The Wand-Maker's Debate: Osric's Wand: Book One (11 page)

As the sky deepened to shades of purple and gray and the moon began to rise, they tried to settle into their places to rest. Each one of them was keenly aware of how the situation had changed. It would be a restless night, and Gus was taking it harder than the rest.

“Don't try to sleep by me! You are in so much trouble!” Gus shouted at Pebble. “Ask someone else! Be careful or they just might skip you across the water.” His face held anger toward Pebble, but there was fear and love in his eyes, as well. Perhaps a child would miss the underlying emotion, but the rest of them saw through the mask. Gus was terrified that his son would die on their journey.

Pebble looked despondent as he glanced tentatively toward the other members of their group who had all settled inside their thick woolen sacks. His big watery eyes looked around to see if anyone returned his gaze, to plead without voice for warmth and rest.

“Over here, dear.” Bridgett spoke sympathetically. Pebble began to slowly and cautiously make his way to her.

Softly and fearfully he asked, still just out of her reach, “Is you's gonna.” He breathed in with great effort, choking back his sobs. “Toss'ed me crossed da water's?”

“Oh no, dear, we will keep each other warm, alright?” Bridgett spoke softly but cheerfully, encouraging him to trust her. “Now come on, hop in here. I'm getting cold.” She opened the blanket slightly to give Pebble a place inside to sleep.

Pebble ran inside and cuddled up close to her and began to cry. Bridgett ran her fingers down his back to sooth his nerves. She looked up to see Osric watching her and they exchanged sympathetic smiles. He could not seem to tear his eyes from her kind face. She stared back at him, understanding how he felt, perhaps better than he did. She felt drawn to him as well, and they allowed themselves a moment of shared comfort in each other's emotions.

Realization came to Osric as he gazed into her blue eyes. He held up one finger for her to wait. He climbed out of his sack and walked quickly in the cold air to the chest that held the food and supplies. Osric poured a small amount of water into a dish and grabbed a honey cake, then made his way back to Bridgett, who smiled broadly at his consideration. He broke the cake in half as he knelt next to her.

“Pebble.” Osric called softly to him. “I have some food and water here for you. You really should eat. Would you like some?” He smiled at Bridgett again, and then gave her the biggest half, allowing his fingers to brush the inside of her wrist.

“It's honey cake.”  Bridgett held the sack open slightly for Pebble and peered in.

“I cannot finish this whole thing by myself, and I would not want it to go to waste. Would you eat with me, please?” She held it so he could see.

Pebble peered out cautiously as he wiped his nose on Bridgett's shoulder. His little brown face wrinkled up as he sniffed back his tears, and an alertness returned to his eyes.

“Smells good, s'pose I can eats just a bit.” Pebble had a small amount of eagerness in his voice.

Bridgett broke off a little piece and handed it to him, and Osric set the dish of water down in front of them. Pebble's cheeks were soon bulging, and Bridgett giggled as she swept crumbs from the soft wool lining. She felt Pebble snuggle deeper into the sack, until he was curled up against her chest, and soon he was sleeping peacefully.

After a moment, Osric stood up and carried the dish back to their baggage. He climbed into his own sack across the fire from hers, and noticed a contemplative expression on Gus' face. He turned his back to the old Wand-Maker, and fell asleep listening to Bridgett's breathing and Kenneth's rumbling snores. Tomorrow would be another day, and he intended to find some answers.

* * *

Osric woke early, anxious to cleanse the old witch's dried blood from his tunic. After splashing the cold water on his face, he stripped it off and knelt down to wash the garment against the smooth rocks at the river's edge. He was especially careful not to let his scabbard dip into the water, so the hilt rested uncomfortably against his side. He scrubbed the stains with salt from their supplies until he was satisfied and then draped the tunic over a tree branch. His father had taught him a spell for drying clothing on his first long hunt, and he did not have time to wait for it to dry in the sun. He drew his wand and cast the spell, and immediately noticed that the wand felt more powerful. His tunic dried in the half the time he was expecting and it sent a chill up his left arm. He quickly drew it back over his head, and went to find Gus.

“Gus! The spell I just cast was twice as powerful as it should have been! There must be something going on with this wand.”

“Boy, I want that wand to be as powerful as you say it is. The gold that I could make is, well, you can imagine. However, there is nothing special about that wand! It is probably Bridgett's amulet that you are feeling, so let it go.” Gus wrinkled his nose out of frustration and started to walk away.

Osric stepped in front of him. He had to make the old Wand-Maker believe him. “Watch!” He aimed the wand at the wet hems of his breeches and cast the drying spell. To his surprise, it felt the same as it did in the security outpost, the power growth was gone. “I don't understand; it's not there anymore.” Osric looked down at the wand in disappointment, unable to meet Gus' gaze.

Gus' ears twitched for a moment, and then his smug expression returned. “Maybe you need a new spell, eh, boy?” He walked around Osric, leaving him there with his head hanging in shame and confusion.

The rest of the morning went surprisingly smooth. They ate a quick breakfast and bathed in the cold river water before strapping the supplies on the dragon. Pebble amused everyone with his adorable ways, trying to get anyone to play a game he called “I see's something' you's don't.” Gus, however, was not amused, and reminded him harshly that he can't play it with people who don't have the gift. Bridgett, Osric and Kenneth took turns trying to humor him and play anyway. Pebble's response to their dreadful guesses was always, “You's gotsta look, silly.” They would just laugh at his childish logic and try to guess his next target.

After a short time had passed, they were flying again, their spirits high. Each time they stopped, they took turns keeping an eye on Pebble to insure he didn't go with Kenneth anytime he left the camp. The only way they knew to avoid the horrific carnage of the vision was to prevent the events leading up to it from occurring.

The next four days passed uneventfully, and they occupied their time combing through everything Gus knew on the subject of wand-making. Osric entertained them with stories of the eagle filled dreams he was having. Pebble kept them all guessing at his game, and Osric and Kenneth practiced their sword play and marksmanship in the evenings. They would run through their drills meticulously, then swap weapons to maintain proficiency with both Osric's short sword and the heavier long sword Kenneth carried. They were both surprised at how quickly Osric was improving with his bow. Truthfully, he had never been bad at it, but Kenneth was having to utilize his Hunter gift just to out shoot him.

As they traveled further east, the scenery passing beneath them changed progressively. The dense trees thinned as they approached the Diutinus River and left them crossing the immense stretch of plains on the far side of its eastern bank. After two days of the monotonous grasslands, they came within sight of snowcapped mountain peaks, and the terrain became more rocky and the vegetation more varied. They veered south, skirting the edge of the mountain range and avoiding the mountain troll tribes known to reside there, preying on careless travelers and poorly defended trade caravans. Each night, Greyback would locate a suitable campsite, and they would make their descent back to solid ground. They had covered a great distance, making good time, and Osric expected that they would have enough supplies to reach Barlington. He and Kenneth hunted regularly in the evenings to supplement their foodstuffs, and from Osric's calculations they would reach the coastal city to resupply within the week.

Their long days in the air were filled mostly by Gus telling stories of his travels over the years. They were still hoping he would think of something from his experiences that would bring light to the mysteries of the prophecy. Every now and then, he would get sidetracked on some explanation of how he had gained certain knowledge and techniques of wand-making, such as where to put the point of constriction, or how thick to make the magical shaft.

On a particularly off topic day, he had said something that made Osric curious as to why he had such a bad relationship with Eni. Gus was sitting at the base of Greyback's neck, straddling the area between the spikes where Osric and Kenneth secured their swords. He used the position often during conversations. It provided him with just enough height to be seen and heard, and Gus loved to be the center of attention.

“So, what caused you two to have such hatred toward each other?” Osric's curiosity got the better of him.

Gus' answer was full of anger and bitterness as he growled, “Eni is an old dimwit. He is a couple years older than I, and thinks that makes him wiser.” Gus waggled his claw in the air, punctuating the absurdity of that assumption. “He fails to explore the craft of wand making, and insists that the theory he has been taught is the only way.” He shook his head to express distaste for such a narrow minded way of thinking.

“So there are different theories to wand making?” Bridgett inquired while Pebble snuggled in her arms, more interested in her attention than the conversation.

“Oh yes, many different thoughts and theories on that particular subject,” Gus said, “and that is where our differences started.”

“Your hatred is because of wand theory?” Osric probed.

“Yes, and over a specific wand theory as well.” Gus stated with a serious expression. “The most highly debated Wand-Maker's theory, to be honest.”

“I heard about that.” Kenneth jumped in excitedly. “That's where some Wand-Makers think you can make a wand do its own magic, right?”

“Well, yes and no,” Gus said, “but that is the common belief. So I will have to forgive your doltishness for now.” He said in a jab, not just at Kenneth, but at all who spread that story. “It is, in fact, a belief among many of us Wand-Makers that you can,” He paused, searching for the right words, “bind different abilities to the magical structure of a wand, without the presence of a stone or amulet. This would then endow that ability to the carrier of the wand.”

“That's it!” Osric shouted.

“No, it is not.” Gus replied with such vehemence that it silenced Osric in mid-sentence. “Now, I am a believer in this line of thought, but as much as I want it to be true, there has not been a breakthrough in this area. If I had made such a wand, I would most definitely be able to see it in the wand's magical structure.” Gus motioned at the wand Osric held in his hand. “Believe me, I would love to see it.”

The pleading tone of his voice made Osric furrow his brow with frustration. He looked to the faces of everyone on board for help, but each one seemed to be battling their own confusion. They each knew that there had to be a connection, even though he had not noticed anything except the power growth from Bridgett's amulet. Somehow, the controversial theory must explain the wand in the prophecy. Pebble was the only one who did not seem to be searching his memory for a way to tie it all together.

“Is there any way that it could just be hidden from you?” Osric begged Gus to give him some kind of hope, an answer, anything to help resolve the mystery. Gus raised an eyebrow.

“That is another yes,
and
no.” He said, holding up his finger to silence Osric's attempt to charge in again with more questions. “That is where the unicorns come into this conversation.” He said, nodding in Bridgett's direction.

“What do the unicorns have to do with wand-making?” She asked, sitting up straighter in her seat.

“That's the thing, I have no idea.” Gus stated, unapologetically. “I am convinced that they hold the key, and their involvement so far is what has me believing you are right, Osric.” Osric and Bridgett exchanged intrigued looks, wondering where Gus might take the conversation next. “I have told you that Wand-Makers can observe the magical strands within us all, right?” They nodded in response, not wanting to interrupt. “Well, with the unicorns, it's different.”

“Different?” Kenneth asked, “How so?”

“When I look within one of you, I can see your gift like an orb; much the same as I see within your amulet.” He motioned towards Bridgett. “When a Wand-Maker looks within a unicorn, the strands, the orbs, they're all cloudy.” Gus replied, with a pained look on his face. “And not like fog on water, it's like it was deliberately distorted.”

“Are you suggesting that the unicorns purposely deceive us?” Bridgett's eyes narrowed at the offensive nature of Gus' comment, though she spoke softly as Pebble was fast asleep in her arms.

“Not at all, my dear, concealing something is very different from deceiving.” Gus said with a shrug. “After all, they may be concealing things from us for good reason.”

“So, what makes you think they conceal things?” Kenneth asked. “Isn't it possible that their magic is just beyond the abilities of Wand-Makers to view?”

“This is the point where our story comes full circle. I traveled to the village of Er'amar when I was young and still learning my craft.” Gus smiled at Kenneth as he began. “That is where all who are serious in their pursuit of crafting wands go to study. I was gathering sticks in a small field,” he grew excited at the memory of his youth, and his paws waved about frantically as he spoke, “when I saw a small group of unicorns. I had heard stories from one of my instructors about the unicorns. Stories of secrets she thought they held within them, and I wanted to discover them all for myself. So, I activated my gift and slowly made my way toward them. From such a great distance, I could make out very little, but I could tell that there was something within them that I had never seen. I crept slowly and quietly; the closer I got, the better I could see. There were tremendous wonders inside of them, still just out of sight. They possessed magical abilities that I just had to catch a glimpse of. Then, when I was within a stride or two of being able to make everything out, they each clouded up, just like that!” He said, as he clapped his paws together, obviously frustrated. “Then they all turned, and looked directly at me, as if to ask if I enjoyed the show!”