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Whalen will know, Alex thought as he drifted off to sleep. Whalen will have the answers I need.
* * *
Alex woke early the next morning to a familiar dinging noise. Sitting up, he saw a geeb standing on the edge of his bed. He paid and thanked the geeb, then swiftly opened the letter from Whalen.
Dear Alex,
I must apologize. I should have prepared you better and pushed you harder to learn more than you have. I also should have taught you to control your emotions before now. I am truly sorry. I hope that you can forgive an old fool for trying to teach you as he would any other apprentice. But you are not a normal apprentice, Alex, and I must remember that.
You will, of course, have dozens of questions about the Watchers. Sadly, they are more myth than fact, and it is unclear how many of them there are. What little I can tell you is that they are known to appear from time to time to give warnings and advice, so you should pay attention to what was said.
I can also tell you that the Watchers are known to work for good, and to help where they can. They are incredibly powerful, but seldom use their magic directly. The fact that a Watcher actually let you see him—let alone spoke to you—is very impressive. Sadly, you will have to do as he said and wait for the answers to your questions, as only the Watchers can really answer them for you.
Regarding the Tower of the Moon. There are many stories and legends about the Tower, and once Bregnest told me that you would be going that way, I’ve been asking questions. You are correct that the Tower is the center of magical power for Norsland. But it has been more than two thousand years since a wizard has lived there. I’m sorry I do not have more information, but I’m still looking, and I have sent several letters to friends. As soon as I learn anything that might be helpful to you, I will send it along.
Now, as for your training, I’ve included some exercises to help you control your emotions. I want you to do them every night before you go to sleep and every morning when you wake up. They may seem boring or a bit odd, but they will help you more than you might think.
I’ve also included a list of books for your future reading, including instructions for transfiguration, which I believe you are ready to attempt. Start with small things at first—leaves, small rocks, things like that. If you have difficulty with the magic, let me know and I’ll do what I can to help.
Keep me informed on how your adventure is going. Keep your eyes open and study hard. I will hope for your success.
Yours in fellowship, Whalen
P.S. You might ask Sindar about how to control your emotions. He knows a great many things, and he might be able to help you even more than I can.
Alex considered Whalen’s letter for several minutes. It seemed that Whalen didn’t have all the answers he wanted, but he did have some good advice. Worrying about the Watcher wouldn’t do any good, but learning self-control would. Alex thought Sindar might be able to help him control his emotions, but he would have to wait until later to ask—the list of things he was supposed to start reading was surprisingly long.
Alex promised himself that he would do Whalen’s exercises every night and morning, even though they seemed strange to say the least. Most of what Whalen wanted him to do was concentrate and breathe slowly, but there were other things as well. Count backward from a thousand while controlling the speed of his breathing. Recite the alphabet backward as fast as he could in one breath. Even balancing objects on top of each other with his magic while reciting the alphabet backward and breathing slowly were part of the list. It didn’t make any sense to Alex, but he knew he would have to try.
* * *
Alex and his companions joined the Goodseed family for breakfast as usual the next morning, but there was a strange tension around the table. Michael seemed painfully excited, but nobody mentioned his birthday at all. At first Alex thought that Michael’s parents didn’t want to say anything in front of their guests, but then he saw Bregnest and Argus exchange knowing looks and he couldn’t help but smile at Michael’s impending surprise.
“Well, it should be an interesting day,” Argus said enthusiastically. “More feasts and parties with the wedding couples.”
“Perhaps you can tell us of the lands east and north of here,” said Bregnest. “It won’t be long before we are on our way once more.”
“Oh, yes, I can tell you a great deal about the lands you will cross,” said Argus. “But, you know, I seem to be forgetting something—something important.”
“That’s odd, I have the same feeling,” said Bregnest thoughtfully.
“Oh, stop it, both of you,” Mrs. Goodseed snapped, clearly unhappy with their teasing of Michael. “You both know very well that it’s Michael’s birthday, so you might as well say so.”
Alex and the rest of his companions laughed at Mrs. Goodseed’s outburst, and Michael laughed loudest of all.
It seemed that the entire company had bought birthday presents for Michael, despite Andy telling them not to. Val gave Michael a magical flute that played songs by itself. Sindar gave him a large book of stories that included many beautiful illustrations. Bregnest produced a fine new bow and a quiver of arrows, and he was quick to help when Michael couldn’t quite manage to string the bow by himself.
While everyone was wishing Michael a happy birthday, Andy slipped away from the table and out of the house. Mrs. Goodseed seemed to know what Andy was up to because she soon made a point of asking where Andy had gone.
“I believe he stepped outside,” said Halfdan, winking at Alex.
“Outside?” Mrs. Goodseed questioned, though she didn’t look at all surprised. “What in the world is he doing outside?”
“Perhaps we should go and see,” Halfdan suggested.
They all filed out of the front door and saw Andy standing in the courtyard with a beautiful black horse.
“I hope he’s the one you wanted,” Andy said as Michael ran toward him.
“Oh, he is,” exclaimed Michael, hugging Andy. “He’s perfect.”
“A fine-looking horse,” Halfdan commented. “And Alex and I have something that belongs to him.”
“What’s that?” Andy questioned, though it was obvious he knew what Halfdan was talking about.
“We decided a horse was little good without a saddle,” said Alex, smiling at Andy.
When Halfdan produced the saddle from his magic bag, Michael looked as if he were about to burst with joy. He looked around at all the adventurers and at his family, not sure what to do or say. It seemed as if he’d been given more than he’d ever dared to hope for.
“Well, come on then,” said Andy. “You’d best go for a ride.”
Michael didn’t need to be asked twice, and he was soon saddling his new horse with Andy’s help. Alex and his friends watched for a short time, and then went back to the house to finish their meal.
“You have all been extremely kind to my son,” said Argus to the company as he took his seat in the dining room once more. “I am very much in your debt.”
“It is a little thing compared to the kindness you and your family have shown us,” said Bregnest. “It is not easy having so many adventurers around the house.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” said Mrs. Goodseed. “You are all welcome, any time.”
After breakfast, Alex pulled Bregnest aside for a quiet chat. He told him about the golden brooch he’d received from Elwig and how he had thought about giving it to Mrs. Goodseed. He felt that it should come from the company, as a thank-you gift to Mrs. Goodseed for taking such good care of them. Bregnest thought it was an excellent idea, and insisted that Alex present the brooch on behalf of them all.
“We will compensate you for the cost,” said Bregnest.