The Horn of Moran

by M. L. Forman

  When they finally reached the Golden Swan, Alex was so nervous he could hardly move. He had some trouble getting off Shahree, and he stumbled on the steps of the Swan. He knew he was being silly, but he couldn’t help it.

  “Bregnest,” a voice called as the company entered the Swan. “Good to see you again, my friend.”

  Alex looked over and saw that Whalen was both everything and nothing at all like he had expected. Whalen looked old, but not too old; thin, but not too thin. He was almost six feet tall with shoulder-length silver-gray hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. Alex could also see that he had a great deal of magical power.

  “Whalen,” answered Bregnest. “It has been too long, my old friend.”

  “And this must be Alex,” said Whalen, approaching Alex with his hand outstretched. “So good to meet you face to face at last.”

  “A great honor,” Alex managed to say, shaking Whalen’s hand.

  “Oh, perhaps,” said Whalen with a mischievous look on his face. “Though perhaps the great honor is mine.”

  “Sir?” Alex asked, not understanding what Whalen meant.

  “Now then, Bregnest, introduce me to the rest of your fine company,” Whalen continued, not taking time to answer Alex. “Alex has kept me up with your adventure, of course, but now I can ask all those little questions that are best asked in person.”

  Bregnest introduced the rest of the company to Whalen, and Whalen greeted them all as if he knew them. Alex was relieved to see that his friends were nearly as nervous as he was. In fact, Whalen had to take Andy’s hand and shake it before Andy would stop bowing to him.

  “Well, now,” said Whalen. “I do hope you’ll allow me to join you for your midday meal.”

  “It would be both our honor and our pleasure,” Bregnest replied.

  Whalen nodded and waved his hand toward a small dining room set at the front of the Swan, where arrangements had already been made for their meal. As soon as they were seated, servants appeared with trays of food.

  Whalen was interested in everything Alex’s friends had to say. He seemed to be almost overflowing with energy as he asked all kinds of questions about what had happened on their adventure. He seemed most interested in the minor points that Alex had neglected to mention in his letters, and he listened closely to every answer.

  “You turned old Kappa into a donkey?” Whalen laughed. “Exactly what he deserved. I’m pleased that Trion saw it that way as well, and chose to leave him in that form.”

  “It seemed the most fitting thing to turn him into,” said Alex.

  “Of course it was. You have become very good at reading people, Alex. I am impressed with your judgment on this adventure.”

  “Thank you,” said Alex.

  “Now, to business,” said Whalen in a slightly more serious tone. “Bregnest, I take it you have not had your final feast with this company or declared your adventure at an end?”

  “That is correct,” said Bregnest. “I thought perhaps tonight or tomorrow we would take care of that final part of our agreement.”

  “Tomorrow night would be better,” said Whalen, looking at Bregnest with his eyebrows raised.

  “Then tomorrow night it shall be,” said Bregnest with a slight bow.

  Alex thought it was odd that Whalen wanted them to wait; he wasn’t a member of the company, after all.

  “Now then, with your permission, Bregnest. I would like to have a good long talk with Alex,” said Whalen.

  “He is free to do as he wishes until tomorrow night’s feast.”

  “Very good,” said Whalen with a nod. “If the rest of you will excuse us. Alex, we have a great deal to discuss.”

  Alex was puzzled, but decided that Whalen had his reasons. With a quick nod to his friends, Alex followed Whalen out of the dining room and toward the back of the Swan.

  Whalen led Alex to a small room with two comfortable chairs, a small table with a lamp, and a large fireplace. The curtains in the room were pulled shut and the lamp and fire were both burning brightly.

  “Have a seat,” said Whalen, closing the door behind them.

  Alex sat down in one chair, and Whalen sat in the other chair, looking at Alex for what seemed like a long time.

  “I suppose you know what I want to talk to you about,” said Whalen in a serious tone.

  “No,” Alex answered nervously.

  “I want to ask you to do two things, and then to let me do a third,” said Whalen. “First of all, I want to ask you to take your staff.”

  “A . . . a staff?” Alex asked in shock. “But I’m still in training, I still have so much to learn.”

  “Exactly. You have learned that you still have much more to learn. That is perhaps the hardest thing for any wizard to discover.”

  “I . . . I don’t understand.”

  “Of course you don’t.” Whalen chuckled. “Thinking that you know everything you need to know and that you understand everything that is said is what keeps most wizards from ever becoming really great.”

  Alex was confused by the statement, but then felt like a small light suddenly came on in his head as he understood what Whalen was saying.

  “The second thing I want to ask you is to swear an oath to obey wizard law,” Whalen said.

  “The staff and the oath don’t go together?”

  “Oh, no. Most people who find out that they’re wizards, or I should say potential wizards, run right out and buy a staff. Some wait until they’ve had an adventure or two, and some wait for an oracle to tell them to buy a staff.”

  “But you told me not to buy a staff,” said Alex, confused.

  “Of course I did. Any fool can buy a staff, and some can even manage a good deal of magic with one. You, on the other hand, managed a good deal of magic without a staff, which makes your deeds far more impressive.”

  “When do most wizards take the oath?” Alex asked.

  “Many never do,” said Whalen sadly. “You see, the oath is only given to true wizards—those who have managed at least four great wizard tasks.”

  “What four tasks have I done?” Alex questioned, thinking back over his adventures and wondering what Whalen would consider to be a great wizard task.

  Whalen smiled. “Your interest in this matter shows good sense and humility, both things that help make a truly great wizard.”

  “But what four tasks have I done?” Alex asked again. “I mean, I know I’ve done some good things, but nothing great.”

  “Don’t be too sure about that,” Whalen replied. “The first two tasks were completed during your first adventure. Bregnest told me about them after your return, and I’ve done some checking since then to make sure he was right.”

  “What did I do?”

  “First, you defeated the wraiths at the ruins of Aunk. Few wizards could have done that at all, and fewer still without a staff.”

  “But I didn’t know what I was doing,” Alex protested. “And besides, I was only able to defeat the wraiths because of Moon Slayer.”

  “Ah, yes, your magic sword. Personally, I thought having the sword choose you should have counted as a task, but the council didn’t agree with me.”

  “The council?”

  “I’ll explain that in a minute,” Whalen replied with a wave of his hand. “Your second task was killing the dragon Slathbog and destroying his carcass.”

  “Again, that was mostly because of Moon Slayer.”

  “The sword helped, of course,” agreed Whalen. “However, you looked into the dragon’s eyes. I know of only one wizard who has ever done that and lived to tell the tale. You, however, broke the dragon’s magic and his will—a great task indeed. Then you turned him to ash with a single command, which I believe should also have counted as a separate task.”

  “Yes, but—” Alex began.

  Whalen held up his hand. “Your third task should have been destroying the goblin shaman in Norsland, but I think it best that we keep that quiet for the time being. So, your third official task was
destroying the lower library of the Tower of the Moon and driving away the evil shadow that was trying so hard to get it. And your fourth task was stopping a war in Athanor, which could easily have spread to other kingdoms in Alusia, as well as to other lands.”

  “But in Athanor I hardly did any magic. It only worked out because I tricked Varson into doing what I wanted him to,” said Alex before he could stop himself.

  “You may not have used much magic, but you did display a good deal of cunning and common sense. You came up with a plan and made it work.”

  “All right,” said Alex after a few moments of silence. “If you say these are great wizard tasks, I will believe you.”

  “Excellent! Now, for the council I mentioned. There are nine wizards on the council—myself included—who work to fight evil, help train young wizards, and uphold wizard laws.”

  “And this council has decided I’ve managed four great tasks and they want me to take an oath?”

  “Yes, we have and we do,” Whalen answered. “As your teacher, I would like you to take a staff, and the council would like you to take an oath to obey the wizard laws.”

  “And what are these laws?” Alex questioned, worried he might have already broken some of them.

  “Oh, they’re simple rules, nothing too difficult to do or too hard to remember. The most important part is that you promise not to do evil and that you try to do good whenever and wherever you can.”

  Alex sat thinking about everything Whalen had said, and he felt unsure of himself. If he accepted his staff, he would be considered a true wizard, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. He had hoped to continue learning with Whalen, but maybe that wasn’t a possibility.

  “I know this is a lot to take in all at once,” said Whalen in a kindly tone. “Perhaps you were hoping to continue your studies, or undertake an adventure as my apprentice. I, however, believe you are already a true wizard and that it is time for you to take your staff. I will always help you if I can. And as your sponsor, I will expect you to keep me updated on what you’re doing.”

  “Sponsor?” Alex questioned.

  “Since I’m the one asking you to take a staff, by wizard law, I am responsible for you to some degree.”

  Alex didn’t reply, thinking quietly for a time. Whalen and the council considered him a wizard. All his friends thought he was a wizard and would never listen when he said he was still in training. And he had also called himself a wizard several times on this last adventure, so somewhere inside he must believe that he was a wizard.

  “You said there was something else,” Alex said slowly. “Something I had to let you do.”

  “Yes, if you agree to take a staff and swear the oath, I would like to place a spell on you—the Rel O’Gash,” said Whalen.

  “What kind of spell is it?”

  “One that will help you control your O’Gash,” Whalen answered and then smiled at the puzzled look on Alex’s face. “O’Gash is an ancient name for a wizard’s inner eye—his sixth sense. A wizard’s O’Gash helps him know things, like when someone is lying to him. It also gives you warnings when something is wrong, and sometimes can give you knowledge that you didn’t have before. You’ve already used your O’Gash, Alex. The spell will simply help it grow stronger and help you understand it better.”

  “I have found magic when I needed it,” Alex said slowly. “I’ve used spells that I’ve never read or heard before. They just came to me when I needed them.”

  “That is your O’Gash helping you. I would have explained this to you sooner, but I honestly didn’t think your O’Gash would grow as strong as it is so quickly. In fact, you are something of a surprise to the council.”

  “I am?”

  “It doesn’t often happen,” Whalen said slowly, “but every now and then a person is born who, like you, can use a high level of magic, even without training. You have learned everything I’ve given you much faster than any normal apprentice would, and you have found magic when you needed it most. The council and I agree that you may, in fact, be wizardborn.”

  “Very well,” said Alex, taking a deep breath. “I will do as you ask—I will take a staff. I will also swear the oath and agree to obey wizard law. And whenever you are ready, I will let you put the Rel O’Gash on me.”

  “Well done, well done indeed. I am pleased with your decision.”

  “What now?”

  “Now we go to Blackburn’s so you can summon your staff,” replied Whalen.

  “Summon a staff?”

  “Of course,” said Whalen, getting up and moving to the door. “You could take just any staff, of course, but if you summon one, it will work better for you. We’ll take care of the Rel O’Gash later tonight, once you have your staff.”

  “I’m not supposed to talk about the Rel O’Gash, am I?” Alex asked, already knowing the answer. “I mean, not with anyone but you or another wizard.”

  “I see your O’Gash is already teaching you,” Whalen replied with a nod.

  Whalen led Alex out of the Swan and into the streets of Telous while he explained about summoning a staff. There was a simple spell that would call forth the staff best suited for Alex. It was also a useful spell to know, Whalen explained, in case you dropped your staff and needed it in a hurry.

  “Master Vankin. Master Taylor,” said Mr. Blackburn as Alex and Whalen entered his shop. “A great honor to have you both here.”

  Alex had been to Mr. Blackburn’s shop once before when he had bought Moon Slayer. He liked Mr. Blackburn, and he liked looking around his shop even more.

  “We’ve come to get my friend a staff,” Whalen said enthusiastically.

  “’Course you have,” said Mr. Blackburn with a nod. “Knew he’d be back for one. Said so in the book.”

  “May we see the staffs you have?” Whalen asked.

  Mr. Blackburn bowed and led Alex and Whalen to a back room of the shop. Alex was surprised to see at least a hundred staffs lined up, all made of different woods and metals, and all giving off a little bit of their power. He could feel the magic in the room. He looked around the room with wide eyes, wondering which staff might be the best one for him.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Alex,” Whalen said quietly.

  “Are you sure there’s one here for me?” Alex asked.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sure of it.”

  “What if there’s more than one?” asked Alex, imagining all the staffs in the room suddenly landing on top of him.

  “That would be unlikely,” Whalen said thoughtfully. “There have been a few cases where two staffs were summoned, but that was a long time ago.”

  Alex nodded and stood for a moment without moving. He knew without being told that this was one of the most important moments of his life. He was about to summon his staff and become a true wizard. Slowly he raised his hands and repeated the spell Whalen had taught him.

  To Alex’s shock and surprise, the moment he finished the spell, three staffs jumped from the wall and moved across the floor to stand directly in front of him without any support.

  “Oh, my,” said Whalen, sounding almost as surprised as Alex felt. “Well, this is something, isn’t it?”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you did it exactly right,” Whalen replied. “Let me see what we have here.”

  Whalen began walking back and forth, looking at the three staffs. Alex’s nervous feeling reached a new high, and he wondered for a moment if he should change his mind about taking a staff.

  “Oak and gold,” said Whalen. “A fine-looking staff. And yes, holly and silver, an excellent staff. Well, ironwood and true silver, a strange combination, but another wonderful staff.”

  “Should I try again?” Alex questioned.

  “No, there won’t be any need for that. It looks as if the staffs will have to compete.”

  “Compete?”

  “Yes,” Whalen replied in a thoughtful tone. “You will use each staff to do the same magical act. The staff that does the
best job will be the one for you.”

  “And if they are all the same?”

  “Well, that’s hardly likely,” said Whalen. Then he stopped to consider the question for a moment. “Of course, if they do, that will be interesting, won’t it?”

  Alex didn’t answer, afraid to ask what Whalen might mean by interesting.