Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran (31 page)

“Did Val have an heir or any family?” Alex asked in a hopeful tone.

“None that I know of,” Bregnest answered. “I will check with Mr. Clutter when we return to Telous, if you wish. Or you might ask the bag maker.”

Alex nodded and took the reins of Val’s horse in his hands. The horse was a kind-looking animal, dark brown with a black mane and tail. Alex wondered what he would do with the horse, but then he thought of the reward for the Horn’s return—a thousand Alusian horses—and shook his head. It seemed that he would have many horses to deal with, once they reached Alusia.

Usel and the other centaurs waved good-bye as they rode into the woods, and they were soon lost to sight in the maze of trees.

Alex and his friends continued forward without talking, each of them thinking his own thoughts, and all of them relieved to be heading south once more.

The winter days were short, and the weather remained cold as they traveled. It sometimes snowed a little at night, but never enough to slow them down for long. Alex continued to send messages to Whalen, though not as many as he had before. He had finished studying the books Whalen had sent him at the end of his first adventure, and now he was looking through the books of the upper library. He decided he’d ask the bag maker to modify his library to expand as needed.

It wasn’t long before the company was back in the valley where they had first seen the goblins. It was midday, and there was no sign that goblins had been using the valley since the last time they had been here. They hurried on, however, not wanting to linger so close to the place where their adventure had nearly come to an end.

“How much time do you think we have left?” Alex asked that night as they sat around their campfire.

“If all goes well, we should reach Alusia well before the spring festival,” Bregnest answered. “The road from Athanor to the arch took me nearly three weeks, so it will probably take us three weeks to return to Athanor with the Horn. And once we get there, we may still have trouble reaching the king. If Kappa has men watching the road with orders to stop us, things could become difficult.”

“I’ll be glad to get to Alusia,” Halfdan commented. “Don’t remember what it’s like to be properly warm.”

“We can travel across the country if we have to,” Sindar said to Bregnest, ignoring Halfdan’s comment. “We will fight our way there if we must.”

“Let’s hope we don’t have to fight our way from the arch to Athanor,” Bregnest replied. “We won’t know anything until we get to Alusia, so it’s pointless to worry now.”

They continued south along the road to Ollvi, meeting no trouble as they traveled. Bregnest seemed more relaxed than he had been, but he still urged the company forward as much as possible. Alex knew that Bregnest’s concern was for his cousin, and he could understand his desire to hurry.

They reached Ollvi just after midday. They found rooms at the same inn where they had stayed before, and then gathered in the main bar to talk. Bregnest thought they should move on early in the morning, but their discussion was cut short by the arrival of Tom Cain.

“Master Taylor,” said Tom. “I heard that you and your friends had returned. I have come to invite you and your company to join my family for your evening meal.”

“You are most kind. However, such a request should be made to our company’s leader,” replied Alex, motioning to Bregnest.

Tom seemed confused, but he soon recovered. “Sir,” he said to Bregnest. “Would you be so kind as to honor us?”

“The honor is ours,” said Bregnest. “My company and I will be pleased to join you.”

Tom, in his excitement, bowed several times before making his way out of the inn. Bregnest chuckled slightly at Tom’s behavior and then returned his attention to the company.

“Well,” said Bregnest, “a fine meal tonight and the road again tomorrow.”

That evening, Alex and Andy led the company to the Cain house. They were both pleased to see that the house looked much better than it had the last time they were in Ollvi. Tom had obviously spent a fair amount of his father’s gold to restore the house to its former glory, and he had done a good job of it.

The Cain family greeted the company at the front door of the house, and Mrs. Cain led them into a large dining room where an excellent meal had been prepared for them. At Mrs. Cain’s request, Bregnest told them the story of how Jonathan Cain’s bag had been recovered. Alex listened to Bregnest’s retelling of the story, both pleased and relieved that his own part in it had not grown with time. After Bregnest had finished the tale, Alex asked Tom how his family was getting along.

“I have managed to regain quite a bit of what my family once owned,” said Tom. “If I could buy some horses for our southern fields, I think we may begin to see some profits.”

“Are horses hard to find here in Ollvi?” Alex questioned.

“They are not so common as they once were,” Tom answered. “I was hoping to breed horses, but the cost here in Ollvi is high. I suppose I’ll have to buy at least one and ride to Oslansk, or maybe even further south, to get a better price.”

“What price do people here ask for horses?” Alex asked.

“If you can find a horse for sale, which is rare, the price is at least fifty gold coins, usually more. Those who own horses seldom sell them, and so they can demand whatever price they desire.”

“But you need a horse,” said Alex.

“I do,” answered Tom, a slightly confused look on his face.

“Well, you never know, something may turn up.”

After they had finished their meal and thanked Mrs. Cain for her kindness, the company returned to the inn. After his friends had gone to bed, Alex sat down at a table and wrote a short letter to Tom. He explained that the horse was a gift from the company, a thank you for having them all to dinner. Once he finished the note, he went to find the innkeeper. Alex quickly explained what he wanted the innkeeper to do, and the innkeeper seemed to be pleased with Alex’s plan and accepted the letter for Tom Cain. When Alex offered to pay, the innkeeper refused, but bowed to Alex, saying that it was his honor to help.

The next morning, as they prepared to leave, Alex didn’t saddle Val’s horse. Halfdan was quick to question Alex about it, and he seemed stunned by Alex’s answer.

“What do you mean you’re leaving it here?”

“A small gift to a friend,” Alex answered with a grin.

“But this horse has great value here in Ollvi,” Sindar commented. “You could sell it for a high price.”

“Perhaps,” said Alex. “However, he reminds me too much of Val, and I would like to leave that memory behind. Besides, I’m sure he’ll have a good home with the Cain family.”

“You’ll give away all you have one of these days,” said Andy with a laugh.

“That would take some doing,” Alex answered.

Chapter Fifteen

Otho’s Wish

T
he trip from Ollvi to Oslansk was cold, and for the most part, uneventful. On the third day, Alex received a short message from Whalen saying that he would not be in Telous when Alex and the company returned from Norsland, but that he felt sure he would be there after their trip to Alusia.

Alex tried hard not to show his disappointment at learning his meeting with Whalen would be delayed by at least six weeks. He wanted to meet Whalen face-to-face as soon as possible.

A few days before they reached Oslansk, Andy suggested that they stay in the city for at least a week. He said something about needing a good long rest in a nice warm city, but he didn’t sound very convincing to anyone.

“Lilly and Indigo don’t have another sister, do they?” Halfdan asked suspiciously.

“As a matter of fact, they do,” said Andy, turning bright red.

“And I suppose she is as pretty as both of her sisters,” said Sindar.

“Well, she is rather pretty,” Andy admitted. “But we’re only friends, and that has nothing to do with my wanting to spend some time in the city.”

The entire company burst into laughter at Andy’s denial, and Andy was soon beet red, but laughing as well.

“Perhaps we should ride south now and avoid Oslansk all together,” Halfdan suggested.

“I think the sooner we get Andy away from here, the better off he’ll be,” Bregnest added with a slight chuckle.

“Every man has a right to fall in love,” said Sindar.

“I think Andy will be safe enough. As long as we keep an eye on him,” Alex commented. “Besides, I think I may have some business to take care of in Oslansk as well.”

“What business is that?” Bregnest questioned, turning to look at Alex.

“Oh, nothing of great importance,” said Alex. “I’d like to check on Skeld and Tayo. I’m afraid they may be itching for another adventure, and I might be able to cure them, at least for a little while.”

For the rest of the evening they joked and told stories and tried not to think about the danger that waited for them in Alusia. Halfdan kept insisting that he wasn’t going to let Andy out of his sight when they reached Oslansk, no matter what Andy said.

“Next thing you know, he’ll be talking about retirement,” complained Halfdan as they all rolled into their blankets. “He’s far to young for that.”

They reached Oslansk the next day at sunset. Once again, the guards waved them into the city without questions. Andy suggested they stay at the Dragon’s Keep as it was by far the nicest tavern in Oslansk. Bregnest agreed, and Andy led them through the streets to the tavern.

The company had only just finished ordering their evening meal when Skeld and Tayo arrived at the tavern. They were both happy to see their friends again and keenly interested in how their adventure was going.

“But wait,” said Tayo suddenly, his smile fading. “Where is Val?”

“He is lost,” Bregnest answered in a troubled tone.

Bregnest reluctantly agreed, after some persuasion, that Alex and Sindar could tell the story of what happened at the Tower of the Moon. Alex didn’t really want to tell the story, so he let Sindar explain things to his friends.

“It is a sad thing that Val brought this evil on himself,” Tayo commented, looking at Bregnest.

“And sadder still that he refused to give it up, once Alex had caught him,” Skeld added.

“He was deceived,” Alex said softly. “The shadow has great power and can tempt even the strongest of men to do evil.”

“But you were not tempted by it,” said Tayo confidently.

“Not this time,” said Alex. “But this is not the first time we have met.”

“What? When have you met this shadow before?” Bregnest asked in surprise.

“In Vargland,” said Alex, looking at Bregnest. “That night at the ruins of Aunk. I did not recognize the shadow then, but it was there.”

“Ah, but you defeated its plans then, and you have done so again,” said Halfdan.

“Yes,” Alex agreed. “But I fear it will try to tempt me again. It is not vanquished or destroyed.”

“Enough,” said Bregnest so suddenly that they all looked at him in surprise. “You had the victory then, Alex, and you have had another now. We do not know what the future holds, so let us not be troubled by it.”

“Quite right,” Sindar added.

The conversation soon turned to other matters, and Alex was glad that it did. He didn’t like thinking about the shadow and its tempting words, or the terrible cold he felt inside himself both times he had fought it.

“You’ll be staying for a few days then?” Skeld questioned, winking at Andy.

Alex noticed that Andy blushed slightly, but he said nothing.

“We thought to move on quickly,” said Bregnest. “We must still complete our adventure, and we have little time to waste.”

“A few days won’t make a great difference,” said Tayo. “And besides, you must dine with us at both of our houses before you leave.”

“He’s right, of course,” Skeld added. “Lilly and Indigo will skin us alive if you don’t.”

“Very well,” said Bregnest. “We will remain for three days and leave the morning of the fourth. On the third night, however, I will host a banquet to repay your kindness.”

“Then tomorrow you will dine at my house,” said Skeld.

“He won the toss,” said Tayo. “We flipped a coin before coming to see you.”

Skeld and Tayo remained with the company until it was late, talking and laughing and telling bits of stories from past adventures. As they were leaving, they promised to return the next day at four hours past midday to lead the company to Skeld’s house. Alex and his friends made their way to bed that night looking forward to at least a few happy days in Oslansk.

The next morning Bregnest was busy arranging for a feast. Halfdan and Sindar had decided to look around the city together, and Andy said he’d go with Alex to visit Elwig the dwarf.

Elwig was delighted to see Alex again and instantly started showing him the items he’d made from the true silver that Alex had left with him. Alex was pleased to see everything, but he had other thoughts on his mind. While Andy was busy looking around the shop, Alex pulled Elwig aside for a quiet word.