Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran

by M. L. Forman

  Elwig was stunned when Alex produced a large bag full of true silver, and for a moment he could not speak at all. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and then finally said that he could make what Alex wanted.

  “And if your work is acceptable, you may keep the remaining true silver as payment,” said Alex.

  “Oh, no, sir,” Elwig protested. “The payment is far too great.”

  “If your work is acceptable, the payment will be as I have said,” Alex repeated firmly.

  “You are most generous, sir,” Elwig said with a deep bow. “The work will be done as you request. I will have the brooches ready for you the day before the weddings.”

  Halfdan and Alex left Elwig’s shop, agreeing to return the day before the weddings to collect the gifts. Halfdan had a slightly troubled look on his face as they left, and Alex asked him what was wrong.

  “I think you may have offered too much for his work,” Halfdan answered.

  “Perhaps.”

  “Elwig will work night and day to make what you’ve requested. I hope he doesn’t overdo your design.”

  “I did say the work had to be acceptable,” said Alex. “And I think he’ll do a fine job.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  “Now, what about you?” Alex questioned. “What gifts will you be giving?”

  “Ah, well, I’ve already got mine. Thrang and I had some things made before I left for Telous, so I’m well-prepared.”

  “Then I suppose we should find our way back to the Goodseed house and see what the others are doing.”

  Halfdan and Alex worked their way back through the busy streets, asking directions every now and then from people who were passing by. Everyone seemed to know where the Goodseed family was staying, and they were all eager to help the adventurers find their way.

  When Alex and Halfdan were almost back to the house, however, Alex heard a voice he recognized. He held up his hand for Halfdan to stop and remain silent. From around the corner came the unmistakable voice of Michael Goodseed.

  “You don’t know anything,” Michael said loudly.

  “I know that he’s not a wizard,” the voice of fat Otho Longtree replied. “He doesn’t even have a staff.”

  “He is,” Michael insisted. “My brother says so, and he was on an adventure with him before.”

  “Balderdash. If he’s a wizard, I’m an ox—and if he’s even seen a dragon I’ll eat my hat.”

  “He is a wizard,” Michael repeated, his voice sounding close to tears.

  Alex motioned for Halfdan to stay still as he stepped around the corner.

  Otho and four of his large companions were circled around Michael, cornering him against the wall. Alex saw at once that Otho was trying to make Michael cry, and he saw Michael’s desperate attempt not to do so. For an instant, Alex saw himself in Michael’s place, alone and too small to fight off his tormentors.

  Alex had never been bullied in his life—his stepbrother, Todd, had made sure of that—but he had seen others suffer the humiliation. He remembered how his insides had twisted when older and stronger students had tormented friends at school, and anger began to rise in him as the memories returned.

  “What’s all this?” Alex asked, his eyes locking onto Otho.

  “No—nothing,” Otho answered, his eyes narrowing.

  “Then I should ask if you’d like sauce with your hat,” said Alex, staring directly into Otho’s beady eyes. “Or perhaps it will taste better if I turn you into an ox first. Though you don’t seem to have enough brains to be an ox.”

  Otho’s face grew bright red, and for a moment it seemed that he didn’t know what to say, but he soon found his voice once more.

  “You—you wouldn’t dare,” said Otho nervously. “I’m the heir of Osgood Longtree, magistrate of the city.”

  “And I’m a wizard who dislikes pompous bullies,” Alex spat back at him. “And I don’t really care who your father is. I think it’s time for you to be taught a lesson.”

  “You’re no wizard,” answered Otho, but his tone was uncertain and laced with fear. “You don’t even have a staff.”

  Alex felt magic building up inside of him as his emotions ran wild. A strange ringing sound filled his ears and mind, blinding him to everything but Otho and his words. He would prove who and what he was and silence this overstuffed bully once and for all.

  Control your emotions, boy, a commanding voice echoed inside Alex’s head.

  For no more than a second Alex lost track of what was happening. The anger drained out of him as quickly as it had come, and when he blinked, he saw Otho and his friends running up the road away from him. The feeling that someone was watching washed over Alex like a wave and then vanished like the wind.

  “Are you all right, Michael?” Alex asked after several silent moments.

  “Ye—yes,” Michael stuttered.

  “Well, you’d better come along with us,” said Alex. “We’re just going home to see what there is for a midday meal.”

  Michael moved slowly, and then with a few hurried words about making sure lunch was ready, he ran ahead of Alex and Halfdan.

  Alex watched him go, worried that he might have scared him.

  “Clever bit of magic that,” Halfdan commented as the two of them started off once more.

  “What?”

  “The white flames that sprang up around you as you spoke—very impressive. No heat, no damage, but very bright and surprising nonetheless.”

  “I . . . I didn’t . . .” Alex stammered and then stopped, shaken by what Halfdan had said. He had almost lost control of his emotions, and if he had, he wasn’t sure what would have happened.

  “I’d guess that Otho and his friends will stay well clear of you from now on,” Halfdan went on. “They ran away like a dragon was chasing them!”

  Chapter Five

  Two Weddings

  For the rest of the day Michael continued to stare at Alex. Whenever Alex looked at him, however, Michael would look away. Alex wondered what he could do to take away the boy’s fear.

  Alex had other things to worry about, too. He’d almost lost control of his emotions and let loose his magic. Some of his magic had slipped away before the strange voice inside his head had stopped him. The voice, however, had also come with the feeling of being watched. Something was going on—something important—but Alex had no idea what it could be.

  It was late afternoon before Skeld and Tayo appeared, ready to lead the company to the feast. Alex followed his friends into the street, trying to be cheerful and not worry about what had happened.

  “Michael told me about your run-in with Otho,” Andy commented, breaking Alex’s train of thought. “Did you really threaten to turn him into an ox?”

  “I did,” said Alex. “And I’m sure he believed I was about to do it too.”

  “But you wouldn’t really do it, would you?” Andy asked, sounding slightly concerned.

  “Well, it would help if I knew how,” Alex admitted. “After all, I’m only a wizard in training, but Otho doesn’t know that.”

  “Wizard in training or not, I reckon you could have done it if you really wanted to,” Halfdan said from Alex’s other side.

  “As long as Otho believes that I was going to . . .”

  “I wish I’d seen the look on his face,” said Andy. “I think you’re the first one to ever stand up to him.”

  “I think Michael might be a little scared of me. You know, after what happened this afternoon,” Alex commented.

  “Oh, no,” said Andy. “I think you’re his new hero.”

  * * *

  As soon as the company reached the feasting hall, Skeld and Tayo made the introductions. Alex met Lilly and Indigo, his friend’s future wives, as well as a horde of relatives he was sure he wouldn’t remember. There was one person, however, that caught his attention. Cara, Lilly and Indigo’s mother, had a soft golden light around her, a light that only Alex could see.

  Alex didn’t have time to think about th
is new mystery, though, because as soon as the last introduction was made, the feast started. Even with all the distractions, Alex’s thoughts kept going back to earlier that day. He tried to pay attention to the conversations around him, and nod or comment at the correct times, but questions continued to pop into his mind. Who or what was watching him? Where had the voice in his head come from? And why had it come? Why couldn’t he see what was happening around him?

  “You seem troubled,” a soft voice said from Alex’s left.

  Turning, Alex saw Cara standing next to him.

  “Yes,” Cara said, seeing the look on Alex’s face. “I have magic. Have you not seen a person’s magic before?”

  “No, I haven’t,” Alex answered. “I’m fairly new to magic, and I was told by my teacher that it would take some time before I would be able to see magic in other people, or at least see it clearly.”

  “I remember the first time I saw the magic of another person,” said Cara. “Seeing what others are, what powers they have, is not always an easy thing. You see the light around me—my magic—and you have many questions.”

  “Yes, I do,” said Alex. He suddenly remembered Halfdan’s words: “It’s as if you are both bewitched, and I don’t mind saying that it scares me.” Could Cara have used magic on Skeld and Tayo so they would fall in love with her daughters? “And I wonder what you use your magic for.”

  “I did not use magic on your friends, if that is what you fear,” Cara said after a moment of silence. “I would not do that.”

  “I see no magic in either of your daughters,” Alex said, feeling relived by Cara’s statement.

  “Lilly will never have any magic of her own,” Cara said, nodding toward her daughters. “Indigo may have some magic one day—it is hard to tell. The magic of my family does not begin to grow until after the daughter has a child of her own.”

  “Then how do you know that Lilly will never have any magic?”

  “Because only girls with dark hair receive and pass on the magic. It has always been that way.”

  “Always?”

  “My family is an old one, and we have kept records,” Cara answered. “In all of our history, only those girls with dark hair have the magic and pass it on. It is part of the legend.”

  “Legend? What legend?”

  “Of course, forgive me,” Cara said with a smile. “You are from a distant land and are unfamiliar with the legends of Norsland. There is an old legend about a wizard and the Tower of the Moon. From my family line a wizard will be born, the son of an adventurer. There are many details to the story, things that have been added over the years, so I don’t know how much of the legend is true. What I do know is that one day a true wizard will come to take control of the magic that lives in the Tower of the Moon and use it to save his people.”

  “What magic lives in the Tower of the Moon?” Alex asked with interest.

  “Why, all magic. The tower is the center of magical power for all of Norsland. Without a wizard there to control it, the magic will become weaker and start to fade.”

  “Does the story say when the wizard will be born?”

  “It would hardly be a legend if it gave such useful and specific details,” Cara sighed. “But I am hopeful that one day the wizard will come.”

  Alex’s thoughts slipped away from Cara and the party around him, racing off to a distant tower and an unknown point in time. Somehow he knew there was trouble in Norsland, trouble caused by an unseen evil that wanted to take control and rule all of the land and its people. But to do that, it had to control the magic of the Tower.

  His thoughts shifted to a frozen plain where two figures carrying staffs struggled to move forward against a howling storm. His vision zoomed in on the figures, and in his mind’s eye, Alex found himself looking into his own eyes. The face was an older version of himself, the older Alex from his dreams.

  “Alex?” Cara said softly. “Is everything all right?”

  “I will hope with you for the wizard’s appearance,” Alex answered as he forced his thoughts back to the present. “However, if this legend is to come true, there is something you must do.”

  “Oh? What is that?”

  “You must tell Indigo and Lilly about this legend. And you must tell Indigo that she may one day have magic of her own,” Alex answered. “You must also tell Skeld and Tayo about this. Now, before the weddings take place.”

  “Why trouble them with this, now?” Cara asked in a slightly alarmed tone. “They are in love, they want to be married—why disturb their happiness?”

  “Because they have a right to know,” said Alex. “Cara, I can’t really explain why. I know you don’t want to upset them, but I must insist. They must know about the legend, or I will be forced to stop the weddings from taking place.”

  “You would do that? You would take this happiness from your friends?”

  “You see only a hope of having a wizard in the Tower of the Moon, but I see more. You said the wizard would take control of the magic and save his people. If the people need to be saved, there must be some great danger they need to be saved from. I will not let my friends walk into that danger blind.”

  “You saw something,” Cara said slowly. “As I told you the legend, you saw something.”

  “Yes.”

  “I . . . I never thought about the danger.” She paused, then nodded. “You are right. They should know. I will do as you ask.”

  “Don’t worry,” Alex said in a reassuring tone. “I’m sure the weddings will still take place. I just think it is for the best to let them know what their futures might hold.”

  * * *

  That night, when he was alone in his room, Alex wrote a second letter to Whalen. He explained what had happened with Otho, including his feelings of being watched and the strange voice inside his head. He wondered if Whalen would be angry with him for threatening to turn Otho into an ox, and he worried about what Whalen would say about his near loss of control.

  It was a longer letter than normal, and Alex had a lot of questions that he hoped Whalen would have answers for. He asked about any legends that Whalen might have heard or read about the Tower of the Moon and about the magic of Norsland. Alex knew that there were centers of magical power in other lands, but he didn’t know much about them. When he’d finally finished writing his letter, and had sent it with a geeb, he lay awake on his bed. His mind was still looking for answers, but until Whalen wrote back, he knew the answers would not come.

  The days leading up to the weddings passed swiftly, and they were not all full of fun and parties. Bregnest ordered the company to pack items for their journey, and he insisted that they not spend all their time wandering around the city. Luckily, packing the food didn’t take long, and there was little to discuss about the road they would be following. Alex tried to find as many maps of Norsland as he could, but sadly none of the maps he found were any better than the map in his Adventurer’s Handbook.

  The day before the weddings, Alex and Halfdan returned to Elwig’s shop to collect Alex’s gifts. Elwig was delighted to see them again, and even more pleased when Alex praised the work he had done. His smile flickered only when Alex insisted that Elwig keep the rest of the true silver as payment for the work.

  “You are too generous, Master Taylor, I cannot,” said Elwig with a deep bow.

  “Perhaps you would consider a trade,” Alex suggested. “After all, I’m sure you could craft wonderful things from the true silver, and it does me little good in my bag.”

  “If it’s a trade, perhaps we can make an arrangement,” said Elwig, stroking his gray beard.

  After a long debate, and Alex’s continued praise of Elwig’s work, they finally settled on a price. When Alex and Halfdan left the shop, Alex had five hundred gold coins in his magic bag and a beautiful golden brooch to go along with his other gifts. Alex planned to give the new brooch to Andy’s mother for her kindness to the company during their stay.

  “You drive a hard bargain, my friend
,” said Halfdan. “And I’m afraid you bargain against yourself.”

  “It’s a fair price,” Alex replied. “And I’m sure Elwig will make beautiful things with the true silver, so that’s good enough for me.”

  Halfdan shook his head as the two of them made their way back to the Goodseed house. It was obvious that he thought Alex was far too generous, but Alex didn’t mind. His mother and stepfather had taught him about generosity, and he knew that it had little to do with money. It was more about helping others, and giving Elwig some true silver to work with would only help the smith improve his craft.

  That night at dinner Alex showed Elwig’s work to the rest of the company and Andy’s family. They were all impressed by the brooches Elwig had made and with the design Alex had come up with. The two brooches were almost identical and were made of true silver in the shape of a dragon’s head. The head was edged with gold and each brooch had a large gem set as the dragon’s eye. Lilly’s brooch had a large white diamond, while Indigo’s had a dark blue sapphire. Around the edge of each brooch were eight small rubies, which Alex explained represented each of the members of the adventure they had been on.

  “I may have to find a wife myself if you give such fine gifts,” Andy joked, his voice lowered so his parents wouldn’t hear him.

  That night in his room, Alex took some time to put a spell on all three of the brooches he’d received from Elwig. The spell was a simple one designed to protect the brooches from loss or theft. When that was done, Alex took the two true silver brooches in his hands and focused his mind and his magic on them. He formed a link between the two brooches, a magical connection that would let him know if his friends needed him. He hoped the spell would let him know if Cara’s story ever came true.

  * * *

  When the wedding day arrived, Alex felt a bit nervous and out of place in his new blue clothes as he walked along the streets of Oslansk toward the main town square where the ceremony would be held. It seemed as though the whole city had been invited.