Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza (14 page)

Alex jumped up when the noise came. He looked around, trying to determine where the noise was coming from and what it was. Everyone else was sitting up as well, anxious and alert. Alex realized he was hearing the sound of moving water—and it was coming from the river. He ran back to the edge of the river, stopping before he fell into the water.

“But . . . it was dry,” said Tom, walking up behind Alex.

“Full enough now,” said Dain.

“There is more water here than there should be,” said Rallian. “The western rivers are always low this time of year.”

“Where would so much water come from?” Skeld asked.

“There is both more and less water here than there should be,” said Alex.

“More
and
less?” Virgil questioned. “How is that possible?”

It was a moonless night. Alex conjured several balls of bright white light so they could see the river better. The river looked almost ready to flood. For several minutes, they all stood watching the water rush by, unsure of what to do next.

Finally, Alex sent his weir lights dashing back and forth across the river, then upstream and down again. He wanted to know how much water was really in the river. This was old magic, and he didn’t think Magnus had anything to do with it.

As suddenly as the noise of rushing water had started, it stopped. There was no sound at all and no water in the river beside them. Once again Alex sent his weir lights dashing about, but the riverbed looked as dry as it had when they’d first arrived.

“This cannot be,” said Rallian.

“Some evil magic,” said Cam. “Magnus has done something to the water so it only flows in spots.”

“Magic, yes, but I don’t think Magnus has anything to do with this,” said Alex, calling the weir lights back to him. “Now I understand the shining I saw before. The river flows in some places, and the water reflects the sunlight. But the magic is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“Why would anyone try to dry up a river?” Skeld asked.

“Perhaps to keep people from following it,” Virgil answered before Alex could. “If someone thought this river led to the oracle, they might want to discourage people from following it. It would be difficult to guard the entire river, so Lazar had Magnus dry it up.”

“This is not a matter to take lightly,” said Rallian. “Dark magic is at work here. We should leave this place as soon as possible.”

“Calm yourself,” said Alex. “We have nothing to fear. This is old magic, very old. This is not the work of Magnus. ”

“Perhaps not, but I would be happier if the river were either all dry or all wet,” Rallian answered.

“I think all wet would be best,” said Alex.

The rest of the company laughed slightly at Alex’s words but stopped when Alex stretched out his staff toward the river. He spoke softly, his mind focused on the river in front of him. He paused, calling up the power of the dragon to help him break this spell. After a moment, he struck the dry riverbed with the foot of his staff and commanded, “Flow free” in a loud voice.

There was a gurgling sound where Alex had struck the sand, and water appeared. Alex pushed his magic outward, knowing that it would have to move along the entire length of the river.

Suddenly a warning from his O’Gash shouted in his mind:
Wait! There is something more behind this!

It was too late. Alex’s body tightened like a wire, every muscle pulling into knots and holding him in place. His muscles were so tight he couldn’t even make a sound. The water spread out across the sand, filling the empty riverbed. Alex remained motionless. For a moment, the waters of the river stood perfectly still, and then they started to move. The cramps that had seized him relaxed as soon as the water moved. He staggered slightly, catching himself with his staff before he fell. The sound of the river hid the gasp that escaped Alex, but not the cry of pain that came from Rallian.

“Prince Rallian?” said Virgil.

“I’m all right, just . . . just give me a second,” Rallian answered. He was on his knees, trying to get back to his feet. Virgil and Skeld stood on either side of the prince, helping him to stand.

“What happened?” Alex asked. His own body felt weak.

“I . . . I’m not sure,” said Rallian. “For a moment, when the water started to flow, well . . .”

“You cried out in pain and collapsed,” said Skeld when Rallian didn’t continue.

“A few moments of pain,” said Rallian. “It felt as if every muscle in my body was about to tear itself apart. I’m fine now, I think.”

“Aye, we’ll all be sore and stiff before morning,” said Dain. “Especially if you’re not used to all this walking. Cramps can often take you with no warning at all.”

“Yes, that must be it,” said Rallian.

Alex wasn’t so sure. There was some connection between the magic he had just broken and Rallian. He understood why he had felt the pain—he was the one breaking the magic—but why had Rallian also felt pain?

“Your magic is powerful,” said Cam in an awed voice, looking at the river.

“It was a strange spell—not what I expected,” said Alex, his eyes still on Rallian.

“Freeing the river from its curse and letting it flow freely again is a noble deed,” said Skeld.

“When the desert river flows, and the eastern wind blows,” Rallian recited softly.

“What was that?” Alex asked.

“Nothing,” said Rallian. “Just an old story that has no meaning.”

“There is always meaning in old stories, even if we have forgotten them,” said Alex, more to himself than to anyone else.

“I think we should all try to get some sleep,” said Virgil. “Tomorrow we enter the red lands of Nezza, and we will need all our strength.”

Chapter Nine

The Red Lands

The next morning, Alex woke to the sounds of Dain cooking. While breaking the spell on the river had not been difficult, it had taken a great deal of power. Alex moved slowly as he rolled out of his blankets, worried that the cramps from the night before would return. There had been some other magic at work, something tied to the curse on the river, something very old. His O’Gash had tried to warn him, but the warning had come too late.

The smell of cooking bacon reached Alex’s nose, making his stomach rumble. He pulled his boots on with care, testing his body as he moved. The other magic had been set loose when he’d set the river free. It had caused him pain, and it had also hurt Rallian. There was some link between that magic and Rallian, he was sure of that, but now he could find no trace of that magic.

“So we’ve found the river that flows into the desert,” said Virgil. “Now we must see how far into the desert it flows.”

“Perhaps not,” said Alex, moving toward the campfire. “Tempe may not live at the end of the river but somewhere along its banks.”

“I hope it is not too far,” Cam commented. “Even with a river close by, the desert is a hard place to travel.”

“A little sun will do you good,” said Skeld. “Our time in captivity has left you as white as a lily.”

“Speaking of lilies,” said Alex. “How is it that your wife, Lilly, let you go on this adventure? You haven’t been married long enough for her to grow tired of you already.”

“I told you, Virgil is Lilly’s cousin,” said Skeld. “He’s the one who talked her into letting me come along.”

“And I am glad that I did,” said Virgil. “If Skeld had not called on you for assistance, we would still be guests in Lazar’s dungeon.”

“And I would be bored at home,” said Alex.

“Better to be bored at home than in the dungeons of Karmus,” Dain observed, handing Alex a plate full of food.

“He wasn’t in the dungeons for long, was he,” said Tom.

“And neither were we, once Master Taylor arrived,” Cam added.

“Please,” Alex said. “I am happy I could help. I am pleased you are all recovering from your imprisonment, but please, call me Alex.”

“Don’t be too hard on them,” said Skeld with a smile. “Few adventurers ever get to travel with a wizard.”

“And fewer still call them by their first names,” Virgil added, putting his blankets back into his magic bag. “I suppose we should make a start as soon as everyone is finished eating.”

“The red lands of Nezza,” said Cam thoughtfully. “I have heard stories about these lands, even in my far-off home.”

“Then you have heard more than most,” said Dain.

“I know a few stories,” said Rallian, a nervous note in his voice.

“Stories to fear?” Skeld asked.

“I would guess that Rallian’s stories are less than accurate,” said Alex. “It seems that most stories in Nezza have been told to keep people from knowing the truth.”

“I’ll not deny that,” Rallian admitted. “Our stories say that all wizards are evil and all magic is black, but I can see that those stories are not true.”

“Well, whatever stories there are, we will have time to hear them as we travel,” said Virgil.

Once they all had finished breakfast, Virgil led the group along the riverbank and into the red lands. Alex walked beside Rallian, watching the young prince. He could see how nervous Rallian was and admired him for moving forward without complaining. He thought Rallian would make a good king, but it was not up to him to decide who would be the king of Nezza.

They walked all day, stopping now and then to rest. Cam told them some of the stories he’d heard about the red lands as they walked. The best ones were about the fabulous wealth hidden in the western desert, hidden treasures that were protected by some kind of monster.

“Our stories speak of the different monsters that live in the desert,” Rallian commented after Cam finished his story.

“I wonder if any of them are true,” Tom said, excited. “It would be good to collect some treasure while we’re here.”

“What good is treasure if you don’t get home to spend it?” said Dain, his eyes scanning the desert.

“Always looking at the bright side.” Skeld laughed, giving Dain a friendly push.

When the sun started to sink in front of them, they found a sheltered spot near the river to camp for the night. The land they had been walking through was a desert, but it was not the sandy wasteland that Alex had expected. There were many trees growing along the river, and their green leaves stood out brightly against the red rocks that covered most of the ground.

“Not much of a path,” Dain observed as he cooked their evening meal. “You would think the path to an oracle would be in better condition.”

“I’ve seen no sign of a real path all day,” said Tom. “Perhaps this is not the river we should be following.”

“Tempe may be well known, but not because a lot of people speak with her,” said Alex. “She is known for the things she has done.”

“What things?” Rallian asked.

“She once named the ruler of the three lands,” Virgil replied when Alex remained silent. “Most people who have spoken to her do not talk about the experience. Perhaps she is best known for what people don’t say.”

“Mystery is always a friend of oracles,” said Dain.

“What kind of things will Tempe tell us?” Rallian asked.

“What an oracle says to a person is for that person alone,” Cam answered.

Rallian frowned and then began to ask more questions. Alex smiled as he remembered the first time he had spoken to an oracle. He had spoken to Iownan, the Oracle of the White Tower in Vargland, one of the best known oracles in all the known lands. He hoped that Tempe would be as kind as Iownan had been.

The next morning, they continued to follow the river into the desert. The sand dunes now came down to the river’s edge on its far side. The sand near the water was bloodred, and it looked as if the desert was trying to get a drink from the river.

“How long do you think we have before Lazar comes looking for us?” Virgil questioned as he walked beside Alex.

“I’m sure he is already looking for us,” said Alex. “I suspect he will look east first, thinking we will try to get to the arch and escape from Nezza.”

“East first, but then what?” Virgil questioned. “He knows this river leads to the oracle. He might send men to prevent our going this way.”

“Then he has already failed,” said Alex. “I doubt that Lazar will send too many soldiers this way in any case. We are outside of his kingdom here and sending soldiers here will cause trouble.”

Their second day in the desert ended, and the rocky valley walls had almost disappeared. The sand dunes were set well back from the water’s edge, kept away by large rocks. It looked as if the river had washed the sand away, leaving only a wide path of bare rock that the company could walk on. There were no longer any trees along the river, only a few small bushes.

“No wood for a fire,” Cam commented, sitting on a nearby rock.

“It will get cold tonight,” Skeld added. “The desert may be hot in the daytime, but the nights will be cold.”

“We should have brought some wood with us,” said Tom grumpily.

“Why didn’t you say so before we left the wood behind?” Cam asked, also sounding grumpy.

“A cold dinner, then,” said Dain.

“Not at all,” said Alex. “What good is a wizard if he can’t provide a cooking fire from time to time?”

Alex moved to where Dain was taking food out of his bag. He found a low spot between two large rocks and conjured up a bright yellow fire. Dain looked skeptical, as if a magical fire could not possibly cook their food. Alex laughed at the dwarf’s suspicious look and sat down next to the fire.