David Grace - The Accidental Magician

On the third day in the kitchen Buster made a request which strengthened Castor's suspicions. They appeared at Topor's market as usual and picked up a load of haze-stalk and poundfruit. All went normally: Castor loaded the hazestalk into his knapsack while Buster carried the melons. Once out the door, however. Buster began to act strangely. Instead of leaving the Central Plaza by the Eleventh or Twelfth Spoke Road, Buster herded Castor through the Fifteenth Road. Once into the Third Circle he began to act even more peculiarly. He ordered Castor to halt by the wall and await his return. Castor reckoned that almost half an hour had gone by before Buster returned, sweaty and obviously feeling the pain in his leg but somehow strangely excited.

In spite of Castor's inquiries, Buster would offer no explanation for his conduct other than to hint dramatically that sometime in the near future he might be willing to take Castor into his confidence. That evening, after the dinner dishes had been cleaned and the kitchen put to rights, Castor and the other Grays left a nervous and excited Buster.

Castor's fifth day in the kitchen began as had each of the previous ones. All proceeded quite normally until the end of the second staff-level luncheon. At the conclusion of the meal-pickled water leeks, toasted zaff marrow, shredded salad-tree leaves, and red sausages boiled in water and beer-a young enchantress in Hazar's employ approached the refectory counter.

"Who's in charge of preparing this wretched salad?" she demanded, waving the bowl under Cockle's nose. "Was it you, or was it one of these filthy Grays?" she asked the startled overseer.

"Me? No. It was one of the Grays, of course. What is the problem, madam? If they've done anything wrong I'll flay the fur from their backs."

"Are you intoxicated?" Mara asked the frightened Cockle.

"Intoxicated? Me? Why, madam, no, of course…"

"Never mind. I'll handle this myself. You, was it you who made the salad?" Mara asked, pointing at one of the Ajaj. "Perhaps it was you. You look guilty to me. You, old one," she said, pointing at Buster. "Are you responsible for this outrage?"

Buster limped forward slowly and peeked over the edge of Mara's outstretched bowl. There slowly inching its way across one of the oil-covered leaves was a bright green worm.

"Yes, my lady. Don't blame the others. I'm the one responsible. Master Cockle had nothing to do with it."

"There, you see, madam, it was the old crippled one who did it. Rest assured I'll punish him well for this. You leave it to me."

"Leave it to you! You can barely stand up without holding on to something. I'll handle this myself-unless of course you prefer that I report to Lord Hazar directly?"

"Oh, no, madam, that's not necessary. Take the old fool and do with him what you will-although I would appreciate it if you would return him in sufficient health to work for his dinner."

"Don't tell me how to handle a Gray. Obviously you coddle these Ajaj outrageously. I have a few chores in mind and a method of punishment all my own, so you keep your prying eyes away from my powers."

"Yes, madam, of course, madam. Take him and do as you please."

Mara stalked out of the refectory and imperiously waved Buster to follow her. Castor stared after Buster's limping frame. Cockle startled Castor from his reverie with a kick in the rump.

"Back to work, you lazy, good-for-nothing beast. You've got to clean all of this up and start dinner. Back to work, back to work."

The crew was now shorthanded. Cockle, being forced to run his own kitchen for a change, was denied the soothing pleasures of wine and illusion plant and so became more disagreeable than usual. For the next three hours Castor was kept too busy to worry about Buster's fate. Finally, at half past the eighth hour, the old Gray limped down the steps. He panted loudly, and his legs were obviously sore from great exertion. Cockle greeted him with a buffet to the backside and an order to take over the preparation of the evening meal. With a satisfied grunt. Cockle hoisted himself on his stool and gulped down a hearty cup of wine.

As unobtrusively as possible Castor worked his way over to where Buster directed the kitchen helpers' labors. When the other Ajaj had been sent out upon their tasks he tried to speak to him without success. Instead the Gray began to give him new orders.

"The scraps must be taken out. In my absence this place has become an absolute mess. You, Castor, you look to be the strongest of the lot. Clean all those leavings into the buckets and carry them out to the receptacle. What's the matter? Why are you standing there? Don't you know where the container is?"

Castor stood mute, too surprised by the command to speak.

"Well, if you don't know, it's about time you learned. Come on, now. Clean those up. Fill the buckets. I'll take you outside and show you."

Castor gathered up a supply of peelings, scraps, pan scrapings, grease, and the like. Buster in the lead, they trudged up the steps and into the alley alongside the kitchen. As the young Ajaj overturned the buckets into the bin Buster looked suspiciously this way and that. When he was sure that no others were nearby he whispered into Castor's ear: "Did you mean what you said before about fighting back?"

"Yes, of course I did."

"Are you willing to do something to help? Do you have the courage to take the risk, perhaps even be killed without achieving your purpose?"

"If there is a good chance of doing the Gogols some harm I'm for it."

"Very well, I must trust you. If you are a spy or a traitor to our people I am already dead. So be it. Lord Nefra and Lord Hazar are at odds, this I have already told you, but there is more. Hazar's enchantress Mara, the woman who accosted me this afternoon, has beguiled Lord Zaco into delivering to Hazar fifty bloodstones."

"What are-"

"Quiet! Empty the garbage and don't talk. The bloodstone is the human equivalent of our source gems. They are of great power. Zaco obtains them from a mine in the mountains west of the headwaters of the Mephisto River. With these gems Hazar and his allies will be invincible. First they will sweep across the Guardian Mountains. In league with traitors in the Hartford midst they will destroy the Hartford wizards and establish their own sycophants in control of the human lands. Next Hazar will return in triumph and overwhelm all the Gogol empire with his powers. If he succeeds he will be the supreme ruler of this world. Zaco is a senile old fool and, beguiled as he is by Mara, he does not understand the significance of the stones Hazar has ordered.

"The other lords know something of Hazar's plans but except for Nefra are too weak, too indebted to Hazar, or too allied with him in the project to oppose his plans. Nefra is not so foolish. He realizes that Hazar's success means his own failure. Nefra has a plan involving Mara and myself and such other Gray conspirators as I may locate – a scheme which might topple Hazar before his attack can begin."

"You want me to help Nefra the Cruel? He is as bad as Hazar, if not worse."

"If we do nothing, Hazar wins and conquers the world. If we help Nefra, Hazar loses and life goes on as before. I count that as a victory for our people. We must return now. Tell me quickly, will you help?"

Castor hesitated a fraction of a second. "What must I do?"

"I am to prepare a special meal for Hazar. His tasters will find nothing. His spells will reveal no poison, at first. After he has begun to eat, the proper incantation will effect change as the food lies in his stomach. Shortly thereafter-death!"

"He will never let us get close enough to cast such a spell," Castor whispered as they approached the scullery door.

"We Grays, no, but Lady Mara, perhaps. As soon as possible I will send you out beyond the tumbles to hunt for herbs, the special plants which I need to brew the poison."