Experimental Magics: The Transfer of Souls by Alex Evans

Author:Alex Evans [Evans, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-08T05:00:00+00:00

I went to the canteen to find out there was nothing left from the lunch. I returned to the lab in a very bad mood. Hamilcar looked up from his magnifying glass.

“Uh… I believe we are supposed to get a visa today, aren’t we, Professor?”

I stopped on the threshold:

“You are right. I completely forgot about it.”

“I also saved you an apple, bread and some cheese.”

I was not used to such maternal attentions.

“Ah, hum… Thank you.”

14- A Walk in Town

As I walked, munching on my apple, I started mulling again over the events of the past few days. First, Nick’s predicament. Then, Rexal’s veiled blackmail. Isidore’s thefts. There was also the fuzzy injunction from the Ministry of War, the odd woman I had met in the omnibus and this bird letter coming out of nowhere ... How could you accumulate so many problems in three days? I suddenly had the imprecise but unpleasant feeling that Fate itself had set up an appointment with me. Perhaps, without knowing, I had contracted a debt towards the Power and it was coming to claim its due? But what could I have done? As I trotted mechanically to follow my colleague's long strides, I realized that I didn't even know which line we had to take to get to the embassy. All I remembered was that it was in the old quarters, at the foot of the citadel, almost at the other end of Branes. When we reached the omnibus station, I bit my lip, straining my memory.

“Another problem, Professor?” asked Hamilcar.

He was staring at me with a worried frown.

“Uh ... no. In fact, I just realized that I can't remember which omnibus we should take. I rarely go to this side of town.”

He smiled and pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket.

“Typical of a native! But I brought a map. My basic strategy lessons said you always have to have an idea of the layout of the land.”

"Did you take strategy lessons in magic University?"

“In Méral, you receive military training even if you plan to devote your career to orchid taxonomy.”

This reminded me very inappropriately of the request of the Ministry of War. I was going to ask a few vague questions to Hamilcar and stop there. So, I made my most naïve face and joked:

“You can bombard your enemies with flowers, perhaps?”

“The juice of some is poisonous… he answered his nose in his plan. By the way, the embassy is precisely on Dream Flower Street. Bus number six stops a little further on, at Victory Square.

I went to sit on the bench under the awning. At this hour, the place was almost empty. Hamilcar called a newsboy and bought a copy of the Messenger. He plunged conspicuously into it, dabbing his nose, as I watched the street, hung with garlands and banners.

"Professor, they talk about you in the newspaper," said Hamilcar, handing it to me.

Indeed, in the central pages was the interview I had given at Roxane’s. It was presented in parallel with the biography of Delta Ruthaver.

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