Slathbog's Gold - Forman Mark L. Страница 20

“I would say that these gems are an uncommon treasure, as trolls seldom carry gems with them. Though Alex has lost his extra share in this treasure, these should go to him for his victory over the troll,” said Bregnest with a smile. “He may choose to share them or to keep them for himself.”

“Share them, please,” said Alex as Thrang held out two of the bags to him. “It is only right that we share these.”

“You are most generous,” said Bregnest. “We will do as you ask. So then, eight equal shares and all odd numbers to the

victor.”

“To the victor,” six voices agreed.

Alex wasn’t sure what Bregnest meant by “to the victor” but he soon learned it meant that any items that couldn’t be divided into eight equal shares belonged to him. In the end, Alex received seven rubies, six emeralds, three diamonds, five gold coins, and two silver coins more than anyone else.

Once the treasure had been divided, Skeld said, “Let’s find the home of our stone friend. If he carried this much treasure with him, a fair hoard awaits us in his cave.”

Arconn took the lead, and they followed him across the clearing and up the hill beyond. The deep imprints of the troll’s leather boots had left a clear trail that was not difficult to follow.

“You’ve done a good night’s work,” said Thrang, walking next to Alex. “Even if the cave is empty, we’ve more than paid for our adventure with this treasure.”

Alex wondered if he should offer to pay Thrang back for the items he’d bought in Telous, but then he remembered Andy’s comments about dwarfs and their money and he decided to remain silent, at least until he understood a little more about dwarfs.

“An impressive first victory,” said Andy, coming up on Alex’s other side.

“I was lucky,” Alex replied.

“Lucky or not, it’s still remarkable,” Thrang commented.

Alex shook his head. “I was too angry and foolish to see the danger.”

“You may have been many things, but not foolish,” said Thrang in a serious tone. “You followed your instincts and did what your heart told you. And you used magic to defeat your enemy.”

“It was luck,” Alex insisted. “I really didn’t have time to think about it.”

“Luck is a good thing to have,” said Andy, as they climbed the hillside. “Maybe better than magic, in some ways.”

Alex considered what Thrang and Andy had said. He still had mixed feelings about magic, but he was glad that he had some luck.

The sun was well up when they came at last to a flat, open space on the side of the hill. Alex looked back down the path they had climbed, and he could see their tents far off in the morning light. He hoped Shahree was all right and had been able to shake off her fear from the night before.

“Going to take a bit of looking,” said Halfdan as they moved into the clearing. “Looks like this troll was careful.”

“What do you mean?” Alex questioned.

“Look at the ground,” said Tayo. “The troll’s tracks have vanished.”

Alex looked around the clearing and Tayo was right, the boot tracks they had followed up the hillside were nowhere to be seen.

“Its lair must be close,” said Skeld.

“Spread out,” said Bregnest. “Look for anything that seems out of place.”

Alex walked a few paces, but he didn’t have any idea what to look for. There were no boot prints leading to the troll’s lair, and as far as Alex could tell, this was just an open space on the hillside.

“A bit higher on the hillside would give the troll a better view of the land below,” said Halfdan.

They climbed up the hill, looking for any sign of the troll. Alex watched the ground, but there was nothing to see. He glanced around at his companions and saw that Thrang had stopped and was looking up at the branches of a tree.

“Here’s the door,” called Thrang, pointing at a moss-covered boulder that stood between two trees. “Better hidden than most troll’s lairs.”

“I don’t see a door,” said Alex as he looked at the boulder.

“That’s because you don’t know what you’re lookin’ for,” replied Thrang. “Look up at the branches. See how some of them have been broken off?”

“Yes,” replied Alex.

“Now, look at the boulder. What do you see?” Thrang questioned.

“It’s just a moss-covered boulder,” said Alex.

“Ah, but what side is the moss growing on?” Thrang asked.

“Um, the south side?” Alex guessed.

“Moss grows on the north side of boulders and trees,” said Thrang. “Or at least it does here in the north of Vargland.”

“So why is there moss on this boulder?” Alex questioned.

“Because the troll uses it to hide his door,” Thrang answered with a grunting laugh. “I’d guess the keyhole is hidden in the moss.”

“Stand ready,” Bregnest ordered, the key in his hand. “There may be another troll inside.”

The rest of the company all moved back a little, spreading out in a half circle around the doorway. Alex was a little nervous, believing his victory was more luck and anger than anything else and he didn’t want to meet a second troll so soon.

Bregnest pushed the key into a small crack that Alex had not seen and turned it once. There was a loud click, and with some hard pulling, Bregnest managed to open the door to the troll’s cave.

A terrible smell filled the air as the door swung open—rotten fish and old socks mixed with dirty dishes that had been left to soak for too long. Alex thought for a moment he was going to be sick. He pulled his shirt up over his nose, but it did little to block the smell.

Thrang ignited a large dead branch that was lying nearby and carefully stepped into the doorway.

“It’s all right,” he said in a tone that sounded both relieved and happy. “The cave isn’t deep, and there aren’t any trolls.”

The rest of the company followed Thrang into the cave, wary and alert. The foul smell was stronger inside the cave, and Alex began to feel a little dizzy.

“Step outside,” said Arconn, seeing the look on Alex’s face. “You’ve had a long night, and the smell might be too much for you.”

“I should stay with the company,” Alex replied in a determined tone.

Arconn nodded in response and said nothing more.

Once they were all inside the cave, Thrang lit the several lamps that were scattered around the single large room.

Alex’s feelings of sickness were forgotten once the lamps were lit. He was stunned and amazed by what he saw in the troll’s cave. He’d never imagined so much gold and silver could be in one place at one time.

Along the back wall of the cave were two huge black cauldrons, big enough for a man to sit in, and both of them were overflowing with coins. Next to the cauldrons were several piles of leather bags, all neatly tied at the top, just like the bags the troll had been carrying in its pockets. Alex looked at everything, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“You’ve done well, master wizard,” Skeld laughed loudly, but he suddenly stopped.

Alex followed Skeld’s gaze to the opposite wall. Hanging there on wooden pegs were what looked like seven magic bags. Broken weapons were scattered on the floor beneath them. The bags looked almost exactly like Alex’s own bag, though a bit more worn. Alex’s mouth snapped shut as he realized what this discovery meant. The others looked at the bags as well and their happiness with the treasure changed to sorrow for the lost adventurers who had once owned these bags.

“Take them outside, Skeld,” Bregnest commanded. “We will not leave them in this evil place another moment.”

Skeld carefully took the bags from their pegs and carried them out into the sunlight. His cheerful face was grim and slightly pale with sorrow.

“Alex,” Bregnest continued. “Gather wood and start a fire. We will eat in the clearing while we remove the treasure.”

Alex nodded. As he left the cave, the others began hauling the treasure into the sunlight. By the time Alex had gathered a large stack of wood and had a fire burning, his friends were covered with sweat from their heavy work. In the sunlight there seemed to be even more treasure than Alex had thought and he was surprised when he reentered the cave and saw the mounds of treasure that remained.