In Pursuit Of Wisdom (Book 1) Read Free

pointing.  One nearby man with few teeth and many facial sores laughed at them as he sloshed some brown drink down the front of his shirt, aiming for his mouth.
    “Boys, take a good, long look ,” Sindar said. “This here is a real city.  It’s dangerous—from now on, we stick together at all times.  I don’t need Marik cursing me ’cause a couple of his students wandered into a mess they couldn’t get clear of.  I can deal with steel handshakes and cutpurses, but I don’t need no Mage throwing spice at me.  You boys stay close.”   Sindar stared at them as he narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow.  “You, too, Ranger.”
    “Oh, what would I ever do without your protection, you big , strong man!”  Lionel mocked in a high voice.  “Yes, you lummox—we’ll both keep an eye open for trouble and see that we get what we came for.  Marik gave us both these charges to be his eyes and ears, remember?  And last time I checked, our little spellweavers came in handy.”  Lionel turned to face one of the two grand statues marking the entrance to Gaust off the main road.
    Magi gazed at the statues as well.  “What are these?  They ’re enormous.”  The statue on his left was of a man holding a net in one hand, a spear in the other.  It looked to be marble or granite and was at least twenty feet tall.  The statue on the right was a beautiful, smiling mermaid who seemed to be eternally staring at the fisherman across the road.  Looking closely, Magi could tell that the statues hadn’t been cleaned for awhile.  They were yellowing, and in places were chipped.
    “Aye.  Been here for ages.  I’m sure a scribe somewhere could tell you who built ’em, but they’ve been here welcoming visitors forever, as far as I know.  Story goes that the city was built to harvest the treasures of the Sea, and that pretty mermaid over there watches him to see he don’t take too much out, know what I mean?”  Sindar walked across the road and patted the mermaid’s tail appreciatively.  “The way I see it, women are the bane of men, mermaids the bane of sea folk.”
    Magi thought about Kari , Kyle’s sister.  She’s not the bane of anyone—
    Lionel ’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Yes, that’s basically it.   But on to more important matters.  The scroll that your Master asked you to find—did he tell you where to look in the city?”
    “It’s called the Scroll of Tralatus.   He said to start with the Great Library.  He stressed that it was very important that we bring it to him.”  Magi caught Kyle staring at the Mermaid’s bosom while Lionel was speaking.  He smiled and turned to face his three companions. “That’s all I know about it.”
    “Hmmph.  And what do we do when we find it?  Is it for sale?  Does he expect us to become thieves?”  Sindar asked everyone, but he was looking at Lionel.
    “We will not be stealing it.  Marik would never abide that.  We shall buy it, copy it, or memorize it.”  Magi said.
    “Or borrow it,” Lionel offered.  “Doesn’t matter at the moment…we’ll plot that course when we find the ship, as they say here.  First, let’s find this Library.”  He started walking briskly, passing underneath the statues and headed into the city proper.
    As Magi hurried after him, his attention was distracted (as was so often the case) by the ring he had had since he was a child – a gift from his father that he wore on his right middle finger. He twisted it, feeling the slight moisture around his finger underneath the pure silver.   Mounted atop the silver band was a small onyx square that housed a diamond-shaped emerald.  It is an unusual combination, for sure.
    “Quit playing with your ring and teach me that freezing spell,” Kyle said with a smile as he caught up to Magi, clapping his hand against his back as they both entered the largest city either of the young men had ever seen.
     
     
    ~Xaro~
     
    Unlike the Staircase—the