Fate's Hand Read Free Page B

down his arm to jump over to the window sill and out of sight.
    "Now, back to it." Jerib reset his concentration and closed his eyes. He sat motionless for a while before he finally mumbled, "There." He gently ran his fingertip across the water. As the surface began to still, an image appeared in the bowl.
    He saw the form of several orcs snoring around a campfire. It was dark, only the low flicker of the fire gave them any sight at all. He scanned the scene frantically for any sign of his sister. Something beside one of the orcs moved. It was Daria! She was trying to use a skinny piece of rock to open an iron shackle around her ankle. The shackle was attached to a sleeping orc's belt by a long chain. The orc stirred slightly and she froze in place. He casually reached back and jerked the chain, sending Daria skidding across the dirt. She looked around and realized she had dropped the rock she was using. She curled up in a ball and began to cry, her tears leaving clean streaks through the dried blood on her face.
    As the image of his sister faded away, Val whispered, "Daria." Jerib held his hand out for silence and sat very still. Several moments went by in silence. Jerib was sitting with his chin resting on his knuckles.
    "Sparks," he finally said.
    Val looked up, curious. "What?"
    "There were sparks when her hands skidded across the ground. That can only mean they were in a rock cave. Think about it. It’s not dark outside, yet they were sleeping around a fire. And a stone floor to create sparks. They are in one of the many caves before the Grey Hills."
    "I have to go now," Val said, rising from the table.
    "Sit, please, sit," Jerib said calmly with his hand outreached. "A plan. You need a plan. Don’t rush off blindly into the coming night only to check every cave on the hillside. I think I can help you find her, Val."
    Val’s heart jumped as he heard the words. "You're coming with me?"
    "No, I would only slow you down, and I’m too old to fight anymore. Give me a few hours, rest, eat, and refill your supplies. I will see what I can do."
    Val was anxious to return to his search with the image of his sister fresh in his mind, but he knew it was for the best.
    "Okay, I will rest until you are done with your work."
    "Good. Wise choice. You may go rest in the stable loft while I work in here."

    The red wizard Yusar meditated only minutes before his attack on the great library, thinking of his path and end goal. Scrying revealed the book to be in the warded and heavily-guarded room of the nearby library in the city of Facona. The guarded room held a host of magical items of the unknown. He made note to come back later and search for anything that might pique his curiosity. He rose from his mat and cited the words to ward him for the coming fight. Knowing his way through his mind’s eye, he finished the spell to fly out miles from his tower, over the town and to the library. His intense meditation let him block out all the sounds of the city's nightlife and concentrate on the task before him. He floated down to the front doors of the building to land softly before two unsuspecting guards. Before they could shout an alarm or raise their weapons, the wizard opened his eyes and finished the final symbol of his spell to affix a globe of silence on the immediate area.               Yusar touched his thumbs together and thrust his hands out, releasing his built up spell and sending the two guards crashing through the front doors without a sound. He calmly took a few steps back out of the silenced globe and mouthed a new spell. He instantly became invisible and walked over the two unconscious guards and splintered wood. He made his way through the abandoned corridors until he came on the room he was looking for. One scan over the door made him aware of the intricate spells warding it. A half-awake female guard sat to the side of the door, with a heavy morning star laid across her lap. Yusar knew he could spend an hour