Barb Caffrey's Blog

Artist Brad Fraunfelter created this awesome cover for my forthcoming novel JASPER’S PROMISE, written by permission in Chris Nuttall’s Schooled in Magic universe, with a foreword from Chris himself.

I’m not great at showing off covers, as I don’t deal much with pictures. (I hope I sized this properly.) But I am happy to have this cover, as that’s exactly what I was thinking about with regards to Jasper, my main character, and his later love interest, Talinda. Jasper is studying healing, and that is exactly what he’s doing there — healing, not studying. (Minor joke there.)

As to why? Take my word for it that Talinda needs his help, specifically, in this one case due to a unique ability Jasper has that no one else seems to have.

At any rate, the last time I posted, I put up chapters one and two of JASPER’S PROMISE. I’m about to put up chapters three, four, and five…and I do hope you’ll enjoy them. (All of these chapters are meant as “teasers,” also known as things to whet the reader’s interest.)

Make sure to hit the back arrow if you haven’t yet read the first two chapters of JASPER’S PROMISE, then dive into the next three chapters, below.

…and away we go!

Chapter Three

The stagecoach, as my grandma had said, was just down the street. I was heartened to see that it was driven by someone I actually knew, a guy named Warren who had often spent time with Grandma Hannah playing cards or enjoying a good, home-cooked meal. (Sometimes, he even brought food that he cooked himself, and he was at least as good of a cook as Grandma was. Not that I’d ever admit that, even under torture. My grandmother had her reputation to worry about, after all.)

“Glad to see you, Jasper,” Warren said, doffing his cap. “Hop on. Or you can ride in the carriage, if you like.”

“No, I’d rather be up with you and the horses, providing David doesn’t see me.” I did open the carriage up, though, and stored my two bags—the food, and the clothes and books Grandma had given me—inside.

Warren understood, fortunately. “If I see him, I will pretend I didn’t. And if he tries to flag me down, he will regret it.” He patted his pocket, where a smaller version of Grandma’s blunderbuss seemed to sit. “Now, let’s go.”

Once I was up next to him, he clucked his tongue at the horses, and they set off at a steady pace. I didn’t know much about horses. But these seemed well-matched, and they had a flowing gait I could only admire. “How did you find four horses to work so well together?” I asked, trying to make conversation.

“These four were put up for auction by a guy with less sense than Goddess Anujit gave a gnat,” Warren told me in disgust. “I was fortunate to be there. He had gambling debts, I think…I paid him a fair price, and have used them ever since.”

I hadn’t known that Warren had ever driven a carriage before. I guess I’d just seen him as my Grandma’s friend, and the rest didn’t matter…I was fortunate, looking back, that Warren was the carriage-driver as it’s possible someone else wouldn’t have waited until I got there before setting off.

“Hannah told me you’re going to go to a new school, something called a ‘university,’ somewhere near a desert,” Warren said, his eyes not moving from watching over the horses. It was a bit past midday, the air was a bit cool but pleasant, without much in the way of wind.

“It will be a big change,” I told him. “I didn’t know anything at all about this place, Heart’s Eye University, before both my mother and Grandma Hannah told me about it.” I realized I was taking a lot on faith, but I didn’t want to examine things too closely just then. Or I might just have Warren turn around and take me back, which would be a betrayal of the promises I’d made to both my mother and my grandmother.

“I’ve heard that a lot of the New Learning has come from some of the teachers there,” Warren said, skillfully continuing to drive the horses. The terrain wasn’t all that bad, but it did have boulders studded here and there, so the track wasn’t always steady. “I hope they’ll figure out soon how to properly grade roads. You will ask them if you get a chance, won’t you?”

I agreed that I would. And I could see why he was worried, too. A less skillful driver than Warren was could’ve easily broken an axle or foundered one or more of the horses on this trail, as it wasn’t much more than a goat track.

We came to a bigger-sized town, and Warren stopped at a place he seemed familiar with. No one was there, which might’ve been just as well…no one to see where we went, if nothing else. He went into a local tavern to get a few provisions, and gave them to me, these being three hearty beef sandwiches with a slice of good, well-aged cheddar cheese on each. “Take these on the train with you.”

“Thanks!” I didn’t know why I deserved such largesse, but before I could ask, he’d gone on.

“You’re a growing boy. You need more than just what your grandma sent along, no shame to her.” He had a twinkle in his eye, which was both reassuring and disturbing at the same time. I didn’t think I wanted to know what he was thinking about, if that makes any sense.

After driving through the two additional towns, Warren drove straight up to the train depot. That was still a fairly new place at the time, as steam trains had only been in existence as far as I knew for five, maybe six years, and of course it took time to lay tracks to make those rides possible. The railroad had only put in a line to this town, called Trenton after its founder, in the last several months…the depot was made of white clapboard, but I didn’t need to go inside as Warren handed me a ticket and pointed me to the right train.

“This should get you to Heart’s Eye, son,” Warren said. “Go now, and be sure to write to your grandmother on occasion. I’ll be waiting for your news, too!” He smiled, a bit cheekily, as I got my belongings out of the carriage, then he doffed his cap again, bent from the waist in a manner that was oddly formal, then straightened up and clucked his tongue at the horses again.

I watched as he drove away, then went to the train he’d indicated. A man was checking tickets, and I presented mine. “This is the train that will take me to Heart’s Eye University?”

“To Heart’s Ease, anyway,” the man said, thawing fractionally.

“What’s that?” There was no one else behind me, so I felt reasonably safe in asking a question. I also used my magic to sense whether or not the man was telling the truth, for good measure.

“It’s the town outside of Heart’s Eye, and it grew up because of the school there. I don’t know much else about it, except that after Lady Emily beat the necromancer who’d taken the place over, people came back and got the town back up and running.”

The man was telling the truth as he knew it, which was comforting.

“I can see why they’d fled,” I ventured. “No one wants to be anywhere close to a necromancer if they can help it.” I felt like shivering, but refrained.

“Lady Emily fixed it, all right and tight,” the man said. “Now, it’s time to get going…take a seat anywhere you like, and when we stop for a break, I’ll let you know.” He also informed me that there was a privy on the train, but that he hoped I’d not have to use it.

After I thanked him, I went to sit down. I knew the train trip would take several days, minimum, but it was heartening to know that they knew where we were going, and that neither my mother nor grandmother had been misled.

I wonder, I thought. They’ll train me? Me? Why?

Yet I’d promised my grandma, and promised my mother herself, that I would go and do the very best I could to get the training Mom had lacked. No matter how worried I was about what would happen when I got there, I needed to put that aside…and as the miles went on, and as we first went up one mountain, down another, into a valley, then up onto a plain, I did my best to calm my nerves.

The stops we had along the way, I used the way the man (called a “porter”) had suggested, carrying my belongings with me as I went, just in case the train started up again without me.

But I was fortunate. The porter looked out for me, letting me know when we were within a half a day of Heart’s Ease, the town outside Heart’s Eye. I went to use the privy, which stank as much as I’d feared, but it did have clean, running water. I used the water purification spell, too, just in case, before I cleaned my face, hands, and neck as best I could (as everything else was covered, I didn’t have to worry about that). I also put on my best outfit, a cambric shirt with a bit of Mom’s whimsical embroidery around the cuffs (why she liked yellow sunflowers, I’ll never understand, but they reminded me of her) and a pair of tough denim pants of a dark blue indigo. They fit well, because I’d only had them for maybe a month…

The longer I thought about it, the more planning and forethought I saw in my mother’s decision. She wanted what was best for me.

Now I had to go convert on my promise. And hope that it would be possible, as anything else would be unthinkable.

oOo

Chapter Four

The porter, who’d since told me on the several-day trip that his name was Dave (like my stepfather, but as unlike the man as it was possible to be, thank goodness), came to let me know the depot was within sight. I appreciated that, as there were a lot more people on the train than before…at the last stop, at least fifty people had boarded, most with a hatbox and a suitcase in hand.

Dave must’ve known I was nervous, because he blurted out, “Son, you will do just fine here. There’s all sorts of opportunities for a young man with ambition here. And I sense you have that.”

Startled, I looked at him again, trying to figure out if he had magic or some other talent that I wasn’t aware of. As far as I could tell, he didn’t.

“How—Why—What do you mean?” I stammered.

“A young man doesn’t come from so far away unless he has ambition,” Dave said comfortably. “And not much in the way of prospects where he initially came from…am I right?”

I nodded, but didn’t go into any of my story. It wasn’t proper. And if I tried to tell him, I might break down in tears, something not befitting under the circumstances..

“I wish you the best of luck and every happiness,” Dave said with a big smile.

I didn’t know what I’d ever done to warrant that smile, but I smiled back, tentatively, and thanked him. Then I waited in a line until I had disembarked, and saw the many carriages and conveyances waiting there—one had two big wheels on the back, a bigger wheel on the front, and space for several people to sit along with the driver! It seemed to be steam-powered, unless I missed my guess, and I couldn’t help but stare at it in astonishment. In addition, they seemed to be constructing even more train tracks, possibly going up to Heart’s Eye University itself soon…but for now, this was all there was.

There was no way I was going to use that strange wheeled-thing, not now anyway, because I had to conserve money. I’d long since eaten the excellent beefsteak sandwiches, eaten most of the cheese my grandma gave me, and also ate some raisins, though I still had some left of both for another meal in case I couldn’t afford anything else. I had no idea what the prices were here, and couldn’t assume that things would be cheap just because the tuition at the university was said to be free.

After walking in the same direction a number of other young men and women, hatboxes and suitcases in hand, were going, I came along a row of what seemed to be boarding houses, or perhaps a type of inn. I used my nascent magic to see if any of the homes had a welcoming aura, and found that four of them had a warn-off (Don’t touch! Danger!) for whatever reason, but two others seemed worthy of consideration. The first was at the beginning of the row, while the second was at the end…and I could see in the distance what I took to be Heart’s Eye University: a massive school, one that could hold hundreds of people if not even more than that, and it even included a castle with a moat! Most of it seemed made of brick and mortar, with newer, wooden buildings popping up here and there as needed. Several areas seemed to have new construction going, too…there even were barns, which presumably held animals, and grain silos, too! This had to be the right place.

You might be wondering why I didn’t go straight up to the university as the others I saw seemed to be doing. Well, they’d been on the train far less time than I had. They might not be as tired…or maybe they already had instructors that had agreed to take them on.

I felt it was far too risky to do that, because if I did, and if I wasn’t at my best, how could I make a good impression? As it was, I had to find out what was what in a hurry, get the lay of the land (as the saying goes), and also get out of the heat, as it was true that Heart’s Ease, like Heart’s Eye University, was on the edge of a searing desert.

When I walked into the inn I chose, the temperature dropped immediately, enough so I was comfortable and no longer sweating. A clerk at a nearby desk chirped brightly, “New in town?” She gestured to a pitcher of water.

“Yes, actually.” I used my magic and sensed the water was good, so I poured some of the water out into a nearby waiting glass. It was cold and took the grit out of my throat. “My name is Jasper, and I’m here because I am looking into applying to Heart’s Eye’s university.”

“Really?” she asked. Then we haggled over the price, until I gave over a single gold coin. (I was surprised it wasn’t more. I still had more than enough to buy any book I wanted or another night at the inn if I needed it, so I was happy.) She had me sign something she called a “register of guests,” and told me that dinner would be available in a few hours.

I thanked her, went to the room I’d been assigned, and cleaned up using the warm water jug and a hand-towel the inn provided. I sat down on a hard, but comfortable chair, and tried not to think about Mom, dying at home, or probably already dead, with Grandma having to arrange a funeral (as I was sure David wouldn’t do it, the old skinflint).

At dinner, which was a midday meal here (rather than the later time I was used to back in Newtown), there was a lively conversation, first about a musical production held elsewhere in town (something called a “revue,” I guess; a bunch of different singers and actors doing all sorts of different things), then about goings-on at the university. My ears perked up as I heard reference to a young Gorgon woman, and I heard the following:

“It’s weird to be in a store with that Gorgon, you know?” a youngish woman said, sitting alongside the man I thought was probably her husband, as they held hands and seemed to dote on one another. “I kept expecting her to turn me into stone!”

“She doesn’t do that,” a bluff, hearty, older man put in. “She’s the Administrator’s apprentice, so she is. The last thing she wants to do is alienate the townspeople!”

Then the conversation turned to other things, and I tuned back out again.

So, the head of the university was called an administrator. The young Gorgon woman was her apprentice. And it was widely known as to who and what she was…this had to be the person I should approach, as maybe she’d understand exactly why I’d come here, her being the only Gorgon I’d heard reference to whatsoever, living and working among others who weren’t Gorgons.

Yes, she had to be the person to approach. And if nothing else, I told myself, I won’t mistake her for anyone else.

On that note, I went to my room, laid down on the bed, and slept for at least fourteen solid hours.

oOo

Chapter Five

When I got to the university, proper, I saw many people bustling around. There wasn’t an official greeter; in some ways, there didn’t seem to be an official anything. I wandered around, seeing various outbuildings, all sorts of different places being constructed, and knew that couldn’t be where I needed to go. But after some searching, I found a long, low building that seemed to be where newcomers were supposed to go. I walked in, and saw I was in a fairly large chamber with several entrances and exits. There were chairs and benches dotted here and there, and there were staircases going up one side and down the other…it was most confusing.

Eventually, though, I spotted the young Gorgon woman I’d heard about the day before in the inn, and because I knew that the Gorgon was highly placed at Heart’s Eye, she should know what to do with me.

I walked up to her, bowed as my grandmother had taught me, and said, “Madam Gorgon, I am Jasper. I’ve come for teaching, as I have magical gifts but don’t know how to use them very well.”

The Gorgon looked surprised but made a motion with her hand to continue.

I took a deep breath and went on. “My mother was a magician. She was the first in her family, but she was cast out. Only her mother, my grandmother, was willing to help, and they both moved to a town far away from their family. Mom died recently, and her dying wish was for me to come to Heart’s Eye and get the training she, herself, didn’t have that she so desperately wanted.” I wasn’t sure why I was giving the Gorgon so much of my truth, but I wasn’t about to stop now. “I admit I haven’t been to any of the magical schools, and I’m about fifteen years old.”

“I’d have guessed you for at least eighteen,” the Gorgon said in a soft alto voice. “But please, do go on.”

“I have two talents and know a few scraps of spells, but I learn quickly and adore reading.”

“Emily would love you,” the Gorgon mused.

Emily? Lady Emily? The Necromancer’s Bane? Even I had heard of her—but the Gorgon had continued.

“What do you want to do with your life?” she asked.

“I want to live well, treat others with respect, and find a way to help people like my mother, so they don’t die in childbirth.”

The Gorgon raised her eyebrows, impressed.

“I don’t know if I have any healing talents because my mother didn’t have any of those spells. What I know I can do is light up my fingers and teleport a book from across the room.”

“The first, most of us can do. We magicians, I mean, as there are nonmagicians who also study here.”

Yes, my grandmother had told me that. But she went right on.

“The second, though…would you be willing to demonstrate it for me, after some food and rest? There are a few people I’d like you to meet, later.”

I willingly agreed, and she brought me to a well-appointed guest room of sorts. It had a big, wide bed with fresh and clean sheets, more pillows than I’d ever seen on a bed before (I’d only had one when I’d stayed the night before in Heart’s Ease, and it was a thin rag at best compared to these bounteous pillows), and there was a private bathroom off to the side with clean running water. It even had both hot and cold water, something the Gorgon murmured was due to nonmagical engineers.

After giving me some chits for the evening and morning meals and reminding me to follow the arrows to find the mess hall, she promised to find me in the morning so I could demonstrate my book-teleportation talent.

I tried not to be nervous, as I settled on that big, wide bed. It had springs and was very comfortable…I’d never before felt the like. Wealthy people in our part of the world had featherbeds, and those who weren’t as wealthy or who had a skinflint stepfather like mine made do with scratchy straw-filled ones. But this bed was a revelation…and maybe even a warning.

What could my talents possibly do here, in a place swimming with such luxury that they willingly gave anyone who showed up a lovely room like this?

End Excerpt

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading the chapters and seeing the excellent cover artwork, too. I’m sure I’ll be back fairly soon to show you a few more chapters.