Page 26 of Wizards & Weavers
“The dungeon is filled with elementals,” Braiden said. “Creatures rendered from the purest forms of earth, wind, fire, and water.”
Augustin gave him a slow, good-natured clap. “You see? I knew there was a reason to bring you down here. You do know one or two things about magic and adventuring, after all.”
A spark of irritation flickered in Braiden’s chest. “I might know one or two things because of my family,” he huffed. “We’re weavers. Our spells might not be as spectacular as yours, but they work well enough for our purposes.”
“I was only teasing,” Augustin said. “I meant no offense.”
“But that begs the question,” Elyssandra said. “You’re the Wizard of Weathervale. An expedition like this is hardly a challenge for you. I still don’t understand why you’re letting us tag along. Iamgrateful, of course. An opportunity to adventure with a great hero of Aidun — as if I could resist!”
Braiden shot her a chiding look. She had to stop feeding Augustin’s already inflated head with so many compliments. They simply couldn’t risk another explosion down in these tunnels.
Augustin grinned. “I meant what I said. I think Braiden knows even more about magic than he realizes. And I think you have one or two secrets about the true nature of your talents, too.”
Elyssandra tittered. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”
The air grew mustier as the little party descended deeper into the bowels of the anthill. Colder, too. Braiden’s breath misted as he studied the caverns by the light of Elyssandra’s blueberry pin. This was a lot more trekking than he’d bargained for. Did the great heroes of Aidun have to do so much walking?
Elyssandra slowed to match pace with him, elbowing him in the side as she leaned in to whisper. “Do you think we’ll run into a monster?”
Braiden hoped so, if only for the novelty of the experience. He wasn’t sure how well he’d do in a fight. He’d hate to admit it, but he was grateful they had a wizard in tow. Or that a wizardwas towing them along, rather. Braiden preferred this marching order. That way, if a monster attacked, Augustin’s very large head would protect them.
“Well,” Braiden said, “we should keep a lookout for elementals, for one thing.”
“Mindless things,” Augustin called over his shoulder. “Neither good nor evil. No ethics, no morals. Simply the sort of creatures that arise from elemental convergence. A thunderstorm is terrifying and destructive, but it doesn’t know right from wrong. You could say the same of an earthquake.”
Braiden took it all in, nodding solemnly. Good. He wouldn’t have to feel bad about fighting a rock elemental and harvesting its remains for precious gemstones, or rare minerals, or anything else that might help him pay the rent. But that brought him to a more pressing question. How was he supposed to defend himself in the first place?
Augustin’s boots scraped on dirt as he came to a halt. He held up his hand and tightened it into a fist. The sudden stop sent a spike of panic through Braiden’s chest.
“Hold,” Augustin whispered, so softly that Braiden was sure only the three of them could hear.
In a shaking voice, Elyssandra asked, “Should I turn off the light?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Augustin murmured back. “It doesn’t matter now. It knows we’re here.”
It?
Then came the rumble of rock and shifting stone from around the corner. A shiver ran down Braiden’s spine. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so eager about elementals and battles.
A spherical hunk of rock came into view, a pale sliver of blue in its center like a cyclopean eye. Even through the thick weave of his sweater, Braiden felt a sudden chill. Then the rest of thecreature rumbled into the corridor, and a warm wave of relief washed over him.
“Oh, look,” Elyssandra said. “It’s actually kind of cute.”
The little elemental was only as tall as a small child. Its stocky frame reminded Braiden of the smaller races of Aidun — taller than the gnomes, famed for their skills in tinkering and artifice, and broad than a dwarf, who spent their days mining and smithing deep in their mountain homes.
Braiden hesitated. Had they made a mistake? Perhaps these creatures were simply defending their home, like Elyssandra’s elven kin, who sought only seclusion, or the dwarves, who had their own reasons for staying underground.
“Don’t let its appearance deceive you,” Augustin warned. The air around his raised hand wavered as he readied a spell. “Calling it ‘cute’ doesn’t change the fact that it’s highly dangerous.”
Braiden wrung his hands. “But how dangerous could it be? Look. It’s just standing there.”
A jagged seam split open in the creature’s near-perfect sphere of a face. A grinding noise filled the corridor, like stone scraping against ice. With a rasping screech, a dozen shards of solid frost shot from its gaping maw, slicing through the air like a hail of daggers.
With a muttered phrase and a wave of his hand, Augustin conjured a gust of violent wind. Braiden marveled at the speed of his reaction, the fluidity of his casting. The spell howled from the wizard’s body, knocking the icicles out of the air, scattering them along the corridor.
All except one.
Augustin cried out and fell to his knees. Elyssandra screamed. A wave of fear ripped through Braiden’s body. Maybe Dudley was right to be so skeptical of his plan. Maybe this was a terrible idea, after all.
