Mixed Magics by Diana Wynne Jones

Author:Diana Wynne Jones [Jones, Diana Wynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780060297053
Amazon: 0060297050
Goodreads: 47514
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Published: 2000-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

"And what was here before it was built, do you know?" Chrest-omanci asked.

She shrugged, rattling her headdress. "Just green fields, I think."

"Good," said Chrestomanci. "Then I can send him back in time without moving him. It's a bit hard on the person who falls over him in the field, but it fits with what I remember. He was supposed to have been found dead in a ditch somewhere near Dulwich. Will everyone please stand back?"

Cat, Tonino, and Mother Justinia all backed away a pace. Before they had quite finished moving, a blue glow appeared around the monkeylike thing on the floor, and Neville Spiderman was gone. This was followed by a rapidly evaporating puddle with a strong smell of hospital.

"Disinfectant," Chrestomanci explained. "Now, we have eight souls to account for still. Cat, can you remember which babies they all went to?"

Cat was more ashamed than ever. The babies all looked alike to him. And it had all been so confusing, with souls darting in all direc-tions. "I've no idea," he confessed. "One of the twins, but I don't know which. And that's all."

"They all went everywhere," Tonino explained. "Won't their mothers know?"

"Most people," said Chrestomanci, "can't see souls. It takes magic. Oh, well. We'll have to do it the hard way."

He turned around and snapped his fingers. The young man who acted as Chrestomanci's secretary jumped into existence farther up the ward. He was obviously not used to this kind of summons. He was in the middle of tying a spotted bow tie and almost dropped it. Cat could see him staring around at the mothers, the babies, and the Mother Superior and then at the filthy and disheveled boys, and try-ing to look as if he saw such things every day.

"Tom," Chrestomanci said to him, "be a good fellow and go around and get the names and addresses of all the mothers and every baby here, will you?"

"Certainly, sir," Tom said, trying to look efficient and under-standing.

Some of the mothers looked indignant at this, and Mother Justinia said, "Is that really necessary? We like to be confidential here."

"Absolutely necessary," Chrestomanci said. He raised his voice so that all the mothers could hear him. "Some of your babies are going to grow up with very powerful magic. They might have strange memories, too, which could frighten both you and them. We want to be able to help them if this happens. We also want to educate them properly in the use of their magic.

But since none of us knows which children are going to have these gifts, we are going to have to keep track of you all. So we are going to give each baby here a gov-ernment grant of five hundred pounds a year until he or she is eigh-teen. Does this make you feel better about it?"

"You mean they get the money if they have magic or not?" some-body asked.

"Exactly," said Chrestomanci. "Of course they only get the grant when they come to Chrestomanci Castle once a year for magical testing.

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