The Stair Of Time (Book 2) Read Free

question was rhetorical, so didn’t bother answering.  The big man had seen Ashel enthralled before.  He knew what it was like.  Unfortunately, the skills that made Ashel an exceptional wizard also made him, at least sometimes, a very poor friend. 
    “I’ll have another talk with him,” Gaven promised. “Provided I can find ‘im.  But I’m not convinced it’ll make any difference.”  He sighed, took a bite of stew, and leaned back in his chair.  “Small consolation though it may be, whatever he’s workin’ on probably does involve the greater good somehow.  And him holin’ up like this ain’t nothin’ personal, Andaris.  It’s just how he does things.”
    “Yeah, I guess I know that.  But even so, I don’t think I can keep from resenting it.  It’s like I’m getting my leg gnawed off by a wolf and he’s just sitting there with his nose in a book trying to decide how best to domesticate all wolves.  It may be just how he does things, but that doesn’t make it right.”
    Gaven frowned , seeming unsure how to respond. “You know Ashel’s like a brother to me,” he finally said.  “You also know that he’s saved my hide more times than I care to count.  And yet there’s no one on this earth who can bristle my spine faster.  I’ve been dealin’ with his conflicting nature most of my life and I still don’t understand it.  I sure don’t expect anyone else to.”  He shoveled another spoonful of stew into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as if it were the most delectable thing to ever grace his palette.  Hunger momentarily sated, he pointed to Andaris with his spoon, squinted one eye, and said, “The thing is, usually what makes him neglect his friends ends up benefiting them too, maybe even saving ‘em.”
    Andaris rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling very weary.  He knew Gaven was right.  It was just….  Well, if Ashel and the archives were his only problems, he would be holding up better, wouldn’t he?  They weren’t, though.  Not by a long shot.
    Seeing the shadow pass over Andaris’ face, Gaven asked, “So, how’s Mandie?  She doin’ any better?”
    Andaris’ eyes turned glassy.  “ Worse,” he replied.  “She’s awake less and less.  A few days ago, the Almighty Ashel came down from mountain high, apparently deeming Mandie’s health worthy of his brief attention.  After examining her, he said he couldn’t find anything physically wrong.  He promised to look into it, but didn’t know how successful he’d be.”  Andaris recalled the conversation all too well:
     
    ***
     
    “At this point,” said Ashel, his narrow face drawn with distraction, “I have little more than a working hypothesis.  The best way to describe what I believe is occurring is to say that a part of her exists in another place and time, and the longer she remains separate from that other part, or rather the longer the two halves of her remain separate from each other, the less substantive they become, two halves of the same spirit that must eventually cease to exist unless they are once again made whole.
    It’s probable, based on the data I have gathered thus far, that whoever turned her into Jade left behind an encrypted spell designed to activate in the unlikely event that she became Mandie again.  The purpose of such a spell is unclear.  It may be responsible for her comatose state, or her body and mind may have simply shut down on their own because they were unable to sustain consciousness with only half of a soul. 
    There are so many possibilities, each with its own conflicting set of variables, that it’s difficult to say anything with any real degree of certainty.  For instance, it may be that this is the work of two entirely separate wizards—one bad and one good.  The second may have turned her into Jade in an attempt to preserve this half of her until he or she could find a way to send her back to her own time.  Half of a human soul is likely