Slathbog's Gold - Forman Mark L. Страница 65

“You seem strangely quiet, Alex,” Arconn observed that night as they ate.

“Oh, just thinking,” answered Alex.

“Thinking how you’ll spend your fortune, no doubt,” Skeld commented with a laugh.

“No,” said Alex. “Just wishing the adventure wasn’t over.”

“It’s not really over,” said Thrang. “After all, you’ve still got to meet with Whalen Vankin and learn to be a true wizard.”

“I suppose so,” Alex admitted. “But it won’t be the same.”

“Because he won’t have Thrang’s cooking to keep him going,” Tayo laughed happily.

“Nor a pair of jokers who don’t know when they’re well-off,” Thrang replied.

Alex laughed, happy to be with his friends. He tried not to think about leaving them to go back to his old life. He thought it would be the hardest thing he’d done so far.

“Don’t worry,” said Andy, throwing a biscuit at Tayo. “I’m sure we’ll all meet again.”

Alex smiled at Andy’s words and then joined in the sudden biscuit battle that broke out. Thrang yelled madly at them for wasting food, but that only made him a target for everyone else.

Their last days in Vargland passed quickly and Alex realized Thrang was right—his adventures were only just beginning. He had the package from Whalen Vankin to open when he got home, and he was looking forward to that. He also needed to meet with Whalen, and that might be quite an adventure all by itself.

They finally reached the great arch, and as they rode through it, the dismal colors of fall magically turned into the happy greens of spring. The lands around Telous seemed to be exactly the same as when they’d left.

They arrived in Telous in time for a midday meal at the Golden Swan. After lunch, Bregnest left to arrange for their rooms and to order an evening feast. Andy and Alex wandered into the streets of Telous, leaving the others talking happily in the bar.

“I want to see the bag maker,” Andy said. “I need to add a couple of rooms to my bag. And you can ask him about the six lost bags while we’re there.”

Alex quickly agreed; the thought of returning the lost bags gave him hope for new adventures.

“Ah, gentlemen,” said the bag maker when Alex and Andy walked through the door. “What can I do for you today?”

“Quite a bit, I hope,” answered Alex.

“Oh? Had some good fortune on your last adventure, did you?”

“Yes, we did,” said Andy. “We both would like to add some rooms to our bags.”

“Excellent,” replied the bag maker. “Do you know which rooms you would like to add?”

Andy ordered five new rooms for his bag, though he had only planned on three.

The bag maker handed Andy’s bag back to him and then turned to Alex. “Now, what can I do for you?”

“I would like a bathroom, a bedroom, an ice room, and a library added to my bag,” answered Alex.

“Very good,” said the bag maker. “All useful rooms to be sure.”

It didn’t take long to add the rooms to Alex’s magic bag, and Alex wondered how hard it might be to learn that bit of magic.

The bag maker smiled as he accepted his money from Andy and Alex. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yes, there is actually,” said Alex. “On my last adventure, I was able to recover several lost magic bags. I was hoping you could tell me who they belonged to, and where their families or heirs might be found.”

“Of course,” answered the bag maker. “Returning lost bags is a great honor. I will be happy to tell you all that I can. Please, if I may see the bags you’ve recovered, I can write you a list of heirs and locations.”

“Thank you, that would be most helpful,” said Alex.

It didn’t take long for the bag maker to identify the owners of the lost magic bags, but it did take him some time to find the named heirs and to write everything down. Alex was happy to wait. At least now he would have some idea of where the heirs of the lost bags might be found and that might lead him to future adventures.

Alex and Andy returned to the Golden Swan in time for the company’s final feast, which was a long and happy event. They joked and laughed late into the night until Bregnest finally insisted they all go to bed.

“We will meet as a company in the morning to divide what is left of the share for expenses,” Bregnest said. “I have already delivered the share that was set aside for the Widows and Orphans fund, though you may wish to make your own contributions as well. Then we will declare our agreement fulfilled and our adventure at an end.”

Alex went to bed both happy and sad, knowing that tomorrow the company would be no more. As he slept, he dreamed of his friends in Vargland. He saw Iownan in her tower, and Osrik on his stone throne. He could hear Thrain pestering Osrik to let him go on an adventure, and he wondered what the Oracle had said to Melnoch and Nitek. Last of all, he dreamed of Calysto in the dark woods. He wondered when he would see her again.

When Andy shook him awake the next morning, his sorrows were gone and he felt happier than he had in weeks. He knew one day he would return to Vargland and see all his friends again.

At breakfast, Tayo and Skeld were already teasing Thrang about his retirement, asking how they could survive their next adventure without such a good cook. Thrang insisted he was too old for adventures and it was time to settle down, but his smile seemed to say he was just joking.

“It is time to divide the last of the share set aside for expenses,” said Bregnest loudly so the others would stop making so much noise. “I have decided to divide it evenly between us. There are two reasons for this—first, because you have

been a wonderful company and have made this a first-class adventure.”

The company exploded in cheers at Bregnest’s decision and praise.

“The second reason,” Bregnest said, holding up his hands for quiet, “is because I know our young wizard would complain loudly if I tried to give more to him than to the rest of us. So, to keep him happy, we will share equally.”

Another cheer went up from all of them, and Alex blushed as Bregnest bowed to him with a smile and a wink.

Bregnest had already sorted and divided the remaining treasure into eight large piles, which the company found waiting for them in a room at the back of the inn.

After they had stored their treasure, Bregnest led them out of the Golden Swan and across the road to a large building where they could make their donations to the Widows and Orphans fund. Alex had read about the fund in the Adventurer’s Handbook,so he had a good idea of how much he should give. He hoped it wouldn’t be more than Bregnest’s donation, because if he gave more than the company’s leader it would be an insult. Bregnest was generous and Alex was relieved that he could give as much as he had planned.

The company wandered off through the streets of Telous. There were a few hours left before the midday meal, and Alex asked Arconn and Thrang to come with him to the bookshop. He wanted their advice on some new books about adventures and magic.

When they returned to the Golden Swan for their final meal together the mood was somber and a little sad. There was little joking as everyone was thinking about how much they would miss each other and what they would do next.

“It is time,” Bregnest said at last. “If there are no questions or disputes, we will call our agreement complete.”

“I have a question,” Alex said suddenly, remembering something.

“And what is that?” Bregnest asked.

“Arconn mentioned once that you were trying to fulfill a prophecy on this adventure,” Alex said. “Can you tell us what that prophecy was—or is?”

Bregnest smiled and laughed softly to himself. “I wasn’t really sure it would be fulfilled on this adventure,” he said. “That is why I didn’t tell you about it at the beginning of our quest. However, I see that the prophecy has partly come true, so I will tell you what I can.”