Charmed Life - Diana Wynne Jones [88]
But it’s not just what you say or how well you sing that makes for a successful spell — it’s how you apply it. As any good magic user knows, it’s useful to have the bare essentials in the cupboard to help you apply your magic. Depending on your speciality, these essentials may include: newts’ eyes, snakes’ tongues, or bull’s-eyes; cardamom, hellebore, or mummy nitre. If you’re feeling particularly wicked (and you don’t mind breaking the law), a jar of dragon’s blood (fresh or dried) will ensure that any spell you are preparing goes off with a bang. These ingredients can all be bought (legally or illegally) from Purveyors of Exotic Supplies.
But the bare essentials can’t help you if you don’t know how to think on your feet and apply your magic skills creatively. When faced with a sticky situation, like a marauding army for example, it’s handy to be flexible. In true Italian style, Rinaldo Montana’s spell-making speciality in The Magicians of Caprona is sweet-smelling love charms, but that doesn’t mean he can’t apply his skills to conjure up a cowpat surprise when cornered by an adversary. Similarly, the gardeners in The Lives of Christopher Chant conjure giant cactus plants, ten-foot nettles, thistles, and poison ivy to repel some rather unpleasant characters — while the cook does something unspeakable with rotten steaks and mouldy soufflés.
Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, it’s important to remember that magic must be respected. Whether you are changing a person into a toad, tampering with world order, or simply tidying up a bit of homework — having the responsibility to use magic wisely is the greatest power of all.
CHRESTOMANCI CASTLE
AS A NINE-LIFED enchanter with the most powerful job in the related worlds, it is only right and proper that Chrestomanci resides in a place that is as grand and imposing as his title — and Chrestomanci Castle is most certainly grand and imposing. If driving from the local railway station, you first glimpse this marvellous building at the top of a hill as you approach along the narrow, winding road. You sweep through massive gates into an avenue of dark green cedars and elm trees, before scrunching to a halt on the gravel outside one of the castle’s many entrances.
Nestled in the heart of the English countryside, Chrestomanci Castle’s history stretches back beyond most people’s memory. Parts of it are very old; it has been extended and expanded over the years so that its appearance is unlike any other castle you have seen before. Part of it is gray and turreted and every bit the medieval-style fortress you might imagine; yet turn a corner and you will come across a bright new part, more like a palace or a mansion, with a spread of windows and a flag fluttering from the roof. (Architecturally, Michael Saunders would probably tell you it is a very interesting mix indeed — but it’s probably not wise to ask him about it unless you have two or three hours to spare.)
The interior of Chrestomanci Castle is as impressive as the outside. If you enter through the main front doors, you will find yourself in an airy entrance hall with a pentagram installed in the tiled floor. Topping this lofty space is a domed glass roof, from which hangs the most magnificent sight in the entrance hall, an enormous crystal chandelier. A majestic pink staircase curls up to the next level. Several doorways topped with statues lead off from the hall; the door