Read Stonecast for Free Online Page A

can’t seem to control any stone creature larger than Bricksley, and I’m light-years away from figuring out how to build something like Stanis. There’s something that I’m missing in the process. We just need to figure out what that is. And it wouldn’t hurt to stumble across how to make a lot of Alexander’s concoctions that we’ve been using up. The Kimiya is starting to look like a very finite supply these days. We need to step up our experimentation.”
    Rory sighed, sitting up in her chair. “You want to head up to Gramercy now?”
    I shook my head.
    “That’s the surprise,” I said. “I thought we might do it here.”
    “But what about the experiments and equipment?” Marshall asked. “What about your supplies?”
    “We have a lot of the alchemical mixes on the premises,” I said, “and I’ve been moving some of the other supplies down here. I thought it might be nice to have a change of venue.”
    Rory sat forward. “You mean . . . ?”
    I nodded. “My great-great-grandfather’s guild hall,” I said. “I know how hard you’ve both been working on this with me. I appreciate it, but the idea of dragging the two of you back to the haunting emptiness of Gramercy again just seemed cruel. I thought a change of venue might help. It took a lot of doing. Clearing away the debris of the building collapse was fairly easy, but trying to build this place on top of Alexander’s secret laboratory? I filed and refiled plans until I was blue in the face, changed construction companies at least half a dozen times. By the time it was done, I don’t think anyone working on Belarus South knows what truly lies beneath this building.”
    “I am so jealous,” Marshall said. “Think of the game setup I could do down there with all that creepy, dungeony, carved stone.”
    I smiled at Marshall. “If we can figure out how to create something like Stanis, you can throw your weekly games down here.” A twinkle of approval lit up in his eyes, and I turned my head back to address both my friends. “So . . . we know that I can’t sustain bringing anything larger than Bricksley to life, but we know it’s possible. How do we know it’s possible? Stanis, wherever he is, is living proof that an autonomous creature of human proportions can be brought to life. I don’t know how to unlock that level of power. My grandfather was clever about those arcane secrets.”
    I pulled my backpack closer to me from where it lay on the floor and reached for the solid stone book within it, finding Bricksley nestled in there. I took the book from under him, breathed out the words of power that transformed it to leather and paper, then pulled my own notebook out. “We’ve got his work and my own lame-ish start at a spell book of my own.” I held up my own notebook. “We need to make this as powerful as his.”
    “There are too many missing pieces,” Marshall said.
    “That’s why we compare notes, then,” I said. “Do you think Einstein gave up just because he had too many questions?”
    “This isn’t science,” argued Rory.
    “Maybe it’s more of a science than we think,” I offered.
    “Maybe it’s more of a science than we
can
think,” Marshall said.
    I looked to see if he was mocking me, but he was serious.
    “This hurts my brain,” Rory said. “Can we go back to dinner conversation?”
    “No,” Marshall said. A second ago I wouldn’t have thought him capable of it, but he looked riled up. “Lexi’s right. We’re all just frustrated, but that’s no excuse. We need to continue to be analytical, keep experimenting, keep refining.”
    “Exactly,” I said, standing. I gathered up my books and a few of the others I had been reading through. “Let me show you the cool stuff I’ve rigged up, then.”
    Rory stood, and we were halfway to the stairs when Marshall stopped.
    “Go on without me,” he said. “I’ll be down to the Bat Cave in a couple minutes.”
    “Where’s he going?” I asked, as