The Cornerstone (34 page)

Morodai lifted Max into the air with Wordcraft and held him in place a foot off the ground.

‘Now then, of all the Chapter Houses, do you know what makes mine unique?’ he asked in a conversational tone.

‘Small genitals and a lack of personal hygiene?’ Max suggested.

Morodai didn’t rise to this. ‘What makes it different is that we are the only Chapter House to actively pursue Wordcraft skills that can be used against a human being… and I don’t mean the rather uncouth method of throwing word power around until it crashes into a hapless bystander.’ Morodai’s eyes narrowed as he focused on Max’s left arm. ‘I mean the far neater and more demanding skill of manipulating the human body to one’s will. Once you are skilled at this, it’s quite marvellous what can be achieved.’

Morodai’s eyes narrowed and the little finger on Max’s left hand snapped with an audible crack. He screamed, pain shooting up his arm.

‘You see?!’ Morodai exulted. ‘Such a small effort leads to such a satisfying response! Why batter an opponent with a wall of energy when one can simply snap the bones in his body using far less power? Economy is the key, Mr Bloom!’

To demonstrate again, he broke the ring finger on the same hand. The resulting scream made the Morodai custodians chitter with excitement.

He’s insane and I’m going to die here.

Max swallowed, trying to stop his gorge rising.

‘My first mistake was not killing that stupid girl when I had the chance,’ Morodai said, standing eye to eye with Max. ‘Maybe that would have been better for you as well, yes? You would have lived your life in blissful ignorance, instead of being tortured to death in this far away place.’ He leaned right in so his nose almost touched Max. ‘ …and make no mistake, you
are
going to die here.’

Max’s entire left wrist snapped.

The pain was now so intense he blacked out for a second.

‘It’s not only bone breaking we teach,’ Morodai continued. ‘The ability to suck the breath from someone’s lungs is also a valuable weapon.’

He gestured again and a tight band of pain spread across Max’s chest. It was like the first encounter with The Cornerstone’s defence mechanism in Farefield library, only much worse. The life was being crushed out of him. Finding a breath was impossible.

His ears started to ring with the pressure and in the cloud of agony, it sounded almost like the singing of The Cornerstone choir - accompanying him off this mortal coil with one last rendition of their signature song.

Morodai let go.

The relief was indescribable.

‘Not too much, I think,’ the Chapter Lord said. ‘We don’t want the fun spoiled too early.’ He tapped his chin thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps when I’m done with you, a visit to young Merelie Carvallen won’t go amiss. I’d imagine I could have even more fun with her.’

Max tried to struggle free, eliciting a delighted chuckle from his torturer.

The band of pain returned, worse this time. Max wanted to scream, but there was no air in his lungs to give it life.

He realised he could hear the choir again… and even through the fog of pain he could tell it really
was
them, not just ringing in his ears.

He could hear the cadence in their voices, the harmonies embracing one another as The Cornerstone, still lying trampled on the floor, sang to him as he died.

Max turned his head away from the piercing glare of Morodai’s green eyes toward the book. It was pulsing with light now, as if willing him into action.

‘No books
,’ he told it. ‘
No power with no books.’

Morodai misinterpreted the gesture.

‘Giving up are we, boy?’ he said.

Boy.

He wished he’d had the time to do something about that.

‘No books though, Corny. Can’t be a Wordsmith without books, can I? Nope, I’m just a stupid boy having the life squeezed out of him by a homicidal maniac.’

‘I’m a book Max, a very special one
,’ The Cornerstone reminded him in its dry voice.

‘I don’t think one book will do it, Corny.’

‘Correct
,’ the book agreed. ‘
But I’m also a doorway, remember? And I can lead you home, Max. I can lead you here…’

The Cornerstone burst into a supernova of silver light, the choir sang their hearts out and the gateway to Earth opened.

Drizzly, cold, boring old Earth.

A world full of books.

Millions
of books, all bursting at the seams with the dreams, hopes and fears of an entire human race. An immense ocean of energy that The Cornerstone had just provided a convenient conduit to.

Glorious power filled Max Bloom from the tips of his aching toes to the top of his bruised head.

He swam in the river of Wordcraft The Cornerstone pumped into the library, feeling the pain draining away as the magic sunk into every pore.

Max raised his head slowly, his eyes fixed on the Chapter Lord.

- 5 -

Morodai saw the change, sensed the energy flood into Max Bloom and tried to snap the boy’s neck.

This had no chance, but Max did feel a slight itching sensation for a fleeting moment. He broke Morodai’s hold and dropped to the floor with hands curled into fists.

‘Now then, Lucas,’ Max spoke in a voice so calm and controlled, Morodai’s knees went weak with fear, ‘about that boy business…’

The hammer blow that struck Morodai would have crushed every bone in his body to a fine powder if he hadn’t already erected a field of protective energy.

As it was, he was sent flying back down the metal walkway, bouncing off the book shelves like a pinball.

Max glanced at the crowd of custodians.

The bullet headed midgets were propelled at high velocity in a variety of directions, shrieking in terror. They ricocheted off one another and the metal walls surrounding them, creating an almighty din.

All this didn’t quite seem enough for Max.

He therefore decided to pull the whole Library down around him.

Taking in a deep breath, he let the energy spouting from The Cornerstone soak into every pore of his body, until he could hold out his hands to see silver light flowing and twinkling under the skin.

In a scream of rage the Incredible Hulk would have been proud of, Max unleashed a colossal shockwave that billowed out across the ironwork Morodai Library.

The rusting metal book shelves tore and shattered, sending books shooting through the air. The metal walkway ripped apart, buckling and twisting like it was made of tin foil. The iron columns that held one level of the Library above the other warped and crumpled in on themselves, causing the floors to collapse into one another.

Max floated in mid-air on a wave of word power. The walkway beneath him disappeared, joining the rest of the crumbling metalwork in its descent.

This was all stupendously noisy of course, but The Cornerstone choir could still be heard over the cacophony, having apparently bought a stack of Marshall amplifiers for just such an occasion - turned up to 11.

Max then decided it felt a bit stuffy and that he could do with some air.

As if somebody had taken a giant, invisible can opener to the ceiling, it ripped open with a shrieking of metal that could be heard a hundred miles away.

Glancing up through the jagged gash he'd created, Max got his first view of the Morodai city beyond the library and saw that he was surrounded by a series of tall, dark towers.

The skies above were leaden grey.

He could feel sticky drizzle hitting his face and getting under his hoodie, making his neck wet.

For some reason, he found this quite appropriate.

- 6 -

The teenage Wordsmith glided forward, eyes blazing with silver light, in search of Lucas Morodai. The Cornerstone bobbed along behind him, still supplying energy by the bucket load.

He found his quarry near the back of the cavernous hall, blubbering in terror as his world fell down around him.

Morodai cowered behind a barrier of Wordcraft thrown up against the falling wreckage. He hadn’t put it up quick enough to prevent one long iron spike pinning him to the floor at the shoulder.

Max drifted down to where the Chapter Lord lay.

‘I could destroy you with a glance. You know that, don’t you?’ he said.

Morodai tried to pull out the shard, but gave up when his remaining strength ran out.

‘After all, you’d do that to me, wouldn’t you?’ Max continued, ‘because you think power must be used. I mean, what’s the point in having it if you don’t
use
it, right? If you don’t punish people weaker than you?’ He shook his head. ‘I’m a seventeen year old kid from a crappy town where nothing ever happens and even I can see that’s a bloody stupid way to live. You’re nothing but a bully, Morodai.’ He crouched and looked the Chapter Lord right in the eye. ‘You know what? The problem with being a bastard and showing off how strong you are is that sooner or later someone comes along who’s stronger than
you
.’

 ‘Just kill me,’ Morodai said, in a weak voice.

‘I’m not going to kill you, you idiot. Didn’t you hear what I just said? Just because I could turn you into a smear against that wall, doesn’t mean I want to.’

‘Then what do you intend to do?’

‘I’ll take you back to Jacob Carvallen. He can decide what to do with you. I’m sure you have courts and trials over here.’

‘We do,’ Morodai agreed, bowing his head in submission.

‘Good. Now, hold still and try not to scream too much.’

Max concentrated on the metal spike, which slowly slid out of the ground and Morodai’s shoulder. The Chapter Lord didn’t scream, but did go a few shades whiter.

‘Thank you,’ he gasped as Max tossed it aside.

‘Yeah, whatever. I’m just too bloody nice, that’s my problem.’

Max took out the League Book that was still tucked into his jeans, ready to transport them both back.

As he did, Morodai – who had been playing possum - whipped out the golden Morodai Cornerstone.

‘I won’t be standing trial anywhere…
boy
!’ he snarled, ripping the book open.

Max covered his eyes as light erupted from the golden book.

Lucas Morodai disappeared from existence, leaving Max stunned - and using language his mother definitely wouldn’t approve of.

- 7 -

With great care and respect, Borne laid out Elijah’s body on the centre table in what remained of the Carvallen Great Hall. He placed a hand on his comrade’s chest and offered up a silent prayer to the Writer that he would find peace.

Osgood Draveli’s body – his face frozen in a disturbing mask of fear – lay on the floor near Borne’s feet. The Arma didn’t feel any great desire to move that massive corpse with any dignity, so instead rolled in under the table with one foot, resolving to give his boot a good wash at the first opportunity.

Jacob Carvallen had already started marshalling the newly freed Chapter Guards into some semblance of order. They were now busy rounding up the few Morodai Wordsmiths who hadn’t managed to escape in the chaos.

Imelda sat on a pile of rubble with Merelie and Garrowain, who had limped his way up to the Great Hall a few moments ago.

Merelie held the League Book in her hands, willing it to make a sign that Max was coming back.

‘He shouldn’t have gone like that, not without help,’ Imelda said.

‘He had no choice. Morodai was getting away,’ Merelie argued.

‘We must hope Mr Bloom’s new found capabilities were enough to save him,’ Garrowain said, putting an arm around her.

On cue, the League Book began to glow.

Merelie leapt to her feet, put the book on the ground and stepped back.

It flipped open, sent out a pulse of bright blue light and Max Bloom appeared, covered in blood, nursing a broken hand and swearing like a drunk Glaswegian docker.

Under his good arm were tucked both the Carvallen and Morodai Cornerstones.

‘Max!’ Merelie threw her arms round him, eliciting a howl of pain. She noticed his hand and the state of his face.

‘Oh my. You’re hurt. ‘

‘Yeah, that would be from the torturing,’ he told her, swallowing painfully.

Imelda strode over and took one look at his left arm. ‘That’s going to need splinting, young man. And what do you mean by torture?’

‘Your best friend and mine Lucas Morodai thought he’d have some fun snapping bits off me to show how his Wordsmiths are trained to shatter people’s bones.’ Max sat down with a grateful sigh on a nearby pile of rubble. ‘Breaking my wrist was a bit much though, so I decided to pull his house down on top of him. Anybody got an aspirin?’

Garrowain laid a gentle hand on Max’s arm, closed his eyes and muttered a few words under his breath. Pleasant warmth flowed over the damaged hand, reducing the pain.

‘That should help for the short term,’ the old man smiled. ‘Our Wordsmiths are trained to heal bones, rather than break them. We’ll need to work on it properly before it’s fixed, though.’

‘Cancel the aspirin,’ Max said with a dreamy expression. ‘You’ll have to teach me how to do that, chief.’

‘What happened to Morodai?’ Merelie asked, picking up the two Cornerstones.

‘A question I’m keen to hear the answer to,’ muttered Jacob Carvallen as he joined the group, having left Halia in charge of the clean up operation. He gave Max a sympathetic look when he saw his mangled hand. ‘I hope he came off worse than you?’

Max’s expression darkened and he told them what had happened, ending with Morodai’s escape.

Garrowain took the golden Cornerstone from Merelie. ‘This might not be as bad as it seems, Max. Lucas can only return to our world through this book and we will make sure it remains here under careful guard. He’s effectively imprisoned himself on the Morodai Earth. By all accounts, it’s a miserable place due to his rule, so quite fitting he should be stranded there.’

‘Agreed,’ Jacob folded his arms. ‘The Morodai Cornerstone will stay here and be guarded twenty four hours a day by our most powerful Wordsmiths. If Lucas attempts a return, he will be captured immediately.’

‘Was demolishing the entire Library really necessary?’ said Imelda, still feeling guilty about what she’d done to the one in Farefield.