The Weaving of Wells (Osric's Wand, Book Four) (3 page)

“When you can tear yourself away, I need to catch you up on some dragon happenings. I’ll be with Eublin. Don’t hurry, but join me in the library when you can. You’ve carried such a considerable weight for so long, this time will do much to revive you.” She motioned to the delighted gathering. Then she kissed him softly on the cheek and walked away.

2 – Mourning Epiphany

Kal groaned as he walked into the Wand-Maker’s room for another day’s work. Willam hadn’t yet arrived, and Gus was never on time. But Kal liked to arrive early and take advantage of their new contraption. Peering into the hidden realm that could, until recently, only be seen by those with the Wand-Maker’s gift, was thrilling. It was true that they hadn’t created a tool that would allow him to manipulate the strands, but that was only a matter of time, by his reckoning.

He had to avoid Eublin to get to his station ahead of the rest. The gnome had been standing in the hallway on a pedestal for added height and visibility, trying to get everyone to sign some petition to change the way the hunt worked. The one thing Kal knew was to not get trapped in the hall with Eublin when he was on his pedestal.

He had detoured around that hallway and ventured by the kitchen to see if they had begun serving for the day. They hadn’t set out any food yet, so he was left to let the internal rumblings continue for some time. While passing by the entrance to the barracks, he saw something that almost made him sacrifice an early arrival; a crowd seemed to be growing in the field, and laughter resonated from the area. For a moment he thought he heard Gus chittering playfully, and that’s when he decided that he must be hearing things incorrectly, so he continued his hungry, weary walk to his small space within the Aranthian base.

The thought that he was a part of something as revolutionary as the Aranthians filled him with pride. This was his area; that was a hard fact to get used to. He still had to listen to the lectures of another master of the craft, but this time his own failings were due to something he couldn’t control. He had the mind for wand-making, but not the gift. His stomach rumbled again just as he got to his station in the wand-making room. Kal grabbed his wand and focused on his attempt to summon a connection with the communication spell.

“David, are you there?” With so many people gathered around the grounds and Eublin on his mission to right the injustice of the hunt, Kal didn’t want to risk another trip out to get food or he might lose what chance he had to learn more about the Wand-Maker’s gift.

“Hey, we’re behind getting breakfast out, so make it quick or James will kill me!” David was thin and tall in the triangular display that appeared above the wand. Sweat poured out from under his blond hair, still visible in the transparent image.

“I didn’t mean to bother you. I was just wondering if you might be able to bring a few plates to our office when you start serving? I tried to stop by earlier, but you weren’t serving yet. You know how the passageways can get some mornings.” Kal could hear several voices chattering and pans clattering about as the kitchen staff prepared the morning meal.

David’s image turned toward Kal’s right as he spoke. “James, could you spare me for a delivery when we serve? The Wand-Makers don’t want to chance the halls this morning,” he shouted.

“Ha!” James’s voice bellowed in the background. “Gus is probably going to be a busy bee after this morning’s epiphany. Besides, all the work you did to help us get ready for our cattle—you deserve an easy morning!”

The door cracked open and Willam stepped through, looking tired and casting a glance in Kal’s direction. He raised a weary hand up in greeting. Then, seeing who was on the other end of the wand conversation, his eyes went wide.

David turned to face forward with a cocky smile. “How many plates should I bring?”

Kal looked at his stick-gathering partner, who nodded enthusiastically, then sat down across the table from him.

“That’s two so far. Better make it three just to be safe. If you happen to see Gus in the mess, just bring us two.”

“Okay, I’d better run. We’re just waiting for the biscuits to brown, which should be anytime. Do I need to bring rulha as well, or juice?”

“Juice,” Willam whispered with a quick motion of his head.

“One juice, one rulha, if you don’t mind. Gus can get what he wants whenever he decides to get here.” Kal smiled. Then something that had been said caught his attention. “Did I hear correct? Did the cattle finally arrive?”

“Yes, just a bit earlier. Osric called for me from the training grounds and told me they were here. We’re going to be eating well for the foreseeable future.”

“Osric’s awake?” Kal now realized what had caused all of the commotion outside, and he grimmaced as he regretted missing the excitement in his hurry to get to his station. “Do you know if he plans to stop by our area today?”

“No idea. I didn’t even know he was awake until I heard him shout my name from outside the window.”

“Thanks. We can’t wait for the food to get here, and thanks for the news.” Kal ended the link and sheathed his wand. Taking a look around, he saw piles of wand material on every surface. “We need to clean this place up quick!”

“I’ll move the sticks over here under the desk if you want to get the broom and sweep up all of the strippings and bark that are lying about?” Willam grabbed as much of the small scraps of wood as he could hold and started organizing them under the table.

“Sounds good, but let’s get this done as quick as we can. I would like to try and show Osric that we are good for more than just gathering sticks. You think he can get Gus to make better use of us?” Kal moved to the back of the room, fetching the broom.

“I don’t think we could fit another stick in this room if we tried. Gus is bound to let us learn something one of these days.”

The door to the room opened and laughter burst inside. Kal quickly pushed a pile of debris against the wall and leaned the broom against the counter as Willam dropped his armload under the table. He looked nervous, and several sticks tumbled across the floor from his ill-timed toss. He kicked at the sticks closest to him, trying to make them find a less obvious place to rest.

“I still can’t believe how different you seem.” Osric’s head came into view, and he was smiling while looking down.

“Shh! Don’t spoil the surprise!” Gus bounded in, with Pebble, Jane, Kenneth, and Macgowan in tow.

Kal and Willam looked between each other at the sight of Gus hiding an obvious smile behind a fictitious frown. There was something strange in the way they all walked, as if weightless and unencumbered. It was simply baffling to witness.

“Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be gathering more sticks by now?” Gus nearly cracked a full-fledged smile.

Kal looked at Willam with hopeless desperation. He hadn’t even been able to use the strand-sight device, and the worst part of it all was that his breakfast hadn’t yet arrived and they would have to spend the day gathering sticks in the hot sun, outside of their safe enclosure. They wouldn’t have time to get back and find something to eat until lunch, and David would be furious that they had made him bring food to an empty room. They wouldn’t be able to get him to bring them their morning meal again anytime soon.

“We’ve got piles of them sitting around here. Why can’t we take the day off and learn something for a change?” Kal berated himself in his mind. He had spoken too timidly. He sounded weak and reminded himself too much of a beggar.

“Yeah, Gus. Give the guys a day off and teach them something, why don’t you?” Kenneth glared at the Wand-Maker sardonically.

“They’ve been putting up with you for months, so I’m sure they deserve more than a day off,” Jane echoed.

Kal was starting to grow nervous with the way they were acting. Were they all drunk this early in the morning?

“Not so. I’ve been a perfectly hospitable instructor. Tell them I’ve been perfectly hospitable.” The aged prairie dog looked back and forth between Kal and Willam, giving away no hint of his motivation.

“He’s been perfectly hospitable.” Kal’s voice was less than convincing, eliciting a couple of loud chuckles, a guffaw, and two snorts from the gathered recruits.

“This is too much fun.” Osric held his stomach as if he had spent too much time laughing. “But I have been indisposed for too long. I think I am going to excuse myself and see to the rounds that I have missed over the last month. Besides, Bridgett said she needed to speak to me about a possible threat. I think now would be a good time for me to see what that was about.”

At last there was something familiar—Osric never stayed in one place for too long. Kal still didn’t know what to make of the rest of the confusion. Once Osric had made his escape and everyone’s attention returned, Gus regained his scowl.

“I don’t think that you’ve convinced me. I need you to convince me that you felt I was cordial and attentive to your needs.”

“Oh come on, Gus,” Kenneth protested while Macgowan and Jane shifted uncomfortably.

“You two need more patience. At my age some things take time.” Something that resembled a smile was on Gus’s face. Kal was beginning to sense that a joke was happening at his expense, and he didn’t find it amusing.

“Look, you have been, quite probably, one of the worst instructors Archana has ever seen. You are impatient, closed-minded, guarded with instruction, and you have a horrible habit of insulting everyone who could kill you without a second thought. You walk about this place as if you are the only authority on anything magical, and you inspire a great deal of nothing special from everyone.” He shook with the nerves that it took to speak his mind.

Kal waited, anxiously anticipating what he knew was coming to him.

“You think I’ve been too harsh?”

Kal sent daggers at Gus with his eyes. He didn’t like being belittled, and even less in front of a crowd.

“You have been the worst kind of intolerable,” Kal answered.

“The worst kind, you think?”

“I don’t have to think. There is no doubt that you are the worst kind of instructor. That’s why the three men and one woman in this room are watching with such keen interest. They know you to be a vicious little tyrant.” The words felt great! Kal took a deep breath of satisfaction, disregarding the uncertainty on display from the onlookers.

Gus took a long, slow breath and looked down, as if he were hearing what was being said for the first time and was actually listening.

He took a deep breath and replied, “I may have been less than I should have been.” There was an unnerving amount of honesty in Gus’s voice.

“May have? The executioner could answer with that amount of honesty, but not you.” Kal held his breath, unsure of the brazenness in his words.

To his dismay, Gus took a short intake of air and looked at the dark-skinned hunter to his left.

“I think I’ve been correct in my statements about this poor lad, don’t you?”

“He may prove to be fairly bright,” Macgowan answered before Kenneth could.

Kenneth laughed with delight. “Took the words right out of my mouth,” he replied.

“Fine. We’ve established that my skills as a teacher have left something to be desired. Will you accept my apology or will there be a trial later?”

“Ha!” Kal was certain now that this must be a joke. Surely Gus had not just offered him an apology.

“Look, kid,” Gus shouted.

“Easy, Gus. You just started making progress,” Kenneth replied with his hands raised.

“He has been horrible to us,” Willam said softly, trying to support his friend.

“And you have learned a lot as a result!” Gus raised his chest in reply.

“Like how to be rude, or how to shout at those who don’t have your gift? Maybe you’d like me to teach others to show up to work late? What part do you want emulated, because you haven’t offered anything of value that I haven’t mentioned!” Suddenly he felt his body lift off of the ground with his Levitation gift taking over. He leaned over the top of the table, looking down at Gus. His gift hadn’t moved him in such a way since he was a child, but he had been holding in his temper for a long time.

“The man’s got a point, Gus. You are rather difficult to work with at times,” Kenneth said, supporting Kal’s statement.

Gus sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face, blinking while sorting through the verbal onslaught. To Kal’s surprise, Gus didn’t retaliate, but took several deep breaths and smiled.

“I suppose I deserve every word of that, but things are going to change around here, and the first thing is this.” Gus motioned for Kenneth to come forward. “What did you say I should name this contraption, Kal?”

Kal watched Kenneth grab Osric’s sword off of the table near the door, half expecting him to leave the room to bring it back to the legendary wizard, but he didn’t. Instead, the sword was brought around the table and he placed the base of the blade under the viewing tube of the strand-sight device.

“Strandiscope!” Willam nodded nervously.

“No, it’s a strand-sight device.” Kal felt the familiar tickle of curiosity bubbling to the surface. If Gus wasn’t going to take the bait in an argument then something big had happened or was about to.

“That’s it.” Gus tapped his nose with a claw. “I hereby dub this a strand-sight device. Now, which one of you wants to take a look and tell me what you see?”

Before Kal could get his feet back on the ground beneath him, Willam had taken his position in front of the eyepiece, smiling apologetically in Kal’s direction.

“We have a volunteer. The goal here is to show this to as many people as we can. I have to admit that I’m not quite certain how it works. It’s become obvious to me that minds which haven’t been subjected to a lifetime of hard, false truths can lend insight into magical mysteries that I tend to look past.” Gus looked up at a room full of questioning eyes.

A moment of uncomfortable silence began to settle through the room. Kenneth’s, Macgowan’s, and Jane’s eyes kept darting between Gus and Kal as if they were waiting for another outburst from one of them. Kal still felt that he was being subjected to some cruel joke, but Gus was the only one in the room who he could see attempting something of that nature. Macgowan was the strong silent type, not much of a prankster. Jane was too proud and too busy to bother with playing jokes on recruits, and Kenneth’s humor was usually used to defuse tense situations rather than create them.