Cedwick peered at it, suddenly realizing that the source of Helg’s magic resembled a small, very desiccated frog.
“Frog magic,” said Helg. “Very powerful!”
The apprentice mage began to turn green, a color the frog had not been for some time.
“Frog magic, indeed,” he heard Jobin remark to Halivar. Halivar snorted in derision.
Helg, however, heard them as well, and she reacted much less tolerantly. Faster than a desiccated frog could hop, she was across the courtyard. Two pudgy fists gave both the gnome and the kender a clout in the head.
This time, the scene erupted into an all-out war. The gnomes responded to the gully dwarf’s temper by scampering for suitable weapons. The kender smacked the gully dwarf with his staff; then, for good measure, he struck Jobin as well.
Jobin, not at all pleased at being clouted and struck, decided to retreat to the safety of the Veryveryhot. Helg followed quickly. Halivar, beset momentarily by several angry gnomes, swung his staff about as if it were a sword. Fortunately, it was not.
“Stop!” Cedwick cried amid the confusion. However, at that exact moment, someone set off the signal cannon, which in turn sent the warning siren blaring.
The whole spectacle became a massive brawl. The gnomes, outnumbering the gully dwarf and kender twelve to two, fought each other, “just to be fair.” Guild fought guild, and committee fought committee. Cedwick caught sight of Jobin and his cousin, wrenches locked. Somewhere above the screaming of the siren, someone was shrieking to be let out of the signal cannon.
The young apprentice mage waded into the fray, struggling to restore order, but every time he pulled a pair of fighters apart, another pair took their place. Just as he settled the second argument, a third fight ensued. By the time he finished with those two, the first two were at it again.
Standing atop the God Trap Machine, Helg held aloft the mummified frog, preaching, “This! This what happen when man lose sight of magic!”
Cedwick felt it was the most profound statement he had heard all day.
Quite suddenly, Halivar brought his staff down on part of the God Trap Machine. Something swiveled sharply, and with a loud crack the top of the God Trap flew off at tremendous speed. The unsuspecting gully dwarf rocketed off the machine with a startled cry. Even the gnomes stopped their sparring to take notice.
With a thud, Helg flew directly into Cedwick. The apprentice mage collapsed in the dirt. As his head connected with the ground, something within the young man mentioned that this might be a dandy moment to lose consciousness.
But he didn’t.
“Cedwick!”
The apprentice mage’s eyes snapped open. Dread clutched his heart. He crawled to his feet.
“Thank goodness!” Halivar said. “I thought I killed you!”
Cedwick paid him no mind. In the doorway of the Tower stood Master Laudus. Shadows played about his gaunt, narrow features, and his eyes burned with electric intensity. His arms moved in precise, rehearsed motions, and his robes flowed about him in billowing ripples.
Something sizzled through the air, landed amid the brawling mob, and exploded in a cloud of smoke. Instantly, the gnomes, kender, and gully dwarf began to gag and choke on the fumes. Cedwick’s eyes watered from the stench.
Blinking away tears, the apprentice caught sight of the archmage. The old man motioned to him. His glare told Cedwick everything the young man needed to know.
Cedwick stepped out of the cloud and prepared for a lecture.
As the smoke cleared, Cedwick returned to the group. None of them were fighting anymore. Without exception, they all sat on the ground and gasped hard for air. They watched each other with wide-eyed stares.
When they worked up enough energy to speak, the babble began.
“Hey, was that magic?”
“I thought magic was gone!”
“Robes have strong magic for not-have magic!”
Cedwick silenced them by raising his hand.
“I have just, uh, spoken to Master Laudus,” he said smoothly. “The demonstration you just received is an example of how great a wizard he is even without magic.”
The others nodded solemnly.
“What did he say?” asked Jobin.
“1 gave him your information. He has asked us to carry on research in his absence.”
“Then our mission was successful?” Halivar asked.
“It would seem so.”
The group cheered. Cedwick silenced them.
“Since we cannot be sure what exactly happened to magic,” the apprentice mage explained, “Halivar will be placed in charge of “The reacquisition of magic in the event that it has been destroyed.’ The gnomes will be in charge of “The reacquisition of magic in the event that it is merely trapped.’ In the meantime, Helg will teach me the arts of frog magic. I will act as a personal liaison between the three groups.”
The audience applauded, and several gnomes commented at the profoundly gnomish ingenuity of the plan.
“Let me add that I am honored to work with each of you,” Cedwick continued. “You have proven yourselves dedicated to the search for magic. Such dedication is hard to find.”
All the little faces beamed at this point. Cedwick smiled in return.
“Furthermore,” the young man said, “each of you brings a personal insight to this dilemma. Such varied experiences will make it easier for us to find magic together.”
The gnomes applauded this, and the kender shouted “Bravo!” The gully dwarf merely grinned a huge gully dwarf grin.
Cedwick grinned back. “So I would like to thank you, in advance, for the personal sacrifices you are making. .”
Suddenly, the expressions of the group turned to blank stares. The gnomes looked at each other, searching for some meaning to the statement. Halivar glanced down at the floor.
“I say sacrifices, because that is clearly what is required,” the apprentice mage said. “Even with all of us working together, it may take years, even decades, before we complete our research. During that time, we will work tirelessly. Wanderlust shall never affect us, nor shall we permit the rigors of travel to interfere with our schedule. Instead, we will sit in musty rooms devoid of sunlight. We will read book after book, until we can no longer remember what trees and birds and flowers look like. We may forget all the joys of the outside world. It will be grueling-even boring-but we make this commitment, not for ourselves, but for the future of magic.”
He paused again, as many eyes stared back at him. A few of the gnomes applauded again. However, one pair of eyes-the kender’s-refused to meet his gaze.
Cedwick went on, “Nor shall we despair for our friends and our families. We may never again see those we love. We may never again find the life we knew. Little Helg,” he motioned to the gully dwarf, “may never again taste the stew of her homeland. She will never affectionately whomp another gully dwarf. Instead, she will live here among strangers, where whomping is not allowed. Here, in this Tower, she must break from every gully dwarf tradition. She must even bathe daily. Is that not sacrifice?”
The gnomes nodded in assent, although a few commented quietly that regular bathing didn’t seem such an awful sacrifice. Helg, however, wore a mask of abject terror. From the other side of the room, Halivar sniffled softly.
“Yes, we must all make sacrifices,” Cedwick said nobly, “but perhaps the greatest sacrifice shall come from the gnomes.”
At this, the gnomes glanced at him in bewilderment.
“Yes,” the apprentice mage continued, “already, they have sacrificed so much simply to be here. In the coming years, their life quests will go unfinished. Their committees back at Mount Nevermind will scorn them. It is quite possible that they may live their remaining years in exile. These brave souls choose to sacrifice their entire lives for magic. What greater sacrifice can there be?”