“All of this attention, and we still don’t know how he is able to do what he does. As a Wand-Maker, I do not mind telling you that I feel a bit ashamed of that fact. We are missing something, and my gut tells me that it has something to do with what happened to him in the power lock when he was buried in the rubble.”
“Ah, it all seems to go back to those days, doesn’t it?” Toby asked, leaning back again in his chair, rubbing the late-evening growth on his chin. “Have you learned the meanings behind the prophecies yet? The two he was given, that is.”
Gus sighed and then said, “We have a fair idea what both of his visions were meant to show, though the second one is not completely understood, but we have only recently come to some small understanding of meaning behind his most recent dalliance into the unknown.” He sat down atop the desk, letting both small paws sag. “Sadly, we are about as clueless on the first as we were the day it was given to the boy. I think he has nearly forgotten the words.”
“Do you remember the words? It has been a while since it happened.”
“It’s almost been a year. Time seems to go by too fast. It seems like yesterday to me, though, and I still remember every word.” He took a deep breath. “Victory cannot be achieved until the wand that is not a wand is known by all on their path. It will be wielded in practice by two. It will be known by one but not known. But victory will not turn your path from battle. For this is the second making of seven sevens. Only two of which will be wielded by man. For in man rests the hopes for all. Even now, it grows stronger.”
“Wow, your mind hasn’t slipped at all. How old are you, exactly?” Toby arched an eye.
“Far older than you may expect, but not that old.” Gus frowned before changing the subject. “There is nothing in the prophecy that makes sense. Even in my son’s wands, there is no potential to grow stronger; they are just wands. Admittedly, they can channel, at best guess, one hundred times the power of a Gus wand, but they are still just wands that channel power. How a wand could not be a wand is a mystery. If there is one wand, how could two wield it? Known by one but not known, seven sevens, and how is there any possible way the hope of all can rest in man? Present company is a great example of that last one being hopeless.
“The whole prophecy seems to be an exercise in vagueness meant to imply meaning in nothing. I could point at anything and say it is the wand. Look, there it is now.” Gus pointed at a quill and folded his arms with stubborn indignation. “Look, I knew it was the wand and you didn’t. I witness you teaching your children their writing with that very thing. Two children. They wielded it in practice.”
“True, they do use it as often as I will allow them to join me in my office. But we were speaking of your age. You show no loss of faculties. You cannot be as old as you suggest. Look at you.” He raised his hand toward Gus. “You’ve been the greatest at your craft for nearly your entire life, and you’re still as cocksure as a man a quarter your age.” He looked at Gus questioningly.
“Correct me if I am wrong, but humans think it is rude to pester someone about their age, don't they?” Gus was losing his patience with the current turn in the conversation.
“Well, it is thought of as impolite in most circles, but if you don’t comment on how old the women of Glendain appear, you may get a backhand to your face.” Toby winked.
“Remind me to visit Glendain; it sounds like my type of place.” Gus’s eyes narrowed, but Toby changed the subject.
“So, how did Orson’s burial go?” Toby took a somber tack.
“As well as can be expected. Not many of us had the chance to get to know him, but we chose a location in the hills outside of town that we believe he would have liked. There were lots of big rocks around. Osric joined us by wand communication, since something is obviously so blasted important that he couldn’t be bothered to show up.” Gus’s scowl made it clear that he doubted Osric’s judgment on matters of importance. “He made the loss out to be a grand one, and he is having Macgowan fashion a permanent marker for the grave. ‘The first of ours to die for the cause’ were his exact words.” Gus picked at the desktop with a claw, and his discomfort at the thought of a burial was evident.
“It’s always a shame to see a new friend pass before you can truly know them. Luckily, some good came from the tragedy?” Toby asked.
“Oh, you can say that again. We could recruit for a year and still not get enough people to know half of the knowledge in the making of those stones.” One ear twitched excitedly as Gus replied.
“Have you learned anything about how they were made?”
“Yes. It appears as though the caldereth discovered the means of their creation. There was mention on one that several caldereth with different abilities worked together to create the first one. We haven't located the stone that teaches how to duplicate the process yet, but I can discern a great deal with my gift. As much as I hate to admit it, Osric has had us doing much of the same thing over the last few months.” Gus nodded in honest surprise.
“He has, has he?” Toby matched Gus’s excitement.
“Yes, in all of the gadgets that have been a compromise of each of the manifestations of my gift. The Caldereth appear to have been experimenting with the same manipulation of abilities before they were destroyed.”
“As hard as it has been to get your group to get along for long enough to create something, I am surprised to hear that others would even attempt it.” A wry smile touched Toby’s cheeks.
“No doubt.” Gus nodded in affirmation. “And it is a great mesh of the craft. There is something that resembles a wand in the pillar they sit upon. I assume it is responsible for projecting the image above the stones. The stone itself is basically an amulet that stores the message, which unravels through a network of other charms as the image plays through a wand. Typically, it would all have to be grounded by life strands for a message to play, but another amulet in the base of the shaft seems to eliminate that need.”
“And this is the type of magic Osric has had you working on? Remarkable.”
“It surprises me that humans were able to defeat the caldereth in battle. With their innovative uses of magic, they could likely find a way to rule all of Archana if they were still around.”
Just then, Kenneth burst through the door. Gauging from his appearance, sweat dripping into thick patches of mud, Gus and Toby knew something was wrong.
“I am sorry, sir.” Kenneth bowed slightly.
“What is it?” Toby stood and took a ready stance.
“Do you have anyone with element-based gifts on the grounds?”
“Of course. We have one of each present at all times in case we have an elemental manifest within the city. Why?” Toby furrowed his brow.
“There is an earth elemental on the south end of town, near the mill. Machai is fighting it as we speak. He needs someone who can manipulate water immediately.”
Toby ran to the door and grabbed the guard by his tunic. “Have a Water Elementalist meet Kenneth on the front grounds at once. Top priority!”
* * *
Machai crouched among the remnants of a shop on the edge of town. He had managed to catch the elemental’s attention long enough to keep him from destroying any more structures, but he wasn’t sure how long he could hold it there without help. The thing stood in the middle of an open field, stomping its huge feet and roaring in frustration. Every time it tried to move toward town, Machai launched a well-aimed fireball at it. So far, it had only served to keep it distracted, but he would need the concentrated efforts of others before he could try to take it down.
It was uncommon to see an earth elemental so close to town, especially in an area of gentle hills and open plains like those that surrounded Stanton. The massive creatures typically stayed in the mountains, where they could easily blend in and feed upon anything that wandered too close. Machai could only wonder at where the thing had come from and what it was doing there.
The elemental stood twice as tall as the houses and b
arns it was so determined to destroy. Its body was bulky and awkward in appearance—the color of muddy rocks and as hard as stone. Though the thing could not move quickly, it would crush anything that came within reach of its boulder-like hands or feet. Those stone fists had killed three people before a young boy reached Kenneth and Machai’s patrolmen to seek help. They had followed the boy at a swift run, hoping that the elemental would be small and relatively easy to dispatch. They had hoped in vain. Machai had seen several earth elementals in the mountains near his home, but only once had he seen one as large as this.
When Kenneth and Machai had arrived in the area along with four well-armed men, they could see no sign of the elemental, other than the path of destruction it had left behind. They approached the first house with wands drawn, scanning the area and listening for signs of survivors inside the home. The roof had been completely smashed in, as if a giant rock had landed on it and then disappeared. One whole side of the house was missing, and splintered wood littered the grass. What was left of a child’s toy chest and its colorful contents were strewn for thirty strides away from the house. As the six of them started across a field toward the next house, a loud roar in the distance startled them. They watched as the great bulk of the elemental stood up across the field, lifted a large wagon with two horses still harnessed to it, and threw it in their direction, horses and all. The men scattered, attempting to cast defensive shields in time as they ran for cover behind what still stood of the house.
The horses screamed in terror as they flew through the air, helplessly tethered to the wagon. The projectile arrived faster than all the men could flee. It struck the first in the back as he ran, barely slowed by any shield he had managed to raise. The wagon landed on its side, tumbling at high speed across the flat ground, snapping the tongue, and mercifully separating the horses from the vehicle. As the wagon tumbled, wood shrapnel flew in all directions. An axle snapped loose, one wheel flying off and catching another of the men in the back of the head. The bulk of the wagon careened into a third as he dove for cover behind the house. Machai dropped to the ground as the wagon passed over him then rushed over and cut through the tangled harnesses to loose the terrified horses. One reared in fear and fled toward the forest in the opposite direction of the elemental. The other rolled his eyes in terror and remained on the ground, hindered by a shattered leg bone.
“I don’t be having time to be healing ye now, friend,” Machai grumbled, hoping the horse would live long enough to receive the attentions of a healer after he had rid the town of the elemental. He glanced back, seeing that Kenneth and one of the men from their patrol had managed to evade the wagon’s path. They both came around the side of the house, staring in horror at the bodies of their comrades. “Kenneth, we be needing more abilities than ours. Go find me a water gift so we can be blowing this thing up.” Kenneth sheathed his sword as he spoke the spell and disappeared, traveling to the palace to seek someone with the Water Element ability.
Machai turned to the trembling man staring across the field at the elemental. “Jamen, there be another patrol not too far from here. Ye go find ’em and send ’em to help.” The guard nodded as he drew his gaze back to Machai and then ran back in the direction they had come from. Jamen would be familiar enough with the patrol orders to know where others would be, but Machai just wanted to be sure he didn’t join the other three members of the unit bleeding into the soil. He had sent him away as much to protect the man as to seek reinforcements. Someone would have to inform the families of the three men who had died without necessity—no hungry stomachs to fill, no hunter obeying the unwritten code. That news should come from someone who knew the men well.
Machai launched another fireball at the monster’s head as he waited for Kenneth to return, trying to keep it in the open and far from any other people. He feared that if he couldn’t keep it distracted it would kill more innocent townspeople, but he was also afraid that if he did too much damage before help arrived, the elemental might make a run for the forest to escape. He rushed out into the open to keep the thing’s attention. When the earth elemental caught sight of him, it let out an infuriated roar that sounded like rocks sliding down a mountainside. It lifted a large clump of dirt and hurled it at Machai. The dwarf traveled a few strides to the left and the projectile landed harmlessly where he had been standing. The elemental roared again, clearly frustrated and confused by the elusive maneuver. Machai heard a shout from behind him and turned to see Kenneth running toward him with a woman he recognized from the barracks. In the distance, several more figures were rushing toward them, but they were too far away for Machai to identify.
“How are you holding up?” Kenneth panted from the run.
“I be doing fine, but we should be finishing this fast before I be getting too tired.” Machai nodded at the woman as she slowed to a stop just behind Kenneth.
“Right. What’s the plan?”
“We need to be smashing it into as many pieces as possible. I be thinking I can be getting it hot enough to melt, but that willn’t be enough to stop it. A rapid cool-down should be making it brittle enough so I can be crushing it.”
“That’s a good enough plan for me.” Kenneth indicated the woman with him. “This is Keri. She can provide the water you will need. Heat it up.” Machai grinned and spoke to her as he prepared to engage the elemental.
“Ye should be following me, but stay back. When it be starting to melt, douse it with ye’r water.” Keri nodded and followed Machai out into the field, and they approached the elemental. He ran swiftly, zigging and zagging to avoid the clumps of dirt and grass thrown at him. When he had crossed half the distance between the house and the elemental, he stopped. The thing trudged toward him, so focused on the dwarf that it did not seem to notice the woman behind him.
Machai waited until the elemental was crossing a span of ground littered with stones, and then he focused as much power as he could into his spell. He held his wand out before him and released a stream of fire from his empty hand. He used the wand to add heat to the fire and concentrate the flow of the flames. The super-hot fire wrapped itself around the creature’s feet, almost instantly melting the stone of the elemental’s lower legs as well as those in the ground, fusing them together to impede his movement. Machai cut the stream of fire off and rapidly used his wand to draw the heat from the molten stone, anchoring the elemental to the ground.
Enraged by the trap, the elemental raised its mighty stone fists above its head and slammed them into the ground before it, sending out a wave of rippling soil and rocks. The earth at Machai’s feet trembled and bucked, throwing him sideways to the ground. He rolled clear of the quaking soil and jumped back up to his feet. The towering elemental flung its weight forward, beating at the earth and attempting to heave its legs free of the binding stone at its feet. Before the hulking monster could break the hold, Machai ran forward and sent another stream of fire at the elemental. He felt his muscles begin to tremble, and sweat rolled down his face as he poured all of his power into his gift. Kenneth, Toby, and several guards joined him as he strained to control the fire that was twisting around the rocky body of the earth elemental.
“We be needing more heat. It willn’t be holding still for us much longer.” Machai gritted his teeth as he spoke, feeling himself weakening with every passing moment.
“Everyone, focus a heating spell on that fire.” Toby issued the order as he raised his own wand to help Machai. The additional heat served its purpose, and soon the body of the elemental was glowing red and beginning to flow and bulge oddly as the thing thrashed against the restraining stone at its feet. The elemental roared, pushing back at the flames with its own power in defense. Small rocks began to rise up from the surrounding soil and swarm around the creature, some flying through the air toward its attackers and others adding to its bulk to block the flames. Toby cast a shield to keep the stones from hitting their mark, and Machai redoubled his own effort and increased the flames to encompass the elemental.
The flames licked at every crack and crevice of its surface, rapidly heating the creature until it finally started to melt toward the ground.
“Now, Keri!” Kenneth yelled, keeping his focus on his own spell. Keri had been standing by, preparing for her part in the battle. She had silently reached out with her gift, seeking any droplets of water she could gather in the soil, the air, and the clouds in the sky. At Kenneth’s call, she focused all of her energy into gathering the water together and sending it toward the bubbling mass of stone that made up the elemental’s body. Water sprang up from the ground all around it, and the air crackled at the sudden lack of moisture. As the water came in contact with the hot molten stone, Keri used her wand to create a shield, which contained and cooled the steam around the creature. Any water that evaporated quickly turned into a cold rain that pelted the elemental. The sound of hissing steam and stone cracking as it cooled muffled any roar the thing might still have been capable of.
As the red-hot rock rapidly cooled to a scorched black mass, Machai pulled his axe from his back and ran full force across the field. He leapt into the air and carved a great arc with his blade, grimacing at the reverberation when the Dwarven steel met stone. The impact caused the cold stone to shatter, flinging sharp shards of rock out in every direction. Kenneth had anticipated the blast and cast a shield quickly in front of them, managing to prevent almost all injury to the guards, Toby, Keri, and himself. A few stone shards flew too fast for him to deflect with the shield. One caught Toby in the leg, leaving him with a long gash on the right thigh, and several more ricocheted off the armor of the men. Machai held his axe in front of him and crouched low, shielding himself from the brunt of the explosion. Still, when he returned to his companions, his hands and forehead were oozing blood from multiple gashes.
The Well of Strands (Osric's Wand, Book Three) Page 19