In Pursuit Of Wisdom (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

events unfold, arms crossed, as his classmate basked in a wave of adulation.
     
     
    ~Magi~
     
    Magi stared around the Lazy Pour.  It had gotten eerily quiet after Manny screamed.  Several patrons close to the door eased out, dropping a few copper pieces onto their tables.  The sound of the coppers rattling on the wooden tables set everyone’s teeth on edge for a few moments.  Folks nearby seemed to be shrinking back from the scene as the soldiers approached, staring over their mugs.  Magi saw a handful of eyes shifting nervously from him and his group to the guards in those ridiculous short purple capes. He looked over at Kyle quickly.  Instinctively, they both had a pinch of crushed, white marble between their thumb and forefinger.  He flashed him an almost imperceptible smile.  He’s thinking Shield spell, too.
    “You filthy liar —we’ve stolen none of your coin!” Sindar shouted as his hand dropped to the hilt of his giant sword.
    Lionel put his hand on Sindar’s to steady him and stepped forward.  The alehouse was tense, and Magi felt a tiny bead of sweat begin to build near the top of his back.  He had never faced the proposition of a real fight like this.  He had dueled and trained, of course, and there had been some minor skirmishes— the occasional fight at school with other kids driven to prove themselves against Magi or due to some other petty, adolescent-boy squabble.   He never gave a second thought to these minor battles.  His Master had taught him well, and he was easily the best student in Marik’s school.  He was, in fact, pretty well known in the entire village of Brigg for his magical exploits.  But this was different.  Three guards stood before him now, hands on sword hilts, openly accusing him and his group of thievery.  With a pinch of gritty marble held between his thumb and forefinger on his left hand, he began twisting his ring on that same hand with his right, ready to cast his spell.  He eyed Lionel closely, looking for a sign, shifting his eyes around the inn.  Everyone looked tense.
    Except Helmut.  He looked amused and stayed in his seat.
    Lionel took a slow step toward the guards, in front of Sindar.  “Theft, you say?  What proof do you have of our robbery?  We have taken nothing from this good merchant.  Had we been hungry this morning, his fish looked very fresh.  Perhaps we might have bought some,” Lionel said, his pleasant smile never leaving his face.
    “He LIES!  He and his friends are filled with lies.  Told Manny they were going to the Great Library.  What business does a group such as them have in our Library?  Search him!” screeched the merchant.
    The soldiers drew their swords, and immediately so did Sindar.  Magi took a quick glance at Kyle, who was tensing and had raised his hand a bit, ready to scatter his dust and cast his spell.  Magi looked back at Lionel, who hadn’t made a move yet to defend himself.  Swords drawn, the soldiers approached Lionel. It was then that Manny spied the coppers on the table.  “There!  You see!  I notch all my coppers so as to keep the thieves from taking me poor days’ wages.  Yet still they steal from old Manny.  Manny the fish merchant always does an honest business, yet still they steal from him.  I demand justice from Lord Corovant!”
    An accomplished liar, this peddler , Magi thought as he examined Manny more closely.  He seemed to see him for the first time.   His thin hair was grey and stringy. He looked as if he was trying to grow a beard, but couldn’t, since only scraggly patches of hair sprouted from his chin and cheeks.  He looked to be about sixty years old.  Magi guessed he was closer to forty, and had simply lived hard and poor.  If it was possible to feel sorry for a man who had just falsely accused him and his friends of theft, that’s how Magi felt.
    He glanced at the coppers Lionel had put onto the table to pay for their food and drink.  They were notched in an