Albrek's Tomb - Forman Mark L - Страница 48
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It took several days for Alex’s payment to be arranged; Hathnord had been on many adventures and had collected a huge amount of treasure. Alex didn’t mind waiting because Kazad-Syn was a wonderful city to be in, and he spent his days meeting people and wandering the streets. Thorson took great pleasure in introducing Alex and his companions to all of his friends, and every night there was another feast to attend. It seemed that after the return of the lost adventurer’s bag most of the city knew who Alex was, and all of them greeted him wherever he went.
After a few days, Thrang began talking about leaving Kazad-Syn to continue their quest, but Alex reminded him that they still needed a place to sort and divide the treasure they had collected on the Isle of Bones. Thrang asked Thorson if he had a place large enough to put the treasure.
“We won’t be in the city long enough to sort and divide it all,” Thrang told Thorson. “Still, it would be good to make a start.”
“You can use the lower chambers,” said Thorson. “They have been empty for some time. And, if you like, you can leave the treasure here, and I’ll have some of our cousins do the sorting for you.”
“That would save time,” said Thrang. “If the rest of the company agrees, we’ll leave the treasure here to be sorted and divided.”
That night at dinner Thrang asked the rest of the company what they thought about his plan, and they were all in favor of leaving the treasure with Thorson. Thrang was pleased by their willingness to trust his family with so much treasure, and he accepted Thorson’s offer at once. Thorson thanked them all for their trust, rising from his seat and bowing several times to the company.
“Well, with that settled, I have some other news for you,” said Thorson, his smile changing to a serious look as he returned to his chair. “I’ve learned a few things about the Lost Mountains, though I’m not too happy about what I’ve found.”
“Trouble?” Thrang questioned quickly.
“Possibly,” said Thorson. “You should know that there are a few dwarf villages in the mountains, mostly on the western edges. There might even be a few cities, but I can’t confirm that. The dwarfs who live in the Lost Mountains seem to be prosperous, though they try to hide that fact as much as possible.”
“Don’t want thousands of dwarfs rushing in on them, most likely,” said Thrang.
“True, that would explain their secrecy,” Thorson allowed. “Still, there are rumors of trouble. Nothing solid, of course—just rumors.”
“What kind of trouble?” Arconn asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Rumors about an ancient evil reborn,” said Thorson as he nervously looked around at his guests. “An evil that is killing people, and the dwarfs in the villages seem unable to stop it.”
“An ancient evil?” Alex prompted, seeing Thorson’s hesitation.
“The stories say there are packs of wolflike creatures in the area,” said Thorson, glancing quickly at Thrang. “Vicious creatures that show no fear.”
“Wolflike creatures,” Thrang repeated, stroking his beard. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“The rumors—and mind you, these are just rumors—sound like . . . Well, they sound like the hellerash,” said Thorson, his eyes dropping to his plate.
Alex quickly glanced around the table at his friends, but it was obvious that none of them had the slightest idea what a hellerash was either. Whatever they were, both Thorson and Thrang were afraid of them.
“It can’t be,” said Thrang, a stunned expression on his face. “There hasn’t been a hellerash seen in almost a thousand years.”
“Well, they are only rumors,” said Thorson hopefully. “I’ve had a hard time getting any information about the Lost Mountains, and it’s possible this rumor was started by the dwarfs of the area to keep others away.”
“Yes, that must be what it is,” said Thrang, looking only slightly happier.
“What in the world is a hellerash?” Nellus asked, voicing the question they all wanted answered.
“The hellerash were vicious creatures, like giant wolves,” said Thrang slowly. “They killed just for the sake of killing, and they almost always traveled in packs.”
“The dwarfs used to hunt them down and kill them,” Thorson added. “They were dangerous and clever creatures, so never fewer than thirty dwarfs would go in a hunting party.”
“But the last hellerash was killed almost a thousand years ago,” said Thrang, more to himself than the others.
“Then perhaps this is just a rumor,” said Barnabus.
“It must be,” said Thrang, shaking off the fearful look that had been on his face. “These rumors must be false, but we will stay alert along the road, just in case.”
“A wise plan, considering what happened the last time we heard rumors of trouble,” Arconn said.
Chapter Sixteen
The Hellerash
The days before Alex and his friends left the city were spent depositing the treasure from the Isle of Bones in the lower chambers of Thorson’s home and sorting as much of it as they could. Thorson was amazed by the amount of treasure they had, and he worried that the lower chambers would not be large enough to hold it all.
“Well, brother, I can see you’re far richer than you’ve let any of us know,” said Thorson, smiling at Thrang.
“I’ve had a great deal of luck,” said Thrang. “Been on some good adventures with good people, and Master Taylor here has added a great deal to my wealth.”
“Never hurts to have a wizard along on an adventure.” Thorson laughed. “That’s what our grandfather always said, and I can see he was right.”
“It may not hurt to have a wizard, but it’s better to go with good people,” said Alex. “I’d remind Thrang on our first adventure together that I was not a wizard, and yet we managed to collect a fair amount of treasure on that trip.”
“Perhaps not a wizard in name,” said Thrang with a sly smile. “Still, you’re correct in saying that it’s better to go with good people.”
With their treasure safely stored, Thrang was ready for the company to move on. Thorson seemed a little worried about the time of year, reminding Thrang that winter was coming.
“We should have a month or so of fair weather before winter arrives,” said Thrang thoughtfully. “Plus we’ll be moving south, so winter won’t catch up to us too quickly.”
“And with luck, you’ll reach a village in the Lost Mountains before snow comes,” Thorson added. “Still, I wouldn’t mind having you all spend the winter here.”
“But you might mind before spring came again.” Thrang laughed. “No, we’ll move on in the morning, and return quickly after we find success.”
That night’s feast was a grand one, even compared to all the feasts they’d already been to. Alex suspected Thorson had been preparing it for several days, and the preparation showed. Most of Thrang’s family was there, along with several other important dwarfs from the city. All of them wished the company good luck and a quick return to Kazad-Syn, once they’d completed their quest. The party went late, and would have gone on all night if Thrang had not put an end to it.
“We’ve a long road ahead of us still, and if we sit here much longer we won’t be away before midday,” Thrang said. “I’ll thank you all for my companions and myself, and wish you each a pleasant good night.”
It still took some time for Alex and his companions to make their way back to their rooms. Alex was sad to be leaving Kazad-Syn, but at the same time, he was happy to be moving on. They still had a long way to go on their adventure, and unless he was mistaken, there would be time for dinner parties when they returned from their journey.
Alex was preparing to climb into his bed when a small popping noise and a loud ding announced the arrival of a geeb. He was only slightly surprised to find that the geeb had a message from Whalen; he’d been expecting and hoping for one for quite some time.
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