She knew the precise meaning of the word in the mystical sense, which had nothing to do with the amphibians in the garden. The Salamander was a creature commonly referred to in the medieval manuscripts she had studied back in Chicago, as well as the more modern book by Dee. She said it aloud. 'Salamander-the Elemental of Fire-''Very good. I see your memory is still working.' That was Cameron.
'As Sylphs are of Air, Undines of Water, and Gnomes of Earth-' she continued. Did he control all of these creatures? 'What about them? Can you-do you-'
He anticipated the question before she formed it. 'I am a Firemaster, Rose. Only the Salamanders are my servants. The Sylphs and Gnomes might aid me if they felt like doing so or their Master demanded it of them, the Undines would flee me or try to destroy me if their Master willed it. Water is my opposite; Air and Earth my allies. Every sign is the ally of those next to it, and the enemy of the one opposite.'
She remembered that now from the book. Earth and Air were the opposites, and Fire and Water. She recalled the sequence now. Earth supported Fire, Air fed it. Water nurtured Earth, and gave Air substance. Air was transmuted by Fire and Water. Earth received life from Air and Water ...
But according to Dee's book, a human could only aspire to be a Master of the Element of his own Magickal Nature, and only those few humans who had learned and mastered their Natures could become Masters of Elements and Elementals. It took years, decades, to become the Master of even one Element, but the resulting power-
'But if you are a Firemaster, why are you confined here-' she stopped herself with a gasp, her hand going to her lips as she flushed. How could she ask such an impertinent question? But he didn't seem to think it impertinent. 'I am confined here in my home, as I am, for precisely the reason I told you when you first arrived. An accident, brought upon by hubris. I attempted a Magick for which my Nature was ill-suited. I am as-disfigured-as I told you I was, but in a far different manner than you had been led to believe.' The voice was calm, but under the calm was a welter of emotions. 'I dismissed my servants, all but Paul du Mond who is aware of my Magickal ability, and have lived here as a recluse since it happened. I dare not permit anyone to see me as I now am. My Salamanders attend to most of my needs, Paul attends to those things which require an intermediary with the outside world.'
'And all of this around me-the books, the reading is this to help you find a way to restore yourself?' There was a logic to this madness that was irresistible, It was all beginning to fall into place in a tight pattern, one she could not easily refute. If one simply assumed that magic power was real ... 'I take it that Mr. du Mond is no student of languages?'
'Paul is no student of anything,' came the dry retort. 'He is competent in modern French, English, and Latin, but as you have seen, most of my books are in other tongues, many of them obscure. I am unable by reason of my deformity to read them for myself. Hence ... the ruse that brought you here.'
She closed her eyes for a moment and digested that, then opened them again and poured herself another cup of coffee. If I had been the meek little bookworm I suspect he wanted, whet then? Would I have been kept mind- clouded and in the dark while I prattled his translations away for him? 'And if I had told you I would not stay here in the first place?'
A dry chuckle, one with a touch of cruelty. 'For myself, there were other candidates besides you. As for you- there are many ways for a penniless woman to make a living in San Francisco, but I do not believe that most of them would have appealed to you.'
She felt anger penetrate her bewilderment at that bald statement. 'You used me, used my circumstances to put me into a position where I had no choice!'
'I never claimed to be a gentleman, Miss Hawkins,' he countered, his voice even and in fact, indifferent. 'I am a businessman. You should be aware what that means by now. It is my nature to use people, and I have no responsibility to those people to guide their steps then, or later. It is up to them to make what they can of the situation, to make it mutually beneficial. You are hardly stupid. Can you say honestly that you are not benefiting by being here?'
He has me there. Wages, fine food, beautiful lodgings, lovely clothing-I am certainly worlds better off here. Even if I am at the mercy of a madman. Or a magician. If they're not the same thing. 'No,' she admitted. 'I am much better off than I would have been back in Chicago. But I do not like being used!'
'Then do something about it,' he replied, flatly. 'Decide to stay or go, decide to be used or decide to use me to get what you want. It is your choice, Miss Hawkins.'
She didn't have to decide; she knew already. 'I'm staying, of course!' she snapped-and perhaps the wine was to blame for her runaway tongue and temper. 'Do you think I am so foolish as to abandon luxurious surroundings and congenial work just because my employer is suffering from the delusion that he is a feudal overlord with wizardly powers?'
That made him laugh, as she flushed again. 'It is not a delusion, my dear Miss Hawkins! I am a feudal overlord with wizardly powers. The powers you have seen for yourself, and as for the feudalism, why do you think we are referred to as 'rail barons'? But I am glad that your good sense overcomes any fear you might have, knowing your employer is also dabbling in Magick.'
It was her turn to laugh, for once again he had turned the tables on her. But she still had an arrow in her quiver to sting him with. 'I am not afraid of your magic; I haven't seen anything but a convenient replacement for gossiping servants. If you were all that powerful, Mr. Cameron, you would not have needed a railway train to bring me here. For that matter, you would not have needed me. Flying dinner trays are all very well, but you obviously are dependent on normal people for a great deal, or you would not need Paul du Mond, either.'
Silence for a moment made her fear she had said too much, and angered him. He could send her away and
