Napier's Bones by Derryl Murphy

Author:Derryl Murphy [Murphy, Derryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781926851099
Publisher: Diamond Comic Distributors
Published: 2011-03-29T04:00:00+00:00

Subset

The disadvantage of having been tucked away for so many years and centuries was that he had no idea how things in this world worked. Yes, with only a little effort and time he could convince the numbers to show him the mechanisms involved, but that didn’t allow for the required cultural mores that might be needed; there were certain behaviours that numbers were likely incapable of demonstrating, were perhaps completely unaware of. And with all of his focus on the search, he couldn’t spend the necessary time and resources deflecting unwanted attention, from ordinary people or from the gaze of some passing numerate.

The other problem was that he had no idea if he was complete. The shadow he had created was, to the best of his knowledge, the same now as it had been centuries before when he had hidden it away, and he knew who he was and had shown that he had all the power he remembered having, but that didn’t preclude something having gone wrong with the transfer, with the source material, or just having faded away over time. There was less he could do about that, though. Instead, he resolved that once he was done he would track down all other adjunct formulae he had placed, take them all in and create the whole from the portions.

It took some effort to admit that help was needed, but eventually he dug down and allowed Ruth to come back up. As he expected, she immediately tried to wrest back control of her body and mind, but any move she attempted was easily parried, and after a few moments of bemusedly casting aside her efforts, he finally clamped down. Ruth was still up front with him, but only enough of her to allow for the basic needs, including using her voice to speak for them, albeit with his words.

“We’ll work together now, shall we?”

She was quiet for a moment before finally nodding her head. “All right.”

He grinned. “Better. Stay on my good side and the rewards are many, once we’ve accomplished our goal.”

He could sense her confusion at this. “Your goal? I would have thought that bringing your adjunct back was the goal. You have something else you plan to do?”

He nodded. “I do. Two things, as a matter of fact. The first step is to retrieve an artefact that is of special import to me, which, sensing what I do among the numbers today, means we will soon be taking a trip. The second goal arises from the first, and for the moment I shall leave it at that.”

“A trip,” Ruth said. “To where?”

He rubbed Ruth’s jaw with her hand, searching for the beard he’d kept for most of his adult life. “Scotland, dear lady.” He smiled. “After all these centuries buried in the deepest of slumbers, a return home is once again in the numbers for me.”

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