Blake Charlton (Chapter Four)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SPELLBOUND<\/a>Yesterday, we celebrated the release of Blake Charlton’s Spellbound<\/em> by releasing Chapter Three<\/a>. Today, we’re back with Chapter Four!<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Chapter Four<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

With Deirdre in her arms, Francesca charged up the eastern stairs. Her ability to speak had returned, but orange spots still swam in her blurry vision. <\/p>\n

As she climbed another flight of steps, Francesca allowed herself to feel burning fear and confusion. Then she forced herself to relax. It was time to fall back on the oldest of physicians\u2019 tricks: when inner composure was unattainable, its semblance must be worn like an actor\u2019s costume and cosmetics. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, my lady,\u201d Francesca said as coolly as she could between breaths, \u201cyou might have found a way to improve medical training by making me run you up to the roof.\u201d <\/p>\n

Deirdre frowned. \u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen most clerics blunder, all they have to do is attend a funeral.\u201d <\/p>\n

Deirdre grunted. \u201cBut if we made physicians carry their mistakes up six flights?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d enter a golden age of near immortality. Only the very skinny would be allowed to die.\u201d
\nThe avatar sniffed with amusement. \u201cMagistra, are you implying I\u2019m fat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA tiny little thing like you? Never. I could fit two of you in my belt purse.\u201d Francesca repositioned her grip around the other woman as she turned up another flight. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo now you are implying I\u2019m short?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, my lady, I wouldn\u2019t dare offend an avatar.\u201d
\n
\n\u201cMagistra, you\u2019re an overly bold woman who\u2019s mocking a superior to make light of a grave situation. If we weren\u2019t fleeing a fate worse than death, I might become very fond of you.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI might become very fond of you too, my lady, especially if you weren\u2019t so short and fat.\u201d <\/p>\n

Deirdre laughed. \u201cI almost feel bad for dragging you into this mess.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what mess would that be, exactly?\u201d <\/p>\n

Before Deirdre could answer, the stairwell began to reverberate with wailing; then came the distant sound of someone running up stairs. Deirdre\u2019s expression hardened. \u201cHear those footsteps? That\u2019s one of the beast\u2019s devotees. If he catches up to us, you\u2019ll have to kill him.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cKill? I can\u2019t; I am a cleric.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to kill him before he kills us,\u201d Deirdre hissed. \u201cOr at least stun him. In fact, start writing a stunning spell now.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca\u2019s affected composure began to crack. She tried to pump her legs faster while composing a netlike stunning spell in her arms. <\/p>\n

Deirdre became quiet as the pursuer\u2019s footsteps grew louder. Francesca reminded herself that she\u2019d trained most of her life to write spells in life-or-death situations… the problem was, this time the life or death in question wasn\u2019t her patient\u2019s; it was her own.
\n\u201cI finished the stunning spell,\u201d Francesca said as they topped the next flight. <\/p>\n

Deirdre nodded. \u201cHopefully we can outrun him. But keep it ready.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca\u2019s thighs ached. \u201cWhy are we headed to the roof?\u201d she asked. \u201cI don\u2019t know the hierophantic language. I can\u2019t use the kites.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe beast chasing us, he came here faster than I thought possible. I\u2019ve placed agents on the street, but now they\u2019ll be aphasic or made into his devotees. Until I know the beast\u2019s true name, I dare not chance an encounter with him. And we can\u2019t let the demon know I took that anklet off of you. So it\u2019s on to my contingency plan: find the new air warden. I know he\u2019s aloft now. From what I\u2019ve learned, he\u2019s our only chance.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca charged up the last few steps and burst into daylight. <\/p>\n

A break in the rainy-season clouds revealed the wide, brilliantly blue Spirish sky. A gust of frigid wind nearly snatched the red cleric\u2019s stole from her shoulders. <\/p>\n

The infirmary\u2019s roof was built of tawny sandstone. It supported five twenty-foot-tall minarets. More impressively, up from the chamber at each minaret\u2019s crown arched thick chains that climbed nearly two hundred feet before ending in the massive lofting kites. <\/p>\n

Deirdre pointed at the centermost minaret. \u201cThe warden\u2019s kite will be closest to that one.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca set off. \u201cThe orange flashes are gone from my vision now.\u201d <\/p>\n

Deirdre nodded. \u201cWe\u2019re farther from the other slave. The closer he comes, the worse your aphasia and vision will become.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cLovely,\u201d Francesca grumbled while ducking into the minaret\u2019s base. She discovered a hollow space with a metal ladder. <\/p>\n

\u201cPut me down,\u201d Deirdre ordered. \u201cI\u2019m feeling stronger.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca obeyed.<\/p>\n

The avatar teetered on her feet, but once she reached the ladder, she easily climbed onto its thick rungs. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is this other demonic slave who is chasing us?\u201d Francesca asked as she grabbed the ladder. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t entirely tell you,\u201d Deirdre replied as she continued to climb. \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to think about what he truly is unless you have a special spell cast around your mind.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re talking about quaternary cognition, about thinking through a magical text?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI believe so. There are stories about the other slave. The city people call him the Savanna Walker.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca thought she misheard. \u201cWhat?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Savanna Walker\u2014you know, the creature that drives men mad in the Deep Savanna.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s an old wives\u2019 tale!\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear,\u201d she said with obvious enjoyment, \u201cit seems old wives know something our learned cleric doesn\u2019t.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca muttered, \u201cThen you should\u2019ve gone to an old wife with your bloody cursed lungs and bloody monster chasing\u2014\u201d She stopped as the rung in her hand vibrated. <\/p>\n

Deirdre swore and began climbing faster. \u201cThe Walker\u2019s closing in.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca focused on putting one hand above the other and keeping her boots from slipping. <\/p>\n

They reached an octagonal room at the minaret\u2019s crown. Eight broad windows opened onto upsloping ramps that blocked everything but the sky. Folded lofting kites sat before all but two windows. From both empty spaces, thick chains rose into the sky. The place echoed with the clicking and chirping of iron chain links. <\/p>\n

Deirdre hurried to one of the bundled kites while Francesca panted. Suddenly a man\u2019s wailing voice sounded from farther down the minaret. Deirdre turned around. \u201cIt\u2019s the beast\u2019s devotee.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca peered down the shaft and saw a dark figure climbing the ladder. He let out a ragged scream and started climbing faster. Something was in his hand. A knife?
\n\u201cGet back,\u201d Deirdre ordered. \u201cAs soon as his head appears, hit it with your stunning spell.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca stepped away from the shaft. Her heart racing, she examined the golden sentences in her forearm and then looked up. Deirdre had found a length of iron chain and had assumed a fighting stance. <\/p>\n

The man\u2019s screams intensified. Deirdre spoke loudly, evenly. \u201cThe Savanna Walker creates his devotees by spellbinding and destroying much of their minds. The poor soul in the shaft is already as good as dead. Once the Savanna Walker finishes an attack, he does something to his devotees, swallows them into his body or devours them or\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

Just then the man emerged from the minaret\u2019s shaft. He was in his thirties, skinny, wearing a ragged longvest. He was holding some kind of crude club. With a shriek, the man climbed into the room and lunged at Deirdre. She danced back, avoiding his club, and then brought her chain around. It struck his face and he stumbled backward. <\/p>\n

With a cry, Francesca cast her stunning spell. The net of golden sentences wrapped around the attacker\u2019s head. Instantly he collapsed. <\/p>\n

Light-headed, Francesca sat heavily on the stone floor. <\/p>\n

Deirdre laughed in triumph. \u201cFrancesca, come here. We have to use one of these kites to get out…\u201d Her voice died as she looked at the stunned man. \u201cNo, wait. I have an idea.\u201d She nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s perfect. We might still fool the demon. The Walker has consumed other artifacts in the past. Francesca, do you have that anklet\u2014the one I took off of you?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Francesca said firmly, even though she felt tremulous. \u201cIt\u2019s in my belt purse.\u201d Her hands were shaking. <\/p>\n

\u201cQuickly, come here. We need to put that anklet into this poor bastard.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026d-don\u2019t understand,\u201d Francesca stammered as she got to her feet. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Walker has been known to steal and consume powerful objects; we\u2019ll use that to weaken him. Come here. The anklet needs to be in this man\u2019s body. It can\u2019t be around his ankle or in his hands or clothes. It needs to be inside of him so the Savanna Walker won\u2019t notice until it\u2019s too late. Can you cut him open? Put the chain in his stomach and then sew him up?\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca now had the anklet in her hand. She shook her head. \u201cIt\u2019d be simpler to textually pass it down his throat into his stomach.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cDo it,\u201d Deirdre said. \u201cQuickly.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca wrote several silvery paragraphs in her biceps and then connected them into a long, thin, flexible tube of prose. Then she wrote a paragraph at its tip to hold the anklet. <\/p>\n

\u201cRoll the patient onto his side,\u201d Francesca ordered. \u201cPull his head back and his jaw down.\u201d Deirdre obeyed. <\/p>\n

Francesca knelt beside the stunned man. Now in the safety of practiced actions, she was focused and calm. With a few deft motions, she inserted the spell into the man\u2019s mouth and down his throat. By inspecting his neck from different angles, she could see her prose shine through his skin and ensure it didn\u2019t enter his trachea and so his lungs. Expertly, she manipulated the spell through his esophagus, so that it snaked left and curled around inside his stomach. With a tight smile, she edited a sentence at the base of the spell; at the tip, a paragraph deconstructed and released the anklet into the stomach. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s done,\u201d she said and removed the spell from the poor man\u2019s mouth. She checked to make sure he was still breathing and his pulse was strong. No sign of coughing or vomiting. \u201cIt went perfectly.\u201d <\/p>\n

A distant voice began to wail, and the calm Francesca had cultivated in action began to dissolve. A spray of orange dots spread across her vision. She had to sit down. <\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent,\u201d Deirdre said and went back to one of the bundled kites. \u201cNow we just need to get out of here.\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca tried to focus on the other woman. <\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right?\u201d Deirdre asked without looking up. <\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m cheery as the kitten who ate the cream,\u201d Francesca said as casually as she could, \u201cbut my eyes won\u2019t… won\u2019t…\u201d She couldn\u2019t think of the word that started with f and meant \u201cconcentrate\u201d or \u201cdirect\u201d or \u201cconverge.\u201d <\/p>\n

Deirdre swore and grabbed Francesca\u2019s hand and made her walk across the room. \u201cStay calm. You\u2019re aphasic. The Walker is closer. Here, we need to get this harness on you.\u201d She draped something around Francesca\u2019s shoulders and waist. Francesca couldn\u2019t see well enough to tell what it was, but it smelled of leather. <\/p>\n

The floor shook again, and then the room filled with nonsensical shouting. Another voice was echoing up the minaret. <\/p>\n

Francesca tried again to look at Deirdre, but the woman appeared little more than a dark blur. The orange flashes were getting worse. \u201cWhat do you know about the magic of lofting kites? The kites change shape, yes? They take whatever shape is needed to fly?\u201d Deirdre asked while seeming to strap into a harness of her own. <\/p>\n

Francesca shook her head. \u201cI just know there\u2019s a… a… sail or chute written with hiero… hierophantic language, which can move air. A chute covered with wind spells… called a jumpchute. It blows out air and pulls the\u2014\u201d She screamed. <\/p>\n

Something was bubbling up out of the minaret\u2019s shaft. When she tried to look at it . . . she couldn\u2019t. It was as if she went blind as she looked at the tendrils of twisting nothingness. She stumbled backward. <\/p>\n

Deirdre\u2019s hands gripped her shoulders. \u201cFrancesca! You need to stop screaming.\u201d <\/p>\n

The tendrils of nothing swirled around their legs. \u201cBlindness! In the air… blind air,\u201d Francesca stammered while she struggled to get free, but Deirdre\u2019s arms felt as strong as iron.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly an illusion!\u201d the other woman said. \u201cIt\u2019s your reaction to the beast\u2019s proximity. He\u2019s spellbound the part of your mind that sees.\u201d <\/p>\n

The vapor swirled up to cover their heads. The world melted into blindness. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I found a jumpchute,\u201d Deirdre said over the wailing. \u201cCould this be it?\u201d <\/p>\n

Something rough and round pushed into Francesca\u2019s hands. \u201cIt\u2019s cloth. Hierophants store… their language… only on cloth.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHow do I cast the spell?\u201d <\/p>\n

Francesca shook her head. \u201cNeed a hierophant… to move sentences within cloth… and cast the spell in\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

Without warning, the wailing woman\u2019s voice echoed loudly around Francesca. <\/p>\n

\u201cDamn!\u201d Deirdre swore. \u201cWait.\u201d Boot heels clicked on stone. Something was being dragged. Then came a clanging. It was loud at first but then quieted. The wailing stopped. A muffled bang. Then a stranger cacophony: two voices yelling. <\/p>\n

Deirdre\u2019s hands returned to Francesca\u2019s shoulders. \u201cI think I woke him up from your stunning spell.\u201d
\n\u201cWoke… who up?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe man we put the anklet into. I dropped him on the devotees climbing up. He didn\u2019t fall straight down, more tumbled. It knocked them down to the bottom of the minarets, maybe broke a few bones, but they won\u2019t stop until they\u2019re dead or we are.\u201d She paused. \u201cListen.\u201d <\/p>\n

The wailing was growing louder. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do we do?\u201d Francesca blurted. <\/p>\n

\u201cEscape with the kite. There\u2019s a cloth ribbon around the jumpchute. It has the wind marshal\u2019s emblem on it. What happens if I tear it?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you bloody dare!\u201d she cried. \u201cTearing a magical manu… manu… page sets its sentences free. You don\u2019t know\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBut it might activate the jumpchute?\u201d <\/p>\n

Panicked and blind, Francesca reached out and tried to grab the other woman to punctuate her next point. \u201cIt might blow both of us into\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n

Three more echoing voices joined the other. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have time!\u201d Deirdre shouted. \u201cThere are too many of them down there.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, even if there\u2019s a whole bloody legion down there, you\u2019d be mad to\u2014\u201d Francesca started to yell. <\/p>\n

But then she heard the loud whisper of tearing cloth.<\/p>\n

\n

For previous excerpts, find Chapter One and Two<\/a> on Tor.com<\/a> and Chapter Three of Spellbound<\/em><\/a> here on A Dribble of Ink<\/strong>. For the rest, you’re gonna have to buy the book! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, we celebrated the release of Blake Charlton’s Spellbound by releasing Chapter Three. Today, we’re back with Chapter Four!   Chapter Four   With Deirdre in her arms, Francesca charged up the eastern stairs. Her ability to speak had returned, but orange spots still swam in her blurry vision. As she climbed another flight of… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n