Ethan Wright and the Alchemist's Order, (Book 2) Read Free Page B

other alchemists I know. You couldn’t ask for a better instructor, well except for me maybe, but I never got into teaching so much — more of an explorer myself. Starting to get older though, now,” muttered Wegnel.
    “Ha, you’re not as old as your other self!” exclaimed Ethan, chuckling.
    Wegnel knew he had been caught at his own game. He giggled and snorted. “Ah … you got me there, Ethan — think you’re starting to get the hang of things, you are. I always knew you would be great at figuring out the two sides of the Oroborus — has to do with astronomy of course … but you already know that, don’t you now?”
    Just then a flash of brilliant light shot through the hut and a pale-faced Auren was seen running with his hands over his mouth. He darted by Wegnel and Ethan, jumping over the clutter on the floor.
    “Be right back!” grimaced Auren as he shoved his way out the door of the hut.
    “Don’t think he’s got the hang of it yet — just like his father, he is,” groused Wegnel. “I should go find that bucket,” he muttered, peering around the room.
    “Do you mind if we hang out a bit? At least until Auren is able to compose himself — or do whatever he does out there,” added Ethan, rearranging the gears inside the device.
    “He’s throwing up on my petunias is what he’s doing. I guess between him and his father, those flowerbeds have seen more vomit than I care to discuss. I don’t think the petunias appreciate those kinds of nutrients — no, no … I suppose not. But yes, stay as long as you like,” answered Wegnel, scratching his head. “Oh, where did I put that bucket now — I’m so disorganized, I am. And good luck with that darn gadget, I’ve been trying to fix that thing for a week now and—”
    “Got it,” announced Ethan, handing the device to Wegnel.
    “What?! That’s impossible, but … yes … you fixed it, indeed you did,” mumbled Wegnel as he took the gadget and inspected it thoroughly.
    “Fixed what?” asked Auren, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. He grabbed the device from Wegnel and was just about to depress the trigger when Wegnel snatched it back from him.
    “CAREFUL!” he yelled in agitation. “You want to lose an arm or something? I don’t have anything that would free you from this Aegis torture device, and I certainly don’t have any spare arms laying around.”
    “A what?” exclaimed Ethan, bounding up from his chair.
    “Watch, boys.” He placed the device on the coffee table with the trigger facing downward, pressed it down and jumped back quickly. A large metal net shot out, wrapping itself around the table. Its metal hooks snagged together at the bottom as it enveloped its wooden prey. A ZIP sound came from the contraption, followed by several clicks. The net instantly went taut around the table. The gears started to turn inside the device, pulling the net tighter, creating large grooves in the edges of the table. CRACK ! The coffee table started to snap and crunch as splinters of wood shot by Ethan’s head. Soon there wasn’t anything left of the table and the invention ran out of net to pull through the gears. Several clicks were heard and the device finally stopped.
    “What the….”
    “Neat, huh?” bragged Wegnel, but soon his smile turned into a scowl. “But now I seem to have wrecked my coffee table, haven’t I … hmm … should’ve used a stick or something instead. Next time — I will most definitely use something else next time.”
    “The Aegis made this?” asked Ethan, agitated at the thought of the torturous intention behind the gadget.
    “Yes, of course, of course … haven’t you been paying attention? I thought you said you were getting the hang of all this!” challenged Wegnel.
    “ I didn’t say that, you said that,” grumbled Ethan. “That’s not the point — why would the Aegis have a contraption like this anyways?”
    Wegnel picked up the device and frowned. “They torture people with