The Wordsmiths and the Warguild by Hugh Cook

Togura was eagerly expecting to see miracles. He was bitterly
disappointed by the motley assortment of oddments which was actually on view.
            "This is it?"
he said.
            "Won with great
pain, my boy," said Brother Troop. "Won with great pain."
            There were two
lightweight diamond-shaped objects with holes in them - possibly buttons, and
possibly not. There was a disk of think metal stamped with concentric circles;
it had jagged edges, and was rusting. There was a pale, slightly translucent
object, very thin and sharp, about the length of a finger, which Togura was
almost certain was a fishbone.
            Next there was a curious
square box, blue in colour, which was riddled with holes. Togura was about to
explore the holes with his fingers when Brother Troop slapped his hand down.
            "No, my boy, don't
do that. Brother Dorban lost a finger to that little box."
            Togura stared into the
holes and saw a wavering ever-changing light inside. The box was humming.
            "I'll tell yo9u one
thing for certain," he said. "You'll never find out what this is
for."
            "Ah, my boy,"
beamed Brother Troop. "We know already. It's an insect trap. It lures them
and kills them - or, at least, they go inside and they're never seen again.
Fleas, flies, cockroaches - it doesn't discriminate. Leave your clothes by the
box overnight, and they'll be free of lice by daybreak."
            There were more things.
A pile of old rags. A curious stone globe which appeared to be filled with
stars. Some objects made of lead which might have been said to imitate the
shape of knucklebones. A length of strong, translucent green cord which
appeared to be made all of one seamless piece; it was slippery, and difficult
to knot. A stone adze, bearing cryptic markings in paint. A friable, lumpy grey
object which Togura was far too polite to identify as a rather old and shabby
dog turd.
            "All this comes
from the odex?"
             "Yes," said Brother Troop, nodding. "And other things,
too dangerous to keep. Today's monster was a case in point. Come, I'll show you
the reading room."
            They went to the reading
room where there was a single very old and ancient book. Its cover, and its
individual pages, were coated with a hard, transparent substance; thus
protected, they did not seem to suffer decay.
            "This is the Book
of the Odex," said Brother Troop. "It was discovered together with
the odex itself in the Old City in the Valley of Forgotten Dreams, in
Penvash."
            "There's no such
place as the Old City," said Togura. "That's just a tale to frighten
children with."
            The Brother shook his
head.
            "No. There really
is a city. Men went there seeking wealth. Many died. Even before they got to
the city, one was turned into a monster after a flower swallowed him; they
killed him after he killed five."
            Togura nodded politely,
though he scarcely believed a word of it, and the Brother continued.
            "Of those who went,
three returned alive. One was my father. They gained three things in the Old
City: the Book, the odex, and their nightmares. Open the Book."
            Togura did so. The
patterns within, splattered across the pages as if at random, made a
bewildering maze of angles, corners and stunted lines.
            "Can you read,
boy?"
            "A little. But not
this."
            "That's scarcely
surprising. It's written in two languages. Part is written in the Voice of Jade
and Gold, which the scholars of former times used both before and after the
Days of Wrath. A travelling wizard was able to translate it for my father. Thus
he learnt that the odex was used in former times to store both knowledge and
objects. There is vast wealth inside the odex, boy."
            "But you can't get
it out."
            "Not unless we gain
the