“I was wrong to give up. I see that now.” Coralis’s voice was etched with pain and regret. “I am also beginning to understand the heroic efforts of Randall.”

It took a moment for the name Randall to connect. “The falcon?”

“Not always a falcon. Once, my brightest apprentice. A shining star in the dark vastness of space.”

It took Henry a moment to process that information. “That falcon used to be a boy?”

Coralis chuckled. “Indeed. And how that boy could get on my nerves. But despite all the challenges and disobedience, he flourished and grew. And when he didn’t think I was teaching fast enough, he found ways to experiment on his own.

“Not since the days of wand enlightenment in the time of the first Council of Aratta had anyone constructed a Urania Wand with such extraordinary power.”

“A Urania Wand? Like the planet Uranus?” asked Henry.

“Mmmm … almost. In Greek mythology, Urania was the muse of astronomy. But in our realm, the Urania Wand is an invaluable tool to help forecast events as they would occur if left unchecked. The best ones are made from meteorites.

“Randall disappeared for several months, as he was prone to do when we argued. I thought nothing of it and assumed it was his form of a temper tantrum. But when he returned, he brought with him a piece of moldavite of unparalleled purity. Are you familiar with this stone, Henry?”

He thought hard but couldn’t place the name.

Coralis read the look on Henry’s face. “It is a very rare crystal found only along the banks of the Moldau River in a remote area of Bohemia—now the Czech Republic. It arrived on Earth millions of years ago when a large meteorite hurtled through the atmosphere.”

“The one that killed the dinosaurs?” Henry asked eagerly.

“No, not that one. But no doubt it too created a powerful explosion. Moldavite is a dark green crystal. The piece Randall found was so pure you could almost see the constellations trapped within. It was also large enough that he was able to form seven individual wands.” He held up Henry’s hand. “About the size of your pinkie finger but half as thick.” He frowned, recalling the memory. “We argued over that as well. I told him it was criminal to intentionally dismantle that singular specimen. But Randall has a gift: intuition that borders on the paranormal. I did not see where his instincts were leading him.

“Then one day he came to me with a dire warning.”

And then Coralis went silent. Not just a pause, but an extended break that made Henry uncomfortable. He was clearly struggling with himself. Henry turned to Brianna, who was still sleeping and snored in soft whispers. His own instincts were telling him to wait it out.