Read Thief’s Magic for Free Online

“But I’m going to turn in for the night.”
    The other students were staring at him in surprise, but Kilraker nodded sympathetically. “It has been a long day. Perhaps you all should—”
    “I’m fine,” Neel declared. “Not tired at all.” Miko straightened and nodded in agreement. The pair looked at him sidelong.
    Tyen hesitated as if nearly persuaded by their mockery, then shook his head. “I’m bound to get the first driving shift tomorrow,” he retorted quietly. He rose and nodded politely to Gowel and his companions, then Kilraker, then strode over to retrieve his cap before climbing the stairs to the main doors.
    He slipped out and crossed the road. The Academy Hotel was quiet, two older men reading papers in the lounge and few staff about. Tyen hurried up the stairs to the dorm he shared with the other students. Though more simply furnished than Kilraker’s suite, it was much finer than the room he shared with Miko back at the Academy itself.
    He hauled his bags off the bed he’d claimed when they’d first arrived and took off his boots. Then he settled with his back against the headboard and fished Vella from inside his shirt. Opening to the first page, he waited for the letters to form.
    Hello, Tyen.
    I have a few hours before the others get back. Can I ask you some questions?
    Of course. Answering questions is what I was made for.
    Where to start? I have so many. Where are you from? What were you before you became a book? Why did Roporien choose you? How did he make you?
    One question at a time is best. Each new question nullifies the previous one.
    I beg your pardon. So … Where are you from?
    I was born in the city of Ambarlin in the country of Amma in the world Ktayl.
    The
world
Ktayl? Are you saying there are other worlds?
    Yes.
    How many other worlds are there?
    Nobody knows. Not even the great Roporien knew.
    A lot, then.
    Yes.
    Tyen felt a thrill of excitement. The theory that other worlds existed was often debated in the Academy. Many historical sources referred to worlds beyond this one, yet nobody had been able to physically prove it. Some well-respected academics believed it to be true. They had formed the Society of Other-Worlders, a group that was mocked, but not as loudly or derisively as other, equally strange societies.
    Can you prove that there are other worlds?
    I can teach you how to travel between them, if you have the strength – or, as you call it, the reach.
    His heart began to race. To explore other worlds … he’d become more famous than Gowel.
    How much reach do I need?
    That depends on the amount of magic this world contains. From what I have seen of it in your mind so far, I doubt it would be within the reach of any but the most powerful sorcerers.
    Tyen’s heart sank. He knew his reach was good, but there had to be plenty of other sorcerers with greater ability than him.
    Could you still prove there are other worlds even if I didn’t have enough reach to travel to them?
    Judging by your disinclination to believe me when I tell you that creativity generates magic, I doubt it.
    He laughed quietly at that.
    Tell me more about yourself. How did you meet Roporien?
    When I was not many years an adult I travelled to Uff, a great city that attracted artists and writers from all over Ktayl. I established myself as a sorcerer-bookbinder and my wares were soon so sought-after that I began to grow famous and wealthy.
    From making books?
    Yes. My books were not only beautiful, but they used magic in new ways to display, preserve and hide their contents. They might glow so you could read them in the dark. They might use magic to preserve themselves, so they lasted longer. They might contain a magical lock, or burst into flames if taken too far from their owner. My clients were wealthy and powerful: sorcerers, successful artists, intellectuals, the rich and powerful, and even royalty. That was how Roporien learned of me. He saw one of my books and realised that I knew something