The company ate their evening meal in a dining room well away from the common room of the inn. Tantic promised to bring them something special, and when the food arrived, everything looked and smelled wonderful. Alex was hungry, but he was too worried about when the old man might arrive and what he might have to say, and couldn’t enjoy the food.
“You worry too much for one so young,” said Skeld, jokingly. “You should learn to let things be and to take things as they come.”
“Ignore him,” commented Tayo, sitting down next to Alex. “He never worries about anything and so he never plans for anything.”
“I plan,” replied Skeld with a laugh. “I plan to have as much fun as I can before I cross the wall.”
“The wall?” Alex questioned.
“The wall between this life and the next,” said Tayo, his face twisting slightly as though he felt a pain. “We should not speak of it.”
“It’s there for all of us poor mortals,” Skeld said, no longer laughing. “Worrying about it won’t make it go away.”
“Neither will laughing at it,” answered Tayo, and he fell silent.
“I’m sorry I asked,” Alex said in a lowered voice to Tayo. He knew Tayo seldom laughed, but he’d never seen him quite this way before. “I did not mean to trouble you.”
“It does not matter,” replied Tayo, though his pained look remained. “Perhaps Skeld is right and I do think too much on this thing.”
Alex didn’t reply, leaving Tayo to his own thoughts.
As they ate, Bregnest told the rest of the company about the old man who had approached Alex in the stable. He asked Alex to tell the story and repeat everything the old man had said. After Alex had finished, they were all silent for several minutes.
“Why does he want to come when no one is around?” Thrang questioned.
“Perhaps he does not wish to be seen speaking to us,” suggested Arconn.
“And perhaps he’s not a simple old man,” Tayo added.
“We won’t know what he is or what he knows until he chooses to tell us. For now, we will wait,” Bregnest said.
“Should we go to the common room for a drink?” Halfdan asked in a hopeful tone. “It might make the old man more comfortable.”
“Perhaps,” said Bregnest. “However, I think we should wait for our visitor in our rooms. I will ask Tantic to send us something to drink, so don’t look so sad, Halfdan.”
“The spiced ale is very good,” said Halfdan, smiling sheepishly.
They finished their meal in silence. Alex poked at his food, having lost his appetite, worried that waiting in their rooms might be a mistake. What if the old man couldn’t find them? Alex didn’t want to look foolish in front of his friends if the old man didn’t show up at all.
As they left the dining room, Bregnest went to find Tantic, and Alex and the others moved slowly toward their rooms at the back of the inn.
It wasn’t long before Bregnest returned, followed by servants carrying several pitchers and mugs. Halfdan grinned and claimed a mug of dark Techen beer. As the servants departed, Bregnest took a seat near the fireplace, his eyes fixed on the flames, a troubled look on his face.
Alex sat in a chair across from Bregnest, worried the old man wouldn’t come. He almost jumped out of his chair when there was a soft knock at the door a short time later. Alex looked at the door, then at Bregnest, unsure of what he should do. Bregnest smiled slightly at Alex and motioned for Arconn to open the door.
Arconn politely showed the old man into the room, offering him a chair near Bregnest. The old man moved slowly, looking at each of the company in turn as he walked through the room. He seemed unsure of himself, as if he had been summoned here instead of it being his own idea to come.
“All of you then,” said the old man, taking the seat Arconn had indicated. “I suppose you know your own ways.”
“But we do not know yours,” replied Bregnest, his eyes never leaving the old man. “Will you tell us why you wish to speak to us?”
“I’m sure you know,” the old man answered, laughing slightly. “First, tell me your names. And if you will, a drop of ale would be most welcome.”
“The ale first,” said Bregnest, motioning to Halfdan. “But perhaps you should give your name first, so we will know what to call you.”
“Thank you kindly,” said the old man, taking a mug from Halfdan and drinking deeply. “I see you have some wisdom. I am called Eric—Eric Von Tealo.”
“That is not a Techen name,” Bregnest replied in a thoughtful tone. “I am Silvan Bregnest, leader of this company. If you wish, I will name my companions, but it seems a small matter.”
“As you wish, Master Bregnest,” Eric replied, raising his mug in a toast.
“Will you tell us what business you have with us?” Bregnest questioned.
“Oh, yes,” Eric replied. “I have quite a tale to tell, and I think you will be happy to hear it—even if it does come from a poor old man like myself.”
“Old I can see,” said Bregnest with a smile. “Poor, I cannot judge. I think, however, that you wish to be less poor before your tale is told.”
“You have a keen eye,” Eric answered, a sly grin on his face. “Perhaps some arrangement can be reached?”
“I would not pay for goods before I see them,” said Bregnest in a stern tone. “However, I will make you this offer. If your tale rings true and has any value, I will pay you five gold coins. Sufficient payment, I think, for even the best of stories.”
“Five from each man who hears my story would be closer to the mark,” countered Eric. “Though perhaps my story is of no value and I should go about my own business.”
“Free drink is payment enough for stories,” snapped Halfdan, rising from his seat.
“Halfdan,” said Bregnest sharply. The dwarf sank back to his chair.
“The dwarf has no patience,” commented Eric, still
smiling slyly.
“And mine will grow short,” replied Bregnest. “Tell your tale, old man. If there is value in it, we will pay five gold coins each for the hearing. If not . . . well, the free drink will be your payment.”
“Very well,” replied Eric. “Perhaps a touch more ale then, to wet my throat in the telling.”
Halfdan refilled Eric’s cup, a look of anger and dislike on his face.
“To begin with, you are correct, my name is not Techen at all,” Eric began. “My family is from Varlo, though none of my family now living has ever seen that fabled city. It was my father’s, father’s, father who last saw the great city and it was in ruins then. It was my grandsire of many generations ago who last saw the city when it was fair.”
Eric paused, his eyes half-closed in deep thought or memory. For several minutes the only sound was the soft crackling of the fire in the grate, and then Eric continued.
“It was this ancient Von Tealo who served in the great city as one of its most trusted guards. It is from him that my information comes, though my great-grandfather found that his story was true.
“I will not tell the whole story of the days before the dragon came to Varlo, as the tale is too long and has little to do with my own. I will say that my ancestor was living in the heart of the great castle when the evil arrived.
“Though he did not see the beast himself, my ancient father soon learned of the worm’s arrival. He was deep inside the castle on the king’s business and his first thoughts were to find the king and fight the monster, but fortunately for myself that was not to be. For as news of the disaster came, so did the survivors of Varlo. They were white with fear, and even the bravest of them were shaken and confused. It was from them that my ancestor learned of the king’s death.”
Once more the old man fell silent. Alex saw a look of anger cross his face, but it vanished as Eric sipped his ale.
“With his master dead and so many terrified people looking to him for guidance and protection, he knew the course he had to take,” Eric went on. “He knew that escape from the castle into the city would be madness. The dragon would surely kill them all if they went through the main gates, so he took a different path.”