“But the kingdoms are all at war now,” said Alex.
“Not open war,” Tempe answered. “They may not work together, and they may attack each other from time to time, but it has been many years since all of the kingdoms of Nezza were openly at war with each other.”
“Then I have been a great fool,” said Alex. “I have brought a great evil into the land of Nezza.”
“Perhaps,” Tempe answered. “But this magic will also make the people of this land remember what it was like when there was a true king. They will desire to have a true king again. That is the chance you need to make things right, a way for this great evil to be turned to greater good.”
“How?”
“Such unrest will make it easier for Rallian to raise an army. He will surely need an army if he is to win his crown.”
“A dangerous game, the making of kings,” Alex observed.
“Yes, a dangerous and costly game. A game that we must win,” said Tempe.
Alex sat in silence for a time, thinking about the task in front of him. He thought about the army Rallian would need to build and the battles that would have to be fought. He had to help Rallian become the king of Nezza, and at the same time prevent all of Nezza from being destroyed by war.
“One more answer before we part,” Tempe said. “The question you have not asked about Magnus: What are his plans? Is he connected to the Gezbeth, the monster that you and the other wizards hunt?”
“You know about the Gezbeth?” Alex asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Tempe answered. “The council of wizards has informed me of their thoughts regarding this greater evil. I believe that this Brotherhood you’ve discovered is the evil, but you should consider something. In all the years of war, no one kingdom has ever taken control of Nezza. The evil has never taken control of Nezza. It seems that this Gezbeth wants the wars of Nezza to go on and on.”
“Yes, I see what you mean,” said Alex.
“Magnus has been a part of all this,” Tempe went on. “He has worked for years to keep the kingdoms from growing close. He is also responsible for the young lords of the inner kingdoms finding their deaths in the desert sands. Yet the serpent did Rallian no harm.”
“Magnus has a plan,” said Alex. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure he has a plan.”
“His plans are dark to me as well,” said Tempe. “I see no order in what he does, but I fear that you, Rallian, and the adventurers you travel with are now at the center of his plans.”
“What can I do?” Alex asked. “How can I protect Rallian and the others?”
“Do what you feel is right,” Tempe answered. “That is all anyone can do.”
“And the Gezbeth?” Alex asked.
“I believe that the council is wrong in its thoughts,” said Tempe. “This idea of the Gezbeth does not hold. Evil does not trust or willingly share power. If many evils in different lands are working together, they do so out of fear or with the hope of gaining greater power. Yet there will be only one master, one that all the others fear and obey. He will not share his true goals with the lesser evils that he uses.”
“I agree,” said Alex. “But we must fight the lesser evils that we can see. If there is only one head, it is well hidden. We have to destroy the smaller evils and hope to find the head, or perhaps force the head to reveal itself to us.”
“We are in agreement, then. Tomorrow I will speak with you again,” said Tempe as she got to her feet. “Then you should be on your way. Time has become your enemy, at least for now.”
Alex left the fountain behind, but he did not return to the house where his friends were. He walked along the path and stood next to the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Tempe had given him a lot to think about. For a long time he stood there, and when the stars began to fade, he turned and walked back to his friends.
The next morning, the company awoke to find breakfast waiting for them by the fountain. There was little talk as they ate, and Alex could see that his companions were nervous about meeting the oracle. Stonebill arrived while they were eating. The raven stood on the table, talking to Alex and looking around at the others as they ate. When they finished, Stonebill told Alex that Tempe was waiting for them by the pyramid.
“Strange for the oracle to speak with you last night,” Skeld said as they walked along the path. “Wizards are normally the last to speak to an oracle.”
“Oracles keep their own counsel,” said Dain nervously.
“Tempe said she would speak with me again today,” said Alex. “After she has spoken with all of you.”
They reached the open ground in front of the massive pyramid and found Tempe standing at the bottom of a stone stairway. The stairs led part way up the pyramid to a large opening. Tempe smiled as they approached, and bowed slightly to Alex.
“Welcome, dragon lord,” said Tempe. “Welcome, Prince Rallian of Karmus, and welcome, noble adventurers. Welcome to the pyramid of the red lands. It has been a long time since any have come this far into the desert.”
“We thank you for your greeting and your kindness,” said Virgil, bowing to Tempe.
The rest of them bowed when Virgil bowed, and Alex could see how much this pleased Tempe. She looked at all their faces, pausing for a moment on Rallian. Virgil and the others began to shuffle their feet a little, nervous at the long silence.
“Walk with me, Virgil of Norsland,” said Tempe at last, holding out her hand.
Virgil stepped forward, taking Tempe’s hand and bowing once more. Tempe led him up the side of the pyramid, turning back once they reached the entrance.
“Stonebill will let each of you know when it is your time,” she called.
With these final words, Tempe and Virgil disappeared inside the pyramid. Alex and the others stood watching for a moment before finding a place to sit down to wait.
“She greeted you as dragon lord,” Skeld said. “Is it true? Have you become a dragon lord?”
“On my last adventure,” said Alex.
“How? Where? You must tell us this story,” said Skeld.
“Another time,” said Alex. “For now, you should each consider what you will ask the oracle.”
“I’ve never been to such a well-known oracle before,” said Tom, his tone both nervous and excited.
“How were you chosen as an adventurer?” Alex asked, glad to steer the conversation away from his becoming a dragon lord.
“An old witch who lived near my home told me,” said Tom, embarrassed. “She is a healer, and a finder.”
“And something of an oracle, I would guess,” said Alex.
“I believe so. She has named other adventurers,” said Tom.
“There is no need for shame,” said Dain. “Few adventurers are chosen by great oracles. I believe most of us were told by wise women or witches, or perhaps old magicians.”
“What is this choosing?” Rallian asked.
“Adventurers do not choose themselves,” Alex explained. “Not just anyone can be an adventurer; it is something different and special, so they must be chosen by oracles or by other magical means.”
“Do you think I could be an adventurer?” asked Rallian, a hopeful tone in his voice.
“I think you could be,” said Alex. “But I also think you are chosen for some other task. We should wait and see what the oracle has to say.”
Rallian seemed a bit dejected, but he quickly shook it off. He asked the others how they had been chosen.
“A stone mage,” said Dain, looking proud. “That’s not to say he was a wizard. A stone mage has power over rocks and earth. They are much honored in the dwarf realms.”
They went around the group, each one telling how they had been chosen and joking with each other as they went. In the end, Rallian looked at Alex.
“And how were you chosen?” Rallian asked.
“I was chosen without knowing it,” said Alex. “I saw a sign in a window and asked about it. I knew nothing about adventures or magic or oracles, but su
ddenly I was on an adventure.”
“Stop that,” said Tom suddenly, and they all looked around at him.
Stonebill was pecking at Tom’s shoe and squawking at him. Tom was trying to get up and pull his shoe away from the raven at the same time, and he wasn’t able to manage either.
“He says it is your turn,” said Alex.
Tom stood up nervously and tried to smile at the rest of them. He climbed the stone steps and soon disappeared inside the pyramid.
“Where is Virgil?” Rallian asked, sounding as nervous as Tom had looked.
“It is customary not to rejoin your company until all have spoken to the oracle,” Skeld answered. “We will see him this afternoon.”
There was little talking while they each waited for their own turn to speak with the oracle. Rallian asked a few more questions, but the answers always seemed too short to satisfy him.
Soon, only Alex and Rallian were left waiting. Alex watched Rallian, and it was obvious that Rallian was extremely nervous.
“You have nothing to fear,” said Alex, trying to calm the prince.
“Nothing and everything,” said Rallian without looking at Alex.
“It is pointless to worry,” Alex said. “What will come will come, and when it comes we must face it.”
“I feel a great weight settling on me,” said Rallian, his tone sad and troubled.
“Truth can be a burden.”
“Perhaps a burden that I cannot carry,” said Rallian with a deep sigh.
“You will not have to carry it all at once, and not completely alone. At least not at first,” said Alex.
Rallian stared at the ground in front of him. He looked pale and afraid, and Alex wished there was something more he could say. After several minutes of silence, Stonebill told Alex it was time for Rallian to speak to the oracle. Alex nodded and put his hand on Rallian’s shoulder.
“The oracle is ready for you,” Alex said softly.
“Then I must go, though I fear I go to my doom,” said Rallian.
Alex watched as Rallian slowly stood and made his way forward. It clearly took all the willpower and determination Rallian had to climb the steps and enter the pyramid.
“He is brave,” Stonebill commented to Alex once Rallian was gone. “He knows nothing of oracles but the lies he’s been told since he was a child, and still he goes.”
“He trusts,” said Alex. “It is difficult for him to let go of what he thought he knew, but he trusts what I and the others have told him. I can understand his fear.”
After fifteen or twenty minutes of silence, Stonebill told Alex that it was his time. Alex nodded and climbed the steps. Stonebill remained on his shoulder, and Alex was glad to have the company.
Alex followed the passage into the pyramid, which soon opened into a large, well-lit chamber. A bright beam of sunlight shone down from the top of the room, falling on a single silver chair where Tempe was seated.
“Last and greatest,” said Tempe as Alex approached.
“A humble servant,” said Alex.
“Humble, but no servant.”
“Did Rallian accept what you told him?”
“Reluctantly. He fears what becoming king will cost him.”
“And will it cost as much as he thinks?”
“Far less, I hope,” said Tempe. “Now, what can I tell you that you do not already know?”
“You answered most of my questions last night,” said Alex.
“There is a question you have forgotten,” said Tempe. “It is a question you have waited a long time to answer.”
“What question is that?”
“What is the ring?” Tempe said with a smile.
“Yes, the ring I won on my first adventure,” said Alex, a light coming on in his head. “Iownan said that she could not tell me what it was but that I should keep it safe and never wear it.”
“Show me this ring,” said Tempe, leaning forward in her chair.
Alex took the ring out of his shirt pocket, where he’d put it days before. He’d known that he wouldn’t be carrying his magic bag when he talked to the oracle but had forgotten about the ring with everything else that was going on. The ring was pure gold with a large black stone set in it. He had always thought it was beautiful, but he had never discovered anything special or magical about it. Tempe examined the ring for a moment then leaned back in her chair.
“This is the great ring of the kings of Nezza,” she said, a look of wonder on her face. “All the true kings of Nezza have worn it. I am surprised that you carry it, and I wonder how it came to be in distant Vargland, where you found it.”
“Then this ring belongs to Rallian. I should give it to him before he makes his claim as king,” said Alex.
“No, not yet,” said Tempe, her eyes fixed on the ring in Alex’s hand. “Rallian must first decide if he will make such a claim. If you give him the ring now, it will force him to make his claim. Wait. You will know when the time is right to return it to him.”
“You do not wish the kingdom to be forced on Rallian,” said Alex. “You think it would be best if he chooses to be king.”
“Yes,” answered Tempe. “Keep the ring safe for him, or for another, if Rallian chooses not to be king of Nezza.”
“Is there another?”
“There is always another,” said Tempe with a smile. “Many may make a claim to be king, and if Rallian chooses not to make a claim, then you may want to look for another before you leave this land.”
Alex returned the golden ring to his pocket. He would keep the ring and wait for the right time to return it to Rallian, or to whoever turned out to be the true king of Nezza. He knew he could not force Rallian to be king, though he felt in his heart that Rallian would make a very good king.
“Have I added more worries to your young mind?” Tempe asked in a kindly voice.
“Not worries,” said Alex. “Though there always seems to be more to think about. Always something that is unexpected.”
“Yes, that is the way of life,” said Tempe. “Whenever we think we have it all mapped out, life changes, and the map no longer has any value.”
“Even for an oracle?” Alex questioned with a smile.
“Yes,” said Tempe. “Even for an oracle.”
Alex and Tempe talked about other things for a time. When he finally left, the sun was setting. He stood for several minutes, watching as the sun sank below the red dunes, and then slowly walked back to the house where his friends would be waiting.
Chapter Eleven
The Flight North
When Alex returned to his friends, he put away his concerns about the Gezbeth and the Brotherhood. He would keep his eyes open, but mostly he would focus on this land and the work he had to do. He would also remember the ring he carried and look for a time to return it to the rightful king of Nezza.
“You have been a long time with our host,” said Virgil as Alex entered the house.
“We had many things to discuss,” said Alex. “You all seem to be in better spirits than you were this morning.”
“I daresay many cares have been lifted,” said Virgil.
“And new ones given,” Rallian added.
Rallian looked happier than he had been, but Alex suspected he was still worried about where Tempe’s words would lead him. Alex gave him an understanding nod and a smile before turning his attention to the food that was laid out for them. He felt more like part of the group now. It was as if Tempe’s words had lifted a weight from him, or at least lightened the load he had to carry.
“We should leave at first light,” said Virgil, looking at Alex for his opinion.
“A wise plan,” said Alex. “You will be going north, then?”
“Yes. Rallian has agreed to travel to Lord Talbot’s kingdom with us,” Virgil answered. “We would be honored if you would travel with us as well. Perhaps we can repay some of the kindness you’ve shown us.”
“I believe that my path lies north as well, and we would be safer tra
veling together,” said Alex.
“Will you come with me to Lord Talbot?” Rallian asked, a hopeful look on his face.
“I will if you wish,” said Alex, bowing slightly to Rallian.
“She told you,” Rallian said to Alex in a low voice.
“Tempe did not tell me what she said to you, as that would break the trust. She helped me understand what I already knew, and what I already believed to be true.”
“Are wizards also oracles, then?” Rallian asked, looking puzzled.
“Wizards see many things others do not,” Alex answered. “I am a young wizard, and I don’t always understand what I see.”
Rallian seemed to accept this answer and turned his attention back to their meal. Virgil began discussing their plans to go north as they ate, and he sounded confident. Personally, Alex worried about what Magnus and the Brotherhood might be doing. Soldiers could make things difficult, especially if there were a lot of them, but Alex didn’t think Lazar would risk sending too many men into the nearby kingdoms.
“Lazar will have spies looking for us, even if he won’t send soldiers,” Virgil said.
“As soon as we are seen near a town or village, word will be on its way to Lazar,” said Skeld.
“If we blunder into any group of soldiers, whether they are Lazar’s or not, things could get ugly,” said Dain, scowling.
“Not if Master Taylor is with us,” said Tom, glancing at Alex.
Alex smiled at Tom but did not reply.
“If we are careful, we can avoid any soldiers, and most, if not all, of the spies,” said Skeld.
“It will be dangerous, no doubt,” said Virgil, holding up his hand for the others to remain silent. “We will travel north and face what dangers there are as we go.”
With Virgil’s final words, the discussion was over, and the conversation slowly turned to happier topics and stories of past adventures and dangers. Alex listened to their stories, interested in finding out more about his companions. Rallian sat apart from the others, and Alex could tell he was thinking about what his future held and not really listening to the stories at all.