The Wand-Maker's Debate: Osric's Wand: Book One (16 page)

The ruins stretched deeper into the forest than Machai would have guessed from his first impression, revealing themselves to be an abandoned city, rather than the minor outpost that he had first thought them. The further they traveled, the more overgrown the path became. What had initially been recognizable as a road became little more than a dirt trail between massive trees. The horses had to place their hoofs carefully to avoid overturning a stone on the side of the path. After an hour or so, the sunlight filtering down between the trees became the dim impression of daylight, as they traveled beneath a canopy of greenery so dense that no rays could break through. The ground beneath their feet progressed from soft soil to solid rock, and they were climbing as much as they were walking. Thom stopped and pulled a long white wand from his sleeve. He stepped around Machai and pointed it at the ground near the horses' hoofs. A soft puddle of light appeared around their pasterns and the wheels of the wagon. The horses didn't appear to notice, but as they continued up the steep rocky slope, their hoofs seemed to barely touch the ground and they climbed effortlessly behind the two men.

Thom stepped off the path into a small clearing as the dim light faded rapidly into night. Machai unhitched the horses from the wagon to allow them to graze, while Thom gathered wood for a campfire. He pulled out his wand to light the fire and Machai peered curiously at it. It was obviously carved from a long bone, bleached white by years of exposure to the sun, but in the fire light it seemed to glow with a reddish hue from within the bone. Machai could not think of any animal it could be from.

“What manner of beast did ye procure that bone from?” Machai sat on one of many fallen trees in the clearing, which looked to have been severed from their stumps by lightning or careless magic. He suspected the clearing had been made by someone for a convenient campsite, and they obviously had no regard for the life of the trees in the magnificent forest. He regarded Thom as he pulled a whet stone from his pack and began meticulously sharpening his axe.

Thom twirled the wand between his fingers and smiled savagely. “This is dragon's bone, my stubby friend. A gift, for my diligent work for mankind.”

Machai glared at him for the disrespectful reference to his height, but restrained himself from putting his axe to good use. “I wouldn't be letting a dragon see that; they would be picking you from betwixt their teeth with ye'r bones, lad.”

Thom sneered at him from across the fire. “Nah, those stupid beasts fear me all the more for having it.” He slipped the wand back up his sleeve and walked off into the forest. Machai eyed him suspiciously as he watched him walk away.
Dragons, fear that mangy human, doubtful!
He would be surprised if he could
slay
them a rabbit for the spit.

Thom returned a while later, whistling as he came back into the camp, dangling a large hare from a noose over his shoulder. The animal was still alive, struggling against Thom's back with terror filled eyes, and the young man smiled as he bashed its head with a rock before gutting and skinning it for the fire.

* * *

Machai was keeping watch from the lowered gate of the wagon, his axe resting across his knees, on a dark drizzly morning of their third day on the mountain. He trusted Thom less the more time he spent with him. The man was cruel and careless with both animals and plants, tearing leaves from the trees they passed, and throwing rocks at the creatures that scurried from their path. He had no respect for the various lives that surrounded him, and his carefree attitude grated on Machai's nerves. He was thankful that they would reach the volcano within the day, and he could make his delivery and return to his home. He was anxious to be away from that place, as beautiful as it was, and the boorish, young man. He sat, listening to the last of the night's bird calls and the rain dripping from nearby trees, enjoying the peace afforded to him by Thom's quiet sleeping. It was the only time he was quiet. Machai sighed regretfully and jumped to the ground when Thom rolled from his blankets and immediately started whining about the rain. It would be a long day.

They had a quick breakfast of hard bread from Thom's pack and a juicy, green fruit plucked from a nearby tree, and they were back on the rocky trail shortly after it had lightened enough to see. The rocks were slick from the rain, and they had to be even more careful to avoid upsetting stones and tumbling back down the hill. The horses still seemed unperturbed by the unsure footing, and Machai considered asking Thom to cast the same spell on his travel worn feet, but he would be damned if he would put himself in debt to a man he was despising more by the day.

As they got closer to the peak of the volcano, the trees began to thin out and the hot sun broke through the heavy rain clouds. Thom dropped back to walk alongside the dwarf, twirling his dragonbone wand between his fingers. He stopped whistling and his mood became more somber, slowing his pace to a casual walk on the ever broadening path.

“I like you Machai, so I am going to give you some advice.” The dwarf let out a short, gruff laugh, but held back his sarcastic retort at the serious look on Thom's face. “The entrance to the volcano is guarded by a dragon. He won't allow you inside. Don't challenge him, or he is ordered to eat you. Once you are paid for this shipment, I will lead you back to the trail and you can make your way back down the mountain. Don't ask any questions. My superiors don't like strangers. You must not make your camp any closer to the peak than this point, so you will need to travel quickly once you leave. I will recast the spell on the horses' hoofs, so you can ride one and lead the other. They will be less encumbered without the wagon, and you will make good time.” Thom stared at Machai, trying to read his expression to see how he would accept his suggestions. He had gotten the impression that the dwarf was not apt to be compliant with rules he didn't understand or agree with. Machai looked back at him, blank faced, deciding which answers he wanted first from the infuriating man.

“It be sounding like me life may be threatened on this trip by more than sweltering heat. I do
not
like ye, Thom, and I think it be time ye answer some questions.” Machai indicated a rock on the side of the trail. “If ye answer to me liking, I will complete the delivery.”

“I was afraid you would say something like that. Unfortunately for you, I am not allowed to answer any of your questions. There are many hardships on this trail. It would be a terrible thing, indeed, if you were to be killed by a rock slide, so close to our destination. Though it would not be the first time an accident befell a traveler along this path.” Thom sneered down at Machai, his dragonbone wand clutched in his grimy hand. “I suggest you just do as I say, and you may well make it back to where ever it is you came from.” He pointed his wand at Machai's chest and grinned maliciously.

In a flurry of movement that belied his stocky stature, Machai whipped the axe from his back and the flat side of the blade connected with Thom's hand, knocking his wand from his grasp. In the blink of an eye, Thom found himself being knocked backward. He landed roughly on the same rock Machai had invited him to sit upon, with the dwarf's wand pointed at his right eye and the blade of his axe at his throat.

“And I
suggest
ye sit down and answer me questions. I do not doubt that ye'r superiors would not be too disappointed if I had to complete me delivery without me guide.” Thom cradled his injured hand against his chest and glared at Machai, sitting eye level with him, and very angry. He had apparently underestimated the dwarf. Never had he seen someone attack with both weapon and wand, and he didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

“Alright, it is obvious that you have the upper hand. Allow me to retrieve my wand and heal my hand, and I will tell you what you want to know.” Thom's voice was contrite and sullen, but Machai had no intention of trusting him. He kept his blade pressed firmly against the flesh at Thom's throat, and pointed his wand at his rapidly swelling hand. Soon, Thom could feel the bones knitting themselves together and the pain slowly eased as circulation returned to his fingers.

“Ye may get ye'r wand when I be satisfied ye have answered me with truth. Why do ye be stationed at Braya Volcano?” He fixed his wand on Thom's chest, and lowered the axe to his side.

“I serve as a guard.”

“What do ye guard?”

“Captives.”

“Braya be a prison, then?” Machai hefted his axe up and rested it on his left shoulder. The movement did not escape Thom's notice, and he swallowed harshly before he answered.

“Not exactly. I assure you, Machai, these questions are better left unanswered, for your sake and mine. They will kill us both for the telling.” Machai saw true fear in the man's eyes, but it did not deter him from his interrogation. He waited with restrained patience for Thom to elaborate. Thom recognized the determination in Machai's expression, and his shoulders hunched as he explained. “The volcano serves as a prison, but not for criminals. It cages the eldest of the dragons.”

“Dragons?” Machai looked shocked, and his hand holding his wand wavered slightly in his surprise. “What in stone's blood are ye talking about, man?” Thom sighed deeply, acknowledging that he could not avoid a detailed explanation.

“I arrived here seven years ago with two of my peers. We had been trained in security measures, and were told that we were being given the opportunity to directly serve our Turgent. I started out butchering sheep, hundreds of them a day. After the first year, I finally saw what I had been preparing meals for: dragons. There are lots of them. Held captive to force the rest of their race to serve the wealthy and empowered as a means of transportation. For the past six years I have been a guard. It's better than chopping up sheep, aside from the occasional fire blast from one of those bloody behemoths.” He peered down at his singed sleeve in disgust.

Machai was shaken by the tale. He sat heavily down on the ground before Thom and summoned the discarded wand with his own. He stared soberly at the young man and handed him back his dragonbone wand. He did not doubt the truthfulness of his answer. No one would make up that story.

“Thom, ye'r tale be hard to swallow, but I believe ye.” He stood up and started pacing back and forth before the rock Thom sat upon, his wand and axe still gripped in each hand. “Who is ye'r commander?”

“Just a gruff old man named Aron, but the chain of command goes much higher, not that I am privy to any of those names. I really can't tell you anything else, Machai. You already know enough to have us both tortured and killed.”

“I may not like ye, Thom, but I willn't allow ye to suffer for ye'r compliance with me demands. Ye will answer me a bit more, and then we will be on our way. I willn't indicate that ye have told me a thing, but nor will I wander into the trap awaiting me. And ye
will
tell me what I need to know to ensure I leave this blasted mountain with me hide intact, do we have an understanding?”

“Aye, Machai, ask what you will.” Thom replaced his wand in his sleeve and leaned back casually on the rock. Maybe having an alliance with the dwarf would be in his benefit. He certainly didn't want to provoke another encounter with that axe of his, nor the ire with which he wielded it.

“Wise choice, Thom. Tell me, who will be accepting me delivery upon our arrival?”

“I assume it will be Aron, although, sometimes a few of the guards are sent in his place.”

“And if I appear to be unknowing of the happenings at the volcano, he will pay me and send me on me way?”

“Sure, this may be a hazardous trail, but if no one ever returned from the volcano, sooner or later someone would come to find out why. It is in his better interest to keep you ignorant and intact.”

Machai stopped pacing and scratched his beard with his wand. “Ye say the dragons are caged. What manner of bars would hold such beasts as those?”

Thom hung his head and ran his hands through his shaggy hair. “They are heavily barred and locked, but the true restraints are magical in nature. I am told it took twelve men with the best wands gold can buy to weave the spells. No man could counter those enchantments. Nothing can get out, and thus, nothing can get in.”

“Well, ye fed the dragons, surely ye must be able to get them meat.”

“The enchantments are on a timed cycle. There are momentary lapses in the spell, but only for one cage at a time. As one shield falls, we drop meat through a feeding shoot, and then proceed to the next cage as the spell resumes. Once in a while, a dragon will have a well-timed spout of fire aimed at the feeding shoot. Some men have not been as agile as myself, to only singe my clothing. The reinforced metal is sufficient to contain them for the short amount of time the shield is down.” Machai was disturbed by the conversational attitude Thom had adopted in describing the cruel containment of such enchanting creatures, but he wanted to know as much as he could.

“And a dragon be guarding the entrance? No doubt under duress that his kin will be injured if he does not be doing the bidding of this man, Aron.”

“Yes, he is under orders to eat anyone who attempts to enter the volcano without an invitation, and he is an awful brute. I wouldn't cross him if I were you. He takes out all of his wrath on strangers that wander too close to the entrance.” Thom looked inquisitively at his short companion. “What exactly are you planning to do, Machai, rescue the beasts? I am starting to wonder where all these questions are leading.”

“Do not be a fool! What could I possibly be doing to free them? I just be here to make me delivery, and I be no elven assassin! Get on with it, then. Lead me to this entrance and let me be done with it. The sooner I can be getting away from this volcano, and ye, the better, if ye ask me.” Machai slung his axe across his back, but kept his wand firmly in his grasp. He whistled sharply at the horses and they ceased their grazing and regained the rocky path. Thom shook his head in disbelief, but he stood up from his perch on the rock and cleared his throat.