When Crowfoot spoke, her voice was as cold as Sharryn’s and as clear as the song of the Sword. “In the name of the Great Charter of Mnemosynea, by the power vested in me by King and mage, let justice be done.”
The glow of the blade increased to a blinding ray of light, spilling out over the heads of the crowd. The song increased in volume to the point of pain, reverberating in ears, teeth, bones, blood.
And then it was gone, and the light with it, and the blade returned to the sheath, a long slide of metal against metal, the hilt meeting the scabbard with a satisfied clank.
“The Sword has spoken,” said Crow. Sharryn moved to stand beside her.
People stood erect again, shaken. They looked at Nestor, still sitting in the dirt. “Oh the gods,” someone said, shock in his voice.
The Sword of Justice had taken Nestor’s hands above the wrists. The stumps of his arms had been neatly sealed, no blood dripping, no bone showing, the skin healed cleanly across. The hands that had strangled the life from the young woman had been the price of their crime. The girl was dead, and her Talent with her. Nestor’s Talent had been in his hands, and now it, too, was gone.
Magic destroyed was a debt owed. And debts to magic must always be paid. It was the First Law, and the most binding of them all.
Nestor stared at the stumps where his hands had been, unbelieving. He would be unable to practice his trade. Never to knead another batch of dough, never to slice fruit for a tart, never to ice cakes, none of it, ever again.
More, he would be unable to wash himself, to clothe himself, to feed himself. Unless he could find someone to perform those tasks for him, banishment and slow starvation were his fate. And with the mark of the Sword burned into his forehead proclaiming his offense for all to see, there would be no succor for him anywhere.
In that moment Nestor himself seemed to realize the depth and breadth of his punishment, and turned mute, pleading eyes to his wife.
Agathi spat in his face, turned her back, and walked away.
So did everyone else.
The square emptied out in groups of five and six. Nestor hunched over his maimed arms and scrabbled away.
“We never do this in moonlight again,” Sharryn said, descending from the platform.
“Agreed,” Crowfoot said, following. “They did warn us.”
“They did. Gods, I need a drink.”
“I know where to find one,” Crow replied.
There was a shy touch at her elbow, and she looked round to see Zeno, awe and gratitude warring for primacy on his young face. “Thank you, Sword. Thank you for saving my friend.” Behind him, Elias bowed.
She managed a brief nod, a rough tousle of Zeno’s hair, and turned for the inn and bed, and no one tried to stay their path.
At least not that night.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Donna Andrews writes two mystery series. You’ve Got Murder (Berkley), featuring artificial intelligence personality Turing Hopper, won the Agatha for best mystery of 2002 and is followed by Click Here for Murder. We’ll Always Have Parrots is the fifth in her multiple-award-winning series from St. Martin ’s, featuring blacksmith Meg Langslow. Visit her website at www.donnaandrews.com.
Michael Armstrong is the author of three science fiction novels, After the Zap, Agviq, and The Hidden War. A staff writer for the Homer News, he has lived in Homer since 1994. When not writing, he hangs around on the beaches of Kachemak Bay. He lives with his wife, Jenny, on Diamond Ridge on the hills above Homer.
Anne Bishop is the award-winning author of the Black Jewels Trilogy, as well as The Invisible Ring, The Pillars of the World, Shadows and Light, and The House of Gaian. Her latest book is a four-story collection set in the Black Jewels world. Visit her website at www.annebishop.com.
Jay Caselberg is an Australian writer based in London whose short fiction has appeared in multiple venues around the world. His first novel, Wyrmhole, came out from Roc Books in October 2003, and the second, Metal Sky, in 2004. Visit his website at www.sff.net/people/jaycaselberg.
Mike Doogan is a columnist for the AnchorageDaily News. His first mystery story, which appeared in The Mysterious North, won the 2003 Robert L. Fish Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
Laura Anne Gilman has published more than twenty short stories, three media tie-in novels, and an original novel, Staying Dead, the first in the Retrievers series, featuring Wren and Sergei. She lives in New Jersey, where she runs d.y.m.k. productions, an editorial services company. Visit her website at www.sff.net/people/lauraanne.gilman.
Simon R. Green is the author of twenty-seven novels, including the bestselling Deathstalker series. “The Nightside, Needless to Say” is set in the world of his Nightside novels, Something from the Nightside, Agents of Light and Darkness, and the forthcoming Nightingale’s Lament. He lives in England.
Charlaine Harris, who writes conventional mysteries as well as odder fare, lives in southern Arkansas with her three children, a husband, two dogs, one ferret, and a duck. The duck stays outside.
Anne Perry is the author of the Pitt and the Monk detective series, both set in Victorian England, a new series set in World War I, two fantasy novels, and many short stories. Her first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, came out in 1979. She lives in Scotland.
Sharon Shinn is the author of Archangel and four other books in the Samaria world, as well as five other science fiction/fantasy novels. She won the William C. Crawford Award for Outstanding New Fantasy Writer for her first book. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has lived in the Midwest most of her life.
Dana Stabenow writes the Kate Shugak series, the Liam Campbell series, the Star Svensdotter series, and the “Alaska Traveler” column in Alaska magazine. She lives in Anchorage, and can be reached through her website at www.stabenow.com.
John Straley is a novelist and former private investigator from Sitka, Alaska. He is the author of the Cecil Younger mysteries. “Lovely” is his first fantasy story. It was written as ravens walked across the tin roof of his writing studio.
COPYRIGHTS
Introduction, copyright © 2004 by Dana Stabenow.
“Cold Spell,” copyright © 2004 by Donna Andrews.
“The Nightside, Needless to Say,” copyright © 2004 by Simon R. Green.
“Lovely,” copyright © 2004 by John Straley.
“The Price,” copyright © 2004 by Anne Bishop.
“Fairy Dust,” copyright © 2004 by Charlaine Harris.
“The Judgement,” copyright © 2004 by Anne Perry.
“The Sorcerer’s Assassin,” copyright © 2004 by Sharon Shinn.
“The Boy Who Chased Seagulls,” copyright © 2004 by Michael Armstrong.
“Palimpsest,” copyright © 2004 by Laura Anne Gilman.
“The Death of Clickclickwhistle,” copyright © 2004 by Mike Doogan.
“Cairene Dawn,” copyright © 2004 by James A. Hartley.
“Justice Is a Two-edged Sword,” copyright © 2004 by Dana Stabenow.
