Certain that her desperation for a job indicated an empty pocketbook, he advanced
her the first week’s salary. He was not going to chance losing her because she was
picked up for vagrancy, or have her fainting at a performance from hunger. The salamander,
who had been watching the entire time, flicked its tongue out with satisfaction, spun
around in a circle, and vanished.
After Suzie and his new assistant had left the stage, Lionel shoved his props back
into their proper places and headed for his dressing room. He wanted to talk to Jack—badly.
But before he did, he needed to get out of the Turk rig.
As usual, as if the universe was conspiring against him, there were half a dozen people
who just
had
to see him after the performance. When he finally dispensed with them—including the
agent who was frantic to sign him, and could not understand why he didn’t
want
a season at the Hippodrome in London—the theater was nearly empty except for the
cleaners.
Jack must have known that Lionel would want to talk, however, for the doorman was
waiting patiently for him, though he had donned his hat and coat.
“You are coming back with me for supper, old lad, and nothing you can say will change
my mind,” Lionel announced as he approached.
Jack smiled crookedly. “I rather thought as much. Don’t go charging ahead as you usually
do. I’m too tired to keep up with you tonight.”
Lionel nodded, and they left together, Jack pausing to lock the stage door behind
himself and turn off the gas lamp.
They said nothing as they walked, slowly, to Lionel’s little house, with Jack’s wooden
leg making an odd thump on the cobbles as they walked. It was near enough that Lionel
never took a cab unless the weather was utterly foul. Jack’s flat wasn’t that much
farther off, by intention; he’d looked for a place close to Lionel’s as soon as he’d
been hired at the music hall. Only Earth mages tended to be recluses. Other Elemental
magicians preferred to be reasonably close to one another—there was safety in numbers,
and when darkness came calling, it was good to have your allies within shouting distance.
Lionel made sure to dine with his friend at least once a week, sometimes—usually in
winter—more often. Fire Mages used up more energy than Air, and he wanted to make
sure Jack got at least a couple of properly hearty meals during the week.
Even this late, there were plenty of people on the streets. Most were men, or paired
women. The only single women out at this time of night were those who did a private
sort of entertaining, and the families who came here to holiday were generally worn
out at the end of an evening performance and already back in their lodgings by the
time he and Jack left the theater. There were still plenty of bars and pubs open,
though, and smaller music halls than the Palace, the sort where the songs were not
the sort you wanted your wife to hear, and the can-can dancers might not be wearing
knickers.
Lionel shuddered at the notion that the girl he had just hired might have been reduced
to
that.
It wasn’t just that such work was degrading (which it was) and filthy (which it was)
and led down darker paths (which it did), it was that desperation could do bad, mad
things to an Elemental Mage’s mind, and of all the unawakened Elemental Magicians
you did not want trudging down the path of despair, the highest on the list was the
Fire Mage. When a Fire Mage went out of control, emotionally, even an awakened and
trained one could do a great deal of damage. If an unawakened Fire Mage went out of
control, and awakened during the process—
Well, there were many fire brigades that had been faced with catastrophic, unexplained
fires that would, had they known Elemental Magicians existed, have discovered a somewhat
grisly answer to their many questions. “Spontaneous human combustion” was what they
called it. Temperance
her the first week’s salary. He was not going to chance losing her because she was
picked up for vagrancy, or have her fainting at a performance from hunger. The salamander,
who had been watching the entire time, flicked its tongue out with satisfaction, spun
around in a circle, and vanished.
After Suzie and his new assistant had left the stage, Lionel shoved his props back
into their proper places and headed for his dressing room. He wanted to talk to Jack—badly.
But before he did, he needed to get out of the Turk rig.
As usual, as if the universe was conspiring against him, there were half a dozen people
who just
had
to see him after the performance. When he finally dispensed with them—including the
agent who was frantic to sign him, and could not understand why he didn’t
want
a season at the Hippodrome in London—the theater was nearly empty except for the
cleaners.
Jack must have known that Lionel would want to talk, however, for the doorman was
waiting patiently for him, though he had donned his hat and coat.
“You are coming back with me for supper, old lad, and nothing you can say will change
my mind,” Lionel announced as he approached.
Jack smiled crookedly. “I rather thought as much. Don’t go charging ahead as you usually
do. I’m too tired to keep up with you tonight.”
Lionel nodded, and they left together, Jack pausing to lock the stage door behind
himself and turn off the gas lamp.
They said nothing as they walked, slowly, to Lionel’s little house, with Jack’s wooden
leg making an odd thump on the cobbles as they walked. It was near enough that Lionel
never took a cab unless the weather was utterly foul. Jack’s flat wasn’t that much
farther off, by intention; he’d looked for a place close to Lionel’s as soon as he’d
been hired at the music hall. Only Earth mages tended to be recluses. Other Elemental
magicians preferred to be reasonably close to one another—there was safety in numbers,
and when darkness came calling, it was good to have your allies within shouting distance.
Lionel made sure to dine with his friend at least once a week, sometimes—usually in
winter—more often. Fire Mages used up more energy than Air, and he wanted to make
sure Jack got at least a couple of properly hearty meals during the week.
Even this late, there were plenty of people on the streets. Most were men, or paired
women. The only single women out at this time of night were those who did a private
sort of entertaining, and the families who came here to holiday were generally worn
out at the end of an evening performance and already back in their lodgings by the
time he and Jack left the theater. There were still plenty of bars and pubs open,
though, and smaller music halls than the Palace, the sort where the songs were not
the sort you wanted your wife to hear, and the can-can dancers might not be wearing
knickers.
Lionel shuddered at the notion that the girl he had just hired might have been reduced
to
that.
It wasn’t just that such work was degrading (which it was) and filthy (which it was)
and led down darker paths (which it did), it was that desperation could do bad, mad
things to an Elemental Mage’s mind, and of all the unawakened Elemental Magicians
you did not want trudging down the path of despair, the highest on the list was the
Fire Mage. When a Fire Mage went out of control, emotionally, even an awakened and
trained one could do a great deal of damage. If an unawakened Fire Mage went out of
control, and awakened during the process—
Well, there were many fire brigades that had been faced with catastrophic, unexplained
fires that would, had they known Elemental Magicians existed, have discovered a somewhat
grisly answer to their many questions. “Spontaneous human combustion” was what they
called it. Temperance
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