War Of The Wildlands(75)

Realizing what he had just read, he stared up at Master Eldon, his jaw dropping open.

Upon seeing Yori’s expression, Master Eldon nearly burst with laughter. “It’s quite amazing what you can do with gemstones, is it not?”

Nodding his head, Yori replied, “It certainly is.”

“Now,” Eldon began. “Try etching something more along those lines. I can bring you a dictionary if you need me to.” The old elf chuckled quietly.

“That won’t be necessary,” Yori replied. He knew just what to etch next. Turning the blade to the other side, he began etching again. This time, he chose a derivative of fire that also insinuated strength and passion in the ancient elven tongue.

Master Eldon watched and nodded approvingly as Yori completed his work. “Excellent choice,” he declared. “Now let’s see if you can set a gemstone into this hilt.” With a magical burst, Eldon opened a drawer that contained various gems laid out on a soft cushion. Choosing a small red stone, he said, “This one should do nicely.”

Using the same method his uncle had taught him, he delicately set the precious stone into the metal. The dagger glowed red, but after a few seconds the color faded away. Even the etched runes lost their small amount of color as the pair stared in disbelief.

“What would cause that?” Eldon asked, scratching his chin.

Yori shook his head. “I guess that gemstone didn’t like what I did to it.” He had no idea why the runes would lose their effectiveness, but it had to relate to the gem or the magic contained inside it.

“I’m going to have to fix this,” Eldon declared, turning the blade in his hand. “This is going to require more research on my part. I might have to visit the university.”

The sound of footsteps told Yori the apprentices had returned. They walked in stride with one another as they approached the workbench where he sat. As Yori looked over his shoulder at them, they glanced at each other and shook their heads. He turned away, hoping they would keep their comments to themselves.

“Here, hold this,” Eldon said, passing the dagger to one apprentice.

“Achh!” the elf shouted as he dropped the dagger and staggered backwards.

Eldon chuckled. “At least that part still works.”

The apprentice retrieved the dagger from the floor and glared at Yori as he handed it back to his master.

“You two should take this young elf to see the duel. I’m going to head over to the university for a bit.” Eldon turned to Yori and said, “We’ll continue this lesson in a day or so. I’m sure I can find something by then.”

Eldon hurried off, leaving Yori behind with the two apprentices. He stood and managed a weak smile. The apprentices looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“So what are you, anyway?”one of them asked.

“An elf from the Wildlands,” Yori replied, not bothering to mention his human blood. He knew that would only make him more disgusting to their eyes.

The elf shrugged at his answer. “Let’s go,” he said.

After magically sealing the shop, they continued down the street through the massive marketplace. Yori would have enjoyed stopping to browse the wares, but he barely had time to glance at the shops as he matched the hurried pace of the apprentices.

At last they arrived at a large coliseum. The entire structure was made of polished white stone that sparkled in the sunlight. Inside, hundreds of spectators had gathered to witness the daily duel.

“What are they dueling about?” Yori asked.

“Does it matter?” one apprentice replied. “They have some dispute, and they’ve come here to settle it.”

“How do you determine the winner?” Yori asked, fearing the answer.

Both apprentices laughed at the question and continued inside the coliseum. They found seats near the upper row just before the duel began. Two sorcerers, one in a blue robe and one in brown, stood at the center of the stage. Neither carried any visible weapons as they paced, sizing each other up.

Without warning, the blue sorcerer shot sparks at his opponent, who barely had time to put up a shield. As the sparks faded, the brown sorcerer was already wrapping his opponent in what appeared to be some sort of webbing. Yori glanced over at the apprentices, who sat on the edge of their seats. A blue light flashed, and the blue sorcerer was somehow freed of his bonds. The crowd roared with excitement. Yori remained silent, unsure how to respond. He assumed the spell must have been rather difficult if it could impress this crowd.

The brown sorcerer wasted no time in attacking again. This time, he emitted a green light from his fingertips, enveloping the blue mage in some type of sphere. The sphere began to fill with water until it burst, freeing the blue sorcerer from his prison. He quickly shot a stream of blue light at the brown sorcerer, hitting him in the face and knocking him off balance.