Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran

by M. L. Forman

“Don’t be too sure about that,” Whalen replied. “The first two tasks were completed during your first adventure. Bregnest told me about them after your return, and I’ve done some checking since then to make sure he was right.”

  “What did I do?”

  “First, you defeated the wraiths at the ruins of Aunk. Few wizards could have done that at all, and fewer still without a staff.”

  “But I didn’t know what I was doing,” Alex protested. “And besides, I was only able to defeat the wraiths because of Moon Slayer.”

  “Ah, yes, your magic sword. Personally, I thought having the sword choose you should have counted as a task, but the council didn’t agree with me.”

  “The council?”

  “I’ll explain that in a minute,” Whalen replied with a wave of his hand. “Your second task was killing the dragon Slathbog and destroying his carcass.”

  “Again, that was mostly because of Moon Slayer.”

  “The sword helped, of course,” agreed Whalen. “However, you looked into the dragon’s eyes. I know of only one wizard who has ever done that and lived to tell the tale. You, however, broke the dragon’s magic and his will—a great task indeed. Then you turned him to ash with a single command, which I believe should also have counted as a separate task.”

  “Yes, but—” Alex began.

  Whalen held up his hand. “Your third task should have been destroying the goblin shaman in Norsland, but I think it best that we keep that quiet for the time being. So, your third official task was destroying the lower library of the Tower of the Moon and driving away the evil shadow that was trying so hard to get it. And your fourth task was stopping a war in Athanor, which could easily have spread to other kingdoms in Alusia, as well as to other lands.”

  “But in Athanor I hardly did any magic. It only worked out because I tricked Varson into doing what I wanted him to,” said Alex before he could stop himself.

  “You may not have used much magic, but you did display a good deal of cunning and common sense. You came up with a plan and made it work.”

  “All right,” said Alex after a few moments of silence. “If you say these are great wizard tasks, I will believe you.”

  “Excellent! Now, for the council I mentioned. There are nine wizards on the council—myself included—who work to fight evil, help train young wizards, and uphold wizard laws.”

  “And this council has decided I’ve managed four great tasks and they want me to take an oath?”

  “Yes, we have and we do,” Whalen answered. “As your teacher, I would like you to take a staff, and the council would like you to take an oath to obey the wizard laws.”

  “And what are these laws?” Alex questioned, worried he might have already broken some of them.

  “Oh, they’re simple rules, nothing too difficult to do or too hard to remember. The most important part is that you promise not to do evil and that you try to do good whenever and wherever you can.”

  Alex sat thinking about everything Whalen had said, and he felt unsure of himself. If he accepted his staff, he would be considered a true wizard, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. He had hoped to continue learning with Whalen, but maybe that wasn’t a possibility.

  “I know this is a lot to take in all at once,” said Whalen in a kindly tone. “Perhaps you were hoping to continue your studies, or undertake an adventure as my apprentice. I, however, believe you are already a true wizard and that it is time for you to take your staff. I will always help you if I can. And as your sponsor, I will expect you to keep me updated on what you’re doing.”

  “Sponsor?” Alex questioned.

  “Since I’m the one asking you to take a staff, by wizard law, I am responsible for you to some degree.”

  Alex didn’t reply, thinking quietly for a time. Whalen and the council considered him a wizard. All his friends thought he was a wizard and would never listen when he said he was still in training. And he had also called himself a wizard several times on this last adventure, so somewhere inside he must believe that he was a wizard.

  “You said there was something else,” Alex said slowly. “Something I had to let you do.”

  “Yes, if you agree to take a staff and swear the oath, I would like to place a spell on you—the Rel O’Gash,” said Whalen.

  “What kind of spell is it?”

  “One that will help you control your O’Gash,” Whalen answered and then smiled at the puzzled look on Alex’s face. “O’Gash is an ancient name for a wizard’s inner eye—his sixth sense. A wizard’s O’Gash helps him know things, like when someone is lying to him. It also gives you warnings when something is wrong, and sometimes can give you knowledge that you didn’t have before. You’ve already used your O’Gash, Alex. The spell will simply help it grow stronger and help you understand it better.”

  “I have found magic when I needed it,” Alex said slowly. “I’ve used spells that I’ve never read or heard before. They just came to me when I needed them.”

  “That is your O’Gash helping you. I would have explained this to you sooner, but I honestly didn’t think your O’Gash would grow as strong as it is so quickly. In fact, you are something of a surprise to the council.”

  “I am?”

  “It doesn’t often happen,” Whalen said slowly, “but every now and then a person is born who, like you, can use a high level of magic, even without training. You have learned everything I’ve given you much faster than any normal apprentice would, and you have found magic when you needed it most. The council and I agree that you may, in fact, be wizardborn.”

  “Very well,” said Alex, taking a deep breath. “I will do as you ask—I will take a staff. I will also swear the oath and agree to obey wizard law. And whenever you are ready, I will let you put the Rel O’Gash on me.”

  “Well done, well done indeed. I am pleased with your decision.”

  “What now?”

  “Now we go to Blackburn’s so you can summon your staff,” replied Whalen.

  “Summon a staff?”

  “Of course,” said Whalen, getting up and moving to the door. “You could take just any staff, of course, but if you summon one, it will work better for you. We’ll take care of the Rel O’Gash later tonight, once you have your staff.”

  “I’m not supposed to talk about the Rel O’Gash, am I?” Alex asked, already knowing the answer. “I mean, not with anyone but you or another wizard.”

  “I see your O’Gash is already teaching you,” Whalen replied with a nod.

  Whalen led Alex out of the Swan and into the streets of Telous while he explained about summoning a staff. There was a simple spell that would call forth the staff best suited for Alex. It was also a useful spell to know, Whalen explained, in case you dropped your staff and needed it in a hurry.

  “Master Vankin. Master Taylor,” said Mr. Blackburn as Alex and Whalen entered his shop. “A great honor to have you both here.”

  Alex had been to Mr. Blackburn’s shop once before when he had bought Moon Slayer. He liked Mr. Blackburn, and he liked looking around his shop even more.

  “We’ve come to get my friend a staff,” Whalen said enthusiastically.

  “’Course you have,” said Mr. Blackburn with a nod. “Knew he’d be back for one. Said so in the book.”

  “May we see the staffs you have?” Whalen asked.

  Mr. Blackburn bowed and led Alex and Whalen to a back room of the shop. Alex was surprised to see at least a hundred staffs lined up, all made of different woods and metals, and all giving off a little bit of their power. He could feel the magic in the room. He looked around the room with wide eyes, wondering which staff might be the best one for him.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Alex,” Whalen said quietly.

  “Are you sure there’s one here for me?” Alex asked.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sure of it.”

  “What if there’s more than one?” asked Alex, imagining all the staffs in the room suddenly landing on top of him.

 
; “That would be unlikely,” Whalen said thoughtfully. “There have been a few cases where two staffs were summoned, but that was a long time ago.”

  Alex nodded and stood for a moment without moving. He knew without being told that this was one of the most important moments of his life. He was about to summon his staff and become a true wizard. Slowly he raised his hands and repeated the spell Whalen had taught him.

  To Alex’s shock and surprise, the moment he finished the spell, three staffs jumped from the wall and moved across the floor to stand directly in front of him without any support.

  “Oh, my,” said Whalen, sounding almost as surprised as Alex felt. “Well, this is something, isn’t it?”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you did it exactly right,” Whalen replied. “Let me see what we have here.”

  Whalen began walking back and forth, looking at the three staffs. Alex’s nervous feeling reached a new high, and he wondered for a moment if he should change his mind about taking a staff.

  “Oak and gold,” said Whalen. “A fine-looking staff. And yes, holly and silver, an excellent staff. Well, ironwood and true silver, a strange combination, but another wonderful staff.”

  “Should I try again?” Alex questioned.

  “No, there won’t be any need for that. It looks as if the staffs will have to compete.”

  “Compete?”

  “Yes,” Whalen replied in a thoughtful tone. “You will use each staff to do the same magical act. The staff that does the best job will be the one for you.”

  “And if they are all the same?”

  “Well, that’s hardly likely,” said Whalen. Then he stopped to consider the question for a moment. “Of course, if they do, that will be interesting, won’t it?”

  Alex didn’t answer, afraid to ask what Whalen might mean by interesting.

  “Well, come along,” said Whalen. “Bring the staffs. I think we’ll step outside for this. I’ll ask Mr. Blackburn to help me judge.”

  Alex collected the three staffs and followed Whalen outside. He wondered what kind of magical act Whalen would ask him to do and how Whalen and Mr. Blackburn would judge the results.

  Whalen turned to face Alex. “Pick one staff and lay the others aside for now.”

  Alex kept the oak and gold staff in his hand and leaned the other two against the wall of Mr. Blackburn’s shop.

  “Now, Alex, I want you to use your staff and change this large rock here into solid gold,” said Whalen, as if his request was perfectly normal.

  Alex looked at the rock. It was nearly three feet tall and almost as long. He wondered how Whalen would know if it was solid gold or not. Putting the thought out of his mind, he concentrated on the task at hand. After a few seconds, he touched the rock with the bottom of the staff.

  “Oh, well done,” said Whalen. “Mr. Blackburn, what do you think?”

  “Well, I don’t know if it’s gold all the way through,” Mr. Blackburn replied. “But it looks like it’s all gold on the outside.”

  “All right, Alex,” Whalen continued. “Now use your staff to change the gold into a dog.”

  Alex was surprised by the request, but he didn’t ask any questions. Once more he focused his mind, and after a moment, he touched the rock a second time with the staff.

  “A golden retriever, how fitting,” said Whalen with a chuckle. “Mr. Blackburn, what do you think?”

  “Looks all dog to me,” said Mr. Blackburn, patting the dog on the head.

  “All right, Alex,” said Whalen. “Now turn the dog back into the original rock.”

  Once more Alex did as he was told. Even though he liked the dog and didn’t really want to change it back, he knew that it was really a rock.

  “Now use your staff to send a large red fireball into the sky,” Whalen ordered. “Have it explode and vanish when it reaches about a hundred feet up or so.”

  Once more Alex did as he was told, and after a few moments of thought, an enormous bright-red fireball shot from the head of the staff. When the fireball was a hundred feet in the air, a tremendous explosion shook the ground under his feet and rattled the windows of Mr. Blackburn’s smithy.

  “Very well done,” said Whalen. “That should wake up the people of Telous.”

  Whalen asked Alex to change staffs and repeat the process. To Alex’s surprise and confusion, he managed the exact same results with both of the other staffs.

  “I never seen anything like this before,” said Mr. Blackburn, rubbing his head. “There’s no difference between them and that’s a fact.”

  “I agree,” said Whalen, smiling but sounding slightly troubled.

  “Perhaps some other task would work better,” Alex suggested.

  “No, I believe it would be the same,” said Whalen. “This is strange, but it has happened at least once before.”

  “It has?”

  “Well, once that I know of,” Whalen answered. “Of course that was before my time, but the incident is well-documented.”

  “What do we do now?” Alex questioned, hoping the answer would be simple.

  “Conflagration,” Whalen answered, and Mr. Blackburn let out a loud gasp.

  “What’s that?” Alex questioned.

  “It’s a magical command that will combine all three staffs into one,” Whalen said slowly. “I’ve never seen it used, of course, but I’m quite sure you can manage it.”

  At this point Alex wasn’t sure he could manage anything at all. He didn’t comment on his own doubts, however, but listened closely as Whalen whispered the command in his ear.

  “Concentrate on all three staffs joining together,” Whalen added as he took a step back.

  Alex summoned all three staffs once again so they were standing in front of him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to focus all of his energy. Opening his eyes, he looked at the three staffs and, when he was ready, he thought of the command Whalen had whispered to him.

  The three staffs moved slowly toward each other until they touched. Alex could feel heat coming from the staffs, but he continued to concentrate as hard as he could. The heat continued to grow, and Alex thought he could smell smoke. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of pure white light and only one staff remained.

  “Amazing,” said Mr. Blackburn, a look of wonder on his face. “Never thought I’d see such a thing in all my days.”

  “Few people have,” said Whalen. “In fact, my dear Mr. Blackburn, we three are the only ones to have seen something like this in more than a thousand years.”

  Alex’s thoughts remained fixed on the staff in front of him. It looked completely different from any of the three staffs he started with, though strangely the same. The new staff was made of some black and shiny wood with interwoven patterns of true silver and gold wrapped around it.

  “Go ahead,” said Whalen, looking at Alex. “Take your staff, my friend.”

  Alex reached out and took the staff in his hand. A strange feeling of warmth filled him, and the staff seemed to shiver slightly at his touch. He looked at Whalen, then at Mr. Blackburn, then back at the staff. This was something he’d never expected, but something he was very happy about just the same.

  “Don’t forget to pay Mr. Blackburn,” Whalen reminded Alex.

  Alex nodded and asked Mr. Blackburn how much he owed him.

  Mr. Blackburn, who seemed even more shocked than Alex, had some trouble deciding on a price. In the end, with a little help from Whalen, they agreed on a price, and Alex paid Mr. Blackburn for his wonderful new staff.

  “Well, the council will certainly be interested in this turn of events,” said Whalen as he and Alex walked back to the Golden Swan. “A most impressive feat indeed. It may count as your fifth great wizard act.”

  “I don’t think taking a staff should count as a great wizard act.”

  “Well, perhaps not,” Whalen agreed. “But that decision will be up to the council.”

  “When do I take the oath?” Alex asked as he and Wh
alen entered the Golden Swan.

  “Tomorrow night, during your company’s final feast,” said Whalen. “I will ask them all to be witnesses for you. It will put a nice end on your latest adventure.”

  Alex nodded. He was eager to take the oath to obey wizard law. After all, he was one step closer to being a true wizard.

  Chapter Twenty

  A New Beginning

  So, you’ve taken your staff,” said Sindar when Alex and Whalen entered the main bar at the Golden Swan.

  “I have,” said Alex, grinning from ear to ear.

  “It’s about time,” Halfdan added, stepping forward to shake Alex’s hand. “I’ve been wondering when you’d get around to it.”

  “And I’ve been wondering why Whalen made him wait so long,” said Bregnest, shaking Alex’s hand as well.

  “All things in time,” said Whalen.

  Andy was too amazed to even speak, and he simply shook Alex’s hand.

  “It’s all right,” Alex said. “You don’t need to say anything.” He was still having a little trouble believing he had taken a staff. He couldn’t stop smiling.

  “A real wizard,” Andy finally managed to say. “Imagine—me being friends with a real wizard.”

  Alex laughed. He knew Andy had always considered him a real wizard, but it seemed that Alex’s taking a staff had finally allowed Andy to say the words out loud.

  “Well now,” said Whalen after the congratulations had ended. “I have something to ask each of you, and I hope you will all agree.”

  “How may we be of service?” Bregnest asked.

  “Tomorrow night, at your company’s final feast, I would like you all to be witnesses for Alex,” answered Whalen. “I will be taking Alex’s oath as a true wizard.”

  “We would be honored,” said Bregnest, bowing to both Whalen and Alex.

  “I know you can answer for your company, Bregnest, but still I must ask each of you to answer for yourselves,” said Whalen. “After all, it’s not a simple thing to be a witness.”

  “Do they have to do something?” Alex questioned, surprised by Whalen’s comment.

  “Nothing difficult,” Whalen answered. “They will sign a document saying that they are witnesses, and their files will be updated to show as much.”