The High-Wizard's Hunt: Osric's Wand: Book Two by Ashley Delay, Jack D. Albrecht Jr Page A

breath and looked into the concerned face that he could finally recognize.
    “Well, Bridgett,” he met her troubled stare with a weak smile and cleared his throat, “a magical trap, was it?” Gus heard the distant sound of a dog barking.
    “I am so sorry,” Bridgett fumbled with her necklace, “I did not think it would affect you since I brought you here, but Fallon has given you the formal invitation to the grove so you won’t have any issues with it again.”
    “I’s don’t want’s ta do’s that again.” Pebble shook his head slowly, his lower lip quivering, looking for sympathy from Bridgett with big, wet eyes.
    “Aww,” Bridgett moved close to pick him up, “it won’t happen again, honey. There are some unicorns close by. We are going to take you to see them in a few minutes. Do you want to see them?”
    Pebble sat up in her arms after positioning himself and rubbed his eyes.
    “Oh, yes, I’s do.”
    Bridgett smiled and pulled him close to kiss his forehead, then rubbed his stomach as he giggled. She sat him back on the ground and he picked up his wand that had been dropped in the throes of the trap.
    “Are you up for a short walk, Gus?”
    “I think I can manage it in this place,” he said, looking around in amazement, “but where did all of the snow go?”
    “It was never here. We don’t understand much about it, really. All we know for sure is that, without an invitation, you could walk through this entire area and never see any of its beauty.” Fallon answered his inquiry in a voice that suggested youthful innocence and acceptance; her lighthearted reply fit the scenery well.
    Gus looked at her in surprise, as he had been expecting Bridgett to answer. Fallon looked younger than Bridgett by several years. Gus tilted his head at the thought of someone younger than Bridgett leading the Maiden of the Unicorn. He stepped closer and extended his paw. It was a human custom, but they seemed to like it.
    “I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.” He bowed slightly at the woman as she crouched down to greet him. “I am Gus, the Wand-Maker.”
    “I’m Fallon.” She gripped his paw slightly between her fingers and gave an awkward bow from her crouched position. Her long, bronze hair fell from her shoulder and she smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    “So, you’re the leader of the Maiden, are you?”
    “It seems that way, but don’t ask me why. We don’t choose our leader; the unicorns do.” She shrugged her shoulders and stood up, gazing out at the greenery. “Sorry about the protection spell. We don’t control that either. If you hadn’t arrived on her shoulders by magic, it wouldn’t have done that.”
    “Really? Why should it make a difference how we arrive?” Gus was intrigued by the workings of the spell. He couldn’t make out anything but a slight fog with his Wand-Maker ability as he looked up at the sky.
    “Once again, we aren’t entirely sure. We know that anybody that isn’t invited into the grove by me won’t see anything but snow. My only guess is that it keeps anyone from forcing their way in by magical means.”
    “Don’t you at least have stories told by the former Head Maiden? Or anything passed down through the generations? There has to be someone who knows more about this.”
    “I wish.” She looked at Bridgett and they both laughed. “That would make this a whole lot more fun!”
    “She had to have told you something?” Gus was beginning to grow frustrated at the lack of wisdom he found in their leader.
    “I am sure she would’ve loved to have told me everything, but the unicorns are the only ones who understand the barrier, and they aren’t telling anyone. We’re happy to stay here and fulfill our role.”
    Gus could hear the sound of a barking dog approaching, and it was beginning to wear at his nerves. There was magic in use that he desperately desired to learn. It was as though Archana was pushing him to the limits of his