Slathbog's Gold - Forman Mark L. Страница 67

Laughing in surprise, Alex changed back into his old clothes. He carefully folded his traveling clothes and stored them in his bag, wondering when he would need them again. For several minutes, he looked at his silver dagger, unwilling to put it away. He thought once more of his friends in Vargland and the amazing adventures he’d had. With a sigh, he slipped the beautiful dagger into his bag, and put this adventure away with it.

Looking at the mirror, he saw himself exactly as he had been the afternoon he’d walked into Mr. Clutter’s shop. The only difference was that now he carried a leather bag over one shoulder.

“Well, you do look different,” commented Thrang, eyeing him as he emerged from the changing room.

“Not as scared as he looked the first time we saw him,” Arconn added.

“And not as doubting either,” said Alex. “I’d like to thank you both for choosing me.”

“Haven’t you learned anything?” Thrang laughed. “We didn’t choose you—it was the sign.”

“I know, I know,” said Alex, laughing as well.

It took a long time for him to say good-bye to Thrang, Arconn, and Bregnest. Alex felt sad as he walked to the front door of the shop alone. His friends waved as he opened the door, and he turned to say one last good-bye.

“Go on, then,” Thrang said loudly. “You’ve got work to do, remember.”

Alex raised his hand and then stepped through the door and back onto Sildon Lane. He turned his steps toward the Happy Dragon, wondering if he should tell Mr. Roberts about his adventure. He had no idea how he could possibly explain it all, so in the end, he decided not to say anything at all.

As he walked toward the tavern, Alex realized he was really happy to be home. He would miss his new friends and the fun he’d had on his adventure, but he belonged here too and he was glad to be back. When he reached the back door of the tavern, he wasn’t surprised to find Todd waiting for him.

“Sorry about the glasses, Alex,” he said, smiling weakly. “Didn’t mean for Dad to yell at you.”

“It’s all right,” said Alex, returning the smile.

“Hey, where’d you get this?” Todd asked, noticing Alex’s magic bag and reaching his hand out to touch it.

“Leave it!” Mr. Roberts boomed so loudly that both Todd and Alex jumped.

Mr. Roberts stood behind Todd looking at Alex with a stunned expression on his face and rubbing his hands together nervously.

“Todd, go help in the kitchen,” Mr. Roberts ordered. “Alex, you come with me.”

Alex wondered if Mr. Roberts was still mad about the broken glasses. He remembered how loudly his stepfather had yelled so long ago, and then he reminded himself that it hadn’t been that long ago, it had only been earlier today.

Following his stepfather, Alex climbed up the stairs to the second floor of the tavern to Mr. Roberts’s study. Alex was uncomfortable, because normally neither he nor Todd was allowed in this room.

Mr. Roberts closed the door behind them, moved to his desk, and turned to look at Alex as he sat down. For what seemed a long time, Mr. Roberts didn’t say anything at all.

“So,” he finally said. “You’ve been on an adventure then.”

Alex’s jaw dropped and his eyes grew to twice their normal size. How could Mr. Roberts possibly know about his adventure?

Mr. Roberts smiled, laughing at Alex’s stunned look. He got up and walked to the closet, continuing to chuckle to himself as he went. Unlocking the door, he removed two items from the top shelf—items Alex instantly recognized as magic bags.

“Your mother insisted that I never encourage you,” said Mr. Roberts, returning to his seat. “Thought I might give you wild ideas and send you off on dangerous adventures.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I suppose I should tell you everything, but it’s quite a long story,” Mr. Roberts said. “For now, I’ll tell you that I was once an adventurer. Never went on many adventures, though, and never had a great deal of luck finding treasure. Your dad . . . now hewas an adventurer.”

“My father was an adventurer?” Alex asked, almost numb from the information Mr. Roberts was telling him.

“Of course,” said Mr. Roberts. “A great adventurer if ever there was one. In the end, though, his luck ran out. That’s why your mother asked me never to tell you about it.”

“She didn’t want me to know about my father?”

“Not until you were ready,” Mr. Roberts replied. “She didn’t know you would be an adventurer, and if you weren’t, how could she tell you about your dad?”

“I see,” said Alex, a thousand new questions racing through his mind.

“Your dad was sick when he got back from his last adventure. I never thought sickness would get him. Trolls, maybe, or goblins, but never sickness,” Mr. Roberts said sadly. “After your dad crossed the wall, your mom came and stayed here. I had been close to both your mom and dad so I agreed to play the part of your stepfather. I knew your mom loved your dad too much to ever marry again. But I also knew she needed someone to help look after you, and well . . . it was the least I could do for my friends.”

“But . . .” Alex stammered.

“I know it’s a lot to take in all at once,” said Mr. Roberts, nodding. “Going on your first adventure, then finding out your dad was an adventurer, too. Now that you’ve been

chosen, I suppose I need to give you this.”

Mr. Roberts held out one of the magic bags from the closet. Alex looked at the bag, then at Mr. Roberts, then at the bag again.

“It was your father’s,” said Mr. Roberts with a smile. “You’re his heir, so the bag—and what’s in it—belongs to you.”

“Shouldn’t I be offering you a reward for returning it?” Alex asked.

Mr. Roberts smiled. “I see you’ve learned about returning lost bags.”

“Yes,” said Alex.

“That’s good,” said Mr. Roberts. “But you don’t need to offer a reward for this bag because it was never lost. After all, your dad came home and everything. I’ve just been keeping it for you.”

“Do you know what’s in it?”

“No, I don’t,” answered Mr. Roberts, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “The bag didn’t belong to me. Your mom told me the passwords before she . . . well . . .”

“Died,” Alex said softly.

Mr. Roberts nodded. “It’s time for you to accept your father’s bag.”

“But—” Alex started.

“But nothing. Your parents would be proud to know you had been chosen and have gone on an adventure without any help or encouragement. Your mom only insisted on not telling you because she didn’t want you to be disappointed. You know, if you weren’t chosen.”

Alex smiled at Mr. Roberts as he took his father’s bag and listened to the passwords. This was something he had never expected, not even in his wildest dreams. Now he was excited to tell Mr. Roberts everything that had happened to him and everything he had learned on his adventure.

“We’ve got plenty of time,” said Mr. Roberts. “And I have a few tales for you, about your dad and the things he did.”

“May I ask you something, sir?” Alex asked.

“Anything at all,” Mr. Roberts replied.

“I’m not sure how the choosing works, but since my dad was an adventurer and I was chosen, does that mean that Todd will be an adventurer too?”

“I don’t know,” replied Mr. Roberts, considering the question. “He doesn’t really seem the type, and anyway, it doesn’t seem to happen just because your father or mother were adventurers. I don’t think anyone knows exactly how the choosing works.”

Alex nodded, wondering if Mr. Roberts had ever told Todd about any of his adventures.

“I suspect you’ve got things to do,” said Mr. Roberts as he moved toward the door. “You’ll probably spend the rest of the day taking a look at your father’s bag. You can tell me about your adventure another time.”

Alex sat thinking for a long time. Of all the surprises he’d had on his first adventure, this was the biggest and the best. Excitement flooded him as he held his father’s magic bag in his hands and softly spoke the magic word that would let him enter. He was about to discover something about the father he’d never known, and he thought that this might be an even better adventure than the one he had just finished.