Free Blaze of Glory by Michael Pryor Page A

from the crowded shelf over
the desk.
    'This wouldn't have anything to do with the war?'
    Aubrey raised an eyebrow. 'What makes you think
that?'
    'Well, with the way your father has been making
noises . . .' George paused, then he nodded. 'Ah.'
    Aubrey turned back to his book. 'You see why Sir
Darius Fitzwilliam was invited to this shooting weekend?
And you see why he has to send someone in his place so
it won't seem like he's snubbing the whole affair, thereby
insulting not only the heir to the throne but the Holmland
delegation, thus adding to the tension between our
two countries?'
    'I see why you have to go. And what the deuce are
you reading?'
    ' Tremaine on Magic .'
    'I see. A racy little story?'
    'I wanted to check something. I had a thought about a
novel method of applying two disparate magical laws in
a way that may have a useful effect.'
    'Something to make the Snainton Prize even more
securely yours? I can't imagine anyone else matching you
for Dux of the school.'
    'No. This is more to do with our engagement next
weekend. I was thinking about a way to improve my aim.'
    George snorted. 'Practice being out of the question.'
    'No time for that, George.' He pointed at Tremaine on Magic . 'The Law of Animation is reasonably well established
– how to give lifeless objects some vigour through
a variation on the Law of Contiguity.'
    'Walking broomsticks fetching water, that sort of
thing.'
    'Exactly.' Aubrey nodded. 'It's not foolproof, but the
variables are fairly well worked out. I was thinking of
the shot used in the cartridges. If I could apply the Law
of Animation and find some way to guide them, the shot
could compensate for my inadequate aiming.'
    'Ingenious.'
    Aubrey seized Tremaine on Magic and flipped through
the pages. 'Here it is: "The Law of Propensity – the
tendency of objects towards certain actions. For example,
most objects have a tendency to fall when dropped from
a height."' He snapped the book shut. 'I think I can work
this law so that the shot almost has a desire to go in the
right direction, towards the target.'
    George frowned for a moment. 'If you can perfect this,
there may be many people who'd be interested in such
a process.'
    'Of course. Our friends in the army would love ammunition
that wouldn't miss.'
    'Smart bullets. Clever shells. Intelligent bombs.'
    'Hmm.' Aubrey narrowed his eyes. 'If I can do this
discreetly, no-one need ever know.'
    George picked up the newspaper. 'Very discreetly.' He
tapped the front page. 'Some Holmlander archduke or
other is making rather colourful suggestions about your
father and the policies he stands for.'
    'Again?'
    'You're not worried?'
    Aubrey took another book from the bookshelf and sat
at the desk. 'It wouldn't do much good if I were. Father
won't stop making speeches, nor would I want him to.'
    'You think he's right?'
    'In standing up to bullies? Certainly. In bringing us
closer to war? I'm not sure, but I'm not sure of the alternative,
either.'
    'Tricky thing, international relations.' George shook
the newspaper. 'Let's bypass them and concentrate on
something important.'
    'The Personal Advertisements?'
    'Precisely.'
    'George, I've never understood your fascination with
the agony columns.'
    'I'm simply curious. Insight into other lives, glimpses of
how strangers live, colourful details. Interesting stuff.'
    'That's right. "Mr G. Brown will no longer be responsible
for any debts incurred by his father as he is now
dead." Profound, that.'
    'What about "C.J. Send £10 at once. D.W."? Anything
could be going on there. Blackmail, embezzlement,
secret plans.'
    'It's more likely that D.W. needs money and thinks
C.J. is a soft touch.'
    'Where's your imagination, old man?'
    Aubrey chuckled and returned to his reading.
    'What are you going to wear, Aubrey?' George said
suddenly.
    'To the shooting weekend? No idea.' Aubrey didn't
look up from An Inquiry into Enchantments of Motion . He'd
found some interesting approaches to the problem of
changing momentum by