“It appears Umbar was a successful adventurer,” said Thrang, standing beside Alex and watching the room fill around them.
“Indeed he was,” said Osrik with a laugh.
Alex thought he should say something about this being too much treasure, but a look from Thrang told him not to speak. He looked around at the enormous mounds of treasure; the room was almost too crowded to stand in. Alex wondered how long it would take to divide everything eight ways.
Finally the dwarfs brought the last bag into the room, bowing at Osrik before leaving. Osrik and Umbar turned to Alex.
“Do you accept your payment?” asked Osrik.
“I . . . I do,” Alex replied, his voice shaking slightly.
“Then we will leave you to sort your treasure,” said Osrik with a smile. “We will see you this evening at the heir’s feast.”
Osrik and Umbar walked out of the room, leaving Alex and his companions alone. Alex looked around in disbelief at the piles of treasure around him. He didn’t think he and his companions could possibly have it all sorted and divided before the feast began, and not going to the feast was out of the question.
“You’d better make a start then,” Skeld laughed, dropping onto a pile of bags in one corner.
“We all had,” said Alex.
“No,” replied Bregnest softly but firmly. “You had.”
“But we are to share equally,” Alex protested. “I said when I took the lost bags that all rewards would be shared equally between us.”
“But that is not the custom, as you should know from your reading,” replied Bregnest with a smile. “You are the winner of the bags. The reward is yours alone.”
“But I—” Alex began.
“It will do no good arguing the point,” Bregnest interrupted, holding up his hand. “We have decided on this, and I will not be moved.”
“You must take something,” Alex insisted. “I mean, what will I do with all of this?”
“You are kind and generous,” said Bregnest with a slight bow and a smile. “However, you do not know what your future holds, or how much treasure you may need some other day.”
“And you’ve not seen any really large treasures yet,” said Halfdan with a laugh. “What we took from the troll was a fair amount compared to what trolls normally have, but it was hardly a dragon’s hoard.”
Alex continued to object loudly as Skeld and Andy took him by the arms and led him to a pile of treasure.
“Best get started or you’ll miss the feast for sure,” said Skeld laughing.
“It will take days to get all this in my bag,” said Alex, hoping that would force the others to take some of the treasure.
“Nonsense,” Thrang replied. “Just hold your bag next to a pile and say, ‘treasure room.’”
Alex did as he was told, though with some doubts. He had only put single items in his bag before, and he’d never tried anything as large as the pile of treasure in front of him. To his surprise, the command worked and the entire pile of treasure vanished into his bag.
Alex approached one of the tagged bags and saw that the bag contained diamonds. He wondered how many thousands of diamonds were in the pile of labeled bags in front of him. He looked around at his companions once more, trying to talk them into taking something. They simply laughed at him and refused to accept any of his treasure.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, only one pile of bags remained in the room. Alex looked at the tag to see what was inside. There was a single dwarfish letter on the tag.
“What does this mean, Thrang?” Alex asked, carrying one of the bags to his friend.
“Oh, my!” Thrang exclaimed, looking at the tag and then at the large pile of bags on the floor. “It’s . . . it’s true silver.”
chapter fifteen
Haunted Ruins
Alex and his friends remained in the halls of King Osrik for a week, feasting and talking each night with the king. They wandered the dwarf city freely, often getting lost and having to ask directions from one of the passing dwarfs. The dwarfs were always happy to help them find their way, and many of them would take the time to lead the members of the company back to their chambers.
“Now I know what dwarf cities are like,” said Skeld, smiling at Thrang and Halfdan as they ate breakfast on their final day in the city.
“And what do you think about them now?” Halfdan questioned.
“I think they are different than I imagined them to be,” answered Skeld, still smiling. “Though not as green and open as I have been told.”
Alex chuckled to himself, remembering the comment Skeld made in Techen about “dwarf caves.” Alex had been happy in Osrik’s city and was sorry to be leaving.
Alex had another reason to be happy because, in the end, each of his companions had agreed to take a bag of the true silver Alex had received in payment for returning Umbar’s lost bag. They had each thanked him so many times that Skeld started teasing them about it, laughing at himself as well as the others.
“Our last breakfast in the city,” said Halfdan sadly. “I hope we will be able to return here one day.”
As they finished their breakfast and prepared to leave, Thrain appeared in the doorway. Alex and Andy had become good friends with Thrain during their short stay, and they were happy to see him again.
“The king wishes to bid you farewell,” said Thrain. “He awaits you in the great hall.”
“Then we will follow you to the king, Master Thrain,” replied Bregnest.
Thrain led the way, trying hard once again to look official. The company followed him, smiling and nodding to the dwarfs they passed along the way. There seemed to be a lot of dwarfs along their way this morning, smiling and waving good-bye to the company or wishing them good luck on their journey.
“Ah, at last,” said Osrik, walking down the steps from his throne as Alex and his friends approached. “A final meeting before you go—though I hope this will not be the last time we meet.”
“You have shown us great kindness, King Osrik. We will not soon forget you or your people,” said Bregnest as the company bowed to the king.
“Nor will we forget the happiness you and your company have brought to us,” Osrik replied. “You are all free to come and go in this kingdom whenever you may wish. And now my kinsman Umbar asks permission to give you each a gift.”
“A token of thanks from the house of Lanoch,” said Umbar, stepping forward. He handed each of them a small package. When Umbar came to Alex, he handed him a larger package.
“These are but small tokens of thanks for your kindness in returning the lost bag of my father,” said Umbar in a low voice to Alex. “If ever I, or any of my family, may be of service to you, please, feel free to call on us.”
“You are both kind and generous,” replied Alex with a bow.
“And now you must go,” Osrik said sadly. “I wish you a safe journey and a speedy return to my halls.”
“You have our thanks, great king,” said Bregnest. “If ever we can be of service to you or your kingdom, we will do all that we can.”
Alex and the others waited until Osrik was back on his throne before bowing one last time.
As they left the great hall, Thrain fell into step beside Alex and Andy, walking with them out of the main gates and toward the path to the valley below.
“I hope I will see you both again,” Thrain said brightly. “Perhaps we will be able to go on an adventure together.”
“That would be nice,” said Andy. “But you have not been chosen as an adventurer. At least not yet.”
“Perhaps you will return in time to go with me to the White Tower,” said Thrain hopefully.