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.The horseman cracked his whip and the horses snorted as they started forward, heading away from the hall.There was already plenty of traffic on London’s streets, even though it was alarmingly early in the morning, but they cleared a path for the carriages.It took Gwen several moments to realise that the onlookers were scared, unwilling to be noticed by Scotland Yard – or the formidable men in black.The common folk, Doctor Norwell had told her time and time again, believed all kinds of nonsense about magic.They believed that magicians could turn a person into a frog with a snap of their fingers.A Changer could turn a person into a frog, or so Gwen had been told, but it would be incredibly difficult and a waste of magic.It would be far easier to kill the victim outright.The carriage picked up speed as it headed into the poorer areas of town.Gwen was struck by the sudden change in the citizens of London.They moved from wearing rich clothing to clothes that looked as if they had been repaired, several times, or passed down from elder siblings to younger siblings.She caught sight of a girl so thin that Gwen could see her bones through her clothing and shivered.There, but for the grace of God, went Gwen.The dirty and smelly inhabitants of the poorer parts of the city were fundamentally little different from herself.Lord Blackburn, she knew, wouldn’t agree with her.He believed that magicians were inherently superior to everyone else.She wrinkled her nostrils as the wind changed, blowing the stench into the carriage.It smelt of horses and unwashed human bodies and something she preferred not to speculate about, at least not in front of anyone else.How could humans live in such filth? She saw a group of elderly women following a small pack of dogs through the street, scooping up their wastes into bags they carried over their shoulders.The dogs themselves looked thin and mangy, very unlike the dogs her father owned and kept at his country estate.They’d been well fed and trained to assist the fox-hunting local squires.Gwen felt pity, even as she looked away from the elderly women.It struck her suddenly that the women weren’t that old.They’d merely lived in conditions that aged them quickly.The carriage turned the corner, passing a group of street children who made rude signs at the rear of the vehicle.Gwen sensed anger among her fellow magicians, even though none of the rude signs were dangerous.The carriage drew to a stop outside a surprisingly clean building; Master Thomas led the magicians out onto the streets, cane raised as if he expected to be greeted by a blast of magic at any moment.Gwen followed them, bringing up the rear, just before there was a set of growls from the direction of the police carriages.A trio of oversized wolves were jumping out of the carriages and landing neatly on the pavement.Gwen shrank back, despite herself.The wolves were the size of lions, far larger than any dog she’d ever seen.Their handlers didn’t seem to have them under very good control.One of the wolves eyed her with disturbingly human eyes and licked its teeth.Gwen gathered her magic, only to dispel it a moment later.There was no real threat.She turned and looked up at the building as Master Thomas issued orders to his men.It was a small business, she decided finally, a small business right on the edge of the poorer part of town.Her brother had often bored her into a mindless stupor by talking about how location was important for businesses; the owners of this business would be able to combine lower rents with an address that wasn’t too downmarket for the customers.Or so she thought.The smell hadn’t gone away, not really; she’d just grown used to its presence.She made a mental note to have more outfits made up by the seamstresses; the one she was wearing would probably have to be washed several times before the stench was finally removed for good.“Follow me,” Master Thomas said.He lifted his hand and fired a bolt of magic at the door.“Stay behind me.”The door smashed open, allowing the lead policemen to charge into the building, followed by two of the wolves.“Police,” the leader shouted.“Put your hands in the air, now!”Gwen followed Master Thomas into the building.The door opened right into a warehouse, with piles of newspapers stacked up against the wall.A handful of shocked-looking men were ruthlessly grabbed by the policemen before they could react.They were pushed to the floor, their hands firmly cuffed behind their backs, and then left there to wait for the policemen to return.Gwen followed the policemen through the second door and saw a large printing press, one of the machines that had revolutionised the world.In the past, producing manuscripts had been the work of years, but now anyone could produce a book [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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