"What will you do with it?" asked Celedhan.
Pausing in the doorway, the wizard glanced once more around the small house, taking a long look at the fireplace. "I'm not sure," he said. "But we shall see."
Within moments they were on their way once more. Curiosity getting the better of her, Lily asked Anest about the stone. Ironically, he knew far more about the stone than Belloc, for as a boy he had read with great interest about the old stories and legends contained in Belloc's library, even mastering some of the archaic tongues contained within in the process. "The stones," Anest told her, "are imbued with power of a sort in their natural state, but that power is latent . . . asleep. To
be of any use, they have to be shaped and forged, much like objects of metal. And it takes a different sort of fire . . . the fire of magic."
"What does Belloc want with such an evil creation?" she asked in wonder.
Anest frowned. "The stone is not inherently evil. Its power to summon is a natural tendency of the stone. But it has been forged and bent away from that purpose so that it summons only the servants of the enemy. I believe that Belloc will try to wrest it away from its owner. Such an act may more than simply break the will of the owner. Belloc may even try to re-forge the stone with my assistance. Such a blatant act will not go unnoticed."