“And who is that?” Alex asked, even though he suspected he knew who Joshua was talking about.
“An evil man who has taken control of the ancient castle and taken the title as his own. He wants to take control of Westland, but he doesn’t want to fight unless he has to. Instead of having an open battle, he takes hostages. He takes the relatives of those in power, and threatens to do them harm if the powerful don’t do as he says.”
“And you are related to someone in power?”
“My uncle is Lord Darthon, ruler of the southern kingdom of Westland. He is a brave and true-hearted man, and he would never bow down before this evil man, wizard or not.”
“Wizard? The lord of Conmar is a wizard?”
“There are some who say he is, or that he at least has some magic. My uncle will not bow to him, but—”
“But if the lord of Conmar has you in his power, your uncle might be forced to do his bidding,” Alex finished for him.
“My father went missing when I was young, and my uncle has raised me as his own son,” Joshua explained. “My aunt and uncle have no children of their own, and I am an only child. It would break their hearts if some harm came to me, and this despicable man knows it. It was to keep me out of Jabez’s hands that my uncle sent me on this quest.”
“Jabez?” Alex asked, pretending he did not already know the name.
“The lord of Conmar, though not many people even dare to say his name out loud. He would use me to control my uncle and to enslave my people. I would rather die than let that happen.”
“Well, I can see there is a great deal of trouble in Westland.”
“It won’t stay in Westland, not if Jabez gets his way. He’ll take Westland first, but he won’t stop until he rules all of Jarro.”
“Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that,” Alex said, getting to his feet. “For now, we should be going.”
Joshua got up, but he caught Alex’s arm as he turned to go. “Thank you, Alex. Thank you for helping me.”
“My uncle taught me to always help those I met along the road. He says you never know when you might be the one who needs help, so it’s a good habit to be in.”
“Your uncle is a wise man,” Joshua said.
“Yes, he is very wise, indeed,” Alex said with a grin.
“Please give him my thanks when you see him again.”
“I will,” Alex said. He hoped Whalen would be in Shinmar as they had planned. Until then, traveling with Joshua and trying to keep him out of trouble seemed like a good idea.
It was nearly midday three days later when Alex and Joshua reached the city of Shinmar. They had avoided the towns and villages they came to along the road, and they had been careful not to run into any more of Jabez’s soldiers. Caution had cost them time, and Alex was worried that Whalen might have already sailed for Midland. The extra day of travel couldn’t be helped, as Alex was unwilling to leave Joshua to an unknown fate.
“We won’t need to worry about soldiers from Conmar here,” Joshua commented as they passed through the city gates. “In the country, ten or twelve men can do what they like and there’s nobody to interfere, but here there are plenty of soldiers and citizens to stop them.”
“I wouldn’t relax too much,” Alex replied. “You may not need to worry about a group of soldiers looking for you, but . . .”
“But?”
“I think that here in the city, two or three men could drug you or knock you unconscious and spirit you away,” said Alex. “They might have a ship waiting already, or they could just hide you someplace until a ship from Conmar arrives.”
“You have a devious mind,” Joshua laughed, but he glanced around nervously just the same.
“I was just thinking of how I would go about capturing someone. I also think it might be a good idea for you to sail to Midland and not try to find a ship going directly to Westland.”
“And why is that?”
“Because if I was trying to catch you, I’d make sure all the ship captains that sail to and from Westland knew what you look like. I could either make up a reason why you are wanted or simply offer a reward for your capture,” said Alex. “I suppose you know at least some of the ships that sail to and from Westland.”
“I know many of them, though most of them only sail between Midland and Westland.”
“It might be best for you to find a ship in Midland to take you home. A ship captain you know you can trust.”
“Yes, that might be best. I hadn’t thought things through as much as you have. I suppose I am lucky to have met you, and I hope that you are never the one trying to catch me.”
“And I hope you won’t have anyone trying to catch you in the near future. Now, my uncle said he would be staying at a tavern called the White Stag. I hope he hasn’t sailed to Midland without me.”
Alex and Joshua found the White Stag without any trouble, as it was one of the largest taverns in the city. The owner of the Stag seemed to recognize Alex as soon as he saw him, which was a surprise to Alex.
“Master Kessler told me he was expecting you,” the owner said. “He’s been a bit worried that you wouldn’t get here in time to sail with him. He’s down at the docks now, making sure all your goods have been properly loaded.”
“Do you know which ship he has chosen?” Alex asked.
“The Dawn Star ,” the owner answered. “Sails at first light tomorrow.”
After thanking the tavern owner, and arranging for a room for Joshua, Alex and Joshua left the tavern and made their way to the docks. Alex wasn’t sure how Whalen would react to Joshua, but he hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. Now that he thought of it, Alex wasn’t even sure what Whalen would look like. He was certain to be wearing some disguise, because he couldn’t travel openly.
The Dawn Star was a large ship, with three masts and nearly a hundred members in her crew. Alex didn’t have any trouble spotting Whalen, disguise and all. He was shorter now, with dark, messy hair, dark eyes, and a stomach that, while not fat, was certainly much larger than Whalen’s.
“Ah, nephew,” Whalen called out as soon as he saw Alex. “Thought you might miss the ship and have to wait here in Eastland until I got back.”
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Alex answered. “I’ve had a bit of an adventure getting here.”
“Oh? And who’s your friend here?” Whalen asked.
“This is Joshua. We met along the road,” Alex said. “He’s looking for a ship to take him to Midland.”
“Plenty of ships going that way at this time of year,” Whalen replied distractedly. “Might even find a place on the Dawn Star here, if you’re lucky. We leave at first light, and I have a lot to do before then.”
“Anything I can help you with, uncle?”
“No, no, not just now. Take your friend and talk to the captain, see if there’s a place for him on the ship. Oh, I know you’ve got stories to tell about your journey, but they will have to wait until tonight.”
Without another word Whalen walked away to check on some cargo that was sitting on the dock. Alex gave Joshua a look that plainly said, “Yes, he’s always like that,” and the two of them went off to find the captain of the Dawn Star .
Alex was happy to learn that there was room on the ship for Joshua to join them, and arrangements were quickly made. With that matter settled, Alex and Joshua walked back to the White Stag and had their lunch. They remained in the tavern all afternoon, as Joshua seemed to take Alex’s warnings about someone snatching him from the city seriously. It was well after dark before Whalen joined them, looking worn out after a hard day’s work.
The three of them ate their dinner together, but Whalen seemed distracted by other matters. He didn’t ask Alex any questions, and the only question he asked Joshua was whether or not he’d found a place on the Dawn Star for the voyage. After dinner, Joshua excused himself and went to his room, and Alex and Whalen went to a suite of rooms that Whalen had taken for them.
“Well,” Whalen said as he too
k a seat in front of the fire. “You’d better tell me everything that’s happened.”
“More than you might imagine in so short a time.”
Alex took his own chair and told Whalen everything from the beginning, starting with his adventure in the graveyard and the magic he had used to keep the bones of the suspected wizard safe. When Alex mentioned the strange book that had crumbled in his hand, Whalen interrupted Alex’s story.
“I don’t think that grave belongs to a wizard,” Whalen said. “I don’t recall there being any wizards here in Jarro for a long time, longer than the two hundred years since this fellow was buried.”
“Perhaps. Still, somebody wants those bones, and there was that strange book in the grave.”
“Yes, and you were right to protect the bones. Wizard or not, he should rest in peace. As for the book, I wish you’d been able to read more of it.”
“It crumbled to dust almost before I realized there was any magic in it.”
“Hmm,” Whalen said, his eyes fixed on the fire. “It seems to me I’ve heard something about a dragon with no name, something very old. I don’t remember what it was about, and this ‘darloch est messer ’ business means nothing to me at all.”
“I’m sure it’s important, though I don’t have any idea why. I’m also sure that darloch est messer and the dragon with no name are connected somehow.”
“Possibly, possibly . . . but I don’t see that we can do anything about that right now. I’ll ponder on it. Like I said, I’m sure I once heard or read about a nameless dragon, but it might have to wait until our business here in Jarro is finished.”
“So long as you promise to think about it.”
“And now, tell me about Joshua. Why have you brought him here with you? I mean, apart from the obvious, that is.”
“The obvious?”
“Oh, I can see his aura as plainly as you do,” Whalen said with a chuckle. “I, however, have been around long enough to know what it means. I also can see that he is somehow related to the elves, so he’s probably from Westland and related to the sea elves. A strange coincidence since we are traveling to Westland.”
“Sea elves?”
“I will tell you of them later. Right now, I must ask if you have ever seen an aura like Joshua’s around anyone else?”
“Only around people with magic in them. Joshua has no magic in him, but there must be some magical connection to explain his aura.”
“I’ve only seen such an aura, as you say, around a non-magical person a few times. And every time I have, it turns out that there is something special and important about that person. I believe that young Joshua has some important role to play in the future of Jarro. From the brightness and color of his aura, I should say a role for the good.”
“I would guess that you’re right. As to why I brought him with me, it’s because your nephew, Jabez, is trying to capture him.”
“What!” Whalen nearly shouted.
Alex laughed at Whalen’s shocked surprise, and he quickly explained how he had met Joshua and about their encounter with Jabez’s soldiers along the road. Whalen didn’t say anything when Alex had finished his story. He sat staring into the fire with a deep look of concentration on his face.
“Well then,” Whalen finally said, “Jabez must know that Joshua is special, and he wants to control him if he can. Sending men all the way to Eastland just to capture Joshua is a bold move. Perhaps Jabez is becoming desperate. We might be able to use that to our advantage.”
“Jabez will find that Joshua is not easy to control.”
“No, no, he won’t be, but that won’t stop Jabez from trying. You were right to bring Joshua along and to help him out of trouble, but . . .”
“But what?”
“Well, I’m not sure what we can do to help Joshua, as much as I’d like to. I doubt very much that Joshua would agree to travel with us, and I’m not sure that’s a good idea anyway. We can’t put our own mission at risk. Still, he seems a clever young man, and if he’s Darthon’s nephew, he should know how to take care of himself.”
“There must be something we can do,” Alex said, and then paused to consider what Whalen had actually said. “Wait . . . you know his uncle Darthon?”
“Oh, I met Darthon years ago, the last time I was here in Jarro, in fact. He’s a good man and devoted to his people. Jabez will hate him of course, and I’m sure he will do everything in his power to either control or destroy Darthon.”
“If you know Darthon, we have to do something to help Joshua.”
“We can see him safely to Midland. After that, I’m afraid he will have to look after himself.”
“If Joshua really is important to the future of Jarro, wouldn’t we be risking that future by letting him go his own way?”
“This entire quest is a risk. We’re facing a dark wizard, who I know for a fact is extremely powerful. We’re also facing the Brotherhood, and you know how dangerous they can be. If Jabez discovers we are here, I don’t like to think about how much help he could call on to track us down. Besides, taking Joshua with us could do as much harm as good.”
“Jabez is bound to find out that we are in Jarro, sooner or later.”
“Later would be better. Still, we have a few things in our favor.”
“Like?”
“Like the fact that Jabez will not ask the Brotherhood for help if he thinks he can defeat me on his own. He’s never been good at asking for help, and I’m sure he believes that he can deal with me by himself.”
“Not asking for help must run in the family,” Alex said with a half-smile.
“What do you mean?” Whalen asked.
“I know how hard it was for you to ask for my help,” Alex said. “In all the stories I’ve heard and read about you, you’ve never asked for any help, even if you should have.”
“Stories you hear or read don’t always tell you everything that really happened,” Whalen answered. “Still, I will admit that I don’t like putting other people at risk, not if I can help it. Now, I have worked out our plan for once we reach Midland.”
“What is it?” Alex asked.
“Since we are in disguise as a cloth and fur merchant and his apprentice, once we reach Midland, we will join one of the caravans that travel that land and slowly make our way to the west. Now, before you start to argue about wasting time, I’ve already considered that.”
“And you’ve decided that a slow approach to Westland is better than a fast one.”
“If we suddenly turn up in Westland, Jabez may run. If he thinks that he has time to prepare, or to set a cunning trap for me, he will wait.”
“How soon do you think he will know that you’re in Jarro?”
“He may suspect it already, but I don’t think so. He won’t know I’m here until we are much closer to Conmar. As for you, well, he may not know you are here at all, at least not until it is too late.”
“So long as I don’t use my magic.”
“That is important as well, but not exactly what I meant. When I told you not to use magic, what I meant was don’t use magic that will bring notice. The magic you used at the graveyard won’t be a problem, as anyone who hears the story—or goes looking for the wizard’s bones—will attribute any magic they may encounter to the dead wizard.”
“So what do you mean that Jabez won’t know I’m here until it’s too late?”
“It’s because of what you are, Alex. I haven’t mentioned it before, and I don’t think you are even aware of it, but it is difficult—even for me—to see you simply as a wizard.”
“What do you mean? You know I have magic. You know I’m a wizard.”
“Oh, I know what you are, but if I simply look at you . . . well, I can’t see your power the way I can every other wizard I’ve ever met. I think it has something to do with what you are, and maybe who you are. You are part dragon after all, Alex, and dragons are very good at hiding when they want to.”
“But I’m not trying to hide, at least no
t from you.”
“No, but you’ve never really thought about not hiding from me either,” Whalen chuckled. “It is an interesting advantage, and I think it will be useful.”
“Perhaps it will,” Alex said. “Still, I don’t like the idea of taking so much time to get to Westland. We already know from Joshua that Jabez is on the move and that he wishes to rule all of Jarro. We need to stop him as soon as possible.”
“As soon as possible—without risking too much,” Whalen answered. “If we rush in, Jabez may flee, but his armies will be left without a leader. With Jabez in control, they will attack Westland and try to take over, but without Jabez they might attack anywhere. Jabez may even send them on a deadly mission that he knows will fail—just to hurt the people of Jarro and to spite us for interfering.”
“Yes, I suppose he might do something like that.”
“So we will move slowly . . . at least for now. We will travel across Midland—or, more correctly, around Midland—and gather as much information as we can. We might even be able to warn the people of Midland of what might be coming. After all, Alex, we could fail. If we do fail, it would be wise to at least give some warning to the people, and perhaps prepare them for the wars that will follow.”
“I don’t want to think about failing.”
“Nobody wants to think about failing. I’m sure that Jabez isn’t thinking about failure—and that might also be to our advantage. The thing is, we need to think about what will happen if we fail. Think of it as a motivation to not fail if you like, but we need to think about it just the same.”
“Alright, I understand. So . . . after we travel around Midland, then what?”
“I’m not sure yet. Things may change as we travel, or everything might work out exactly as we want it to.”
“I think it is unlikely that everything will go our way.”
“Yes, I think that as well. For now, I think we should plan on sailing to Westland once we reach the western edge of Midland. The people in the north of Westland are friendly enough to strangers, and the mountains that run down the center of the island are not nearly as high. We will find our way over or around the mountains in the north and then move south to Conmar.”