Dwarven Ruby Read Online Free PDF

He dutifully hoisted the staff above his head and pointed it at the clear blue sky. He could feel beads of perspiration forming on his forehead and wondered what dire event was going to take place. He had long had a distrust of anything magical, but he knew that he had to pass this test to save his mother. He silently vowed that the staff would not sway while he held it.
    Master Khatama raised his hands high above his head and started muttering words that made no sense to Tedi. Master Khatama’s face turned upward and Tedi followed his gaze. A lump formed in Tedi’s throat as he saw a dark cloud forming over his head. The cloud grew swiftly in size, and Tedi could see tiny bolts of lightning snapping within the cloud. A tremor of fear coursed through his body, but he gripped the staff tighter.
    Master Khatama’s voice rose in volume, but Tedi could still not understand the words. The sound of thunder roiled across the sky and echoed off the nearby hills. Suddenly a brilliant flash of lightning streaked earthward from the dark cloud. Tedi had the urge to drop the staff and dive down the hill. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to picture his mother. Even with his eyes closed, the flash was brilliant. He felt the lightning strike the staff and could feel the energy tingling its way down through his body.
    Tedi bit his lip and tightened his grip on the staff as the lightning seared through his body. He felt huge raindrops hitting his skin. The cold rain boiled and felt hot as it steamed off of his head and arms. The light through Tedi’s eyes was intense, and he began to feel as if he would faint. He tried to grip the staff harder, but his fingers would not obey. His hands could not grip any harder than they were. Suddenly it was over.
    “Rest your grip,” ordered Master Khatama. “You can lower the staff now.”
    Tedi opened his eyes and lowered the staff. He looked around and the grass was wet everywhere, except for a circle around himself. He looked up in time to see the last of the black cloud dissipating.
    “What happened?” Tedi asked as he tried to relax his muscles.
    “You were struck by lightning,” chuckled Master Khatama. “The important thing is that you trusted me.”
    “That’s it?” questioned Tedi. “This was just a test to see if I could follow orders?”
    “Of course not,” explained Boris. “The use of magic today should not be wasted on such trivial things. In fact, we will have to leave this place soon to avoid being detected. Before we leave though, I will explain what just happened. Try to relax your muscles.”
    Tedi nodded and moved around to limber up his tensed muscles.
    “What I did was to fuse energy into your staff,” explained Master Khatama. “Magical energy to be precise. You must learn to use it properly of course, but I am sure that you will.”
    “What does this magical energy do?” questioned Tedi as he examined the staff.
    “It is energy that is tuned to your body,” Boris continued. “You will be able to strike things with tremendous force when you use the staff. Because the staff is yours and yours alone, to others it will be a normal staff. Only you can wield its magical properties. Strike that boulder with the staff. Strike it hard.”
    Tedi looked skeptically at the boulder, but he dutifully shoved the end of the staff at it, hoping that his new staff would not splinter. The huge boulder split in two and Tedi’s mouth fell open.
    “That was a rather slight tap for someone who claims to be proficient with a staff,” complained Master Khatama. “Strike one of the halves as if you meant to destroy it. Think of that boulder as your worst enemy. Listen to me and trust me.”
    Tedi shook his head, but he twirled the staff hard and brought it down on one of the halves. The boulder shattered into thousands of pieces.
    “That was better,” grinned Master Khatama. “You must learn to control the force of it. If you do not mean to kill your opponent, remember to