Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza (17 page)

“Good, you see the bigger picture,” Tempe said softly. “Unblock your mind. Share your thoughts and feelings with me.”

Alex focused his thoughts, then slowly let his troubles melt from his mind. For a long time there was silence, and then Tempe spoke again.

“You should not doubt your feelings. They are often correct and should be followed.”

“But it is not my place to choose the king of Nezza.”

“You are a wizard, and in most places that is enough. You are also a dragon lord, and that should be more than enough.”

“A young wizard with little experience,” said Alex. “How can I choose a king when I know so little about this land?”

“The land of Nezza has chosen him,” Tempe said matter-of-factly. “If this land has also chosen you to help the king rise to power, then I think it has chosen wisely.”

“Perhaps,” Alex allowed. “But, wizard or not, I am still young.”

“Age does not matter. You are a wizard and so must do those things that only a wizard can do.”

“It will be difficult, even dangerous, for my friends.”

“They have paid a high price already, and that price may grow larger still. Everything of worth is difficult. Your friends know why they are here. They have already chosen this danger for themselves.”

Alex listened to the water falling in the fountain, pondering what he should do next. Tempe did not interrupt his thoughts, but let him sit in silence.

“I know little of Nezza and its people,” Alex said at last, “but I would not force a king on them, even if they need one.”

“Then we agree that the prince should be king,” said Tempe, understanding what Alex was trying to say.

“Yes. But with things in Nezza as they are, I cannot see how Rallian will win the crown.”

“If he can win the crown, it will still be difficult to hold, at least at first,” Tempe added. “There will be those who claim to accept him, thinking to betray him later.”

“Will you tell him that he is to be king?”

“I will tell him he
can be
king,” Tempe answered with a smile. “
Will be
is very definite, and I have not grown so old that I would say something like that.”

“Then what path should I take? How should I lead him?”

“Lord Talbot is a good man,” said Tempe. “He is honored by all the lords of the outer kingdoms and feared by most of the inner ones. If he will accept Rallian as the true king, the path to the crown will be smoother.”

“Then I will take the prince to Lord Talbot,” said Alex. “That will make Virgil and his company happy.”

“A company that you wish to be a part of?”

“There is a bond between adventurers. I am not a member of this company, and I miss the bond. I feel like an outsider, an outsider that they all look to for answers.”

“Get to know them. They all respect you, but they fear you as well. Even your friend Skeld is a little afraid of you.”

“Perhaps a little fear is a good thing.” Alex laughed.

“Not fear, but perhaps wonder.”

“Wonder, then,” agreed Alex.

“Now, I must ask you about the curse that fell on you and Rallian when you set the river free,” said Tempe. “Have you discovered what it is? Do you understand the price you’ve paid?”

“The curse that was on the river was not Magnus’s doing,” said Alex.

“No, it was not,” said Tempe. “But you did not answer my questions.”

“I had a moment of great pain, as did the prince,” Alex answered slowly. “I can find no other trace of the magic, or what it was meant to do.”

“The river was cursed many years ago, when the last true king of Nezza left this land. Your pain was part of the pain this land has endured. You felt it because you broke the curse. Rallian felt it because he is of the royal line. The true kings of Nezza are connected to the land. As the king prospers, so does the land. If the land is in pain, the true king will feel it.”

“Why was the river cursed?” Alex asked. “Did the magic do something more than just cause pain to Rallian and myself?”

“The river was cursed because I failed,” Tempe answered. “The last true king of Nezza came to me, seeking counsel. I warned him about what would happen if he left this land in search of a dream that could never be. He would not listen to my advice, and the river was cursed—broken, just as the kingdom was broken. Now you have removed the curse, and by doing so you have released another magic into this land, a magic that is a danger to all who live here.”

“How so?”

“The magic is a spell of remembrance,” said Tempe. “The spell that you set free moves across Nezza even now, reminding the people of the past. They will recall old injuries, old hatreds. This magic will make men seek revenge on old enemies, and it will drive all the kingdoms to war.”

“But the kingdoms are all at war now,” said Alex.

“Not open war,” Tempe answered. “They may not work together, and they may attack each other from time to time, but it has been many years since all of the kingdoms of Nezza were openly at war with each other.”

“Then I have been a great fool,” said Alex. “I have brought a great evil into the land of Nezza.”

“Perhaps,” Tempe answered. “But this magic will also make the people of this land remember what it was like when there was a true king. They will desire to have a true king again. That is the chance you need to make things right, a way for this great evil to be turned to greater good.”

“How?”

“Such unrest will make it easier for Rallian to raise an army. He will surely need an army if he is to win his crown.”

“A dangerous game, the making of kings,” Alex observed.

“Yes, a dangerous and costly game. A game that we must win,” said Tempe.

Alex sat in silence for a time, thinking about the task in front of him. He thought about the army Rallian would need to build and the battles that would have to be fought. He had to help Rallian become the king of Nezza, and at the same time prevent all of Nezza from being destroyed by war.

“One more answer before we part,” Tempe said. “The question you have not asked about Magnus: What are his plans? Is he connected to the Gezbeth, the monster that you and the other wizards hunt?”

“You know about the Gezbeth?” Alex asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Tempe answered. “The council of wizards has informed me of their thoughts regarding this greater evil. I believe that this Brotherhood you’ve discovered is the evil, but you should consider something. In all the years of war, no one kingdom has ever taken control of Nezza. The evil has never taken control of Nezza. It seems that this Gezbeth wants the wars of Nezza to go on and on.”

“Yes, I see what you mean,” said Alex.

“Magnus has been a part of all this,” Tempe went on. “He has worked for years to keep the kingdoms from growing close. He is also responsible for the young lords of the inner kingdoms finding their deaths in the desert sands. Yet the serpent did Rallian no harm.”

“Magnus has a plan,” said Alex. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure he has a plan.”

“His plans are dark to me as well,” said Tempe. “I see no order in what he does, but I fear that you, Rallian, and the adventurers you travel with are now at the center of his plans.”

“What can I do?” Alex asked. “How can I protect Rallian and the others?”

“Do what you feel is right,” Tempe answered. “That is all anyone can do.”

“And the Gezbeth?” Alex asked.

“I believe that the council is wrong in its thoughts,” said Tempe. “This idea of the Gezbeth does not hold. Evil does not trust or willingly share power. If many evils in different lands are working together, they do so out of fear or with the hope of gaining greater power. Yet there will be only one master, one that all the others fear and obey. He will not share his true goals with the lesser evils that he uses.”

“I agree,” said Alex. “But we must fight the lesser evils that we can see. If there is only one head, it is well hidden. We have to destroy the smaller evils and hope to find the head, or perhaps force the head to reveal itself to us.”

“We are in agreement, then. Tomorrow I will speak with you again,” said Tempe as she got to her feet. “Then you should be on your way. Time has become your enemy, at least for now.”

Alex left the fountain behind, but he did not return to the house where his friends were. He walked along the path and stood next to the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Tempe had given him a lot to think about. For a long time he stood there, and when the stars began to fade, he turned and walked back to his friends.

The next morning, the company awoke to find breakfast waiting for them by the fountain. There was little talk as they ate, and Alex could see that his companions were nervous about meeting the oracle. Stonebill arrived while they were eating. The raven stood on the table, talking to Alex and looking around at the others as they ate. When they finished, Stonebill told Alex that Tempe was waiting for them by the pyramid.

“Strange for the oracle to speak with you last night,” Skeld said as they walked along the path. “Wizards are normally the last to speak to an oracle.”

“Oracles keep their own counsel,” said Dain nervously.

“Tempe said she would speak with me again today,” said Alex. “
After
she has spoken with all of you.”

They reached the open ground in front of the massive pyramid and found Tempe standing at the bottom of a stone stairway. The stairs led part way up the pyramid to a large opening. Tempe smiled as they approached, and bowed slightly to Alex.

“Welcome, dragon lord,” said Tempe. “Welcome, Prince Rallian of Karmus, and welcome, noble adventurers. Welcome to the pyramid of the red lands. It has been a long time since any have come this far into the desert.”

“We thank you for your greeting and your kindness,” said Virgil, bowing to Tempe.

The rest of them bowed when Virgil bowed, and Alex could see how much this pleased Tempe. She looked at all their faces, pausing for a moment on Rallian. Virgil and the others began to shuffle their feet a little, nervous at the long silence.

“Walk with me, Virgil of Norsland,” said Tempe at last, holding out her hand.

Virgil stepped forward, taking Tempe’s hand and bowing once more. Tempe led him up the side of the pyramid, turning back once they reached the entrance.

“Stonebill will let each of you know when it is your time,” she called.

With these final words, Tempe and Virgil disappeared inside the pyramid. Alex and the others stood watching for a moment before finding a place to sit down to wait.

“She greeted you as dragon lord,” Skeld said. “Is it true? Have you become a dragon lord?”

“On my last adventure,” said Alex.

“How? Where? You must tell us this story,” said Skeld.

“Another time,” said Alex. “For now, you should each consider what you will ask the oracle.”

“I’ve never been to such a well-known oracle before,” said Tom, his tone both nervous and excited.

“How were you chosen as an adventurer?” Alex asked, glad to steer the conversation away from his becoming a dragon lord.

“An old witch who lived near my home told me,” said Tom, embarrassed. “She is a healer, and a finder.”

“And something of an oracle, I would guess,” said Alex.

“I believe so. She has named other adventurers,” said Tom.

“There is no need for shame,” said Dain. “Few adventurers are chosen by great oracles. I believe most of us were told by wise women or witches, or perhaps old magicians.”

“What is this choosing?” Rallian asked.

“Adventurers do not choose themselves,” Alex explained. “Not just anyone can be an adventurer; it is something different and special, so they must be chosen by oracles or by other magical means.”

“Do you think I could be an adventurer?” asked Rallian, a hopeful tone in his voice.

“I think you could be,” said Alex. “But I also think you are chosen for some other task. We should wait and see what the oracle has to say.”

Rallian seemed a bit dejected, but he quickly shook it off. He asked the others how they had been chosen.

“A stone mage,” said Dain, looking proud. “That’s not to say he was a wizard. A stone mage has power over rocks and earth. They are much honored in the dwarf realms.”

They went around the group, each one telling how they had been chosen and joking with each other as they went. In the end, Rallian looked at Alex.

“And how were you chosen?” Rallian asked.

“I was chosen without knowing it,” said Alex. “I saw a sign in a window and asked about it. I knew nothing about adventures or magic or oracles, but suddenly I was on an adventure.”

“Stop that,” said Tom suddenly, and they all looked around at him.

Stonebill was pecking at Tom’s shoe and squawking at him. Tom was trying to get up and pull his shoe away from the raven at the same time, and he wasn’t able to manage either.

“He says it is your turn,” said Alex.

Tom stood up nervously and tried to smile at the rest of them. He climbed the stone steps and soon disappeared inside the pyramid.

“Where is Virgil?” Rallian asked, sounding as nervous as Tom had looked.

“It is customary not to rejoin your company until all have spoken to the oracle,” Skeld answered. “We will see him this afternoon.”