The Spell of Undoing by Paul Collins Page B

almost glowered, which Tab had never seen her do before.
    ‘But what I saw –’
    ‘Was nothing more than a bad dream. Face it, child.’ Dorissa's voice grew stern, though not unkind. ‘Don't you think I know it broke your heart when you failed the magicians’ test?’
    ‘But –’
    ‘I have no choice in this matter,’ said Dorissa sadly. ‘Stelka has spoken. I'm sorry, Tab, but you can no longer serve this guild.’
    Tab's vision blurred. She got to her feet unsteadily, blinking back tears. Slowly, in a kind of stupefied trance, she walked to the door. There she stopped, turning.
    ‘They're coming,’ she said quietly, then ran from the guildhall as fast as she could.
    Tab fled through the streets of Quentaris. She didn't stop till she had reached the fifth floor of the lodging house where she lived. She collided with Philmon as he was leaving his room. Philmon was tall and skinny with a mop of brown hair. He was wearing his sky sailor's uniform.
    ‘Ho, Tab,’ he said. ‘Sorry, can't stop. My shift starts in twenty minutes.’
    Tab puffed like a pair of bellows.
    ‘You all right?’ asked Philmon.
    ‘Nothing's all right,’ Tab gasped. She quickly told him everything that had happened, including the truth about the visions. He looked hurt when she admitted that she had been getting strange ‘visions’ through the eyes of animals for quite some time.
    ‘Philmon, I'm sorry I didn't tell you.’
    He scowled. ‘I thought we were friends.’
    ‘You know as well as I do that Tolrushians are reviled for their mind-casting. They control animals with their minds, hideous race that they are. So I was scared … ’
    ‘Of what I'd think? Of me?’
    Tab looked away. ‘No,’ she said. ‘Of me … I thought I was going crazy … I thought you might not … ’ Her voice trailed off.
    ‘Might not what?’ asked Philmon, hands on his hips. ‘Might not want to be friends with somebody who can see what animals see? Sometimes, Tab, you're as thick as two planks, you know that. I know you're not Tolrushian. It's plain to see!’
    Tab smiled, and wiped at her eyes.
    ‘So you'll help me?’
    Philmon blinked. ‘What can I possibly do?’
    ‘You can get me in to see First Lieutenant Crankshaft.’
    Philmon's eyes boggled. ‘Are you joking? He'd have me tossed overboard!’
    ‘It's important, Philmon. The safety of Quentaris rests on us alerting somebody.’
    Philmon was shaking his head. ‘You're asking too much. I mean, what you've told me is so fantastical, even I don't know what to think. Is there any proof?’
    He looked at her hopefully. She shook her head. ‘I'm not lying,’ she said stubbornly.

    ‘I'm not saying you are,’ said Philmon. ‘But you could be wrong. Stelka could be right. Maybe it was just a nightmare.’
    ‘I'd know the difference,’ said Tab. ‘This was real. They're coming, Philmon. And they're going to catch us unprepared, ‘like sitting ducks.’
    Philmon gave a small shuddering sigh. He could imagine what would happen to Quentaris if Tolrush attacked right now. Total panic, and defeat. They would all be killed. And those who weren't would end up as slaves.
    ‘There's no evidence,’ Philmon said, but his resolve was weakening. ‘We've been travelling a whole year and not set eyes on them … ’
    ‘They might've been sucked into a different rift world to begin with. But it doesn't matter, because they're here, in this one.’
    ‘I'll lose my job,’ Philmon said despondently. ‘I mean, First Lieutenant Crankshaft … ’
    Thirty minutes later, Philmon was standing to attention on the lower bridge while Tab concluded, once again, her outrageous story.
    First Lieutenant Crankshaft nodded when she had finished. ‘Thank you for bringing this to my attention.’ He glanced at Philmon. ‘At ease, ensign.’ He steepled his fingers. ‘Now, although the protection of Quentaris is in our hands, the Admiralty cannot mobilise the city's defences on the basis of a dream.’ As with