“Though he never returned home, did he?” Alex said thoughtfully.
Alex’s thoughts turned to Hathnord, the owner of the bag and the father of both Haymar and Halbrek. Haymar had said little about his father, though he had shown concern regarding his father’s health and age. Halbrek didn’t seem concerned about his father at all, only about the magic bag and his own claim as Hathnord’s heir. Alex thought it was an important point, and one that made him favor Haymar’s claim even more.
“No, he did not, and it appears that he never bothered to change the named heir of the bag with the bag maker,” Halbrek went on, not noticing the tone in Alex’s voice. “Still, my claim is just, and I’m willing to pay for my rights.”
“Pay?” Alex questioned.
“Of course,” said Halbrek. “What’s in the bag is nothing compared to the honor of being named the heir. I’m sure Haymar made you a generous offer to return the bag to him, but whatever he’s offering you, I’ll give you more.”
“The subject of reward for the bag’s return is part of the returning ceremony,” said Alex flatly. “Haymar and I did not discuss it at all.”
“No, of course not,” said Halbrek, a twisted smile on his face. “And I’m sure that we won’t discuss it either. Though I might suggest something along the lines of one-half of all the bag contains.”
“As I said, such things should not be discussed now,” said Alex.
The more Halbrek talked, the more Alex disliked him. And after this conversation, he was sure that Haymar was the true heir.
“Yes, of course,” said Halbrek with a wink.
“I suppose you know the passwords to your father’s bag?” Alex asked, getting to his feet. He tried not to let his feelings of anger show.
“I’m sure I will when the time comes,” answered Halbrek, winking at Alex again. “As long as Haymar goes first, I’m sure there won’t be any trouble with passwords.”
“I’m sure there won’t,” said Alex coldly.
“Well then, if we understand each other, I’ll be on my way,” said Halbrek happily.
“I understand you perfectly,” said Alex, fighting to control the rage building up inside of him.
Halbrek stood and held out his hand again for Alex to shake, but Alex turned away, walking toward the fountain.
“I will send word about the ceremony,” said Alex over his shoulder, not wanting to look at Halbrek. He was afraid his feelings would make him do something terrible to the lying dwarf.
“Yes, of course,” said Halbrek, and he quickly departed.
Alex stared into the fountain for several minutes trying to control his emotions. Halbrek had no claim at all; he only wanted to steal Haymar’s honor and whatever treasure he could. Worse than that, he thought he could bribe Alex into helping him, and that was a dishonor Alex would never allow. For a moment Alex considered changing Halbrek into something terrible as punishment for his attempted bribe, but then decided that exposing Halbrek for what he was would be a more suitable punishment.
“So, you’ve spoken to both of them now. What do you think?” Thrang asked when Alex returned to the house for the midday meal.
“I know who the true heir is,” said Alex without explaining. “How soon can the ceremony be arranged? I’d like to announce my decision and return the bag at the same time.”
“I’ll have to talk to Haymar and Halbrek to see how soon they can be ready,” said Thorson. “Though I doubt the two of them will agree to the decision of who the true heir is and the ceremony of the bag’s return at the same time.”
“Tell them that is the only way the bag will be returned,” said Alex with a smile. “They should both be there for the decision as well as to witness the bag’s return to the true heir.”
“It will be as you wish,” said Thorson with an understanding smile.
As it worked out, it took two days to prepare for the ceremony. Haymar and Halbrek argued about how many people should attend the ceremony and who those people should be. Then they argued about where the ceremony should take place and even what time of day it should begin. In the end, Thorson made most of the arrangements and decided most of the questions about who should be there. The only two things Alex insisted on were that some of the guests in attendance not be related to either Haymar or Halbrek, and that all of his companions be included as guests. He also suggested that Thrang’s nephew, Fivra, should be there.
“It might enlighten him a little,” said Alex. “After all, a lost bag means a lost adventurer, something I’m sure Fivra has not considered in his thinking.”
“Ah, yes,” said Thrang with a nod. “A cunning plan to show him the hard facts about adventures without saying anything. Very good, Alex, very good.”
As they waited for the ceremony to begin, all of Alex’s companions seemed to be getting nervous. They were interested to know what decision he had made, but Alex wouldn’t tell them. He thought it best not to say anything until the day of the ceremony, mostly because he wanted to see how Haymar and Halbrek would act between now and then.
“Halbrek seems confident,” Thorson observed as Alex and his friends made their way into the feasting hall on the day of the ceremony. “There are some rumors in the city that he will be named the true heir.”
“Rumors that Halbrek started, no doubt,” said Thrang, looking unhappy.
“Loose talk seldom holds truth,” Arconn said, taking a seat next to Alex.
“You havediscovered who the true heir is, haven’t you?” Thrain questioned in a worried tone.
“Yes, I have,” said Alex with a slight smile.
Once all the guests had arrived, Thorson stood up to address the crowd. Since Thorson had made most of the arrangements, he had been chosen to supervise both the decision about who the true heir was and the ceremony of returning the lost bag.
After several minutes of greetings and a quick explanation of the events for those dwarfs who didn’t already know what was going on, Thorson introduced Thrang and his company, and then he called both Haymar and Halbrek forward.
“Master Taylor, if you will,” said Thorson, bowing to Alex.
“I’ve been asked to judge who the true heir of Hathnord is,” Alex began, standing between Haymar and Halbrek. “It was not a simple task, but I know who the true heir is, and who I will be returning the lost bag of Hathnord to.”
Alex paused for a moment to look at both Haymar and Halbrek. Haymar looked a little nervous but stood firmly in his place. Halbrek looked pleased with himself and was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
“The true heir of Hathnord is Haymar Glynn,” said Alex in a loud, clear voice. “His claim on the bag is recognized, and I offer to return his father’s lost bag to him.”
“No!” cried Halbrek, his smile gone and his face growing red with anger. “We had an agreement. You were supposed to name me the rightful heir.”
“ Youhad an agreement,” Alex corrected. “I agreed to nothing. You admitted to me that you did not know the passwords to your father’s bag. Worse, you tried to bribe me into naming you as Hathnord’s heir.”
“I never said I didn’t know the passwords,” said Halbrek angrily. “And I would never think of offering a bribe for something that is rightfully mine.”
“I was asked to decide who this bag belongs to, and I have,” said Alex firmly. “If you know the passwords as you claim you do, tell me now.”
“I . . . well . . . we agreed that . . .” Halbrek stuttered.
“You are a fool, Halbrek Glynn,” said Alex coldly. “You have tried to cheat your brother out of his rights and honors, and worse, you have tried to bribe a wizard. Admit what you have done, or spend the rest of your life trying to hide it.”
“There’s nothing to admit,” Halbrek shouted. “You’ve made a mistake, but I suppose there is nothing I can do about that. Serves me right for putting my faith in such a young wizard, but what’s done is done.”