Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza (2 page)

Alex,

Need your help. Come as soon as you can to the city of Karmus, in the land of Nezza. Come on foot. Don’t let anyone know what you are.

     
Skeld

Alex read the note, looked at the geeb, and then read the note again. It seemed strange, and, for a minute, Alex wondered if his friend Skeld was playing some kind of joke on him. But the urgent tone to the note didn’t sound like one of Skeld’s jokes, and that worried him. Alex noticed that the note was written with what looked like charcoal, which was not something Skeld would do. His friend must really be in some kind of trouble. Skeld was a good fighter and could take care of himself, so if he was asking for help, something had to be very wrong.

“Can you take a message back to my friend Skeld?” Alex asked the geeb.

“Honk.”

The answer surprised and worried Alex even more than the message did. He had never had a geeb refuse to take a message to anyone.

“Is Skeld still alive?” asked Alex, more to himself than the geeb.

“Ding.”

“Is it too dangerous for you to take a message back?”

“Ding.”

“Very well. Here is your payment for delivering the message.”

Alex took a small diamond from the table and tossed it toward the geeb. The geeb bounced up, catching the stone in midair, and then dropped onto the tabletop. With another ding and a small popping noise, the geeb vanished.

Alex looked at the message again. “‘Don’t let anyone know what you are,’” he read out loud, wondering what Skeld meant. It was a warning, but Alex wasn’t sure what his friend was trying to say. On previous journeys, letting people know he was an adventurer hadn’t mattered; in fact, it had been helpful. Perhaps Skeld meant he should not let people know he was a wizard. But that didn’t make any sense either, as wizards were generally welcome and respected in all of the known lands.

Alex let his thoughts roll around his mind as he read the message a third time. Skeld wanted him to come on foot, which seemed almost as odd as not telling people he was an adventurer and a wizard. Nothing in the note made any sense, and after several minutes of thinking, Alex decided that there was only one thing he could do. He would go to Nezza, on foot, as Skeld had asked.

Alex folded the note from Skeld and slipped it into his pocket. He wondered if he should tell his teacher and fellow wizard Whalen Vankin where he was going. Whalen always seemed to know what to do and when to do it. Alex knew, however, that Whalen was on an adventure of his own, and he didn’t want to wait for an answer that might take days to arrive. Skeld’s message sounded desperate, and Alex wanted to get to his friend as fast he could. He would simply have to send Whalen a message when he reached Nezza and let him know what was happening.

As Alex locked the front door of his house with a magical spell, he knew there wasn’t time to reach the great arch by horse. There was only one way he could quickly reach the magical portal that would take him to the land of Nezza: he would have to change his shape into something fast, something that could reach the arch before night grew old.

Stepping away from his home, Alex changed himself into the shape of an eagle and rose into the evening sky. There was a strong breeze blowing from the south, and, in his eagle shape, Alex soon had the wind under his wings, rising higher into the sky. He sped north, following the main road that led to the great arch, his mind racing with unanswerable questions.

Alex arrived at the great arch before dawn. He dropped down and returned to his own shape in front of it. Whalen had taught him how to use the arch to move between lands directly, and, for a moment, he thought he would go straight to Nezza. Whalen had also taught him the importance of gaining knowledge, and Alex knew that rushing off to Nezza without finding out what might be happening there would be both dangerous and foolish. No, first he would stop at the adventure shop of Mr. Cornelius Clutter. Mr. Clutter organized adventures after all, and if Skeld was on an adventure and in trouble, Mr. Clutter might know why.

Alex worked the magic that opened the arch in seconds, then changed and took flight as an eagle once more. As fast as his wings would carry him, Alex sped to the village of Telous. He flew past Telous just as the first rays of sunlight were reaching across the land, but instead of landing in the town itself, he flew to a large green field outside of Telous. He transformed back to his own shape on the soft grass, taking a moment to get his bearings and shake off the freedom of flight.

Raising his staff, Alex knocked three times on the empty space in front of him, then stepped back. A silver line appeared out of thin air exactly where Alex had knocked and quickly took the shape of a door. As he watched, the door swung toward him, and he could see Mr. Clutter’s office on the opposite side.

“Oh my,” cried Mr. Clutter as Alex stepped through the doorway. “How did you manage to open the back door?”

“I need to get to Nezza as soon as possible,” said Alex, ignoring Mr. Clutter’s question. “I’ve received a note from a friend of mine who is in trouble there.”

“No doubt, no doubt,” said Mr. Clutter, nodding. “Lots of troubles in Nezza these days, I don’t mind telling you.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Well, Nezza has never been a great place for adventures, as you may know,” Mr. Clutter said. “Too many wars have made it a hard place for adventures to happen, if you follow me.”

“I know there are several small kingdoms in Nezza,” said Alex. “Are they at war often?”

Mr. Clutter nodded. “It seems that at least two or more kingdoms are always at war. It would be a grand place for adventures, if only there was a single true king in Nezza once more. Or if the kingdoms could reach an agreement about the land rule, things might improve. As things are, well . . .”

“And you say there is more trouble in Nezza than normal?”

“Things have become worse over the past few months,” Mr. Clutter answered. “There’s talk that some of the kingdoms have outlawed magic and adventurers altogether.”

“Why would they do that?” Alex asked, finally understanding why Skeld had told him to conceal his identity.

“I don’t know,” said Mr. Clutter. “I would guess that some of the kings don’t like the idea of adventurers helping their rivals, or of having magic used against them.”

“Be that as it may, I need to get to Nezza as soon as possible,” said Alex. “My friend Skeld sent me a note, asking for my help.”

“Skeld?” Mr. Clutter asked. “Skeld from Norsland?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, yes,” said Mr. Clutter thoughtfully. “He joined an adventure to Nezza a month or six weeks ago.”

“Can you tell me anything about his adventure?” Alex asked hopefully.

“No details,” said Mr. Clutter, the smile fading from his face. “I was only partly involved with setting it up, so I can’t say much about it. Even if I knew all the details, you know I’m not allowed to tell anyone, not even a wizard. I can say that he went with five other adventurers, all with excellent records.”

“Five others,” Alex repeated. “Do I know any of them besides Skeld?”

“I don’t believe you do,” said Mr. Clutter. “I wish I could tell you more, but the rules of the adventure shop . . .” He cleared his throat, and his hopeful tone returned. “You might be able to find a few people in Telous who have been to Nezza recently.”

“Perhaps,” Alex agreed. “But I don’t have time to search for someone who might know something. Skeld could be in real trouble, and I don’t have time to waste.”

“Yes, of course,” Mr. Clutter agreed. “I suppose you don’t even have time for a spot of tea.”

“Not today, thank you,” said Alex.

“You know,” said Mr. Clutter, “I might be able to help you in another way.” He moved to one side of his office. “Let me see. Yes, his name begins with a
J,
I’m sure of that.”

“Whose name?” Alex questioned.

“What’s that?” Mr. Clutter asked as he opened a huge drawer full of files. “Oh, he’s a retired adventurer that I know. As I recall, he moved to Nezza when he stopped going on adventures, and if he’s still there, he might be a great help to you. Now let me see . . . Jacob? Joshua? No, it wasn’t a common name.”

Alex didn’t want to wait while Mr. Clutter sorted through the seemingly endless files. He was about to say something when Mr. Clutter triumphantly pulled a file from the drawer.

“Josephus!” Mr. Clutter shouted. “Josephus Sebastian Savage. I knew he was in here.”

“Josephus?” Alex questioned.

“Well, everyone calls him Joe,” said Mr. Clutter. “Can’t say that I blame him. Now, let me see, my notes say he was living on a small farm a day or two from the great arch. South of the main road into Nezza, on the east end of some hills.”

“And you think he’ll still be there?” Alex asked.

“I would think so. Oh, now that’s odd,” said Mr. Clutter.

“What?”

“There’s a note here that says he’s become something of a hermit,” Mr. Clutter answered. “Strange—I remember him being a friendly, outgoing sort of fellow.”

Alex thought the land of Nezza didn’t seem like the kind of place an adventurer would retire to, considering all the wars and other troubles there. Mr. Clutter could be wrong about Joe, and Alex didn’t want to waste time searching for someone who might not even be there. Still, if there was a retired adventurer in Nezza, he could tell Alex everything he might need or want to know.

“I’m sorry I don’t have more information,” said Mr. Clutter. “I’ve written to him a few times, but it’s difficult to find geebs that are willing to go to Nezza. Then again, Savage was quite serious when he told me he was retiring. The last letter I did manage to send was returned unopened.”

“I see,” said Alex. “So he might not be too happy if I turn up asking questions.”

“Oh, I’m sure if you are able to find him that he’ll help you in any way that he can. You’re a wizard after all, and not many people are foolish enough to be rude to a wizard.”

“I don’t care about that, just so long as he can answer my questions,” said Alex.

“Now, I know you’re in a rush, so I won’t keep you any longer,” said Mr. Clutter as he moved to the back wall of his office. “I’ll just open the door for you, and you can be on your way.”

“You have been both kind and helpful,” said Alex. “You have my thanks.”

“No thanks needed,” said Mr. Clutter. He knocked three times on the stone wall, and the hidden doorway opened. “When you get back from Nezza, I’ll find a proper adventure for you to go on.”

Alex nodded and stepped through the door into the green fields outside the village of Telous. The door closed, and the silver outline vanished with a small pop.

As eager as Alex was to head directly to Nezza, he knew from his previous adventures that he would need some supplies before he left. Instead of changing shape and flying back to the great arch, Alex started walking toward the village, his mind spinning with thoughts.

Savage might be helpful—if he really was in Nezza, and if Alex could find him. Alex didn’t have time to waste searching for him; Skeld was in trouble. Alex figured he wouldn’t be noticed by the people of Nezza, at least not until he reached the city of Karmus. If he flew most of the way to Karmus as an eagle, he would only need to blend in once he reached the city.

“I can find my own answers as I travel,” Alex said to himself, but he wondered how much trouble finding those answers might be.

As Alex walked into the streets of Telous, he mentally made a list of the items he’d need for his adventure. He would have to buy food and maybe some more water bags. He’d also need some new clothes, including some good walking boots.

His shopping trip went better—and faster—than Alex had expected. The shopkeepers were all keen on helping him, and he suspected it might have something to do with his recently becoming a true wizard. He purchased a large supply of food and several dozen water bags, and he even picked up a few items at the apothecary’s shop.

While eating the midday meal at the Golden Swan, Alex considered his plans. He was worried that he didn’t know enough about Nezza or what was going on there, but he reminded himself that his biggest problem was finding and helping Skeld and his company of adventurers.

It won’t be as easy as you think,
Alex’s sixth sense said in the back of his mind.

Chapter Two

The Road Is Closed

Alex paid for his meal and left the Golden Swan. He collected his supplies from the shopkeepers and made sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. His plan was to change into an eagle as soon as possible, then fly to the great arch. After passing through the arch, he would camp for the night, and then tomorrow he could take eagle form again and look for the eastern end of the hills that Mr. Clutter had told him about. If he could find Savage quickly, he would get as much information from him as he could before moving on; if not, he would have to find his own answers as he traveled.

As he walked down the road, Alex’s thoughts returned to Skeld and the company of adventurers he was with. Skeld had said they were in the city of Karmus, and Alex wondered how long it would take for him to make his way there, and how much longer it would take to find the group after that. He’d studied the map of Nezza and knew that Karmus was a fair distance from the great arch. He couldn’t hope to reach the city quickly on foot, but he didn’t plan to walk. He would transform himself for most of the journey, and, if things went well, he would get there in a few days.