Alex nodded and smiled. He waved good-bye to Halfdan as he and the others made their way along the streets of Telous. Almost before he knew it, they were standing in the same field he had arrived in so long ago. There was no sign of a magic door however, and he wondered how they would get back into the adventurer’s shop.
“Mr. Clutter should be opening the door any time now,” said Arconn. “I sent him a geeb, telling him what time we’d be arriving.”
Almost as soon as Arconn had finished speaking, the silver outline of a door appeared in front of them. The door opened slowly, and the four of them stepped into Mr. Clutter’s shop.
“Well, then,” said Mr. Clutter, smiling. “Back already, are you?”
“We’ve had a fair bit of luck,” replied Thrang, moving into the room. “Our young first-timer here proved more valuable than we bargained for.”
“Ah, Mr. Taylor,” said Mr. Clutter happily. “So glad to see you again. I received a message for you just this morning . . . let me see, where did I put that . . .” Mr. Clutter searched his desk and produced an envelope. “Ah, here we are. As I said, just arrived this morning. Very exciting, I must say.”
Alex took the letter from Mr. Clutter. His name was written on the front of the envelope in large red letters. Alex wondered if it was an invitation to join another adventure already or perhaps a message from one of his friends in Vargland. The back of the envelope was sealed with dark purple wax and the image of a star. Alex slit the envelope open and read the letter inside.
Master Alexander Taylor, Esq.,
Dear Alex,
I hope you won’t mind if I call you Alex as our mutual friend, Bregnest, told me that I should.
Alex, I know that right now you’d like nothing more than to be starting a new adventure. However, I must insist that you return home to your stepfather’s house. I don’t have time to go into details now, but I will explain everything to you as soon as I can.
Yours in fellowship,
Whalen Vankin
Alex wondered how Vankin had known he would be in the adventurer’s shop this morning. He also wondered why the letter was signed, “Yours in fellowship,” which didn’t mean anything to him.
“I suppose Whalen knows what he’s talking about,” said Bregnest when Alex showed him the letter. “He may have his own ways, and I’ll admit he sometimes acts oddly, but he knows more than most. You should do what he says.”
Alex nodded and put Vankin’s letter inside his magic bag. Looking toward the door of the shop, he realized it was time to say good-bye.
“You’ll want to change then,” said Mr. Clutter, carrying a tray of tea and cakes into the room. “No good going home looking like that.”
Alex looked down at himself and realized he was still wearing his traveling gear, including the true silver dagger that Umbar had given him. He wondered what Mr. Roberts would say if he turned up looking like this.
“Just in here,” said Mr. Clutter, directing Alex to another door. “You can put your old things on and be ready to go.”
Alex walked through the door and noticed that his clothes suddenly felt strangely loose. Looking at himself in a nearby mirror, he saw that his hair, which had grown long during his adventure, was as short as it had been when he’d first entered Mr. Clutter’s shop. The change had happened so quickly Alex hadn’t noticed the magic around him.
Laughing in surprise, Alex changed back into his old clothes. He carefully folded his traveling clothes and stored them in his bag, wondering when he would need them again. For several minutes, he looked at his silver dagger, unwilling to put it away. He thought once more of his friends in Vargland and the amazing adventures he’d had. With a sigh, he slipped the beautiful dagger into his bag, and put this adventure away with it.
Looking at the mirror, he saw himself exactly as he had been the afternoon he’d walked into Mr. Clutter’s shop. The only difference was that now he carried a leather bag over one shoulder.
“Well, you do look different,” commented Thrang, eyeing him as he emerged from the changing room.
“Not as scared as he looked the first time we saw him,” Arconn added.
“And not as doubting either,” said Alex. “I’d like to thank you both for choosing me.”
“Haven’t you learned anything?” Thrang laughed. “We didn’t choose you—it was the sign.”
“I know, I know,” said Alex, laughing as well.
It took a long time for him to say good-bye to Thrang, Arconn, and Bregnest. Alex felt sad as he walked to the front door of the shop alone. His friends waved as he opened the door, and he turned to say one last good-bye.
“Go on, then,” Thrang said loudly. “You’ve got work to do, remember.”
Alex raised his hand and then stepped through the door and back onto Sildon Lane. He turned his steps toward the Happy Dragon, wondering if he should tell Mr. Roberts about his adventure. He had no idea how he could possibly explain it all, so in the end, he decided not to say anything at all.
As he walked toward the tavern, Alex realized he was really happy to be home. He would miss his new friends and the fun he’d had on his adventure, but he belonged here too and he was glad to be back. When he reached the back door of the tavern, he wasn’t surprised to find Todd waiting for him.
“Sorry about the glasses, Alex,” he said, smiling weakly. “Didn’t mean for Dad to yell at you.”
“It’s all right,” said Alex, returning the smile.
“Hey, where’d you get this?” Todd asked, noticing Alex’s magic bag and reaching his hand out to touch it.
“Leave it!” Mr. Roberts boomed so loudly that both Todd and Alex jumped.
Mr. Roberts stood behind Todd looking at Alex with a stunned expression on his face and rubbing his hands together nervously.
“Todd, go help in the kitchen,” Mr. Roberts ordered. “Alex, you come with me.”
Alex wondered if Mr. Roberts was still mad about the broken glasses. He remembered how loudly his stepfather had yelled so long ago, and then he reminded himself that it hadn’t been that long ago, it had only been earlier today.
Following his stepfather, Alex climbed up the stairs to the second floor of the tavern to Mr. Roberts’s study. Alex was uncomfortable, because normally neither he nor Todd was allowed in this room.
Mr. Roberts closed the door behind them, moved to his desk, and turned to look at Alex as he sat down. For what seemed a long time, Mr. Roberts didn’t say anything at all.
“So,” he finally said. “You’ve been on an adventure then.”
Alex’s jaw dropped and his eyes grew to twice their normal size. How could Mr. Roberts possibly know about his adventure?
Mr. Roberts smiled, laughing at Alex’s stunned look. He got up and walked to the closet, continuing to chuckle to himself as he went. Unlocking the door, he removed two items from the top shelf—items Alex instantly recognized as magic bags.
“Your mother insisted that I never encourage you,” said Mr. Roberts, returning to his seat. “Thought I might give you wild ideas and send you off on dangerous adventures.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I suppose I should tell you everything, but it’s quite a long story,” Mr. Roberts said. “For now, I’ll tell you that I was once an adventurer. Never went on many adventures, though, and never had a great deal of luck finding treasure. Your dad . . . now hewas an adventurer.”
“My father was an adventurer?” Alex asked, almost numb from the information Mr. Roberts was telling him.