Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran

by M. L. Forman

  “Oh, they can go out,” said Alex. “But only by magic.”

  “If they would escape from someone who kept them in a jar, why do they remain here now?” Bregnest questioned.

  “Because I’m paying attention to them,” Alex replied. “If I left them alone without commanding them to stay or follow me, or if I went to sleep, they would simply float away.”

  “Could you capture one in something other than a jar?” Halfdan asked in a thoughtful tone.

  “I’ve read of some weir lights being trapped in crystals or gems, but that is much more difficult to do.”

  “Ah, but such a light inside a gem would make a fine treasure,” Halfdan said gleefully.

  “Such a gem would be nice, but the lights are so much nicer floating on their own,” said Sindar.

  They all finished eating and lay down on their blankets, watching the weir lights floating above them. Alex would occasionally change their colors just so Halfdan would chuckle. He was pleased that the spell had worked so well and that his friends found so much joy in the small balls of light. When Alex began to feel sleepy, he put out the weir lights. He felt relaxed, and even though he knew troubles lay ahead of him, tonight he didn’t care.

  When daylight came the next morning, they were all feeling refreshed. Their moods had improved, and even Bregnest did not look troubled. They ate their breakfast and started forward with little talk.

  The trail had rock on both sides of it, but in some places the rock was low enough they could look out across the lands below them. Alex noticed that Andy would always look away from the open spots, as if he did not wish to see how high they were.

  “Are you all right?” Alex asked Andy in a low voice so the rest of the company wouldn’t hear.

  “I don’t like high places,” said Andy, his voice a bit higher than normal. “They make me feel dizzy and confused.”

  Alex nodded but didn’t say anything more. He had never known about Andy’s fear of heights, and now he felt a little sorry that he had asked.

  They made good progress that day as the trail wound along the top of the mountains. There were no longer any steep spots to climb, only long, gentle ups and downs. As the sun began to sink in the west, they all began to feel restless. With each turn of their path, they hoped to see the second gate or the Tower of the Moon, but instead they saw only more of the trail. When the sun was almost gone, Alex began to wonder where they would be able to find a place to sleep.

  Just then, the company emerged from the trail into a wide-open space.

  “We are there,” said Bregnest suddenly.

  The second gate looked nothing at all like the first gate. There was no fine building or high arch, only the open space in front of them and a long stairway leading to the Tower of the Moon.

  “Where is the gate?” Halfdan asked.

  “Where is the guardian?” Val questioned.

  “Both are before you,” answered Sindar. “Look closely, just this side of the stairway, and you will see the gate and the guardians.”

  Looking into the gathering darkness, they could see what Sindar meant. On either side of the path sat an enormous griffin. Their wings were held high over their heads, forming a strange-looking archway. The griffins were much larger than Alex had imagined they would be, and he knew that their sharp, eagle eyes had already seen the company.

  “Impressive guardians,” Halfdan commented softly.

  “And effective,” Sindar added. “They can see right through a person and know if they are good or evil, happy or sad. They see everything.”

  “And how do we pass them?” Andy questioned.

  “I imagine they will tell us what we need to do,” said Bregnest. “But I think before we approach, we should rest. We will attempt the second gate in the morning.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The Tower of the Moon

  The company had a hard time trying to rest again that night. Their thoughts and eyes continued to wander toward the griffins, which were hidden in darkness. No one was hungry, but Halfdan prepared a simple meal just so he had something to do. They had reached the Tower of the Moon, and when the sun came up, they would have to pass before the griffins.

  Alex knew the griffins would only stop them if they were evil. Evil, however, was not the right word. He had read about griffins and stories about people who had encountered them. Griffins didn’t see things simply as good or evil; they looked more at intentions, at a person’s conscience, at the reasons people had for doing what they did.

  “It has been a long road,” Bregnest commented in the darkness. “I hope we find what we came looking for.”

  “It must be here,” said Andy. “The sphinx said the prince did not return, and there’s no other path he could have taken.”

  “The sphinx said that others had passed and did not return,” Sindar corrected. “We don’t know who those others might have been.”

  “I agree with Andy,” said Halfdan. “Usel said the prince traveled this way, so the Horn must be here. I’ll feel better once we have it and are away from this place.”

  “Do you doubt your ability to pass the griffins?” Val questioned.

  “No,” said Halfdan. “But everyone may hide some evil inside of them, even from themselves.”

  “And few of the mortal races know themselves as well as they think they do,” Sindar added.

  “Is it different for elves?” Alex questioned.

  “Yes and no,” answered Sindar in a quiet voice. “We know ourselves far better than mortals do, but even so, evil may hide where we least expect it.”

  They fell silent for a time, each of them searching their own hearts and thoughts. Alex wondered if his growing pride in being a wizard might be considered evil. He wasn’t sure how the griffins would judge him, or what they might consider evil that he would not.

  “It will do no good to worry,” said Sindar. “The griffins will judge as they see fit, and only another griffin would truly understand the judgment.”

  “How will we proceed in the morning?” Andy questioned. “Will we stand before them as a group? Or one at a time?”

  “One at a time,” Bregnest answered after a few moments of thought. “I believe we will all pass, but I think we should each stand alone before the griffins.”

  “And if all do not pass?” Val asked.

  “The judgment of the griffins is not the same as man’s,” Bregnest answered. “If any of this company fail to pass, none here will speak against them.”

  They all became quiet once more, though Alex didn’t think any of his companions were sleeping. He was worried about getting past the griffins, but he was more worried about what waited for him at the tower. His mind burned with thoughts of the lower library, but he still didn’t have any answers about how to destroy it.

  The wind picked up as the night went on, and it was getting colder. Alex thought about how long they’d been in Norsland. By his count, they were only just starting their fifth month. Andy had said there were at least five or six months of good traveling weather, so why had Usel warned them to start back so soon? Surely they had at least a month before winter would return. Faced with more questions than answers, Alex slowly fell into a light sleep.

  A terrible, screaming cry snapped him awake. Alex jumped to his feet, his hand reaching for Moon Slayer at his side. He looked around to see where the cry had come from.

  Everything was dark, but he could hear something large moving nearby. The griffins were awake in the darkness, and they sounded both angry and pained.

  “Bregnest?” Alex called, looking around but seeing nothing in the darkness. “Sindar?”

  There was no reply, only the angry sounds coming from the griffins.

  Alex stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. Where were his companions? Why were they not answering his calls? His thoughts were numbed by the darkness, and fear was growing inside of him. He knew that he had to do something—anything—and fast.

  With an effort of will, Ale
x conjured up a half dozen weir lights. As they floated gently around him, the fog in his mind began to clear and the darkness around him fled. He felt like a great weight was suddenly lifted from him.

  Looking around, he saw that his friends were all still on the ground as though they had not heard the screaming pain of the griffins and were simply resting, waiting for dawn. Then he noticed that only four of his friends were there. Val was gone.

  “Bregnest!” Alex shouted, bending over his friend and trying to shake him awake.

  Bregnest didn’t answer. Alex tried to wake each of his friends in turn, but none of them would wake up. When he shook Sindar, the elf mumbled slightly, but he, too, seemed completely dazed.

  Alex didn’t know what to do. He needed to help his friends, but he also needed to find Val. Where had he gone? And what had caused the griffins to cry out in such terrible pain and anger?

  Simple solutions, he thought, remembering Whalen’s advice. He had to think of something fast and simple that would help his friends. Fire. That might help. Fire was the adventurer’s friend and ally.

  Stepping away from his friends’ blankets, Alex conjured a blue-white fire. The heat from the flames pushed back the cold mountain air. As fast as he could, Alex moved his companions as close to the fire as he dared, still trying to wake them. Only Sindar spoke, but his voice was a faint whisper.

  “My pendant. I need my pendant.” Sindar pulled at his shirt with his right hand, desperately trying to find something.

  Alex pushed aside Sindar’s hand and pulled open the top of the elf’s shirt. There was no pendant, only a dark red line where something had been yanked from around Sindar’s neck.

  Alex searched Sindar’s blankets and the ground around him. He forced more magic into the weir lights, changing them from gentle gold to dazzling white. The bright light glinted off something, but as Alex reached out for it, his hand stopped. Sindar’s pendant was made of true silver, but there was no mistaking the design. It was shaped like a flower, the same flower as the pendant Alex’s father had hidden.

  Alex retrieved the pendant, but almost dropped it as it burned his hand with cold. The cold was gone almost as soon as the pendant was in his hand, the burn forgotten, and a gentle warmth seemed to flow out of the metal flower.

  “Here, I have your pendant,” Alex said, forcing it into Sindar’s hand.

  Sindar took a few deep breaths. His muscles relaxed, and his eyes fluttered open. For a second he seemed confused, and then he spoke in a desperate, pleading tone.

  “Val. Some evil has taken over his mind.”

  “What?” Alex asked, wondering if he’d heard Sindar correctly.

  “Val carries a great evil with him. He will go to the tower. You must stop him before he reaches the lower library,” said Sindar, blinking slowly.

  “But I can’t leave you and the others,” Alex protested. “The others won’t wake up, and you can barely speak.”

  “Go, quickly,” said Sindar, his tone becoming urgent. “I will recover soon. I will care for the others while you are gone.”

  “Sindar, this is madness,” said Alex. “What evil does Val carry?”

  “Go,” Sindar repeated. “Go now.”

  Alex looked at Sindar and his other friends. If he left them, they might be lost, but what could he do for them if he stayed? If Val was carrying some evil and he reached the lower library, it could be disastrous.

  Alex knew what he had to do. “Do what you can for the others. I will return as soon as I can.”

  Sindar seemed to nod, but he said nothing.

  Alex put out the weir lights but left the fire burning, then he ran toward the Tower of the Moon with only one thought in his mind. Stop Val. Stop the evil.

  “Stay,” an angry voice commanded as Alex ran toward the stairs that led to the tower.

  Alex slid to a stop. He had forgotten that the griffins were still there, and they were angry.

  “What do you seek in the Tower of the Moon?” the griffin growled.

  “I seek the evil that has gone there,” Alex answered.

  “The evil you seek traveled here with your company. It attacked us, blinding us with its dark magic. Why do you seek it now?” the griffin demanded.

  “We did not know this evil was with us,” said Alex defensively. “Now that it has shown itself, I must stop it from reaching the lower library and learning even greater dark magic.”

  The griffin paused. “There is no evil in you,” it said finally in a somewhat softer tone. “You may pass. But know this, young wizard, your friends will remain here as hostages.”

  “Hostages?”

  “We will allow you three hours. You must either destroy this evil or return here with it. If you do not return before the time is up, the hostages are forfeit.”

  The griffin’s words filled Alex with a cold fear, but he had no choice. “Agreed,” he said, resolved to his fate.

  “Then go,” the griffin commanded. “And return swiftly—if you can.”

  Alex didn’t hesitate. He rushed up the stairs that led into the tower without looking back. He had little time and no idea where Val might be. What evil Val carried with him Alex could not guess, but he knew it must be powerful in order to blind the griffins and allow Val the chance to slip past their watchful gaze.

  Alex was breathing hard when he reached the top of the stairway, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. The entrance to the tower was in front of him, but there was no sign of Val. He stopped for a moment, trying to catch his breath and think. Val had carried the evil, but for how long? And why had Alex not felt the evil, as he had before when other evil had been near him? He was only a wizard in training, how could he possibly defeat this overwhelming evil?

  Alex approached the tower, his worries picking at his brain. He had to try, even if it was hopeless. If he failed, he would probably die, though the thought of his own death didn’t bother him as much as the knowledge that if he failed, his friends would surely die as well. And if he succeeded, he had only three hours to return to the griffins and save his friends.

  As he entered the tower, Alex found himself in a wide chamber. The torches were lit, which helped him to see, but it also helped his enemy. Looking around, he saw there were two stairways leading out of the chamber. One stairway led up into the tower, the other spiraled down into the mountain beneath the tower.

  “It must be down,” Alex said to himself.

  Alex ran to the stairway on his right and started down. The stairs circled around the wall of the tower and were poorly lit. Carefully, Alex moved downward, keeping his eyes open in case Val was hidden somewhere, waiting to attack him. There were no hiding places along the stairway that he could see, but Alex continued to move with caution.

  At the bottom of the stairs was a long hallway, and at the far end of the hallway, Alex could see what appeared to be more stairs leading down. Alex moved down the hallway as fast as he could. He watched for any sign of movement and listened for any kind of sound. He paused at the end of the hallway to listen again, but there was only silence. There were no doorways or passages leading away from the hallway, so the only thing to do was to continue down.

  The second stairway ended in a narrow chamber. There were doors on both sides and a large double door at the far end. Alex moved into the middle of the room, looking for any sign that he was going in the right direction. There was something familiar about the room, but Alex couldn’t remember where he had seen it before. He felt certain that he was going in the right direction, but if he had chosen wrong and the library was higher in the tower, he was wasting what little time he had.

  Alex stood for a second with his eyes partly closed, listening. A cold breeze blew across his face from the direction of the large double door, and he took that as a sign. He moved to the door and reached out for the handles. His hands shook slightly, and he could already feel the evil and hate waiting behind the doors. Not just waiting, but waiting for him.

  Focusing his thoughts on wha
t he had to do, Alex pushed the doors open and stepped into the lower library. Val was standing halfway down a large empty room, looking back at Alex.

  “I knew you would come,” said Val in an odd-sounding voice. “I knew you would try to stop me.”

  “What are you doing, Val?”

  “What I have been told to do,” Val answered, his face twisting into what might have been a grin. “I do what my friends say because they want what is best for me.”

  “What friends?” Alex asked, stepping closer to Val and looking around the empty room.

  “The friends that I have carried with me on this foolish quest,” answered Val. “The friends who found me on my last adventure and showed me what I could be, if I listened to them.”

  “And what is that?” Alex asked, thinking that Val’s words sounded strangely familiar.

  “I will be king of the known lands. All will bow before me, and all will give honor to me.”

  “I have heard such promises before,” Alex said softly. “They are lies, and those who promise such things are full of evil.”

  “So you say,” Val answered with a sneer. “You threw away your chance. You refused to accept them once, and now you will pay the price of your foolishness with your life.”

  “I threw away only lies. I refused to accept their evil, and I have paid no price for my choice.”

  “Your time is over, wizard. We will destroy you,” Val screamed, leaping forward, the point of his sword driving toward Alex’s heart.

  Alex spun away, avoiding Val’s attack by dropping to the floor and rolling back to his feet. Moon Slayer was in his hand as he turned, and the magic sword began to glow softly in the darkness. Alex felt Val’s next attack coming, and he spun away as he slapped Val’s sword aside with Moon Slayer.

  The two of them began a deadly dance around the empty library. Val spun and attacked wildly time and again, but Moon Slayer was always there to block his attacks. Several times Alex saw an opening where he could easily have killed Val, but he didn’t. Val was his friend, and he was being controlled by evil; Alex felt like he had to try to save him from that evil.