Albrek's Tomb

“About two hundred miles,” answered Thrang. “If we travel straight from here to there. But since we need to go north as well as east, that will add at least fifty miles to our journey.”

“Is this Eastern Sea the border of Thraxon?” Barnabus asked.

“Not at all,” Thrang said with a laugh. “In high summer we could travel around the sea to the north, though few people have ever done so. And you can easily sail around the bottom of the sea to the south, though you would have to go extremely far south to do so.”

“Are there cities along the sea coast?” asked Thrain, his excitement showing yet again.

Thrang nodded. “There are; though I’ve never visited any of them. The southern coast is well populated—more than the north, but as I’ve mentioned, northern winters are hard, and not many people want to live in so rugged an area.”

“I wonder if there will be anyone at all on the Isle of Bones,” Kat said. The troubled look Alex had seen before on her face had returned.

“Why do you say that?” Alex questioned.

“Something about the place,” said Kat, not meeting Alex’s eyes. “I ca

“Any feeling a seer has is worth paying attention to,” Arco

“It may be nothing,” said Kat, smiling weakly. “I thought of another place when I first heard the name, so now I have the two linked in my mind. The other place was a terrible place—somewhere I hope never to go again.”

“If you feel there is danger on the Isle of Bones, we should know about it,” said Nellus, his voice kind but firm.

“No, nothing like that,” answered Kat with a wave of her hand. “Please, do not be troubled. A memory from my past has darkened the name for me, that is all.”

“Very well then,” said Thrang, glancing from Kat to Alex and back. “We will leave the day after tomorrow, and we should easily reach the seacoast long before winter comes.”

With Thrang’s final words, the group began separating for the night. It was late, and everyone was thinking of bed and their last day in Benorg. Alex stayed in his seat for a minute, watching Kat as she crossed the room toward the stairs leading to her room. He wondered what experience she was remembering that caused her such pain, but he knew better than to ask. Perhaps he would ask later, when the time was right and they were alone.

***

They woke the next morning to a light rain. Alex didn’t know when they would be coming back to Benorg and had wanted to spend the day wandering the streets and seeing at least some of the city. He hoped Thrang would offer to show them around the city, but he said he needed to talk to Thorgood again and finish preparing for their journey.

Arco

“Just the two of us, then,” said Alex to Arco

“Two strangers in a strange city,” said Arco

“And don’t you two start any trouble either,” said Thrang with a grunting laugh. “I don’t want any of Thorgood’s people turned into farm animals.”

“Oh, and here I was hoping to practice my craft,” said Alex.

Arco

“I expect a lot of people are shy of you and your staff,” said Arco

“I have noticed a difference in the way people look at me,” said Alex with a hint of unhappiness in his voice.

“Do not let it bother you,” Arco

“Whalen said that most wizards are at least thirty or forty years old before they take a staff,” Alex said.

“That is true,” Arco

“Do some false wizards take staffs at a young age?” Alex questioned.

“There are some people who carry staffs who are not wizards,” said Arco

“And some people take a staff just to give the appearance of being a wizard,” said Alex, considering Arco

“They do. Though many of them can actually use the staff, as you could have if you’d taken one on your first adventure,” said Arco

“That is true. However, it won’t work as well as it might if someone took the time to become a true wizard.”

“I would not know about that,” said Arco

“Is it easy to spot the pretenders?”

“There are ways to know, but it is not always easy.”

“Can you explain the ways?” Alex asked, wondering if he would be able to detect a false or pretend wizard.

“You would know,” said Arco

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” said Alex softly. “Though I hope I never run into a pretender.”

“You might not,” said Arco

“There are,” said Alex, remembering what Whalen had taught him. “The punishments are usually left up to the wizard who finds the pretender.”

“Posing as a wizard is a dangerous game to play,” Arco

Alex was a little surprised that Arco

The two of them spent the rest of the day exploring as much of the city as they could, returning to their home in time for their evening meal with the rest of the company. The others were already seated around the table, and Thrang was glaring at Thrain. While Alex and Arco

“That ankle isn’t going to keep you out of the saddle, is it?” Nellus asked Thrang as they ate.

“It will take more than a bad ankle and Thrain’s foolishness to keep me from this quest,” said Thrang in a grumpy tone.

Thrain went red and slouched in his chair, his boundless enthusiasm dampened by Thrang’s dark mood.

“It’s your own fault, you know,” Alex said to Thrang.

“My own fault!” Thrang said hotly. “How could it possibly be my fault?”

“If you’d explained the magic bag properly, Thrain could have found his logbook without taking everything out of his bag,” said Alex in a matter-of–fact tone.