“My men have found nothing in the dungeons,” answered a second, younger man.
“Of course they’ve found nothing in the dungeons,” Magnus snapped. “The wizard managed to slip past your men, and nobody noticed anything. The wizard then got into the tower, into my own rooms. He has taken the lockbox, and more importantly, he has taken the prince as well.”
“I . . .” the younger man started and stopped.
“How did he know where to find the lockbox? How did he know the prince was here, in the tower?” Magnus shouted.
“Magic?” the younger man offered.
“Of course he used magic, fool. He’s a wizard, but that doesn’t answer my questions. Even with his magic, he shouldn’t have found Rallian so easily. No matter what magic he used, I would think at least one of your worthless guards would have noticed something.”
“I . . . I don’t know. Nothing has been reported, and I’m sure all of the men were alert and watching as you ordered.”
“Someone has talked,” said Magnus. “One of your men has obviously betrayed us.”
“Sir, I don’t think that—”
“You don’t think! You don’t need to think. I’ll do the thinking here, Captain. You do as I say. Now, how many of your men knew about the lockbox? And how many of those men also knew where Rallian was being held?”
“A fair number knew about the box. It wasn’t, well, we didn’t really keep it a secret.”
“And?”
“Very few of the guards know anything about the prince. No more than a dozen know which room he was being held in.”
“Then question those men,” Magnus ordered. “At least one of them is a traitor, and I want to know who it is. Find the traitor, Captain. Find him today or there will be a new captain of the black guards by morning.”
“As you command,” the captain answered.
Alex blinked as the vision faded. He picked up the scrying orb, put it carefully into the box, closed and relocked the box, and then returned it to his magic bag. He thought about what he’d just seen and smiled. Magnus thought there was a traitor close to him, and he was afraid. Magnus’s worries and fears had to be a good thing, but Alex wasn’t sure if they would be of any real help.
Pushing his own troubled thoughts to the back of his mind, Alex stretched out on his blankets. A few hours of rest would do him good.
That evening, Alex woke to the smell of cooking food. He sat up and looked around. The other adventurers were all up and moving around, stretching their muscles and working the kinks out of their bodies. Rallian was sitting on the far side of the fire, the look of deep thought still on his face. Alex rolled off his blankets and walked to the campfire.
“We thought it best to let you sleep,” said Skeld as Alex sat down on a large rock.
“A kind thought,” said Alex. “I’m glad I woke up in time to eat.”
“Wait until you taste it before being glad,” Cam said with a laugh.
“If you want to take over the cooking duties, you’re welcome to,” Dain answered, stirring a pot on the fire.
“No, he’s not,” said Virgil. “I don’t want to trust my health to Cam’s abilities as a cook.”
The adventurers all laughed, and Alex laughed with them. Rallian, however, did not look happy. Alex could tell he was frustrated and unhappy that the adventurers seemed unconcerned and relaxed. He thought he should say something, but Virgil spoke first.
“We should talk about our future,” said Virgil.
“Our future, and the future of Nezza,” said Alex.
“Whatever else the future holds, I see a lot of walking in the days ahead,” said Skeld.
“We can’t rush off in just any direction. Not the way things are now,” said Dain, starting to dish food onto plates.
“And I think there is more to consider than our simple quest to find Rallian,” said Virgil, his eyes fixed on Alex. “You’ve rescued us from the dungeons and found the goal of our adventure in one day. My company will need to decide how to repay you.”
Alex waved away his words. “Things in Nezza are in turmoil right now. If we are not careful, we might walk into a war—or worse. I don’t think we need to decide on a course of action tonight. In fact, I think it would be better to decide what we should do and where we should go tomorrow.”
“But there is so much to do,” Rallian objected. “We must make plans and hurry north to Lord Talbot’s castle. Talbot is my father’s cousin, a kinsman to me. I should have known he would send help.”
“We can decide that in the morning,” said Alex in a kind but firm tone. “You have all been through a great deal, and you still need time to heal. It will be easier to decide what to do once everyone is well rested and we’ve had time to think about our options.”
“We need to move now, before my uncle and Magnus can react to our escape,” said Rallian. “My uncle will send men in every direction trying to find us, and Magnus has ways of discovering things that I can’t explain.”
“There will be time in the morning,” Alex repeated. “I’m sorry, Rallian, but we can’t just run off and hope for the best. We need to be smart. We need to think things through and make the best plans we can. I don’t think we should make any decisions about our future until after the midday meal tomorrow.”
“As you wish,” said Virgil, nodding.
“But . . .” Rallian started and stopped, looking helplessly at Alex.
“I understand your desire to press forward, but I’ve learned that you often make more progress if you move a little slower and make sure of your path first,” said Alex.
Rallian nodded and turned his attention to his plate of food. Alex could see that Rallian wasn’t happy, but there was nothing he could do about that. There was more to think about that just going north to Talbot’s kingdom. The prince would understand how much more there was to think about soon enough.
Alex had a lot on his mind when he returned to his blankets later that night. Rallian was eager to go north, and it was likely that he would want to return to Karmus as well and expose his uncle as a traitor. Neither idea seemed good to Alex, at least not right now, but he didn’t have any better ideas of his own.
Alex thought about Magnus and what his plans might be. He knew he had to face Magnus before he could leave Nezza—face him and defeat him. If he won the battle with Magnus, everything in Nezza might change for the better. If he lost, Nezza would fall into darkness, and everyone living in this land would suffer.
Nezza was in trouble, but Magnus was only one large piece of the problem. The Brotherhood was another piece. What would they do when they learned about Alex? Every kingdom of Nezza seemed ready and willing to go to war over the smallest spark. Nezza needed a true king once more. Everything he had learned, even his own feelings, told Alex that Rallian was the best choice to be king. If Alex really wanted to help the people of Nezza, he would have to help Rallian become the king of Nezza. The trouble was, he wasn’t sure if Rallian wanted to be king. Rallian had never made a claim on the kingdom after all. With all these thoughts bouncing around in his mind, Alex let himself drift off to sleep.
As he slept, Alex’s dreams took him west, deeper into the red sands of the desert. He moved over the sand in a great rush, as if looking for something he’d lost and could not find. In his dream, he came to a dried-up riverbed and followed it deeper into the desert.
Soon, Alex found himself standing in the middle of a large oasis that was surrounded by many buildings. He looked around, wondering why anyone would build such splendid buildings in the middle of a desert. His eyes came to rest on a massive pyramid at the center of the oasis, and, just before he woke, a name came into his mind.
Chapter Eight
The Empty River
Alex woke long before any of the others. His thoughts were still troubled, but he had a few ideas that might prove useful, including the name that had come to him in his dreams.
Alex was adding wood to the fire when Virgil woke up. He looked better than he
had the day before, well rested and with a bit of color in his face. Virgil put away his blankets and walked to the fire. After several minutes of silence, he finally spoke.
“We need to plan,” he said. “Of course you must do what you think is best. I hope that you will travel with us, but I would guess that you have plans of your own.”
“I have a few plans, but nothing is settled yet,” said Alex. “Perhaps we will be able to travel together. Before we make any decisions, I need to speak with Rallian—alone.”
“Yes, of course,” said Virgil, looking into the fire.
“After breakfast I will ask Rallian to walk with me,” said Alex in a casual tone. “I’m sure we won’t return until it is time for the midday meal. Then we can discuss what needs to be done.”
“You are wise for one so young,” said Virgil, looking at Alex.
“I am young,” said Alex, “but I have already seen more than many older men. As for wise, we will have to see about that.”
Virgil smiled and nodded his understanding. The two of them sat quietly by the fire for several more minutes before anyone else woke up.
“I feel strong enough to battle a troll,” said Skeld, as he stretched and walked to the fire.
“But not a three-legged troll,” said Alex, remembering his first adventure.
“No, not a three-legged one,” said Skeld, laughing. “I’ll leave those to you, as you are so good at dealing with them.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” said Dain, rolling out of his blankets and joining the group by the fire. “Only a madman would willingly fight a three-legged troll.”
“Well, I wasn’t really willing,” said Alex.
“What’s that?” Dain asked, stunned. “You fought a three-legged troll?”
“Not by choice. That, however, is a story for another time.”
Dain let the matter drop, busying himself with preparing breakfast, but he continued to glance at Alex from time to time as if hoping for the story to be told. Alex was not in the mood to tell stories, and he simply waited by the fire for their breakfast to be ready.
Rallian was the last to wake, and he only began to stir when the sausages and eggs were nearly done. He sat up quickly, looking around in confusion. He looked surprised to be there and a bit lost as well.
“Forgive me,” said Rallian, getting to his feet. “I thought that you were all a dream and that I would wake up in the dungeon tower of Karmus once more.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” said Dain as he bit into a sausage. “We’re all real enough, and the breakfast is too. Come and have some before young Tom here eats it all.”
Tom couldn’t reply because his mouth was too full, but he tried anyway. Tom coughed and spit bits of food, and the rest of the company laughed.
“I don’t know much about cooking here in Nezza, so I hope it’s to your liking,” Dain said, bowing and handing a plate to Rallian.
There was little talk as they ate. Rallian was a bit withdrawn, visibly nervous to be among so many strangers. Alex was thoughtful, considering the plan he had formed in the night. The others seemed to be thinking as well, and even Skeld was unusually quiet.
“Will you walk with me?” Alex asked Rallian, handing his empty plate back to Dain. “We should talk, and I think Virgil and his company would appreciate the chance to talk in private.”
“Yes, of course,” said Rallian, quickly handing his own plate back to Dain and thanking him.
Alex led Rallian away from the others, moving west toward a high spot that looked out over the desert. He did not speak as they walked, though he noticed that Rallian kept looking at him nervously. When they reached the high spot, Alex stopped and looked out across the red sands.
“The oracle Tempe lives out there somewhere,” said Alex, turning his gaze from the desert to Rallian.
“I have heard stories,” said Rallian, his own gaze dropping to the ground.
“It would be good to speak with the oracle if we can,” Alex said. “Oracles can see many things that men—and even wizards—cannot.”
“I have heard that it is dangerous to seek the oracle,” said Rallian. “There are many dangers in the desert, and few of my people go there willingly.”
“The only danger in visiting an oracle is finding out about yourself,” said Alex, turning west. “Oracles see possibilities, and right now it would be good to know what the possibilities are.”
“I will go where you lead,” said Rallian in a resolute tone.
“So your desire to go north to Lord Talbot as fast as possible has cooled,” said Alex.
“The excitement of being free from imprisonment clouded my judgment,” said Rallian. “Lord Talbot sent Virgil and the others to find me; I am in his debt. I must go north to thank him for his kindness, but for now I will follow where you lead.”
“But I do not lead,” said Alex. “I came to Nezza to help my friend Skeld. Virgil is the leader of this group of adventurers, and they came to rescue you.”
“Still, I will do as you say,” said Rallian, his voice firm. “You saved me from my uncle and from Magnus. I am your servant and will obey your wishes.”
“You are not my servant, Rallian,” said Alex. “You owe service to your people, not to me.”
“But I must repay my debt to you,” Rallian said. “What kind of prince would I be if I did not repay your kindness?”
“A poor one,” Alex admitted. “Still, you can best repay me by helping your people. They have suffered much under the rule of your uncle and his servant Magnus.”
“Yes, Lazar has never cared about the people. He thinks the people owe him respect and loyalty because he is born of high blood.”
“Respect and loyalty must be earned,” said Alex. “But I see that you know that already. In my short time here, I have heard stories about you, and I think you would make a good ruler of this land, but it is not my place to say who should rule.”
“If not yours, then whose?” Rallian asked, turning to look directly at Alex for the first time.
“Only you can decide if you will be king of Nezza,” answered Alex, holding Rallian’s gaze. “Only you can decide if the risk is worth the prize.”
“Some of the lords of the outer kingdoms have urged me to claim the kingdom,” said Rallian. “I have hesitated only because I doubt my own ability to rule.”
“All men have doubts,” said Alex. “Perhaps you are better suited to be king because of your doubts.”
Alex gave Rallian several minutes to think about his words. He watched the prince; he knew how hard it was to overcome self-doubt. In the end, Rallian smiled and nodded to Alex. Alex returned the smile, then began to explain the plan he had come up with during the night.
“Telling stories, Skeld?” Alex asked as he and Rallian walked back into the camp a few hours later.
“He was pressed into it,” said Virgil, getting to his feet and bowing to Alex.
“Our friends wanted to know more about you,” said Skeld. “You don’t need to worry; I’ve left out the best parts.”
“Then I fear your storytelling has been long and boring.” Alex laughed.
“Long, but not boring,” said Virgil. “I appreciate the time and the privacy you granted us, Master Taylor. We have discussed the matter at length, and there is one matter that remains unsettled between us. You have given aid to our company when it was most needed. We are in your debt and would offer you payment for your kindness.”
“As you wish,” said Alex, bowing to Virgil. “Such payment is customary between adventurers, Rallian. You don’t need to look so concerned.”
Rallian nodded and took a seat beside the fire.
“Master Taylor,” Virgil began, “as leader of this company, I offer you one half of all rewards we may receive for this adventure. Further, though we have not found any treasure yet, I will add one half of any secondary treasure we might gather on this adventure. Lastly, we have decided that each member of this company will make an additional payme
nt to you. These payments will be a private matter between you and each of us. Are these terms acceptable to you?”
“You are most generous,” said Alex, bowing to Virgil and the rest of the company. “Perhaps too generous. I cannot accept. Instead, I will ask one quarter of any rewards your company receives for Rallian’s rescue, and only an equal share in any secondary treasure gathered. As for any additional payments, I will discuss them with each of you as time permits. Are my terms acceptable to you?”
“Now you are too generous,” said Virgil. “You have saved our lives and rescued the prince. Surely, one half of our promised reward is a small thing compared to what we owe you.”
Alex looked around at the company. “Very well. I see your minds are made up on this point. I will accept one half of all rewards. But I will insist on only an equal share in any secondary treasure—no more. Anything more, I will discuss with each of you as time allows.”
“Agreed,” said Virgil, looking relieved.
“I told you he would try to get out of it,” Skeld said to Virgil.
Alex hadn’t really expected to make any money on this adventure because he hadn’t signed an adventurer’s bargain or agreed to follow Virgil as the company’s leader. He was only here because Skeld had needed his help. Now he was deeply involved in a new adventure—an adventure that none of his new friends were aware of.
“Prince Rallian,” Virgil said, turning to face the prince. “We were hired by Lord Talbot to search for you. He and some of the other lords of the north wanted to know if you were still alive. I believe our duty now is to take you to Lord Talbot.”
“I see,” said Rallian thoughtfully. “And if I choose not to go north to Lord Talbot at this time?”
“We will not force you to travel with us,” said Virgil, his eyes moving from the prince to Alex and back again. “We only ask that you accompany us. If you wish to go elsewhere, we will do what we can to assist you.”
“Master Taylor has advised me to seek Tempe the oracle,” said Rallian. “I think his advice is good. As he will also be traveling in that direction, I would ask that you and your company join us in our visit to the oracle. Once that is done, I will be in a better position to decide my future.”