“The more evil a person has in his or her heart, the greater the absorption of bad energy. It’s as if they were magnets collecting stray pieces of metal. But in the case of the bad moon, all that metal is sharp, dangerous, and deadly. Those moonbeams have succeeded in igniting wars and riots over the centuries.

“Even as an apprentice, Randall knew this as well as any Wand Master, and he exposed the seven moldavite wands to seven phases of the moon under unique circumstances that included things like immersion in rare water and exposure to extreme heat. Many other elements were involved. The entire process was amazingly complex. Looking back on it, I realize now that Randall was probably one of only a handful of Wandmakers in our entire history who had the knowledge and, more important, the intuition to achieve that level of success.

“Two of the moldavite wands disintegrated. Gone in an instant—poof! Four of them contain extraordinary power that the average Wandbearer would have difficulty controlling. And one of them … one of them transformed into the Urania Wand.”

“Can I see it?” Henry asked excitedly.

Coralis squirmed uncomfortably. “I don’t have it. The wand belongs to Randall, and only he can use it. As I said, we had quite an argument over his treatment of the moldavite specimen. Concealing the Urania Wand from me was Randall’s way of punishing me.”

Henry was puzzled. “If Randall had a wand that helped him see into the future, why wouldn’t he share it with you? You’re the Grand Wand Master. If anyone could stop something from happening, it would be you.”

Coralis mumbled something that sounded to Henry like “horse feathers.”

“What’s that?”

“I said I had the hubris of a fool!” Coralis nearly shouted.

Henry jumped back, banging his head on the wall behind him. “Ow!” He rubbed his scalp and narrowed his eyes. A reaction like that would have panicked him when they first met, but he was becoming accustomed to the old man’s rapid mood swings. No wonder Randall did things behind his back.

“What is that word, hubris?” he finally asked.

“False pride,” Coralis mumbled. “I can tell you, I’m not proud of it now. I had become bitter and cynical. And my ego would not allow me to admit that a mere apprentice could accomplish what thousands of talented Wandmakers before him had failed to do.”

“You said he came to you with a warning. Was it something he saw with the Urania Wand?”