The Weaving of Wells (Osric's Wand, Book Four) by Jack D. Albrecht Jr., Ashley Delay

further, Trevar jumped up from where he was sitting on the grass nearby. He hurried over with a hopeful look on his face.
    “Seven symbols? Can you show it?” Trevar asked.
    “Well, I am not sure I can draw them correctly, but I will try.” Serha used a stick and scratched what resembled the symbols she had seen as best as she could. The irua boy watched on, and he grew more excited with each symbol she drew. When she was done, he took the stick and drew a slightly different symbol under three of those she had drawn.
    “It look like this?” he asked anxiously. Serha looked carefully at the images that both of them had drawn.
    “These two which you drew are better than mine. But this last one isn’t right. I got the best look at the last symbol, and I am sure I drew it correctly.” The last symbol looked like an inverted cone with a coil wound around it. The image the boy had drawn looked more like a triangle inside of a coil or a spring. The symbols were somewhat similar, but the differences were distinct. Serha erased the first two symbols of hers that Trevar had corrected. “These are the symbols on the book. I am sure of it.”
    The irua boy’s face broke out in a wide grin, and he ran toward the narrow bridge that led out to the tower. Bridgett and the others ran after him, calling for him to wait. When they reached him, he had already started drawing the symbols on the wall of the tower with his stone rod. The seventh symbol was one he had never drawn before, and his movement was slower and more careful to get it right. By the time he completed the last one, the symbols were beginning to glow brightly and Bridgett let out a squeal of excitement while everyone else stared in awe.
    The symbols grew brighter and brighter until everyone had to shield their eyes. When the glow faded, the group looked back at the tower wall and found a small, arched opening. They all moved toward the small doorway, and the boy’s expression of glee suddenly turned to one of fear.
    “No,” Trevar called out, holding out his arm and blocking their way. “I must protect it.” Tears filled his eyes.
    “What? We have to go inside, Trevar.” Osric spoke softly, but his voice was strained.
    “Only Bridgett.” The determined set of his small frame showed that he would not let anyone else pass.
    “Look, we need to learn as much as we can about this well. If we can’t go inside, how are we going to learn anything? You have the Trust ability, so you know you can trust me, right?” Osric knelt down and spoke to the child with forced cheerfulness.
    “You can be trusted, but you cannot learn. You do not have the connection. Only Bridgett.” The boy stood his ground and glared at Osric.
    “Osric, I don’t fully understand it yet, but the irua who oversee the Well of Strands are very select—and very secretive. I am still trying to get him to explain why he took me there.” Bridgett took Osric’s hand and squeezed it. “If I am the one who can enter, then let me enter and see what I can learn. I will keep working to make Trevar see that you must be allowed inside the wells.”
    Osric shook his head adamantly. “But I have to—”
    “I believe what she was trying to say is that we know there are at least a dozen other locations like this. If they are also walled in, then we may need the child to access them all if we are going to learn more about the wells than just what this one may hold. She understands the danger, and she has the ability to travel out of any situation she may find herself in with a few words. It’s not like there is anyone waiting inside to hurt her, unless you think someone else may have one of those stone sticks and a Seer to show them the necessary symbols.” Gus stood at Osric’s feet, successfully keeping himself from shouting but still as sarcastic as ever.
    “You’re right.” Osric’s shoulders drooped and the frustration dissipated from his expression. He pulled Bridgett into his arms and