Spellsinger 03 – The Day of the Dissonance by Foster, Alan Dean

a medicinal spell ever so slightly and you might end up

with a deadly poison. No, it must be brought whole and

ready, and you must bring it to me, my boy.” He reached

out with a trembling hand. Jon-Tom moved close, sitting

down again on the edge of the soft bed.

“I know I did a bad thing when I reached out into the

beyond and plucked you hence from your own comfortable

world, but the need was great. In the end, you vindicated

my judgment, though in a fashion that could not have been

foreseen.” He adjusted his glasses. “You proved yourself

in spite of what everyone thought.”

“Mostly by accident.” Jon-Tom realized that the wizard

was flattering him in order to break down his resistance to

making the journey. At the same time he felt himself

succumbing to the flattery.

“It need not be by accident any longer. Work at your

new profession. Study hard, practice your skills, and heed

my advice. You can be more than a man in this world. I

don’t know what you might have been in your own, but

here you have the potential to be a master. // you can

wrestle your strengths and talent under control.”

“With your instruction, of course.”

“Why not learn from the best?” said Clothahump with

typical immodesty. “In order for me to train you I need

many years. One does not master the arcane arts of

spellsinging in a day, a week, a year. If you do not fetch

this medicine that can cure this bedamned affliction, I will

not be around much longer to help you.

“I need only a small quantity. It will fit easily into a

THE DAY OF THE DISSOJVAWCE 9