Spellbound
Blake Charlton
Dedication
To my mother, Louise Bryden Buck, M.D.,
for patient love and lessons in healing
Epigraph
As for the poem, one dragon, however hot, does not make a summer, or a host; and a man might well exchange for one good dragon what he would not sell for a wilderness. And dragons, real dragons, essential both to the machinery and the ideas of a poem or tale, are actually rare.
J. R. R. TOLKIEN,
Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics
He is at once a stratum of the earth and a streamer in the air, no painted dragon but a figure of real oneiric power, one that can easily survive the prejudices which arise at the very mention of the word dragon.
SEAMUS HEANEY
Introduction to his translation of Beowulf
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Map
Chapter One
Francesca did not realize she had used an indefinite pronoun
Chapter Two
Suddenly conscious, Shannon dropped the text he had been holding.
Chapter Three
High up in Avels sanctuary, Nicodemus crouched in a dark
Chapter Four
With Deirdre in her arms, Francesca charged up the eastern
Chapter Five
Shannon ran to the window and thrust his hand into
Chapter Six
Francescas hands tingled. Whatever cloth Deirdre ripped must have loosed
Chapter Seven
The warkite was written on an eight-foot-long strip of white
Chapter Eight
As Francesca fell from the lofting kite, her eyes met
Chapter Nine
Shannon-the-text touched his fingertips to those of Shannon-who-still-lived. Golden light
Chapter Ten
When the lofting kite rose to a height above the
Chapter Eleven
An unseen wartext blasted the ghosts right arm into a
Chapter Twelve
When Cyrus and Francesca were flying above the Auburn Mountains,
Chapter Thirteen
Squinting in the sunlight, Nicodemus examined his school of five
Chapter Fourteen
When consciousness returned, Deirdre found her eyes filled with tears.
Chapter Fifteen
Francesca opened her eyes as something hard dug into her
Chapter Sixteen
Cyrus had just removed the spells from Francescas robes when
Chapter Seventeen
The secluded Hall of Ambassadors stood three stories up on
Chapter Eighteen
Francesca followed Cyrus down several hallways to a narrow room
Chapter Nineteen
Suddenly, Francesca was light-headed.
Chapter Twenty
Anxiously, the ghost reexamined the contents of Francesca DeVegas bedroom:
Chapter Twenty-One
In a dream, Francesca had diagnosed an inflamed appendix in
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cyrus landed his rig in the South Market. Most days
Chapter Twenty-Three
Deirdre pulled her shawl around her shoulders. She was standing
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cyrus followed Francesca through the labyrinthine alleys until they left
Chapter Twenty-Five
Once they were back on the street, Cyrus walked close
Chapter Twenty-Six
One monster jumped forward to land an overhand hatchet strike
Chapter Twenty-Seven
At first Cyrus struggled against the spellbindings, but he was
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cyrus scanned the sky above the line of watchmen. There
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cyrus looked down at his robes. Only a thin network
Chapter Thirty
The bluemoon hung as a bright shard among the skeins
Chapter Thirty-One
What under the holy sky do you mean were being
Chapter Thirty-Two
The wind picked up as Nicodemus took his students over
Chapter Thirty-Three
Shortly after dawn, the rain clouds rolled away from Avel
Chapter Thirty-Four
Deirdre chewed her lip while looking at the loose pages
Chapter Thirty-Five
I believe everything you said, Francesca said to Vivian, except
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vivians palms went cold as she listened to Lotannu try
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Before anything else, Francesca became aware of the hot, musty
Chapter Thirty-Eight
On their trek through the savanna, Francesca thought about snide
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Francesca supposed that it was an hour or two after
Chapter Forty
Francesca burst from the cabin into sunlight and chaos. Uprooted
Chapter Forty-One
Cyrus had been in the wind marshals quarters only once
Chapter Forty-Two
Francesca had always thought of airships as flying boats. She
Chapter Forty-Three
Nicodemus tried to sleep as they waited for darkness.
Chapter Forty-Four
Francesca couldnt sleep. Cyrus lay next to her in the
Chapter Forty-Five
Francesca woke in a tent lightening with dawn. It took
Chapter Forty-Six
As Captain Izem brought the Queens Lance around to approach
Chapter Forty-Seven
When the bleeding stopped, Francesca dabbed the blood from the
Chapter Forty-Eight
Sitting on a ruined crate, Lotannu pulled a blanket around
Chapter Forty-Nine
Midmorning sunlight slanted through the redwood forest as Nicodemus rode
Chapter Fifty
When marching into battle, druids wore plates of wooden armor,
Chapter Fifty-One
The Queens Lance had covered half the distance to the
Chapter Fifty-Two
Shannon woke when someone took his hand. He had been
Epilogue
Starfall Island rose out of the blue horizon. Its forested
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books by Blake Charlton
Copyright
About the Publisher
Map
Spellbound
Blake Charlton
Dedication
To my mother, Louise Bryden Buck, M.D.,
for patient love and lessons in healing
Epigraph
As for the poem, one dragon, however hot, does not make a summer, or a host; and a man might well exchange for one good dragon what he would not sell for a wilderness. And dragons, real dragons, essential both to the machinery and the ideas of a poem or tale, are actually rare.
J. R. R. TOLKIEN,
Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics
He is at once a stratum of the earth and a streamer in the air, no painted dragon but a figure of real oneiric power, one that can easily survive the prejudices which arise at the very mention of the word dragon.
SEAMUS HEANEY
Introduction to his translation of Beowulf
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Map
Chapter One
Francesca did not realize she had used an indefinite pronoun
Chapter Two
Suddenly conscious, Shannon dropped the text he had been holding.
Chapter Three
High up in Avels sanctuary, Nicodemus crouched in a dark
Chapter Four
With Deirdre in her arms, Francesca charged up the eastern
Chapter Five
Shannon ran to the window and thrust his hand into
Chapter Six
Francescas hands tingled. Whatever cloth Deirdre ripped must have loosed
Chapter Seven
The warkite was written on an eight-foot-long strip of white
Chapter Eight
As Francesca fell from the lofting kite, her eyes met
Chapter Nine
Shannon-the-text touched his fingertips to those of Shannon-who-still-lived. Golden light
Chapter Ten
When the lofting kite rose to a height above the
Chapter Eleven
An unseen wartext blasted the ghosts right arm into a
Chapter Twelve
When Cyrus and Francesca were flying above the Auburn Mountains,
Chapter Thirteen
Squinting in the sunlight, Nicodemus examined his school of five
Chapter Fourteen
When consciousness returned, Deirdre found her eyes filled with tears.
Chapter Fifteen
Francesca opened her eyes as something hard dug into her
Chapter Sixteen
Cyrus had just removed the spells from Francescas robes when
Chapter Seventeen
The secluded Hall of Ambassadors stood three stories up on
Chapter Eighteen
Francesca followed Cyrus down several hallways to a narrow room
Chapter Nineteen
Suddenly, Francesca was light-headed.
Chapter Twenty
Anxiously, the ghost reexamined the contents of Francesca DeVegas bedroom:
Chapter Twenty-One
In a dream, Francesca had diagnosed an inflamed appendix in
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cyrus landed his rig in the South Market. Most days
Chapter Twenty-Three
Deirdre pulled her shawl around her shoulders. She was standing
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cyrus followed Francesca through the labyrinthine alleys until they left
Chapter Twenty-Five
Once they were back on the street, Cyrus walked close
Chapter Twenty-Six
One monster jumped forward to land an overhand hatchet strike
Chapter Twenty-Seven
At first Cyrus struggled against the spellbindings, but he was
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cyrus scanned the sky above the line of watchmen. There
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cyrus looked down at his robes. Only a thin network
Chapter Thirty
The bluemoon hung as a bright shard among the skeins
Chapter Thirty-One
What under the holy sky do you mean were being
Chapter Thirty-Two
The wind picked up as Nicodemus took his students over
Chapter Thirty-Three
Shortly after dawn, the rain clouds rolled away from Avel
Chapter Thirty-Four
Deirdre chewed her lip while looking at the loose pages
Chapter Thirty-Five
I believe everything you said, Francesca said to Vivian, except
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vivians palms went cold as she listened to Lotannu try
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Before anything else, Francesca became aware of the hot, musty
Chapter Thirty-Eight
On their trek through the savanna, Francesca thought about snide
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Francesca supposed that it was an hour or two after
Chapter Forty
Francesca burst from the cabin into sunlight and chaos. Uprooted
Chapter Forty-One
Cyrus had been in the wind marshals quarters only once
Chapter Forty-Two
Francesca had always thought of airships as flying boats. She
Chapter Forty-Three
Nicodemus tried to sleep as they waited for darkness.
Chapter Forty-Four
Francesca couldnt sleep. Cyrus lay next to her in the
Chapter Forty-Five
Francesca woke in a tent lightening with dawn. It took
Chapter Forty-Six
As Captain Izem brought the Queens Lance around to approach
Chapter Forty-Seven
When the bleeding stopped, Francesca dabbed the blood from the
Chapter Forty-Eight
Sitting on a ruined crate, Lotannu pulled a blanket around
Chapter Forty-Nine
Midmorning sunlight slanted through the redwood forest as Nicodemus rode
Chapter Fifty
When marching into battle, druids wore plates of wooden armor,
Chapter Fifty-One
The Queens Lance had covered half the distance to the
Chapter Fifty-Two
Shannon woke when someone took his hand. He had been
Epilogue
Starfall Island rose out of the blue horizon. Its forested
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books by Blake Charlton
Copyright
About the Publisher