Sands of Nezza Read online

  The next morning they ate breakfast, which again had appeared without any sign of Tempe’s servants. Stonebill flew into the house about halfway through the meal. He fluttered down on Alex’s shoulder and told him that Tempe wanted to say good-bye to them all by the fountain. Alex told his companions, and the news seemed to cheer them all.

  “A send-off from the oracle is a good omen,” said Dain, finishing his bacon quickly.

  “A sad parting,” Skeld noted. “We have come far and fast to find the oracle, and already we must leave.”

  “We have an adventure to continue,” Virgil said. “We have been a long time getting things done.”

  “And we would have been longer . . . ” Tom started and stopped, glancing at Alex.

  Alex could see that Tom was both impressed by him and afraid of him. There was something about Tom that caught his attention, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. His thoughts were interrupted by a small pop and a loud ding.

  “A geeb!” said Virgil in surprise.

  “A what?” Rallian asked, looking in wonder at the strange creature that had suddenly appeared on the table.

  “A bottle-necked geeb,” said Virgil. “They are magical creatures used to carry messages.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Rallian.

  “I’ll explain about geebs as we travel,” Alex said to Rallian.

  Rallian nodded, but his eyes didn’t leave the geeb.

  “Do you have a message for us?” Virgil asked the geeb.

  “Honk,” the geeb answered, its head taking the shape of a small horn.

  “Do you have a message for me?” Alex asked, pushing his plate away.

  “Ding,” the geeb answered, its head now taking the shape of a bell.

  “May I have it please?” Alex asked.

  “Ding, ding, ding,” the geeb replied.

  “I sent a message to my friend, Whalen Vankin, before I found you,” Alex told the others as he accepted the message from the geeb. “I had heard there might be dark magic in Nezza and wondered if Whalen knew anything about it.”

  “You know Whalen Vankin?” Tom asked, amazed.

  “Who is Whalen Vankin?” Rallian asked at almost the same moment.

  “Whalen Vankin is possibly the greatest wizard alive,” Alex said to Rallian, and then, looking at Tom, he added, “Whalen is my teacher. He’s the one who asked me to take my staff.”

  Alex opened the message the geeb had given him, far too interested in what Whalen might have to say than in answering any more questions.

  Alex,

  Something must be going on in Nezza, because I’ve never had such a hard time finding a geeb to deliver a message.

  I haven’t heard of any dark wizards in Nezza, but so little news comes from there that it is difficult for me to say what’s happening there. Be careful in your travels, and try not to let yourself be known. I don’t think you’ll run into anything you can’t handle, but if you need me, I will come.

  Keep me informed, if you can find any geebs that will deliver a message.

  Yours in fellowship,

  Whalen

  “Well, it seems even Whalen has had trouble sending geebs to Nezza,” said Alex, handing the note to Virgil. He turned to the geeb. “Have you been paid?”

  “Honk,” the geeb answered.

  “Can you take a reply back to Whalen Vankin?” Alex asked.

  “Ding.”

  “Here you are, then,” said Alex, tossing a small emerald toward the geeb.

  The geeb bounced off the table and caught the emerald as it fell through the air, leaving several coins on the table in exchange.

  Alex quickly took out his writing things and started his message. He wanted to let Whalen know how things were going and also to pass along the clue he had discovered about the Brotherhood and a person of interest named Gaylan. To make things quicker, Alex magically duplicated the letter he had found in Magnus’s room and attached it to his own short note.

  “Please take this message to Whalen Vankin,” said Alex, handing the envelope to the geeb. “If you require more payment, you can return, or Whalen will provide it.”

  “Ding,” the geeb replied, and then it vanished.

  “Amazing,” said Rallian, looking at the space where the geeb had been.

  “Useful creatures,” said Alex, collecting the coins the geeb had left for him. “Now I think we should go say good-bye to Tempe. We have kept her waiting long enough.”

  With Alex’s comment, they all filed out of the house and headed for the fountain where Tempe was waiting.

  “And so it is good-bye already,” said Tempe. “Though perhaps some of you will return one day.”

  “We would all hope to return,” said Virgil, bowing to Tempe.

  “Travel quickly if you can,” said Tempe, looking from Virgil to Rallian. “Time may be on your side, if you move quickly enough.”

  “You have our thanks,” said Virgil.

  “A word, if I may, Master Taylor,” said Tempe.

  Alex stepped forward, and Tempe led him to the other side of the fountain.

  “I have a favor to ask,” she said, a worried look in her eyes.

  “How may I be of service?” Alex questioned.

  “Well, it’s Stonebill,” said Tempe. “He wants to travel with you and see a bit of the world. I told him I’d ask you if he might come along.”

  “A welcome addition,” said Alex. “Can you spare him?”

  “For as long as he wishes to be gone. And he is useful,” Tempe added quickly. “He knows a bit of magic and can speak to most of the animals of Nezza.”

  “Talents that may come in handy,” Alex said thoughtfully.

  “I’ll warn you now, though,” said Tempe, looking concerned. “He may become quite attached to you and beg you to take him with you when you leave Nezza.”

  “And you think I should not?” Alex asked, puzzled.

  “I think you should do what your heart tells you,” said Tempe, her smile returning. “I just don’t want you to think you have to take him.”

  “He is welcome to come now, and when I leave Nezza, we will see,” said Alex.

  “Very well, then, he will catch up with you along the river,” said Tempe.

  With Alex’s agreement to take the raven, Tempe said her final good-bye to the company. Alex and the others bowed to Tempe and did not rise until she had left. Once she was gone, they turned around and started back toward the river and their adventure.

  It was midday when Stonebill caught up to Alex and the others as they marched beside the river. He seemed happy to be there and thanked Alex for taking him along. It seemed to Alex that Rallian was almost as happy that Stonebill would be traveling with them as Stonebill was.

  “Ravens are a symbol of the king,” said Rallian. “It is a good sign to have so noble a bird with us.”

  Stonebill, who understood the common language, was pleased to be called a noble bird. So pleased, in fact, that he asked Alex to thank the prince for him and to ask him if he might ride on the prince’s shoulder. This request made Rallian happy, and Alex smiled at them both as they walked along the red stone path.

  They made better time coming out of the desert than they had going into it. Their speed was improved mostly because Virgil and the others were almost completely healed from their stay in the dungeons of Karmus. But they also wanted to hurry in case Lazar had sent guards to the river in an effort to prevent them from leaving the desert.

  Days later, when they were nearing the valley where they’d first entered the desert, Alex sent Stonebill ahead to search for any soldiers that might be there. He suspected that someone would be watching the river and he wanted to know for sure.

  “I will find them if they are there,” said Stonebill.

  “And be careful,” Alex added, watching as the raven took flight.

  Alex and his companions continued to follow the river, but at a slightly slower pace, stopping several times to ta
lk and plan. They needed to know what was ahead of them and be prepared to face whatever it might be.

  As the sun was setting they made camp, but Stonebill did not return. Alex was worried but decided that the raven knew his business and would return as soon as he could.

  Virgil suggested that they keep watch that night, and they all agreed that it would be a good idea. Virgil refused to allow Alex or Rallian to draw a watch, insisting that it was his company’s duty. Alex accepted Virgil’s decision, but Rallian seemed unhappy about it. He wanted to do his share, and his desire to do his part impressed Alex.

  As the others were climbing under their blankets, Alex remained by the fire. He didn’t feel tired, and his worries about Stonebill lingered at the back of his mind. Dain, who had drawn the first watch, sat beside Alex in silence, and together they watched the flames of the fire die to glowing embers.

  The flutter of wings startled Alex from his thoughts as Stonebill landed on his knee. The fire was almost out, and Dain had been replaced by Tom.

  “What word?” Alex asked Stonebill.

  “A dozen men are camped on the north side of the river, just at the edge of the desert,” reported Stonebill. “They seem unhappy with their post and are not watchful.”

  “Any others?”

  “A second group, maybe twenty men, is riding east along the river,” answered Stonebill. “They are miles away from the desert and should not trouble us in crossing the river.”

  “The men at the edge of the desert—do they have horses?” Alex asked, considering the landscape and how far they had to travel.

  “They do,” said Stonebill. “The horses are tied a short distance from the camp but are not guarded.”

  Alex remained silent for several minutes, thinking about what to do. He could see Tom’s sleepy face in the dim glow of the dying fire.

  “Are you too tired for another flight?” Alex asked Stonebill, who was still perched on his knee.

  “Not tired at all,” said Stonebill.

  “Then I think you and I should see about getting us some transportation,” said Alex.

  “And the others?” Stonebill asked.

  “Let them sleep for now,” said Alex. “Skeld drew the second to last watch. When his watch is near its end, he can wake the others.”

  “If the word gets passed to him,” said Stonebill, cocking his head and looking at Tom, who was almost asleep by the fire.

  Alex quickly explained to Tom what he wanted the rest of the company to do, and Tom, in spite of his sleepiness, nodded as Alex stood to leave.

  “Remember,” Alex said softly as he walked away. He was sure Tom would try to remember everything, but the simple spell would make sure that he did.

  Moving along the river was difficult in the darkness, but Alex only walked a short distance. He paused beside the river to clear his mind and then changed himself into a raven. It wasn’t long before he could see the too-large campfire of the soldiers, and he flew toward it. Gliding down in the darkness a short distance away from the camp, Alex returned once more to his true form.

  “They are fools,” Stonebill said, fluttering back to Alex’s shoulder. “They build up the fire and talk too loudly.”

  “That is good for us,” said Alex. “Are they all still awake, or only a few of them?”

  “Three are awake. The rest are sleeping upstream from the fire.”

  “Can you get to their horses unnoticed?” Alex asked.

  “Easily, why?”

  “Go to the horses and tell them I am coming,” Alex instructed. “If they are willing to go with us, I promise they will be well cared for.”

  “I think they will go with us,” said Stonebill. “These soldiers do not care for their horses as they should, and I don’t think the horses have any love for them.”

  “Very well,” said Alex. “I’ll be along as soon as I put the soldiers into an enchanted sleep.”

  “I will wait with the horses,” said Stonebill, and he disappeared into the darkness.

  Alex crept forward in the darkness, making his way toward the camp. He had only moved fifty or sixty yards along the riverbank when the sound of voices reached his ears.

  “How long we gonna be here anyway?” said one voice.

  “’Til the captain sends word,” a second voice replied.

  “A waste of time,” said a third man. “Our real enemy is to the east.”

  “That’s true enough,” the first man answered. “With the river flowing again, I’d say old Magnus is up to somethin’.”

  “That’s old woman’s talk,” the second man retorted. “Ain’t no such thing as magic, not in this land in any case.”

  “The river’s running again, ain’t it?” a third voice said. “Lot of stories about this broken river. Might be some truth in some of them stories.”

  “If you ask me, old Magnus is behind it all,” said the first man, a nervous tone to his voice. “Him and Lazar are up to something, and we’d do more good in the east than we’ll ever do here.”

  Alex moved closer to the fire, and just as the second man started to speak once more, he put a sleeping spell on all three of them. He stepped into the firelight, checking to make sure that all the guards were fast asleep. With that done, he cast a second spell to make sure none of the soldiers would wake until well after the sun came up.

  “That didn’t take long,” said Stonebill as Alex approached the spot where the horses were tied up.

  “The magic was simple enough to work,” said Alex. “What about the horses? Are they willing to go with us?”

  “They are happy for the change,” answered Stonebill.

  Alex nodded and started saddling the horse nearest to him. He would ride this horse and lead the others to his friends. He felt bad about leaving the soldiers with no horses, but he didn’t want word of missing horses to get to Magnus for as long as possible. With luck, he and his companions would be well north of the river before any news reached Magnus at all.

  Alex swung into his saddle and turned to ride east along the river, leading eleven horses behind him. He rode for a mile or two and found a spot near the river where the bank was low. He climbed off the horse and looked at the sky. The others wouldn’t be here for several hours, even if they moved as quickly as they could. He let the horses wander freely and graze on the short grass while he found a comfortable place to sit down.

  “Should I go and make sure they are coming?” Stonebill asked when it was getting close to the end of Skeld’s watch.

  “There is time,” said Alex, lying back and looking up at the stars.

  “But if the message wasn’t passed on,” Stonebill pressed.

  “It was,” said Alex, stretching out. “But if you are worried, you can go check.”

  Stonebill didn’t reply, but after several minutes of silence, he flew off into the darkness. Alex knew that Tom would pass the word on, and he also knew that Skeld would not wait until the end of his watch to get everyone moving. Skeld’s efficiency was a good thing. The sooner they all got here, the sooner they would be riding north toward Lord Talbot.

  Stonebill returned just ahead of the rest of the company. He reported that he had first checked that Virgil and the others were on their way, and then he had flown east to check on the other group of soldiers he had seen.

  “They are miles away,” reported Stonebill, sounding tired.

  “You should rest,” said Alex, getting to his feet. “We will need your eyes along the road.”

  Stonebill perched on Alex’s saddle and folded his wings. Alex walked down to the river, looking into the darkness, trying to see his friends. He could hear them moving along the riverbank, but the stars were not bright enough for him to see much. To help the others find him, he conjured up several small weir lights and sent them floating across the water.

  “Such lights might be spotted,” said Virgil in a worried tone as Alex helped him out of the river.

  “The soldiers near the desert are asleep,” said Alex. “
The others are miles away.”

  “Once again we are in your debt,” said Virgil, looking at the horses and saddles that Alex had brought with him.

  “We must travel as fast as we can, and this seemed the best way,” said Alex. “I would have woken you, but I didn’t see any point in waking you up just so you could wait.”

  “Wise and kind,” said Skeld, patting Alex’s shoulder.

  The horses were saddled in no time, and the company was ready to go. Alex led the six extra horses behind him and rode at the back of the company with Tom at his side. Virgil led the company into the darkness, moving with caution as they climbed out of the valley and into the open lands beyond.

  By the time they stopped for breakfast, they were at least ten miles away from the river. As the others ate their meal, Stonebill flew ahead, looking for more soldiers or anything else that might slow their travel. When Stonebill returned, saying there was nothing to be seen for miles, they rode on.

  So they went north and east, stopping only for meals and to rest at night. Stonebill kept them well informed of anything or anyone along their path, so they managed to avoid being seen without any trouble. The land changed little as they traveled. It was mostly open, with only small clusters of trees to break up the rolling grasslands. It was a pleasant ride, and if Alex hadn’t been worried about their situation and what Magnus might be up to, he would have enjoyed it a great deal more.

  Chapter Twelve

  Thomas the Healer

  After they had ridden north and east for almost three weeks, the landscape began to change. Rolling hills grew into tall mountains to the north, and the open, grass-covered fields changed to dark pine forests. As they rode toward the forests, Rallian was happier than Alex had ever seen him.

  “Lord Talbot’s lands begin on the other side of these mountains,” said Rallian. “Lazar would not dare send his soldiers there. At least not until he was ready for open war.”