Henry was immediately drawn to a wall of books. The shelves had been carved into the very rock itself. He ran his fingers lightly over the dusty, cracked-leather spines, and as he touched them, titles appeared, each in a language he had never seen. At the end of the shelf were several dust-free tomes. Their titles were printed on the spines, but wavered like an optical illusion. He smiled briefly, recognizing the books from his father’s study.

In the center of the room was a table of the biggest slab of wood Henry had ever seen—probably twenty feet across, and cut from a single tree. He didn’t have to count the rings to know that the tree must have been thousands of years old. He couldn’t fathom how something so big could have even gotten into this room.

He ticked off a list of at least a dozen questions, not sure which to ask first. Until he saw something else. Someone sitting at the far end of the table.

“Mom?”

It didn’t take a genius to know that Randall was in a race he couldn’t win. There were limits to Viktor’s speed, especially while carrying Randall. He would never get to Coralis in time. He desperately attempted a mind-link with the Wand Master, but he couldn’t do it. They were going to have to land so he could use the Earth’s power to boost his own abilities.

The Chihuahuan Desert far below stretched out endlessly. He knew the area was rich in mineral deposits. In the distance, he saw what he needed—a valley between two rolling hills. Using Viktor like a hang glider, he directed the vulture toward the valley, searching for something he knew had to be there. On the second pass he spotted it. He detached himself about thirty feet up and landed safely without the weight of Viktor possibly crushing him. But as he did so, his mind connection to the vulture was broken. Now thoroughly confused, Viktor flapped vigorously and continued on in search of a meal—never once questioning how he’d gotten there or what he was doing.

Randall was on his own. It was a worst-case scenario. If he was not able to connect with Coralis, the entire journey had been a waste. He twisted his head and selected a wand from his pack with his beak. The valley floor was rich with copper and silver deposits. Randall wasn’t familiar with the effect the minerals would have on his mental energies, but since they were excellent conductors of electricity, he hoped they would do likewise for thought waves.