The Weaving of Wells (Osric's Wand, Book Four) (39 page)

“It be good to be seeing ye again, me friend. Be ye planning on traveling a thousand dwarves all by yerself?”

“No.” Osric laughed. “I need to speak with the dragons briefly, but I believe we can get you all back to Stanton much faster and safer than if we used men. Give me a moment and I’ll let you know my plan.”

Machai watched as Osric leapt up onto the rock, which was just above the High-Wizard’s head at its lowest point, and moved quickly over to the dragons. It wasn’t long before he came scrambling back over the rocks and jumped down to the soft grass, returning to Machai with a triumphant smile.

“I will be taking one of the dragons back to Stanton with me, just to show him exactly where the others can travel to, and then the rest can follow. It might take a couple trips, but we should have you all back to town and setting up camp by mid’day.”

“Ye be sounding sure, but it be muddy to me. How do ye be suggesting we be sending so many per trip on a dragon’s back?” Machai asked.

“They won’t be on dragonback. The men don’t need to ride because the dragons don’t need to fly. We will have them travel from the ground, so you just need as many dwarves as possible to be in contact with the dragon when it initiates the spell. There is plenty of space in the fields between Stanton and Lothaine, and then it’s just a short march to the city. The dragons will need to travel one at a time, with enough time between them to allow the field to be cleared before the next group arrives, but it shouldn’t take long at all. Have your men gather their gear.”

Machai grinned and shook his head, grateful for Osric’s quick thinking and pleased to see his friend again. “Aye, ye be growing wise while I be away. It be a good plan.” Machai turned and headed back to the troops to explain the plan and to answer questions from confused and skeptical dwarves, who had not yet seen the impressive feat of traveling by spoken spell. The incentive to learn the spell for themselves should be motivation enough to override any fears that would prevent the men from keeping a hand on the dragon. Still, after the first group disappeared, Machai had to reestablish communication with Osric so that the next group could see that everyone arrived safely in the open field. Soon, nearly one thousand dwarves were marching across dry grassland toward the trading city of Stanton, half a continent away from their dwarven homes.

24 — Reinforcements

Osric sat with his back to the window in the dining hall of the barracks. The morning sun warmed him, but the pressure of the current situation dulled his senses, keeping him from enjoying the sensation. The sun’s warmth may have escaped his notice, but the clanks of silver on plates and the quick, dry scraping of quill on paper filled the room.

The room was full of Aranthians discussing Legati, the paun, and a myriad of other topics surrounding accessing the wells and defeating Dredek. It was a typical morning for the crew, with the exception of the several hundred men and women who were kept from their morning meal, assigned to other tasks around Archana.

For the Aranthians, it was becoming an unspoken honor to be selected for the relief efforts. It made them feel like they were contributing to something, rather than spending all of their time training. They volunteered to go on any new assignment that presented itself, and it seemed that Osric alone felt the pressure of the dwindling numbers. Indeed, it was the numbers that caused him to sit alone in the room surrounded by scholars and magical experts on subjects that were of no use on current deployments.

Even though they hadn’t been sent to operations outside of the headquarters, they still carried on with their duties. New magical discoveries continued to occur on a regular basis. In addition to the new discoveries, Osric had given himself time every night to practice with several new gifts he could purposefully channel. But, much of that time had been spent alone and in solitude—even Bridgett, with her Empath ability and her keen questioning, couldn’t fully grasp the complexity of his emotions due to what he had been going through. Still, Gus had felt the need to keep company with him every morning, droning on about news and events of importance, and this was yet another one of those mornings.

“He inflated the strands!” He stared at Osric for several dull moments before waving his hand in the air and then probing an exposed shoulder with his wand. “Pay attention, Osric! That was an important revelation in wandcraft!”

Osric shook himself, returning to the subject at hand. He hadn’t intended to ignore Gus, but since the old Wand-Maker’s playful moment with Pebble outside the barracks, Gus’s words didn’t seem to carry the same disturbing quality of their former days.

“What was it you said?” Osric wasn’t as embarrassed as he would have been a short time ago, but he had missed the beginning of the conversation.

“I said he snipped strands off of the stuff he got from Archana and joined them in a circle. Then, in a stunning display of ingenuity, he inflated them by means I have yet to glean, creating loops of independently adjusting resistance to flow. Add that to what we know of the magics contained by what the wand took from Bridget’s amulet and you have a wand that can channel as much magic as your sword, plus a sword wand that bestows the power it takes from those around you on you whilst simultaneously giving those powers to everyone around you. The fact that Pebble mimicked the wand so completely is just astounding. Albeit, without the addition of the magical gifts, but still an amazing feat of ingenuity!”

The kitchen erupted into motion and the two of them looked up as David, James’s most trusted kitchen attendant, waved his hands frantically and issued orders as a man leaned in and spoke in his ear. Osric laughed quietly as he watched the chaotic scene, noting how well the noise-containment spell worked on the kitchen to prevent shouting from reaching the diners. The busy scene was, no doubt, in preparation of dinner service. Throughout the kitchen, the cooks began firing burners and placing pans on the flames. It was a frantic display of efficiency, and Osric enjoyed the show, as he hadn’t been in the dining hall at this time of day in a long time. He spent a brief moment appreciating how well James ran his kitchen, and then he turned back to his conversation with Gus.

“It’s a potent combination,” Osric echoed, knowing that the truth behind all that he had experienced in the last year was due to his sword having been crafted into a wand by the unicorn at the Ratification Ceremony. He still wondered why they had chosen him, and why that moment to do it. At least the unicorns’ reticence to allow him anywhere near them made sense, considering the accident that killed Willam. He had needed the time to let the gifts mature naturally, rather than have the gifts instantaneously mature and kill him, and too many too fast may have yielded the same result. “Do you know why he didn’t make them with the same magic that is in the sword’s rings?”

“Not entirely, but I’ll have to speak to the amulet and charm makers and see if they can offer some insight into that.” Gus was surprisingly open to the thought of consulting with the rival users of his innate ability.

“I never thought I would see a day where you were comfortable with the idea of a sword wand. You tend to be less than enthusiastic about anything other than a stick wand.” In spite of Osric’s worried mind, this small harassment of Gus brought a smile to his face.

“Well, yes. If I had chosen the medium it would have been a stick, but I’ve come to realize that I have been far too closed-minded about a lot of things. It’s a bad habit and far too much a part of the Wand-Maker trade.” He shrugged off the question easily and smiled back at Osric.

“I have to admit, it is strange to talk to you so openly. Without your bad attitude, I feel like I am talking to a stranger, rather than someone I’ve gotten to know over the last year.”

“And I feel like I am a new man.” Gus laughed lightly before concern furrowed his brow. “But you used to be a carefree man with an open, though sometimes overeager, mind. Though it caused me much frustration at that time, it was many of those traits that brought about the most significant evolution in magic since the wand was invented. Now, even our culture seems to be evolving into something better as a result. Eublin has a great deal of support for changes in the way the hunt is performed. None of that would have happened if it weren’t for you.”

“And your point is?” Osric felt a bit uncomfortable being reminded of how foolish he had been at the beginning of their adventure, but Gus seemed genuine in his query.

“What happened to that man?” he replied.

“People started dying as a result of my actions and discoveries.” Osric stared down at his hands, guilt squeezing his throat around the words.

“But death happens all around us, everyday. Many more would be dead if you hadn’t been the man you were then. It’s not all bad either. Look at all the advances we’re making in the healing arts. The strand-sight device could lead minds better suited to healing to finding different ways to cure many of Archana’s deadlier diseases. The uses could be enumerable.” Gus’s tone was both rational and reasonable. There was no hint of flattery or blame in his voice.

“It’s different when the deaths are directly related to what I have exposed them to. Now, I have most of our men committed to actions outside of our main objective with no idea how I am going to get enough men to replace them. And even if I could replace them, Dredek is going to complete his task long before I could get the men trained in the new magics, let alone dual wielding.” Osric spoke in an emotionless monotone.

“Then why don’t we focus on the things we can control?” The look on Gus’s face suggested he had an idea.

“What can we control?” Osric leaned forward, his interest piqued.

“Well, let’s look at the first prophecy we received on the dragon platform. What was the first line of that prophecy?” Gus arched an eyebrow.

“Victory cannot be achieved until the wand that is not a wand is known by all on their path? What can we do about that? We already know the wand.”

“But do we? I don’t think the prophecy is telling us that we need to know what the wand is; I think it’s telling us we need to have all of us use it, touch it, hold it and have those powers shared by all Aranthians. We need to
know
it. If the Aranthians are going to be what we want them to be, then we can’t let only a few of us hold your level of power.” Gus turned his paws over in a pleading gesture.

“No. Absolutely not.” Osric was quick to his reply.

“Why not? I’ve seen you change the outcome of a prophecy, but you’ve never ignored it altogether.” The prairie dog’s reasonable tone continued.

“This sword killed a man because he accidentally cut his friend’s hand. You want me to put it in the hands of more, only to lose them in foolish accidents?”

“Yes. Only now it will be different because we will all know the risks involved.” Gus attempted to calm Osric’s reaction, miming surrender by raising his paws.

“And who should we give it to first? Maybe Pebble, or Macgowan? Surely we could live without them if an accident occurred. Perhaps we should give it to Eublin so you have one less person to argue with? I’m certainly not giving it to Bridgett or Kenneth. Or here, I have an idea.” Osric took Legati out of the scabbard and laid it on the table. “Here, you can have it. That will be one less frustration to deal with on a daily basis, should something happen to you.”

Osric’s hostility was countered by a sympathetic tilt of the head from Gus. “Now, I have been a terrific pain in your backside for over a year, so I’ll ignore that last part. But you did say something that bears a bit more consideration.”

The lack of confrontation gave Osric pause. It wasn’t like Gus to back away from a fight, and the fact that he had skillfully sidestepped several opportunities was eye-opening. Osric sat back for a moment and let the words settle in his mind. He wasn’t ready to yield, just yet, but maybe he could at least listen to the ideas rather than immediately resist them out of habit.

“We both know that Kenneth is farther along in inheriting gifts than anyone else, so I propose you let him have it for a few days. I am positive he would be safe since most of your gifts are already growing naturally inside him. Then I think he should train with us every morning, and the sword should remain within our grounds at all times. If and when we need it to be used in battle, you carry it as always.”

“Why would we leave it here?”

“Well, not only would it be easier to control the danger you are rightfully concerned about, but there is another benefit to leaving it in the hands of someone here.” He motioned for Osric to look at the wand with the Wand-Maker gift before he continued.

“These strands right here. They dance to and fro, stealing small amounts of the magic in our gifts and grafting them onto the wand. But here you can see the yellow wisps that keep reaching out from the third ring of the wand and then swatting back at the pommel? These are the ones responsible for giving gifts to those around you. Keeping the sword within our boundaries would help us to expose even more minds to the possibilities you could potentially unlock. You were a Vigile, and look at the evolution in magic you inspired. Just think what could be done by a healer, a chemist, an armorer, a gardener, or even a chef!” Gus was getting excited as he spoke, and some of that excitement had managed to seep into Osric.

“Every background has unique experiences that change the way they think about things. I could see the benefit of that plan. Keeping it exposed to Aranthians would help us to control the risk, and eventually they would be far enough along to not risk death with a simple accidental cut.” There was a great deal of danger in the beginning of the plan, but Osric knew the risk would diminish with time. It was a good plan, and the fact that some progress had been made in dealing with the many situations that had come about because of him gave Osric a modicum of relief.

“It just occurred to me that Jane may need an examination by a Wand-Maker too. She spent a great deal of time with that blade, making it into the piece of art it has become. I would guess that anyone who worked with her in her blacksmith shop could have inherited a great deal more than they know. We may have a second set of Aranthians who could safely use Legati. We wouldn’t have to limit exposure to Kenneth, if I am right,” Gus said, smiling.