Read Online The Weaving of Wells (Osric's Wand, Book Four) by Jack D. Albrecht Jr., Ashley Delay - Free Book Online Page A

months trying to figure out how Osric was gaining so many new powers. It was obvious now that they had come from the sword, but there was more to it than that. Most of his gifts had developed gradually, although some had seemed to appear instantly or at least very rapidly between the occasions that Gus had examined him. If contact with blood had caused the gifts to transfer to him fully formed, then that would explain why he had gained the paun’s ability of invisibility and the gift that allowed him to see the spoken spells in the book that had previously looked blank. Thinking about the vial, Osric still wondered how he had attained the ability to read the book. The only solution that came from all his thoughts was that the vial had to have contained blood, dried by the years, and the sword had been exposed to the blood when he had gone into the water to retrieve the vial. He wasn’t positive, but it made sense. Then there were the various other gifts he had acquired after fighting with the sword; he had so many and the thought filled him with regret, gaining power with each life he took.
    The others gifts must have been more gradual because they were gained by proximity to the sword rather than by blood contacting the blade. Kenneth’s use of his sword during practice would explain how he had gained the gifts as well, though he wasn’t sure how to explain Gus and Bridgett gaining the abilities as well. Perhaps being near the sword was enough to develop the abilities over time—Gus confirmed the theory as the story had progressed.
    Osric secured his sword belt on his waist with trembling hands. The elation he had felt earlier in the day when he realized that his sword was actually the wand that had tormented him through the riddle of prophecy had given way to a heavy weight on his heart. Legati had been more than a sword to him all along, but understanding how his new gifts had been acquired did little to ease the demanding questions of why. There must be a reason why the unicorn had saved him that day as the palace collapsed, why he wasn’t killed along with most of the other Ratification Ceremony attendees. If it was the sword, or the wand, that had given him all of his abilities, then why was he the one with the burden of gaining them? Could he ever use his abilities without feeling the guilt of taking the lives of so many whom he had gained them from? Although he had acquired several of his gifts over time from the people around him without any harm coming to them, far more of his abilities had developed after the battles at Braya and Angmar, and after the fight with the Kallegian in Stanton. So many of his gifts were a bloody reminder of the fighting he had been forced to participate in since he was thrust into the battle for peace on Archana, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to use Legati again without feeling the weight of that guilt.
    Osric’s heart was pounding as all of the questions raced through his mind. He could still hear the echo of Aridis’s words to Serha about self-doubt preventing their success, but he couldn’t shake his own doubts. He wasn’t sure he would be able to do what it would take to wage a war, never mind win one. He tried to think about what had to be done to locate the wells and learn what they could from them, but it took all of his strength to turn and address the gathered group who looked to him for leadership. What right did he have to speak to them, to try to motivate them, to lead them?
    The weight of his sword against his leg felt both familiar and eerie, yet he couldn’t imagine being without it. It may be a burden to carry, but it was his burden. He would find a way to shoulder it—he couldn’t bear the thought of letting his people down after they had come so far with him. Osric straightened himself and tried to calm his thoughts—guilt was never an honest emotion. He looked out over the small crowd at his companions, his friends, and he set his mind on the next