The High-Wizard's Hunt - By Ashley Delay Page 0,73
too,” Eublin stated with satisfaction.
“The Well of Strands?” Gus stood up suddenly on his hind legs, sticking his unnaturally thin chest in the air with defiance. ”You’re crazy if you want me to believe in that fable.”
“Let us not get caught up in arguing over what is what. Just listen to what I have to say before you pass judgement,” Eublin chastised. Gus harrumphed and sat down in disgust. “I know Wand-Makers do not hold this story with any regard, but Er’amar spent time in this grove making the first wand. I can tell you from our history that he did not spend all of that time in the Grove, either, so just let me finish and you can come to your own conclusions.”
Bridgett could sense Gus’ frustration. Few of those he had met in the last few months treated him with as much admiration as he was accustomed to. He was, after all, Archana’s greatest Wand-Maker. Yet, he was continually the student in the recent past, rather than the instructor. He was, no doubt, extremely frustrated by the uncomfortable reversal of position.
“Since we have established that spoken spells are real, and this book is from the same time frame, we can surmise that a resurgence of both may be related.” Eublin displayed a great deal of patience with Gus, and Bridgett knew he was choosing his words carefully.
“How do you consider the Well of Strands as having ‘resurgence?’” Gus slapped his hind foot on the stone floor.
“That is where this book comes in.” Eublin smiled patiently and continued. “Salden wrote of the interrogation of two prisoners. The humans attacked the caldereth, thinking that they were going to invade their realm, but the caldereth were merely passing through the Human Realm on their way to attack the irua. The relationship between the two species was never amicable, so the fact that the caldereth army tried to cross human lands without so much as asking permission led to their destruction. The reason given by the two prisoners was that the caldereth commanders claimed to have found the Well of Strands by some mystical means they were not privy to. Now, we sit on the precipice of another war involving the same lands. Magic that was meddled with at that time is now being rediscovered. I cannot help but wonder if whoever is behind this war is after the Well of Strands.”
Bridgett sat back in stunned silence. It made sense, but she certainly did not like the implications that history was repeating itself. The caldereth were exterminated in that war. What would become of the races of Archana if a full-fledged world war broke out for the greed of one man? She shook her head in disgust, and then she directed a question at Eublin.
“Wait, what exactly is the Well of Strands?”
“It’s a blasted myth, that’s what it is!” Gus snarled.
“Not necessarily,” Eublin said, leaning forward and perching on the edge of his seat. “According to legend, there was once a thriving civilization, much like that of the humans, on an island in the Darib Sea. The race that inhabited the island was proud, and they were very wealthy. They began to fear that the other races of Archana would cease trading with them and rather invade them to usurp their resources. A small group of wizards attempted to weave spells of protection around the entire island that could keep out any army, but they simply weren’t strong enough. Each only had his one measure of magic, after all. Yet, the legends say that one wizard discovered that if he tunneled down into the ground, he could cast stronger spells. So, the wizards carved labyrinths beneath their city, seeking enough power to complete the task of protecting their race. Eventually, the entire civilization was living beneath the surface of Archana.” Eublin sat back in his chair with a satisfied smile. “Now, whether it is all just a myth, or whether the location of the island was lost over time in the tale’s telling is debatable. However, some believe that the irua live in those same labyrinths, perhaps because they are one of the few races who live beneath Archana’s surface. As far as I know, there are no magnificent spells of protection encircling the Irua Realm. However, many still believe that there is a source of magic deep within Archana that would allow a wizard’s spells to be significantly stronger. This source, whatever it may be, is what is referred to by