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become bored and leave.
"Nonetheless, I have to try to cram some of my hard earned knowledge into
those thick pates of yours until something sticks."
The booming voice dropped again to a low level, a parody of a tragedian's
soliloquy.
"I have studied and struggled for fifty-eight long years, only to come to this
lot of ingrates, he said, adding a theatrical sigh and slapping a hand to his
brow.  Nobody appreciates my vast talents. Some of the boys smiled, Grimm
among them, recognising the new Magemaster's dry humour.
"RUNES! Kargan shrieked in a mighty voice which made the boys sit bolt
upright again.  RUNES ARE THE LANGUAGE OF MAGICAL LORE!"
Some of the Students regarded the Magemaster with wide, fearful eyes after
this thundering declamation, but Grimm could recognise play-acting when he saw
it; he guessed that Kargan was not in truth the fire-breathing maniac he
appeared.
The young Student found Kargan's style of education more entertaining, at
least, than that of Magemaster Crohn, not least because Kargan did not seem to
share Crohn's scruples with regard to the use of  Mage Speech'.
"Don't listen to what the other Magemasters may tell you about how important
this facet of lore is, or how central that principle is. This is the most
vital part of magic. This is magic!"
Panting a little, and flicking grey locks from his eyes, Kargan began to
rattle out a swift and complex litany that seemed designed solely to confound
the Students.
"Magical runes belong to a one-hundred-and-sixty-three letter alphabet divided
into six families, with twenty-seven accents and fifty-two inflections. The
runes of each family vary in context depending on order, tone, speed of
delivery and cadence.
"A spell consists of a series of runes, chanted with perfect diction and tone.
A given rune will link smoothly only to certain others, and only in certain
ways. Some runes can't be used to begin or end a spell. An accented rune
cannot be used before a joining-rune or after a rising inflection except when
preceded by a tonal modifier."
Although Grimm loved books and read all he could, he did not understand most
of what the Magemaster had said, and he feared that all Kargan's lessons would
be given in this rapid-fire, impenetrable style.
Perhaps the other boys were trained in this sort of language, he thought.
Maybe I'll never get the hang of it! He risked a surreptitious glance at the
rest of the class, but the blank, stunned expressions of the other Students
suggested that they were as confused as he.
"Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Kargan beamed like a madman.  It is. Yet
this is one subject you will have to learn and understand before you take the
ring. I did not lie: from the understanding of runes comes the whole panoply
of performed magic and sorcery."
Kargan paused to let his words sink in, his head swivelling back and forth
like an owl's as he scanned his stunned flock.
"Like music, he said,  if you do not have the ear for it, you may be able to
scratch out a few simple spells by rote, but you will never become a
spellcaster, any more than a tone-deaf urchin can play for the Gallorley
Philharmonia."
A wide, seraphic grin appeared on the mage's face.  So let's see if any of you
has a half-way decent ear. You're all going to sing for me! Kargan's
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
expression suggested that he had just offered the Students some marvellous
treat, but some of the boys looked aghast.
What has singing to do with magic? Grimm wondered, and he could tell he was
not alone in this thought.
Kargan turned to Madar, sitting at the right hand side of the front bench.
 Stand up, boy! What is your name?"
In a tiny voice, the boy stammered,  M-Madar Gaheela, Lord M-Mage."
Kargan nodded, and his own voice reduced in intensity to a bearable level as
he said,  Ah, yes; Gaheela. Your father would be Ahad Gaheela, the master
trader? In that case, I trust you have inherited his love of music, and even a
little of his talent. I heard him playing the violin when I was an honoured
guest at last year's New Year Recital in Ayre. It was most moving!"
He regarded the boy with apparent respect, but he did not speak. As the
silence became uncomfortable, Madar blurted,  I can play the violin, the
vihuela, the trumpet and the dulcimer, Lord Mage. Last year I won a credential
as First Cantor in the Preslor Abbey choir."
"EX-cellent! crowed the strange mage.  Then I am sure you won't have any
problem singing this little phrase. Sing it exactly as you hear it, and don't
try to interpret it. We're looking for perfection here, Gaheela, not artistic
impression."
Kargan produced a silver flute from his robes and played a fluent, liquid
ten-second phrase with trills and strange intervals. After clearing his
throat, Madar repeated it in a clear, strong voice.
Kargan nodded.  You may sit down, Gaheela, that was quite adequate. Almost as
an afterthought, he added,  Almost acceptable, in fact."
Grimm saw Madar stiffen, and he could tell his friend felt affronted.
Nonetheless, the red-headed boy sat and said nothing.
Kargan played a different phrase to each boy, each of whom repeated the
flute's notes with varying degrees of success. For some of the boys, Kargan
had to repeat the phrase several times, each time with growing impatience. To
those who performed well, Kargan offered a humorous mock-insult or faint [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]