The High-Wizard's Hunt: Osric's Wand: Book Two (31 page)

“I guess so. I am sure in the beginning he meant well, but how could he think that his actions were benevolent?” Toby sighed in frustration. “He participated in the imprisonment of the dragons. For all I know, he was lying about not knowing about the attack on the palace.”

“We may never know what led him there,” Osric put a hand on Toby’s shoulder as they approached the palace grounds, “but hardening our hearts and refusing to forgive a man who is dead may lead to our own regrets. Besides, if Domnall had known about the attack, he wouldn’t have been in the palace for the ceremony.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Toby ended the conversation without further argument as they came to a stop in a massive crowd. “Let’s get to our posts and we can discuss this more later.” Osric nodded and they split up to patrol the crowd. Although the Vigiles had been disbanded, they had not abandoned their duty. Osric acknowledged several of his men making their rounds as the ceremony began.

The traditional burial of a high ranking member of human society was one of the rare times death was honored outside of the hunt. As far as anyone knew, Ryhain Domnall had served his people loyally to the end. He would be remembered as a great leader, an excellent soldier, and a compassionate man. The head of the council gave an eloquent speech, and there were few dry eyes in the crowd as Ryhain Domnall’s body was lowered into the ground and a large stone marker was levitated to cover his resting place. The councilman called for a moment of silence, and then he cleared his throat to make an announcement.

“People of Stanton, in the past week we have seen death and devastation on our doorstep as war has ravaged our city. It was only one battle, but it was perhaps the first of many. Our Ryhain is dead, succumbed to his wounds from an act of violence our city may never fully recover from. When the palace was attacked, we as a people were attacked. We must rise up and defend ourselves, but we cannot be effective if we are lost and leaderless. We need strength, loyalty, honor, and experience to guide us. We need someone who has the ability to defend us when horrors come to call upon us. Many of you fought to protect our city and our people when the Kallegians attacked, but one man ended that battle. Many of you assisted in organizing the battle plan, but one man led you in your organization. Many of you have experience in fighting for our home, but one man has experience in giving you the orders to do so. We need a Ryhain such as this man.” The crowd roared their approval for the passionate speech, and the councilman had to raise his hands and call for them to quiet down.

Toby caught Osric’s eye and pointed a finger at him through the crowd. He was too far for Osric to hear him, but his lips clearly formed the words, “it’s you.” Osric cringed and glanced back up at the platform where the councilman was standing to address the crowd. The councilman began again.

“I think we are all of one mind on who we want as our leader.” It began softly and sporadically, but soon the entire crowd had picked up the chant. “Osric, Osric, Osric, Osric…”

At first, he was stunned. Osric was still getting used to the idea of everyone knowing his name, but he had not expected to ever hear a crowd chanting it. As the initial shock wore off, he became annoyed by the attention. Finally, he pushed his way through the crowd to the raised platform, and he was greeted with loud cheering. He stared out over the crowd, waiting for them to quiet and trying to think of what to say. Osric had no desire to be Ryhain, but the adoration of the crowd filled him with a rush unlike any he had felt before. As he gazed out at the gathered masses, the urgency of the impending war pressed in on him. He did have a responsibility to these people, but not as their Ryhain. He was their Contege. It was his job to keep them safe from people who had no respect for their lives, for their safety. It was his job to find the bad guy, to lock him up or kill him if necessary, to guarantee the well-being of the people of Stanton.

Osric studied the podium as he continued to think. He had never been behind one before. In fact, he had never spoken to a group larger than a few dozen recruits. He could see that the podium was designed and spelled to project the speaker’s voice out into the crowd. There were so many things he wanted to learn, and so many magical secrets he had not had the opportunity to study. Being Ryhain would lessen his chances of stopping the war. He would be tied to a velvet upholstered chair by diplomacy and wax seals. He may never have the chance to find out what was going on with his abilities or discover new methods of magic. He wanted a place to learn, a place he could study with those who wished to unravel the secrets of Archana’s magic. He wanted to end the war so he could live out his days with Bridgett, well into old age. Yet, he did need someone he could trust holding the position of Ryhain in Stanton. His heart quickened as he looked up and smiled.

“I can’t begin to tell you all how much I love living here.” The crowd roared in applause. Osric held his hands out for silence. He gave them enough time to settle, knowing that they would not like his refusal, and he needed them calm if he was to make them understand. “However, my path must take a different direction if we are to survive the days to come.” The hush could almost be felt as all eyes grew expectant of his words.

“Something is happening in the realm of magic. Something is changing. Things nobody thought were possible are occurring every day. It is a mystery, and it is a threat. It seems that a cruel fate has destined me to be the one who solves this puzzle. For this purpose, I must step down from my position as Contege and pursue the path that has been laid out before me.” The onlookers began to object, but Osric spoke quickly to assuage their fears. “I may be called away from time to time, but Stanton will always be my home! I will dedicate myself to establishing protection for Stanton, for you, that no war will be able to threaten. Many of you will be called upon to join me in this endeavor, but for now, I will just ask you to trust me.”

“But who is going to be our Ryhain?” Shouts came from the gathered villagers.

“There is a man here who can be the man you need - a man far more qualified for the position than me. He has already shown his devotion to this land!” Osric pointed his finger at the soil. Murmurs began to spread as realization dawned. “He has served you better than I could, already. I trust this man to lead us through the coming war, more than I trust myself. He has far more experience to aid him in making the right decisions for our people.” Osric looked at Toby, knowing he would understand better than anyone what he had said to the crowd. Toby looked somber, and yet there was a hint of…
relief?
Osric was curious why such responsibility being laid at his feet would be cause for a release of worry. He cast his gaze back out over the crowd, and the air was thick with the anticipation of a name. “No man will serve us better as the Ryhain of Stanton than the Profice of Stanton. Toby, come up here.”

The crowd hesitated, weighing the implications for the future of their city. Then, a trickle of murmuring quickly erupted into cheering and applause, welcoming Ryhain Toby to the platform.

Laying Future Foundations

Osric gazed at Bridgett as she gathered plants in the woods outside of Stanton. The grace of her movements still amazed him. She seemed to glide across the ground, rather than walking upon it. He reclined against a tree, twirling his wand in his hand and daydreaming about their future together. They spent the morning together, wandering the woods, picking flowers, and staring up at the clouds in the sky. Winter had eased its grip on Stanton for a brief interlude of mild weather and bright skies.

Osric picked up a stone and tossed it into the air, catching it and tossing it again. As his mind wandered, he absently cast spells at the stone in the air to see what it would do. He was able to accurately hit the stone with a heatless fire ball. He could maintain the stone in the air with a stream of water, but it was far less accurate. He could throw the stone out in an arc and then call it back along the same path with just a thought. He also discovered he could manipulate a stream of air to keep the stone hovering before him without using his wand. Osric found the most fascinating ability was making the stone disappear. He held the stone in his hand and activated his ability to become invisible. The stone faded along with him. However, he was able to bring himself back into the visible spectrum without allowing the stone to reappear.

Osric sat forward, intrigued by the possibilities, and slowly reached out and set the stone on the ground. It remained invisible. He grinned widely and touched the stone with his finger to be sure it was actually there. He reached out and grasped another stone, anxious to replicate the experiment. It worked. Soon he had seven stones lined up before him on an apparently barren stretch of grass. He was intrigued by the possibilities presented by making objects invisible.

“Osric! Are you all right?” Bridgett came running over to him with a concerned expression.

“Of course,” he looked up at her with curiosity, “why?”

“Your fingers.” She reached down and took his hand in her own, and confusion replaced the concern.

“What about them?”

“They were missing.” She stared at him in expectation of an explanation. Osric glanced down at his fingers and a broad grin spread across his face. He kissed her hand and pulled his own from her grasp. He reached down and rearranged the stones, while she looked at him like she couldn’t figure out the rules to his game. Osric smiled at her and held up a finger to tell her to wait patiently. He reached into her basket and plucked out a stem of snow blossoms. The delicate white petals smelled like honey. He slowly lowered the flower to the ground before him, and Bridgett gasped in amazement when the flower disappeared. She knelt down, trying to determine how he had done it. Osric reached down, raised the flower back up into sight, and tucked the stem into her flowing hair.

“How did you do that?”

“Well, I did it on accident.” Her eyes twinkled in disbelief. “I was experimenting with my new abilities, testing them on stones to see what I can do. I figured out how to make the stones stay invisible when I reappear.”

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“However, you discovered this next part,” he touched the tip of her nose, “the invisible stones create a barrier of some sort. I guess the effect is carried over to something that moves behind the stones. That was why you couldn’t see my fingers.” Bridgett shook her head in wonder. Osric gathered the stones up and placed them in her basket with the flowers and herbs. “Come on, Gus is going to love this.”

*

“Why are you grinning like a kid in a wand shop? Do you know how ridiculous you look?” Gus asked loudly as Osric and Bridgett ran toward him, holding hands and looking far too happy for the current circumstances.

“Where is Kenneth? I need everyone here, quickly.”

“How the blazes should I know?”

“Oh Gus, even you will be excited about this. Help me find them.” Bridgett scooped him up and placed him on her shoulder as he cried out in protest. She hurried into the barracks to find Kenneth, Machai, and the others.

“What are you two love birds so excited about?” Bridgett smiled over at the intended insult. Even Gus could not make Bridgett feel bad for loving Osric. She was blissfully happy.

“We have something to show you. Osric was practicing with his gifts and discovered something rather interesting.”

“Oh, did he? Has he figured out how to use his fancy new abilities to respect his elders?”

“Now, Gus, don’t be upset that he figured something out before you. I think even you will be impressed by this one.”

“Bah. We’ll see about that. I can walk you know?”

“Of course you can, but I enjoy the pleasure of your company. Besides, this way we can whisper and no one will hear us.” Bridgett winked at him, and Gus snorted and turned his head away from her.

They found their friends in the old, makeshift Contege office where Toby first found Thamas’ diary and began the investigation into Braya. Toby, Kenneth, Machai, Thamas, Aridis, and Macgowan were sitting around the desk poring over maps and charts. Pebble was on the floor in the corner practicing his sword fighting techniques. The miniature statue of Er’amar he was sparring with looked terrified of the small twig Pebble was brandishing at it. Bridgett grinned at the sight.

“I was hoping we would find you all together.” Her voice startled the men, and they turned quickly in alarm. “Osric requests the pleasure of your company in the dining hall.” Curiosity flitted across every face, and they followed Bridgett out of the small chamber into the hall. Osric was sitting at a table with a look of pure frustration on his face.

“Yep, he really looks like he figured something out.” Gus laughed from his perch on Bridgett’s shoulder as they all took seats around the large dining table. Everyone looked at Osric expectantly, but he just kept staring down at a clipping of snow blossoms on the table. He glanced up and addressed Bridgett.

“I don’t understand it. The spell is still intact, but it isn’t working.”

“Oh, this is going to be good.” Gus crossed his arms over his small, furry chest and stared at Osric.

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand it, but I guess I called you all here for nothing. I can’t make it work again.” Osric sighed and reached out his hand. He grasped the stone closest to him on the table, and with conscious intent, he deactivated the invisibility gift. His companions gasped as the stone appeared on the table. He slid his hand to the left and did the same to the next stone.

“How do ye be doing that? Do ye be summoning stones?”

“No, Machai, they were here all along. You just couldn’t see them because I figured out how to make them invisible.”

“And you said you called us here for nothing,” Kenneth exclaimed.

“Well, believe it or not, that wasn’t the incredible thing I wanted to show you.”

“How’s come this one’s different?” Pebble was sitting up on the table, indicating the second stone with a paw.

“What are you talking about? They are all the same.”