Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran (23 page)

“Try not to think about it so much,” Sindar told him a few days later. “Whalen said simple solutions were best. If you think about it too much, you might miss something obvious. And besides, you may not have to do anything. We may find the Horn before reaching the tower.”

Alex agreed and tried to think of something else as they continued to go north. This was easy to do, as the enchanted woods rose up ahead of them. The woods looked pleasant and incredibly green compared to the frozen lands around them.

“I’ll be glad when we reach the woods,” said Andy, stretching the kinks out of his back. “This cold, hard ground makes sleeping painful.”

“If you wanted the comforts of home, then perhaps you should have stayed home,” Sindar joked.

The others all chuckled at Sindar’s comment. Alex thought about his own home, and he longed for a real bed to sleep in. There were other things he missed as well: the hot showers, Mr. Roberts’s cooking, the quiet room where he could study his magic in comfort. Still, he loved being in the outdoors, traveling with his friends, and telling stories around the campfire at night. Both worlds were part of him now, and for the time being, the comforts of home would have to wait.

When the company finally reached the edge of the enchanted woods they had been walking for fifteen days. Bregnest was not pleased with how long the journey had taken. Usel had told them to start back within five weeks, and now they had less than three weeks to find the Horn and return.

“I thought we would cross faster,” said Bregnest as they ate dinner.

“Perhaps the distance from the centaurs’ woods to here changes,” Halfdan suggested. “That might be what Usel meant when he called this wood enchanted.”

“I don’t think that is what he meant,” said Val nervously. “I feel as if we are being watched.”

“As do I,” Sindar added. “But I think the eyes are merely curious, and friendly enough. We have nothing to fear.”

“Perhaps,” Val replied.

The next morning they started through the woods, and they all began to feel that someone or something was watching them. Often they would hear movement in the trees, but they never saw anything at all. Once Alex thought he heard something that sounded like a giggle from some nearby bushes, but no one else seemed to notice the sound so he didn’t say anything.

The path wound randomly between the trees, and the further along the path they went, the more nervous Alex and his friends became. They spoke little as they traveled and tried to move as quietly and as fast as possible. Even Sindar, who maintained that there was nothing to fear, would seldom speak or make any noise as they hurried forward.

“Whatever is in these woods, I wish it would show itself or leave us be,” Halfdan complained loudly as he cooked their evening meal.

“Perhaps they are unsure of us,” Sindar commented. “There are many good creatures who are simply shy of strangers.”

“Sindar is correct,” Bregnest added. “Even the centaurs were less friendly than other creatures I have met. I think it is because adventurers seldom come here, and they do not know about us.”

“Or they might know more about us than we care to think,” Sindar commented happily.

“Maybe they don’t like over-jolly elves,” grumbled Halfdan.

“Perhaps not,” Sindar agreed.

The next day things were better. They no longer heard movement around them in the woods and the feeling of being watched had lessened. Andy claimed that the smell of Halfdan’s boots had driven off the unseen creatures, but Halfdan was in no mood to be teased.

It took the company four days to make their way through the enchanted wood, and with each day that passed, Bregnest grew more tense. Alex knew that Bregnest didn’t want to spend the winter in Norsland, but it was beginning to look more and more like they would have to. Ahead of them towered the Mountains of the Moon, and they could already see the outline of the first gate in the distance.

“Should we press on, or wait for morning?” Bregnest asked.

“It will be dark soon, and we may lose our way if we press on,” said Andy.

“We need to rest and eat,” Halfdan added.

“We should go forward as fast as possible,” Val commented, looking toward the gate. “If we do not push forward, the snows may trap us here.”

“I think we should move forward early tomorrow,” said Alex. “We will all think more clearly after some food and a little rest.”

“Sindar, do you have anything to add?” asked Bregnest.

“I agree with Alex,” said Sindar, his gaze fixed on the gate. “We will need to be thinking clearly when we reach the gate or our adventure may end there.”

“Very well then,” said Bregnest in a defeated tone. “We will eat and rest. When it comes time for the last watch, we will all rise and move forward to the gate.”

Halfdan busied himself cooking their evening meal. Andy sat down beside the fire, still trying to loosen his stiff neck, while Bregnest, Alex, Sindar, and Val all remained standing at the edge of the woods, looking toward the first gate.

“Our time grows short,” Bregnest said softly.

“Perhaps Usel was wrong. The snows may not begin as soon as he thinks,” Val offered in a hopeful tone.

“Centaurs know many things that others only guess at,” said Sindar. “We have time yet—at least two more weeks to find the Horn and start back.”

“And the Horn may be waiting for us at the first gate,” said Bregnest, sounding hopeful.

“And if it is, will we not seek the treasure of the tower?” Val questioned.

“The treasure of the tower is not our goal,” Bregnest answered. “If we had more time I might consider it, but if the Horn is at the first gate, we will turn back before winter comes.”

“Of course,” said Val. “I only thought that the treasure of the tower would be worth an extra day or two.”

“Not if it means we must remain in Norsland all winter,” said Sindar.

“You seem very quiet, Alex,” said Bregnest, a questioning look on his face. “Are you troubled?”

“No,” Alex answered with a sigh. “Just lost in thought.”

“And are your thoughts hopeful?” asked Sindar, turning to look at Alex.

“It is nothing,” said Alex. “The road has been long, and my mind and body are both tired.”

“Then come and eat,” called Halfdan. “Eat and then to bed so your mind will be fresh tomorrow. I don’t want to meet the guardian of the first gate with a tired wizard by my side.”

“Wizard in training,” Alex corrected. “And if you don’t want me along, I will gladly wait here for your return.”

“No offense,” said Halfdan, winking at Alex as he handed him a plate of food.

“Tired or not, I want Alex along,” said Andy. “I’ve seen him in action, and I don’t like the idea of facing the guardians without him.”

“I’ll be there,” said Alex. “And I hope there won’t be any action to see.”

“We should rest,” said Bregnest as he ate. “Whatever tomorrow holds, at least we will face it refreshed.”

But Alex couldn’t sleep that night. For several days he had felt that there was something important he needed to remember, something that was always just out of his reach, and the fact that he couldn’t remember what it was troubled him.

* * *

They started toward the first gate before the sun had risen the next morning. The night before it had looked only an hour or two away, but as they walked across the frozen land, the gate grew larger and larger in front of them. It was midday by the time they finally reached the first gate, and they all stood looking at it in wonder.

The gate was at least two hundred feet high and appeared to be made of solid granite. After a few minutes of looking at the gate, Alex realized that it hadn’t been built at all, but rather it had been carved out of the mountain. The path passed exactly through the center of the massive structure. There were no doors or bars to be seen, only a great archway lined with pillars that led into the mountains beyond.

“Look at the bones,” Halfdan whispered as they moved forward.

They stopped short. Broken bones littered the ground in front of them. Rusted weapons were scattered among the bones along with fragments of armor, the metal torn apart like paper.

“Come on,” Bregnest said in a firm tone. “Do not speak unless you must. We don’t want to give the guardian any reason to attack us.”

Slowly they started forward once more, moving toward the mountainous gate and the guardian that waited for them. As they drew closer, there were fewer bones to be seen, but that did little to comfort them. They walked close together, watching for any sudden movement that might be an attack.

Climbing a wide set of stairs, they came to a flat, open space, and at the top of the stairs was the guardian. Sitting in the center of the archway, partly covered by shadows, a huge catlike creature watched them with huge, unblinking eyes.

As they moved slowly toward the shadows, the guardian moved forward toward them. To Alex it looked like a lion had grown more than twice its normal size, but where the lion’s head should have been, there was a woman’s face.

The sphinx made no sound as it moved forward, and its eyes followed every move that Alex and his friends made. When they reached a point that only the sphinx seemed to know, the sphinx sat down and began to speak.

“If you wish to pass this way, you must answer what I ask,” the sphinx said sweetly.

“May we answer as a group, or must we go one at a time?” Bregnest questioned.

“Either,” the sphinx answered. “Though if you wish to answer as a group, I will choose the one to speak. And if you wish to answer alone, I will choose the order.”

“And if we can’t answer what you ask?” Bregnest questioned.

“I will ask, and you must answer or withdraw.”

“And if we answer wrong?” Bregnest persisted.

“If you answer wrong, you will neither go forward or back,” said the sphinx, nodding to the bones scattered around the steps.

“Can you tell us if another passed this way?” Bregnest asked.

The sphinx did not answer but turned its head slightly to one side and continued to watch them.

“Will you answer our questions if we answer your riddle?” Bregnest tried again.

The sphinx remained silent.

After a moment, Bregnest turned to the company. “Together, or one at a time?”

“We should go together,” said Halfdan instantly. “We are a company and should not divide.”

“But if the one asked the question can’t answer it, none of us may pass,” Val said in a worried tone.

“And if the person gives the wrong answer, we will all be in trouble,” Andy added.

“Some of us must get past or we will never find the Horn,” said Sindar. “The others can wait here, or take their time to answer.”

“Together,” Alex said firmly, his eyes fixed on the sphinx. “We should go together or not at all.”

“I agree,” said Bregnest and turned back to face the sphinx. “We will pass together. To which member of our company will you ask your question?”

The sphinx looked at each of them in turn, as if considering who to ask its riddle to. For several minutes the sphinx said nothing, and they were all starting to worry.

“The young wizard,” the sphinx finally said. “He will answer the question for you all.”

Alex was afraid this would happen. He had never been good with riddles, and he often guessed them wrong. Now his friends were depending on him to get the right answer so they could move on. Of course, if he couldn’t answer, they could still withdraw, but that wouldn’t help them find the Horn. If he answered incorrectly, however, they would be in trouble, and he wasn’t sure how much use his magic would be if they had to fight the sphinx.

Alex tried to remember what Whalen had told him in his letter: Don’t overthink the riddle. Look for a simple answer.

“Are you ready?” asked the sphinx, as Alex stepped forward.

“I am.”

“Unseen but heard, untouched but felt. Relief from the sun, a breath and I’m done. Never staying, always going, gently moving, never blowing. What am I?” the sphinx questioned.

Alex stood looking at the sphinx in wonder. He had no idea what the answer was. “Could you repeat that, please?”

The sphinx smiled at Alex and repeated the riddle. Alex listened carefully to every word. He felt like he should know the answer. It had to be something simple—something so simple that nobody would ever think of it.

“One more time, please?”

As Alex listened to the sphinx repeat the riddle the third time, he felt a cold breeze blow across his face. He wouldn’t have noticed the breeze normally, except the answer suddenly came to him.

“You are a gentle breeze on a warm day,” said Alex.

“I am,” replied the sphinx, bowing slightly and stepping aside so the company could pass.