The Secret of Zoone by Lee Edward Fodi

Author:Lee Edward Fodi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

16

The Council of Wizardry Convenes

Over the next two days, wizards arrived in bunches—or, as Lady Zoone said, in conjurings, which, according to her, was how you referred to magic-makers when you found them in groups of more than two.

“Though it’s not every day you encounter a conjuring,” she told Ozzie. “Wizards tend to like no one’s company but their own. That’s one reason why the council only meets every eleven years.”

Lady Zoone was in good humor, but poor Fusselbone was beside himself. A conjuring of wizards came with a great deal of dangerous luggage, and the little mouse-man issued a special addendum to the regulation handbook with a long list of dos and don’ts for the porters.

Mostly don’ts.

“Don’t leave the cases in the sun too long,” Fusselbone would shout from a little upturned box in the porters’ headquarters. “Don’t jiggle the luggage unnecessarily. Don’t antagonize any of the wizards’ familiars, especially if they’re dragonish. Don’t fraternize with the apprentices. Don’t . . .”

Ozzie didn’t mind the potential hazards that came with wrangling wizardly luggage. It gave him the opportunity to meet the owners firsthand and, hopefully, make a strong impression. Sure, Fidget’s idea about going to the Magic-Makers’ Market was a good one, but why not cover all angles?

“I didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with Nymm,” Ozzie confided to Tug, just before leaving for his first full day of wizardly porting. “But there’s a ton—I mean, a whole conjuring—of wizards arriving. They can’t all be that unfriendly. Right?”

“Definitely not,” the skyger agreed. “You know, if your right foot’s a problem, then maybe you should try your left.”

Ozzie didn’t have time to explain himself to the cat; he had to hurry off to work.

The first wizard to arrive at the station was Adaryn Moonstrom. She came from Ipee-Aru and specialized in transfiguration. When she first stepped through her door and onto the platform, Ozzie thought a magnificent queen had arrived in Zoone. Adaryn had silver hair, with eyes to match, and a long scepterlike staff in her delicate hands. Ozzie was so struck by her that he even bowed.

“Rise, porter,” Adaryn said gently. Then she looked at him intently and said, “Magic be with you.”

Next was Torannis Talon, from the Isles of Ishagra. He was an expert in creatures with magical abilities, and he arrived with all sorts of familiars, including a wolf pup with iridescent blue spots.

Enora and Ersa Sharpe were twin sisters who dwelled in the caves of Avaleen. They were blind, with pupil-less eyes, but as they put it, “Our vision is not to be wasted on things dwelling in present time; it’s for seeing a future realm, beyond the clock’s current chime.”

Wolfram Bone, from the deserts of Dossandros, studied comparative astronomy. Mysteeria Creed of Rengar specialized in translocation. Tahanu Renn, from the jungles of Sondo, was skilled in magical combat. Dorek Faeng of Veradune was a master of charms. On and on, the list went; in total, 111 magic-makers, plus their apprentices, arrived at Zoone Station.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.