Free The Weaving of Wells (Osric's Wand, Book Four) by Jack D. Albrecht Jr., Ashley Delay Page B

warm blanket spread over her. Her limbs felt heavy and stiff, and her eyes ached terribly. Aridis squeezed her hand and spoke softly as she opened her eyes.
    “You gave us quite a scare. Do you remember anything?”
    When she could see him clearly, Serha blinked and sighed with relief.
    “That is not an experience I will forget anytime soon. Where is the book?”
    The old man’s brow furrowed as he stared at her eager expression.
    “What book do you mean?”
    “The one from the tower of course. I brought it back with me,” Serha said. She shifted up into a sitting position and realized she was on soft grass near the crater and the lake. The tower stood silhouetted against the bright blue sky just across the water.
    “Serha, you never went anywhere.” Aridis watched her with concern. “You recited the spell and immediately collapsed on the ground outside the tower. You have been unconscious for half the day.”
    “What? That isn’t possible. I traveled into the tower, but I couldn’t move. I picked up the book, and I traveled back out just before the darkness reached me. It was terrifying.”
    “I have been by your side every moment since you collapsed. Could it be another vision?”
    “Aridis, I have been receiving visions for over one hundred years. I can always tell when I am seeing a vision, and this was different. This was real.” Serha had an overwhelming urge to either get up and move or to vomit. She opted for the former and struggled to her feet. Every bit of her body protested, but once she was up and walking she started to feel better. Osric caught her eye from a short distance away, and he hurried over with Bridgett, Gus, Eublin, and the irua boy.
    “Serha, are you all right? How are you feeling?” Osric’s concern for her was clear in his voice and in his urgent approach.
    “I think so. I still feel a bit sore and quite confused. Aridis says I collapsed when I spoke the spell.”
    “That’s right. We were so worried, but we didn’t know what was happening.” Bridgett embraced the woman warmly. “Thank Archana you are back with us.”
    “Actually, that’s what I am confused about. As far as I know, I traveled into the tower and retrieved the book from my vision, but it seems I never left at all. If this was just a vision, it is different than any I have ever had. And I have no explanation at all for why I collapsed.”
    “I would wager it has something to do with your proximity to Osric and Bridgett, or rather the magical devices they possess, along with whatever protection spells are built into this tower.” Gus scampered closer and Bridgett lifted him to her shoulder. “That sword and amulet can have an unusual effect on one’s power, and we are only beginning to understand how and why. Attempting to get inside may have triggered any number of rejection spells, causing you to collapse. Your amplified ability may have taken over when you fell unconscious, and that could explain why you felt it wasn’t a vision at all.”
    “Gus, that actually makes a lot of sense. If that’s true, then Serha is probably very lucky that the traveling spell didn’t work. If she had managed to get inside, the protection spells may have done a great deal more damage than just causing her to black out for a while.” Osric stood and stared out at the tower, shaking his head. “Serha, I am very glad you are not injured, but I have no idea what to do now.”
    “We aren’t going to learn anything from here. We either go back home and give up, or we knock the tower down.” Gus glared at the impenetrable tower.
    “I don’t think either of those is the best option. Serha, you said you held the book in your vision. Can you describe it?” Eublin asked.
    “There was something wrong with my vision, er, my eyesight. Everything looked very blurry, but I could see that there were seven symbols on the spine of the book. I couldn’t read anything inside, though.” Before Serha could describe the book any