The Wand-Maker's Debate: Osric's Wand: Book One

by Jack D. Albrecht Jr.

  Aron stood up and marched over to the unconscious men, bent over and slapped one across the face. “Wake up, you fool!” He slapped him again and spat at Kenneth. “You, bronze skinned ogre, untie these men, now!”

  Osric cringed at the way Aron treated his men and hung his head as they were all untied. They were relieved of their weapons and wands, their hands and feet bound, and then forced to kneel on the ground in front of Aron as he paced back and forth in obvious frustration. The only relief in the tension was when Bridgett and Pebble were sat on the ground next to them.

  “Did you think you would succeed, honestly? What did you want to do, anyway, control dragon flight for yourselves?” Aron looked furiously at his men, shoving one of the irua guards to the ground.

  “No. We intend to free them.” Osric glared back up at him with pride.

  “Free them? We need them!” Aron looked at Osric in confusion. “Your selfish ignorance would have isolated all of Archana's inhabitants if you had succeeded!”

  “You don't know as much as you think you do.” Osric argued.

  “Ye have been deceived into thinking that dragons must be caged and controlled, but ye'r beliefs do not be justifying the cruelty you thrust upon them.” Machai scowled up at him.

  Aron kicked Machai in the face with a grin and watched as he fell over on the ground. “It takes extreme measures to contain these beasts! It calls for extreme men to do what is necessary to serve Archana's inhabitants.” He grabbed Machai by the throat and spoke through gritted teeth. “And now, I will show you why I am in charge here!” He raised his dwarven blade over his head and a deep roar filled the air.

  Osric looked up and saw the massive dragon sweeping down from the top of the volcano into the group of guards, accompanied by several eagles. Aron spun around and ducked just in time to avoid being grasped by the talons of one of the giant birds. Osric threw himself to the side, knocking Bridgett out of the way as the dragon landed and spewed flames at Aron's men. Several of the men's clothing caught fire, and they rolled on the ground screaming, trying to put out the flames. The dragon clutched two of the guards with his front claws and soared up out of the volcano, their screams echoing through the cavernous space. The guard who had taken the brunt of the dragon's flames writhed in agony on the ground, and then stilled, his smoldering clothing and skin sending fetid smoke into the air.

  Kenneth and Machai cheered as the eagles went after the eight remaining guards. Most of them ran for cover and were snatched up in the eagles' talons one at a time. Aron screamed in rage as he watched his men being caught and dropped unceremoniously in a pile. He swung his sword wildly in the air as three eagles swooped down at him in random patterns. One dove in fast from his right and dragged his talons along the length of his sword arm. He cried out in pain, dropping the sword, and another of the eagles grabbed him and dragged him to his men.

  Osric looked up just in time to see Ero land before him. “Well met, my friend.” The eagle said.

  “It is good to see you, Ero!” Osric smiled and turned his back to him. “Can you free me of these bonds so I can help?” Ero sliced through the ropes with one sharp talon and Osric rose swiftly to his feet. He surveyed the volcano interior as he helped Bridgett stand. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, I believe so.” She was shaky, but uninjured. “I am so terribly sorry that I failed you, Osric. The second patrol arrived much sooner than we expected, and they took me by surprise.”

  “You bought us the time we needed to get inside and convinced the dragon to aid us. That is no failure in my eyes.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and asked, “Are you sure you aren't hurt?”

  “I am growing very tired of having sharp blades pressed against my flesh, but I am uninjured. How can I help you open these cages?” She looked around in dismay. Ero's fire-telling had told them that there were nearly fifty dragons held within the mountain, but his words had not prepared her for the sight.

  Ero ruffled his feathers and addressed Osric, “Yes, how do you propose we free them?”

  Osric turned and called out, “Machai, his blood will only tarnish your blade. Leave him, and let's go over this once more while there is time.”

  Machai held Aron by the hair with his axe at his throat. At Osric's call, he released him, landing a hard kick in his ribs and walked away to join them.

  21 – Chain Interrupted

  Gus and Osric sat side by side at the table, observing the chain of spells that cycled across the cage doors with their Wand-Maker's gifts. “Do you see the difference between the layers in the spell, boy?” Gus asked.

  “Yes, I see it. There are what, eleven, no, twelve different variations in the strands?”

  “Yes, I see twelve.” Gus said, then with renewed excitement, “Oh, look, there is the interruption! That cage is unguarded!” He exclaimed, pointing at the first cage to the right of the entrance. Then he continued in an exasperated tone, “That lapse doesn't last long enough to throw a rock at the door, let alone throw meat through the slot. How did the dwarf say they feed them?”

  Osric stood up abruptly and stomped off in frustration. He located Machai outside the volcano, speaking with the dragon. “Machai, may I speak with you?” The dwarf turned excitedly at Osric's approach.

  “Aye, Osric, I be glad ye are here. I be learning much from this majestic creature. Thom be not only cruel and ignorant, he be a liar.” He directed his next question at the dragon. “Stargon, would ye please be telling me friend what ye just told me?”

  Osric looked curiously up at the dragon. “I doubted that any would ever be capable of freeing us, but if you are truly a man of prophecy, then perhaps there is yet hope. If you succeed, the dragons will forever be in your debt, and you will need only to ask for our aid.” Stargon lowered his head gracefully to the ground before Osric in a gesture of respect. “I was speaking to Machai of the spell which contains my kin. There is a key of sorts, that must be used to stall the cycle of the spell. That is how they may open a door or a feeding slot. You must find the key.”

  Osric was stunned. If there was a key that would interrupt the spell, they would have the dragons free in no time at all. “What sort of key, exactly, and where would I find it?”

  “If I knew that, would I have allowed my kin to remain caged?” The dragon turned and stalked away. Osric turned to Machai with a look of despair.

  “I be thinking the men will know where to find the key. Let's be asking one.” He pulled his axe from his back and walked into the volcano. Osric followed him through the entrance and across the chamber toward where the eagles were guarding Aron and his remaining men.

  Machai stopped before them, and regarded them each with a harsh scowl. He watched them all silently, and then walked slowly and deliberately around the group of guards, while tapping the flat of his axe blade against his open palm. He paused and glared at Thom, but after a moment he continued on. One man sat cowering on Aron's left, and he was whimpering slightly as Machai eyed him closely. “Ye, come with me.” Machai snarled, pointing at the man with his axe.

  The man cringed, but he rose silently to his feet and hesitantly followed Machai to where Osric stood near the sentry tower. Osric pulled a chair over from the table and sat the man down roughly. Machai stood next to him and rested his axe blade on the man's shoulder, eliciting a scared whimper from the guard. He recognized him as the man who had stood in the tower with the bow before Osric had defeated him. Machai looked meaningfully at the doors of the dragon cages and then back at the scared man.

  “I be thinking these dragons are growing mighty hungry. Where be the key to the doors, so we can be feeding them?” The guard's eyes widened in fear and Machai leaned in close, putting ever more pressure on the blade near his neck.

  “I don't know what you are talking about.” The man whined. Several eagles cried out as Aron lunged toward Machai, screaming at the guard what he would do to him if he talked.

  Osric yelled out, “Restrain him!” As the eagles were
attempting to wrestle the unruly leader to the ground, Thom took advantage of the chaos and broke away from the group, sprinting across the room. He disappeared through the archway farthest from the entrance, and Osric tore after him. Osric slid to a stop outside the dim chamber and lit the tip of his wand, wary of the possibility that Thom was armed and waiting for him. He stepped through the doorway, sword drawn, and Thom stood just inside with a wide grin on his face.

  “You will never free those filthy beasts!” He held a small, dark crystal in his hand, and as Osric lunged toward him, Thom threw it to the ground and crushed it beneath the heel of his boot. There was a sickening crack, and Osric saw thick black smoke rising from beneath Thom's foot. Just as Osric grabbed Thom to thrust him back into the main chamber, he heard a startled yell from Gus.

  “By the strands! Boy, what did you just do?! Get over here and look at this!” Osric knelt and picked up the broken shards of the crystal and ran over to see what Gus was yelling about, dragging Thom with him. “What happened? Look at the strands, boy!” Osric activated his gift and looked at the cage doors, immediately noticing what had caused Gus so much distress. Where there had been a simple yet impenetrable weave of twelve variations of strands, there was an intricate, and impossible weave of three times as many strands. Osric could distinguish the same twelve variations, but the pattern was significantly harder to follow and discern. He growled in frustration and punched Thom as hard as he could, splaying him out on the floor.

  Bridgett had been sitting on the stair case, watching and waiting for an opportunity to assist them. At Osric's display of violence and defeat, she stood and walked over to him. She felt the conflicting emotions raging within him; fear and frustration, anger and purpose. She sensed his strong desire to free the dragons and an immense despair that their efforts seemed futile without the key.

  She glared down at Thom, and then raised her eyes and spoke, “Stop it, Osric!” He met her gaze with a stunned expression.

  “What?” He asked, confused by the scolding tone of her voice.

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop thinking that someone else should solve the problem and let you go back to your small life in Stanton.” He stared down at the ground, and she raised his chin so his eyes met hers, “Stop doubting yourself! You are the most powerful wizard who ever lived. You do not have to like it, but you cannot deny it. That amount of power comes with responsibility, and these dragons are counting on you to find a way to free them. So stop thinking about yourself, all of the things that have gone wrong, and everything standing in the way of freeing them, and start thinking about what will open these doors!” Osric stood in surprised silence as he considered her words. He was distracted from his thoughts by Gus' laughter. He glanced down at him as he stood on the table chuckling.

  “She's right, my boy. If twelve wizards could concoct this irritating mess of a spell, then surely our collective powers can unravel it. So, what are we going to do?”

  Osric stared at them both in disbelief, and then turned and walked out of the volcano without a word. Bridgett watched him walk away and was overwhelmed by sadness. She had believed that her words would sway him into action, but she had never imagined that he would abandon the mission altogether.

  Gus stared intently at the doors for a moment before jumping down to a chair and then to the floor. “Come with me, my dear, and grab Kenneth and that crazy dwarf. I have an idea!” He scampered as quickly as he could toward the entrance. Bridgett shook her head, and then swiftly went to retrieve Kenneth and Machai.

  When they exited the volcano, they found Osric standing just outside glaring down at Gus.

  “Stop pouting, boy, and focus!” Gus yelled at him.

  “What are you doing?” Bridgett asked.

  “I am instructing him on how to make a wand.” Gus responded, glancing up at her.

  “What?” Kenneth demanded. “He has the most powerful wand in existence if that prophecy is to be believed. Why does he need another one?”

  “He isn't making a wand; he is learning how to make a wand.” Gus watched as Osric turned a small stick over in his hands. “That's it, boy! Do you think you can do it?”

  “I don't know, Gus, but it just may be crazy enough to work.” He looked up at his companions, as his expression changed from one of irritation to hope. “The four of you, form a circle around me. If I can't do it with you, I won't be able to do it with the spell.” Bridgett exchanged a confused look with Kenneth and Machai, but they shifted to stand in a rough circle with Gus and Osric.

  Osric held the stick out before him and activated his Wand-Maker gift. He stared at Gus for a long moment, who stood immediately to his left, and a look of intense concentration crossed his features. He turned his gaze on Kenneth, standing next to Gus, and then at Bridgett. When he focused on Machai, a thin sheet of sweat broke out on his brow and his arms trembled slightly, but he kept the stick steady. After a moment, his shoulders sagged and he broke eye contact, and he handed the stick to Gus.

  “You did it, boy! Four separate variations of strands! I can't believe I never thought of it before. Honestly, I'm not sure I could have done it.” Gus looked up at him with an expression of awe and respect, “You truly are a wonder.”

  “Let's just hope it is enough. Let's go.” Osric turned and walked back into the volcano with a renewed posture of pride and strength, and the others followed him inside.

  They crossed the volcano to the first cage door, and stood watching Osric expectantly.

  “Do ye need me to be getting ye another stick?” Machai asked, breaking the heavy silence.

  Osric laughed, “That won't be necessary, Machai. I have no intention of preserving the strands of this spell to be used against anyone else.”

  Osric lifted Gus to his shoulder, activated his gift, and looked once more at the intricate weave of the spell caging the dragons. He found the most obvious variation in the strands, indicating the power of the wizard that contributed to the spell, and followed the single strand with his eyes until it ended at a small indentation in the metal of the door. He walked closer to the door to get a better look, and realized that the indentation was exactly the same shape as the crystal that Thom had smashed.

  “That must be where the key was placed to stall the spell.” Gus mused.

  Osric focused all of his power on the beginning of that single strand, and drew it out from the spell, the same way Gus drew a strand from Archana to create a wand. The same way he had drawn specific strands from his friends when they stood outside. He felt resistance from the spell, fighting him to retain the strand and stay intact, but Osric was stronger and it finally gave way. He watched with his gift as the strand untangled itself from the weave of the spell and coiled into his open palm. Gus exhaled audibly as he watched Osric achieve what no Wand-Maker before him had ever even attempted.

  Osric found a second strand with the same variation as the first. He wanted to eliminate the power of a wizard entirely before moving on to the next. He traced the path of the strand back to the indentation and again focused on drawing it out of the spell. He felt the same resistance, but it gave way much faster than the first, and as it coiled in his hand, it melded itself to the original strand as though they were actually only one. It took him a moment, but he was able to locate a third strand, and it too melded with the others as he drew it out of the spell. Osric looked down at the strand of power lying in his hand and then looked at Gus.

  “Uh, what should I do with it?” Osric asked him. Gus laughed out loud, and jumped onto Osric's outstretched arm, causing his hand to drop and the magical strand to fall to the ground. Osric watched, intrigued, as the power was absorbed into the stone at their feet.

  “Give it back to Archana, my boy!” Gus exclaimed happily. “This is incredible! Do it again!” He shouted, to looks of astonishment and confusion from their friends behind them. Osric grinned, and turned back to the spell.

  He had managed to withdraw all of the strands of seven of the wiza
rds when he started feeling very fatigued, and his head began to pound terribly. Kenneth and Bridgett looked on with concern as he broke out in a sweat and his body began to shake.

  “I don't know if I can finish this.” Osric said through gritted teeth.

  “Just a bit longer. You have to do this, Osric, no one else has the power.” Gus responded.

  Bridgett didn't know exactly what Osric was doing, but she could see the strain it was putting on him, and she could not stand back and watch him be destroyed by his own power. “Osric, where is my amulet?”

  “Don't distract him now!” Gus exclaimed. Bridgett walked up beside Osric and reached into his tunic, pulling the amulet up and over his head. She ignored Gus' glare and motioned for Kenneth and Machai to join her at Osric's side.

  “I want you two to focus on this amulet. Pour all of your energy and power into it that you can. Will your strength into the stone, for Osric's sake, and for the dragons' sake. He needs us more now than he ever has before. You must channel your desire to help him, and your will. Do you understand?” Machai gazed at her with a deep respect, and nodded his head.

  “I can't say I understand, but if it will help him, I will pour my soul into that damned stone!” Kenneth stated, and Bridgett smiled over at him.

  “Good. Just focus on the amulet, and think about putting all of your strength and power into it, so Osric can use it.” They did as she asked, and she used a technique she had learned from the Araseth Empaths to channel their power from the stone to Osric.

  Just when Osric thought he would collapse from the effort, he felt a surge of strength and power envelop him. He put everything he had into drawing out the strands, and suddenly the woven strands still feeding into the doors began to quiver in his vision. The structure of the spell had become so unstable that it could no longer sustain itself, and the remaining strands fell to the ground, disappearing back into Archana. Osric sat shakily on the ground, breathing heavily, and Gus jumped down from his perch on his arm. Bridgett dropped to her knees at Osric's side, and Gus climbed up onto her shoulder and kissed her cheek.