Shifting Stars by Gary Stringer (best fiction books of all time txt) 📗

Council generally and the reason behind that rule specifically. In general, the name – Council of Wizards – had begun to feel pejorative. Druids were supposedly acknowledged by the Council and definitely subject to their laws, and yet still it was called the Council of Wizards. Not to mention the fact that many female wizards preferred ‘sorceress’ which, from a certain point of view, made the name sexist, as well.

As for that specific rule, the concept of an anti-magic field seemed bizarre to Catriona. She tried to explain her thoughts on this to Mandalee one day.

“Surely,” she said, “an anti-magic field is itself a form of magic. If magic doesn’t work within that field, then how does the field operate?”

Unfortunately, gentle reader, Aunt Mandalee was never much of a one for philosophy – she left that to Shyleen. Nor could she muster much enthusiasm for studying, unlike my mother. Conversely, Cat was no match for Mandalee at close range fighting – it wasn’t Catriona’s style. But diversity is strength, and it worked well for them. While Mandalee was training her body, Catriona was training her mind. She was still very much focussed on her staff, her Angel and of course Shifting Stars. Nor had she forgotten her promise to Mandalee. All of her fields of study were progressing – they were just progressing slowly.

Catriona had managed to get her hands on star charts from before what she had begun to refer to as ‘The Day of the Angel’ to try and distract herself from the fact that it was also ‘The Day of the Monster.’ The Monster that killed her parents. She had gained this knowledge from a couple of helpful mages who had an interest in astronomy. The wizard helped because he was afraid she would demolish his home if he didn’t. The sorceress simply wanted to exchange one book for another. A rare magical text she had been searching for. If there was one thing Cat was good at, it was sniffing out obscure references, so in this way, she fell into a new career as an information trader. Still, on a couple of occasions, she had needed to demolish the wizard’s tower to get what she wanted. She always gave them two chances to co-operate without punitive measures, but on her third visit, she would use any means necessary to keep them out of their home, so she could work her magic without harming them. And she always rebuilt their homes, afterwards.

So far, she’d confirmed that part of one constellation had definitely moved out of shape on ‘The Day of the Angel’ and another section had done so on at least one occasion described in Shifting Stars. She wasn’t yet ready to accept a causal relationship between that and her staff, but she was intrigued by the possibility, which spurred her on to solve more of the puzzles that allowed her to unlock another level of the security protecting the tantalising higher planar energy at its core. Not that she was especially interested in the power itself. Her fascination lay in the understanding of what it was, why it was so locked away and what knowledge she might gain not just from the final answer, but from the exploration.

Everything my mother learned, she kept in a journal. Although she always seemed to be quite capable of working on five different puzzles in her head, simultaneously, the very process of writing helped her. Putting pen to paper was something she enjoyed for its own sake. (Like mother, like daughter!) However, as someone who understood the value of knowledge, Cat had developed her own shorthand, which she never shared with anyone, not even Mandalee, ultimately taking the secret language to her grave. Much of her knowledge she shared, but because no-one could read her journals for themselves, she could be sure to do so on her own terms.

Still, even as Catriona had fun with her friend, there was a sense of frustration bubbling underneath. What she needed was a library. Books and resources all in one place. Ideally, one that had lain untouched for a century or two, so that she could research possible earlier sightings of her staff, her Angel and perhaps more shifting stars. It was a bit of an ask, but there was a solution. She’d thought of it some time ago; she’d just hoped to find another way. Unfortunately, the only other possibility was overseas, and she had not the means to get there. That left her with her original idea and her original problem: there was a wizard in the way. Or rather, a sorceress.

As I’ve said, gentle reader, that was familiar territory for her by now, but Catriona knew this mage would be unlike any she had faced before. Still, the only other choice was to give up…and that just wasn’t an option.

Even from her unfamiliar avian point-of-view, Mandalee could read her friend by now.

“Let’s land and talk,” she suggested.

Cat nodded and manipulated the air around her to create Windy Steps all the way to the ground, while Mandalee asked her albatross to glide down gently. Once on the ground, the bird flew away but promised to return whenever she called.

“Come on then, Cat,” said Mandalee as the pair sat down. “Out with it. You’ve got another of your ridiculous radical plans, haven’t you?”

Cat nodded.

“But this – whatever this is – is different, isn’t it?”

“What makes you think so?”

“You’re not happy about it.”

With a rueful smile, Cat replied, “You’re not going to be happy about it, either.

“OK, now I definitely need to know!”

Steeling herself, Catriona took a deep breath and said, “There’s only one place I can go, now, that could have what I need for my research. All my research. My staff, my Angel, my magic, the stars…” she looked her friend in the eye, “…you.”

“And that place is…?” Mandalee prompted.

“The Black Tower,” Cat stated, flatly.

“What!” Mandalee gasped. “You can’t possibly be serious!”

Cat insisted she was. “I told you, you wouldn’t like