Wielder: Adept: Book 2 of Lady Shey's Story (The Wielder Cycle)
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Wielder: Adept Book 2 of the Wielder Cycle…
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Prologue
Chapter 1: The Oracle
Chapter 2: Suspicions
Chapter 3: New Arrivals
Chapter 4: Two Troublemakers
Chapter 5: Dangerous Travels
Chapter 6: Sand Elves
Chapter 7: Heartened Heart
Chapter 8: Lurking Evil
Chapter 9: The Sun and Moon
Chapter 10: A Night at the Pit
Chapter 11: Adept
Chapter 12: The Unseen
Chapter 13: Gods and Monsters
Chapter 14: Strong Tidings
Chapter 15: The Path to Decline
Chapter 16: Secret Places
Chapter 17: Darkness and Doubt
Chapter 18: Fire on the Horizon
Dedications and Acknowledgements
Glossary
Copyright
Author’s Note
Wielder: Adept
Book 2 of the Wielder Cycle
(Lady Shey’s Story)
Mark E Tyson
Wielder: Adept Book 2 of the Wielder Cycle…
Between boredom and excitement lurks danger…
Talk of war and devastation has the wielder community on high alert as Sheyna Namear graduates from Apprentice Wielder to Adept Wielder. As an adept, Sheyna meets the flamboyant Gondrial, who immediately gets her into trouble with her masters. Even though she is aware that Gondrial is trouble, she is fascinated by him until he introduces her to his friend— a tall, handsome, and mysterious boy named Rikard. Before she knows what is happening, Sheyna finds herself chasing down a path where the difference between right and wrong is blurred and destiny forces choices –deadly choices!
The Wielder Cycle
Wielder: Apprentice Book 1
Wielder: Adept Book 2
Wielder: Master Book 3*
The Sacred Land Legacy
Dawn of the Sacred Land: Book 1
Guardians of the Sacred: Land Book 2
Exiles from the Sacred: Land: Book 3
Redemption of the Sacred: Land: Book 4
Battlefield of the Sacred Land: Book 5
Crusade for the Sacred: Land: Book 6*
*Forthcoming
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Prologue
Long before the reawakening of the Sacred Land, those who could draw upon essence and wield magic were celebrated and revered. Neophytes were sometimes identified after they tried to use essence and developed essence sickness, an affliction of the mind common in young or new wielders. If possible, these neophytes were sent to anywhere master wielders congregated, and were apprenticed and cured of the sickness, which wasn’t life threatening at the time, but very uncomfortable. If left untreated, the sickness cured itself at the price of the neophyte losing their ability to wield forever. Eventually, academies were set up to take in new wielders and set them up with suitable masters.
On the cusp of this time of magical enlightenment, a wielder was born with special significance. Sheyna Namear would excel faster than any other wielder of her time. A legend in her own right, this is the continuation of her story, the ongoing story of the wielder who would one day be known simply as Lady Shey.
Chapter 1: The Oracle
Shey Namear, the only apprentice of the wielder Morgoran, slammed the dusty old book she was studying shut, producing a cloud of dust. The kings of Symboria were as dull as a bundle of practice swords, she thought. She knew the real reason why she found the tome nearly impossible to study was because at any moment her best friend, Marella, would be arriving at the Vale of Morgoran. Shey’s friend would be staying, along with her master, indefinitely. She moved to watch the road from the tower windows. Shey was ecstatic! Both Marella and she would graduate from wielder apprentice to wielder adept together. There was also a distinct possibility that her mother, Sylvalora, might return soon. In fact, the tower would be home to a bevy of visitors soon. Morgoran hinted earlier in the week that Ianthill was also bringing his apprentice, Gondrial, to the Vale later in the season; of course, Shey was not too thrilled about seeing him again. She pushed the tome away from her. I can’t study! Not even if I wanted to! she thought before deciding to go down to the main entranceway and wait for her friend.
The summer sun burned hot against the tower, but somehow Morgoran’s magic kept the temperature inside cool and comfortable. Shey descended the tower steps from her room up on the third tier. When she was about halfway down, she heard Morgoran greeting someone out on the portico. She leaped two steps at a time, almost tripping herself, to hurry down the stairs. When she got to the open front door leading outside, she saw Dicarion taking down a trunk from his carriage. A moment later, the driver opened the carriage door and Marella stepped out.
“Marella!” Shey called to her.
Marella looked up, her face beaming in the summer sun. Her curly blonde locks bounced as she jumped to the ground running. The two girls met in the middle, in an embrace.
Dicarion stopped from his task of removing luggage. “You would think they had been apart for decades rather than two seasons,” he said to Morgoran.
“To two young girls, seasons might seem like decades,” Morgoran replied.
Shey pointed to the top of the tower. “I had the room next to mine on the third tier prepared for you. The view is spectacular. Morgoran let me choose from any of the rooms in the tower.”
“It sounds wonderful!” Marella said. “I can’t wait to catch up. You’re going to have to tell me every detail about meeting Gondrial.”
The corners of Shey’s mouth curled with a grimace. “There’s not much to tell, but all right.” She brightened again. “I hope you’re hungry; the kitchen staff is preparing us a delicious lunch out on the patio.”
“I am famished, but I would like to put my things away and wash some of the road off before we eat.”
“This way. I will show you,” Shey said, leading Marella through the entrance and up into the tower. “The porters will bring up your trunk. Get comfortable and wash up. I will meet you down at the patio. Just go back down the stairs and go east at the bottom. The patio is just outside the eastern double doors. You can’t miss it; when you get there, the doors will be opened to the outside.”
“I’ll see you there,” Marella said as she found the washbasin.
As Shey anxiously awaited for Marella to come down to lunch, her stomach growled as she took in the sights and smells around her. The small patio was the perfect setting for a casual lunch. An overhang from the eastern battlements provided shade from the midday sun, but it still warmed the marble and stone, expelling the cooler morning air, and the fragrances from the flowerbeds surrounding the patio and lining the circular tower walls smelled fresh, clean, and pleasant. Soon the two wooden tables, positioned under the shade, would be covered with trays of food and drink. Her stomach growled again.
Morgoran walked onto the patio and seated himself on the stone bench downwind from the table and continued to smoke his morning pipe. A few moments later, Dicarion joined them. Morgoran put away his pipe just in time for the servants to bring in trays containing varieties of meats, breads, cheeses, and fruits. Shey felt her stomach rumble almost unbearably now, and she remembered she had been too excited to eat breakfast earlier. She was thankful when Marella arrived. To Shey, a feast like the one before her was still a bit daunting. She almost felt like she needed to eat every morsel or it might go to waste and she would not get to eat again for a long while, but she knew that to Ma
rella, the feast was more commonplace.
When the spring water and juices were brought, Morgoran signaled it was time to eat.
“We should have a guest just after lunch,” Morgoran said to the group. “I must warn you that he is a bit odd. He is under the impression that dragonkind are the only parties responsible enough to wield magic. He is proposing that all magic be outlawed except for a few of us.”
“That’s preposterous,” Dicarion said after he took a drink of spring water. “Why would he believe such a fool thing?”
“Well, the dragons did once look after man and elf alike as protectors. He would like to see life return to those simpler times.”
“Simpler times! Apparently he didn’t live through them, then.”
Morgoran chuckled. “At any rate, I wanted to say something before he entered. We should remain cordial to him no matter what he says.”
“What is his stake in the outlawing of magic?” Dicarion asked as he reached for another piece of cheese.
“He is some kind of Oracle. He claims he can see into the future and that magic, if not curtailed immediately, will wreak havoc and change our way of life forever. He thinks magic and essence wielding are dangerous.”
“Well, they are both dangerous,” Dicarion agreed. “That’s why we take such pains to find and train those who can wield it on how to wield it. I shudder to think of what might happen if it’s outlawed and left without guidance. The very notion is incredibly irresponsible.”
A knock on the door was followed by a servant announcing Master Kambor had arrived. The blond-headed, blue-eyed young man entered the patio. “Forgive my intrusion. I am early.”
“Not at all, join us,” Morgoran insisted.
Shey was immediately taken with Kambor’s charisma. He was so handsome, it was almost painful for her to look directly at him.
Kambor bowed before Morgoran. “I am Kambor, Oracle of Aedreagnon.”
Morgoran stacked some meat and cheese on a slab of bread and topped it with another slab of bread. “Let me be blunt. Kambor, is it?”
“Aye, that is my name.”
“I have no interest in your predictions when it comes to the use of magic. You are trying to convince the butcher that meat is evil and should not be consumed.”
“Not at all, Morgoran, I am merely telling the butcher that he should leave the butchering to those who actually know how to butcher correctly.”
“So you believe that only dragons, the onetime protector of man, should be the only users of magic and essence?”
“I do.”
Dicarion shifted in his seat. “Won’t you sit down?” He gestured to an empty chair. “I hate eating in front of company who hover over me like some kind of buzzard.”
“Forgive me . . .” He was searching for a name.
“You’re the Oracle. You tell me who I am.”
The Oracle smiled and seated himself. “I am afraid it doesn’t work that way.”
“Nope, it never does, does it!” Dicarion said before taking a bite of cheese.
Morgoran swallowed a bite. “A butcher is a butcher. One who cannot butcher correctly swiftly goes out of business.”
“Enough of the metaphors. I am the Oracle of Aedreagnon, the god of prediction, and I foresee the use of magical essence will one day destroy this world and everything in it. Since I dwell in this world, I will see to it that such a prediction rings false. I am quite committed to it.”
Shey watched Morgoran carefully and noticed he ate without a care in the world of what the Oracle was saying.
Kambor saw it too. “I also saw you created a gem that suppresses the ability to draw upon essence.”
Morgoran choked on his last bite. “Where did you hear that?” he said in between coughs.
“I saw it in my visions.”
“I don’t believe for one second that you did. Who do you have spying on me?”
“I assure you there is no one spying. I am the Oracle.”
“Yes, of course, you have visions and such.” He took a drink. “Even if such a thing existed, you would never see it. I would make certain of that—you can bet your eye teeth!”
“Don’t get excited, Master Morgoran, I do not mean to overstep.”
“I don’t care what you mean to do, Kambor. I think you have overstepped your welcome.” Morgoran snapped his fingers, and a nearby servant came to his side. “Show Master Kambor out, if you will.”
So much for being cordial, Shey thought.
Kambor stood. “Think about what I have said. If you search your heart, you will know what I say is true. Magic by the use of essence will doom us all. Let the dragons resume their gods-given role as magical protector and renounce wielding.”
“I shall think on it as much as I think of why the sky is blue or the grass is green. That’s exactly how much thought I will give your felonious predictions.”
An expression of anger, bordering on hatred, washed across Kambor’s face. “You may one day live to regret your words, old wizard.”
Morgoran mockingly put his fingers to his temples. “I predict I won’t have to! Good day, Oracle of Aedreagnon.”
Dicarion chucked while Shey and Marella laughed out loud. Kambor’s eyes darted to them, particularly at Shey. She looked in his eyes and briefly saw something dark and evil. She shuddered and looked away.
The Oracle turned on his heels and pushed aside the servant as he made his way to the exit. A moment later, he was gone out the front doorway.
“What a ridiculous fellow,” Dicarion said in his usual whimsical speech.
“Dangerous,” Morgoran said. “Spreading such lies and conjecture around the kingdoms. Some fool king or lord will believe him and decide to take up his cause. I need to speak with Ianthill about this Oracle.”
“When does he arrive?” Dicarion asked.
“He wasn’t planning to come for quite a while, but I will send word for him to come right away. Kambor is a bold one, coming to the Tower of Morgoran to preach the evils of essence use.”
“I thought that was odd too, like trying to tell the river that water is evil.”
Morgoran looked at Dicarion, and a grin slowly creeped up on his face. “Were you attempting to use an analogy? I don’t think you quite have the knack for it, my friend.”
“It got you out of that bad mood, didn’t it!”
“Oh, so that was your intention.” He rose from the table, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Shey, are you finished with your lunch?”
She took a last bite and washed it down with her spring water. “Aye, I am now.”
“Let’s get the message sent and your lessons out of the way so Dicarion and Marella can get settled and do the same. You can meet back up with her afterward.”
Shey went with Morgoran to send his messenger out with word for Ianthill to come to the Vale ahead of schedule, and then they went to Morgoran’s study for their lessons. The older wielder did not mention the Oracle again, and Shey was not about to broach the subject as long as Morgoran’s mood remained somewhat upbeat. Morgoran could have a bad temper on occasion, as evidenced by his outburst at the Oracle. He had intended to be cordial and failed, which means the Oracle had touched a nerve, bringing up wielding as if it were a blight on society. Marella went somewhere to study with Dicarion, and it wasn’t until late evening that the two were reunited in the commons of the tower ground floor. Shey had been waiting all day to talk to her friend about the Oracle and what had happened on the patio. Marella appeared tired and fatigued.
Shey motioned for her friend to join her and sit down on the plush high-topped chairs. “You look positively worn out. What does Dicarion have you doing?”
“Morgoran gave him a study in the tower. I have been moving books up to him all day. He also showed me how to levitate them from the ground floor to his study window outside the tower. I now understand why mindwielders don’t just move everything around with their minds. Moving books with your mind is worse than just lugging them up by h
and.”
“Well, not to take away from your accomplishments, but I have been dying to talk to you all day about the Oracle.”
“He is so handsome. It was all I could do to keep from staring at him,” Marella answered.
“I know. I think I understand what devastatingly handsome means now. He is so beautiful, it hurts to look at him for long.”
“Trust me, I have no trouble looking at him. Too bad he’s mad.”
“You think so?”
“Aye, didn’t you hear him? He is trying to get magic outlawed in the kingdoms. What’s worse is that he came to one of the First Trine, the most famous wielders of essence, to spread his madness.”
Shey took a deep breath. “I don’t think that was the real reason for his visit. He knew he had no chance to persuade Morgoran. The Oracle would know that Morgoran would never agree dragon magic was the only magic worthy enough to trump all the rest. He came here for a different reason.”
“You mean the gem Morgoran supposedly created?”
“Aye, the gem that keeps wielders from wielding.”
“Do you have any idea how destructive a gem like that could be if it existed? It could give an unscrupulous wielder a substantial advantage over another wielder.”
“Or it could be manipulated into a weapon against all wielders. I saw the look in Kambor’s eyes. He wants to experiment with it to see if he can eliminate all wielders.”
“I doubt it would stop mindwielders,” Marella said.
“I’m sure he has a plan for your kind as well. Morgoran is right—Kambor is dangerous. I can see this becoming a major problem; think of what might happen if Kambor develops a following. He could start a war, and what’s worse, it would be a magic war.”
“I doubt the Oracle could ignite a war between wielders and non-wielders. My father’s army is loyal to wielders, and would fight to keep them safe. But, if there was a war, I agree magic would play a significant role in it.”