The days before Alex and his friends left the city were spent depositing the treasure from the Isle of Bones in the lower chambers of Thorson’s home and sorting as much of it as they could. Thorson was amazed by the amount of treasure they had, and he worried that the lower chambers would not be large enough to hold it all.
“Well, brother, I can see you’re far richer than you’ve let any of us know,” said Thorson, smiling at Thrang.
“I’ve had a great deal of luck,” said Thrang. “Been on some good adventures with good people, and Master Taylor here has added a great deal to my wealth.”
“Never hurts to have a wizard along on an adventure.” Thorson laughed. “That’s what our grandfather always said, and I can see he was right.”
“It may not hurt to have a wizard, but it’s better to go with good people,” said Alex. “I’d remind Thrang on our first adventure together that I was not a wizard, and yet we managed to collect a fair amount of treasure on that trip.”
“Perhaps not a wizard in name,” said Thrang with a sly smile. “Still, you’re correct in saying that it’s better to go with good people.”
With their treasure safely stored, Thrang was ready for the company to move on. Thorson seemed a little worried about the time of year, reminding Thrang that winter was coming.
“We should have a month or so of fair weather before winter arrives,” said Thrang thoughtfully. “Plus we’ll be moving south, so winter won’t catch up to us too quickly.”
“And with luck, you’ll reach a village in the Lost Mountains before snow comes,” Thorson added. “Still, I wouldn’t mind having you all spend the winter here.”
“But you might mind before spring came again.” Thrang laughed. “No, we’ll move on in the morning, and return quickly after we find success.”
That night’s feast was a grand one, even compared to all the feasts they’d already been to. Alex suspected Thorson had been preparing it for several days, and the preparation showed. Most of Thrang’s family was there, along with several other important dwarfs from the city. All of them wished the company good luck and a quick return to Kazad-Syn, once they’d completed their quest. The party went late, and would have gone on all night if Thrang had not put an end to it.
“We’ve a long road ahead of us still, and if we sit here much longer we won’t be away before midday,” Thrang said. “I’ll thank you all for my companions and myself, and wish you each a pleasant good night.”
It still took some time for Alex and his companions to make their way back to their rooms. Alex was sad to be leaving Kazad-Syn, but at the same time, he was happy to be moving on. They still had a long way to go on their adventure, and unless he was mistaken, there would be time for dinner parties when they returned from their journey.
Alex was preparing to climb into his bed when a small popping noise and a loud ding announced the arrival of a geeb. He was only slightly surprised to find that the geeb had a message from Whalen; he’d been expecting and hoping for one for quite some time.
Dear Alex,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you, but I’ve been busy with several other matters. I would point out that you haven’t been sending nearly as many messages as you should, but as I haven’t been sending any at all, let’s start over and this time I promise to keep up with you.
Looking back over your messages, I see you’ve met Bane. He’s an interesting fellow with an even more interesting story. I’m happy to hear that the two of you have become friends; I’d hate to have to clean up the mess if the two of you were enemies. I’d like to talk about Bane and his suspicions of a conspiracy in the known lands the next time we meet.
Nice work with the Nagas. I’ve run into a few of them in my travels and I know how quickly they can move and how deadly they are. It’s lucky you have some good people around you.
Now, on to more important things. The dragon on the Isle of Bones is of great interest, both to myself, and the council. It is a pity that you had to hide the island from everyone, though I suppose the dragon asked for that, and I can’t say that I blame him. And you’re a dragon lord now, which is something very special. There hasn’t been a true dragon lord for at least two thousand years, and even I don’t know all the details of the title. The council is hoping you will come to our next meeting. The date and location aren’t set yet because we don’t know when everyone will be available to attend.
Keep me posted on what’s happening, and I’ll try harder to write to you on a regular basis. I’m sorry to say I don’t know why you are having reckless feelings. Perhaps it is your age. As long as you are able to control the urge to be reckless, I wouldn’t worry. I’ll remind you again, though, as I’ve done so often in the past, don’t let your anger get the best of you. Never act out of rage alone as something really terrible might happen. Enough said.
Yours in fellowship,
Whalen
P.S. If you want to know more about your family, I would suggest you talk to Mr. Clutter. He should have the records on your father, and he might know something of your mother as well.
Alex read the letter twice then smiled and put it in his bag. It seemed like it had been a long time since he’d heard from Whalen. He knew he hadn’t been sending as many messages as he should have, and he promised himself that he would make time to send at least one message every two or three weeks from now on.
Alex was surprised by the council of wizards’ invitation for him to attend their next meeting. The only wizard Alex knew was Whalen, and while he did want to meet others, he was a little nervous about meeting the entire council at one time. He was still young, and even though he’d already done some impressive things, he wasn’t sure the other wizards would take him seriously. After all, they were all much older than he was and had a great deal more experience.
In the end, Alex decided not to worry about meeting the council of wizards. He would have time to worry if and when the meeting came. He moved on to Whalen’s comments about his reckless feelings. Alex knew where those feelings were coming from now, even if he wasn’t completely comfortable with the answer. He would have to tell Whalen what Salinor had said, but maybe he would wait until he could talk about it with Whalen face-to-face. With that final thought, Alex dropped into his comfortable bed and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning was gray and windy, and it looked almost certain to rain before the day was over. Thrang’s mood darkened with the change in weather, but he remained determined to get back on the road.
“A gloomy day to part on,” Thorson said as he stood beside Thrang. “I wish you all a safe journey, and promise a great welcome when you return.”
“You’ve been most generous to us,” said Thrang, bowing to his brother. “We will not forget your kindness.”
“Oh, stop it,” said Thorson. “I know very well that your adventurer’s code demands that you say such things, but it means little here. You are family, and you and your friends will always be welcome.”
“You are most kind, my brother,” said Thrang. “I hope we will return soon to take advantage of your kindness.”
Thorson laughed, then he and Thrang embraced. Alex and the others bowed and thanked Thorson as they moved toward their horses. Thorson waved off their thanks, though he looked pleased just the same. They all mounted their horses—except for Thrain.
“Thrain, are you coming with us?” Thrang questioned loudly.
“Yes, I’m coming,” said Thrain, hurrying to climb onto his own horse.
“Where did you run off to?” Thrang questioned, a knowing smile on his face.
“I wanted to say good-bye to Dain,” said Thrain in an apologetic tone. “I didn’t get a chance to last night, and I thought it would be rude not to.”