30. “Come Thou Glyph to Me”
“Our first priority,” Jimothi said, “is to get you both off this island before Otto Houlihan arrives. I don’t want to see you taken to Christopher Carrion.”
“Do you happen to have a boat?” Candy asked him.
“Yes, I do,” Jimothi said. “Cats hate to swim. But I’m afraid the boat’s way off over on the other side of the island. If we tried to get you to it, Houlihan would have caught up with you before you were halfway to the harbor.”
“I… I have an idea,” Malingo put in tentatively.
“You do?” Jimothi said.
“Go on,” Candy said. “Let’s hear it.”
Malingo licked his lips nervously. “Well…” he said. “We could leave the island in a glyph.”
“A glyph?” Jimothi said. “My friend, it’s a fine proposal, but who among us has the knowledge to speak a glyph into creation?”
“Well…” said Malingo, looking modestly down at his oversized feet, “
Jimothi looked frankly incredulous. “Where in the name of Gosh and Divinium does a geshrat learn how to conjure a glyph?”
“When Wolfswinkel used to pass out from drinking an excess of rum,” Malingo explained, “I would read his books of magic. He has all of the classics up there in the house.
“What are
“They are seven books of Incantations and Profound Enchantments,” Jimothi said.
“If there’s seven books, why are they called
“It was Lumeric’s way of helping a true magician to quickly discover if they were dealing with a false one.”
Candy smiled. “That’s clever,” she said.
“There is another way,” Malingo said.
“What’s that?” Jimothi wanted to know.
“Just ask whether Lumeric was a man or a woman.”
“And what’s the right answer?” Candy asked.
“Both,” Malingo and Jimothi replied at the same moment.
Candy looked confused.
“Lumeric was a Mutep,” Malingo explained. “Therefore both a
“So…” said Jimothi, obviously still a little suspicious of Malingo’s claim to the skill of glyph-speaking. “You’ve read the books. But have you actually done any of the magic?”
Malingo made a little shrug. “Some small spells,” he said. “I got a chair to sit up and beg, one time.” Candy laughed, amused by the image. “And I made fourteen white doves into one… uh… one very big white dove.”
“
“Yes, it was.”
“You
“If he says it’s his work, Jimothi, then it’s his,” Candy said. “I believe him.”
“I’m sorry. That was remiss of me,” Jimothi replied. “Please accept my apologies.”
This was plainly the first time Malingo had been offered an apology. “Oh,” he said, looking at Candy, his eyes wide. “What do I do now?”
“Accept the apology, if you think he means it.”
“Oh… yes. Of course. I accept the apology.”
Jimothi offered his hand, and Malingo shook it, plainly delighted at this new proof of his advanced position in the world.
“So, my friend,” Jimothi said. “I believe you have it in you to make a glyph. Go to it.”
“I did tell you I’ve never actually done this before?” Malingo pointed out.
“Just give it a try,” Candy said. “It’s our only way out. No pressure of course.”
Malingo offered her a nervous smile. “You’d better both stand back then,” he said, spreading his arms.
Jimothi took a small telescope from his jacket pocket, opened it up and wandered away to scan the skies.
“Don’t be nervous,” Candy said to Malingo. “I have faith in you.”
“You do?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You won’t. If it works, it works. If not—” She waved the thought away. “We’ll find some other escape route. After all that you’ve done in the last few hours, you don’t have to prove anything.”
Malingo nodded, though he looked far from happy. To judge by his expression, Candy guessed that a part of him was regretting that he’d spoken up in the first place.
He stared down at the ground for a moment, as though recalling the spell.
“Please stand away,” he said to Candy, without looking up. Then he raised his arms from his sides and clapped them together above his head, three times.
While he spoke these words, he walked in a circle about six or seven feet wide, grabbing hold of the air and appearing to throw what he’d caught into the circle.
Then he began the words of the ritual afresh.
Three times he made the circle, throwing the air and repeating the strange words of the conjuration.
