Текст книги "Albrek's Tomb"

Автор книги: Mark Forman

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“He’ll be fine,” Alex said. “Arconn is with him, after all.”

“Yes, I suppose he will,” said Thrang. “And I suppose I’d better get a fire going, since Thrain has managed to sneak off before doing it.”

Alex laughed and helped Thrang gather wood for their campfire, an easy task because there were more trees along the stream than there had been along the road. They soon had a large pile of wood, and Thrang ignited a small fire and began heating water for tea.

Alex left the campsite and climbed a small hill to the northeast, wanting to get a good look at the countryside. Kat asked if she could walk with him, and he happily agreed.

The hill was small and it took them only a few minutes to climb to the top. Alex leaned on his staff and looked around, taking in the change in landscape to the east and the distant mountains to the west. He glanced at Kat and saw that she was gazing north with a look of expectation on her face.

“What is it?” Alex questioned, his voice lowered so as not to startle Kat.

“Something strange,” answered Kat in a slow and dreamy voice. “Evil intentions, but I cannot name the source.”

“Are we in danger?”

“I do not think so,” Kat whispered. “Not now, not yet.”

The dreamy look suddenly left Kat’s face, and she blinked and rubbed her eyes. She gave Alex a questioning look, and he explained what had just happened.

“A trance?” Kat questioned.

“Not exactly,” said Alex. “I think you were seeing or at least feeling something that was there. I couldn’t tell if you were looking at something in the future or at something that is some distance away from us.”

“But that’s never happened before,” said Kat, a note of worry in her voice.

“If it had, would you know?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“You will need to learn how to remember such things,” said Alex. “Perhaps I can help you with that. For now, I think we should mention this to the others.”

“No,” Kat said quickly. “Not yet. Not until we know if my words hold any meaning.”

“By the time we know, it might be too late for your words to do any good.”

“If we remain watchful and careful, we should be fine.”

“As you wish,” Alex agreed. He thought Kat’s prediction or premonition was a good thing. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that they were not in any immediate danger, so he was willing to do as Kat requested and not mention what had happened to any of the others.

The two of them walked back to the camp in silence, but they had not been back for long when Thrain came rushing back to the camp alone. He looked worried and afraid, and it took several minutes for him to catch his breath before he could speak.

“A huge snake,” Thrain managed to say at last. “Arconn told me to come back and let you know. He said it was a nag-something and that he was going to follow it.”

“A nagas?” Alex questioned.

“Yes, that’s what he said,” Thrain answered, still breathing hard and looking terrified.

“What’s a nagas?” Thrang asked.

“As Thrain said, a giant snake,” answered Alex, looking north. “They have a human-looking head, and they can speak to people if they choose to.”

“Are they dangerous?” Kat questioned, looking slightly panicked.

“They can be if they are startled or angered,” said Alex. “They are also known to protect treasure, or hoard treasure if they have not been given one to protect.”

“And Arconn is following this thing?” Thrang asked, looking back to Thrain.

“He said he would return shortly,” Thrain answered. “He didn’t seem to think there was any real danger.”

“There may not be,” said Alex. “But some nagas are evil, and they have been known to attack unsuspecting travelers.”

“That would explain why Arconn sent Thrain back to warn us,” Nellus said.

“Yes, but not why he chose to follow the serpent in the first place,” said Alex.

“I’m sure he had a good reason,” said Thrang. “Arconn would not do anything foolish.”

“Should we look for him?” Barnabus questioned, glancing between Alex and Thrang.

“He didn’t say anything about needing us to come after him, did he?” Thrang asked.

“No,” said Thrain. “He said he would return shortly and told me to hurry back.”

“Then we will wait,” said Thrang, his hand going to his beard as he thought. “If Arconn does not return soon, then we will go and look for him.”

“I would suggest that I go and look,” said Alex, taking his eyes off the northern horizon to look at Thrang. “If all of us happened upon the nagas, it would feel threatened and might attack.”

“Very well,” Thrang agreed. “I know from experience that you can take care of yourself in any situation.”

The others settled back around the fire, but Alex stayed where he was. His eyes returned to the horizon, and he tried to use his powers to sense what was ahead of them on the road. The concern and high emotions of his friends at the fire made this difficult for him, but slowly he managed to expand his thoughts to the north. He was surprised to feel Arconn’s mood, and more surprised that the elf was not overly concerned with the creature he was following.

Alex stretched his thoughts further, his hands gripping his staff with the effort. He could sense the nagas moving unconcerned between the trees and through the tall grass, apparently unaware that Arconn was following it.

After several minutes Alex let his mind relax, shaking the blood back into his hands. He was not worried about Arconn, but a small part of him was worried that the nagas might still prove to be dangerous.

With his heightened senses, he could hear his friends talking around the fire.

“How long should we wait?” Barnabus questioned.

“What exactly did Arconn say?” Thrang asked Thrain.

“That he would return shortly,” Thrain answered, still pale from the shock of seeing the giant snake.

“It will be dark soon,” Nellus pointed out.

“Arconn can see in the dark,” Kat commented.

“But we cannot,” said Thrang, sounding worried and irritated.

They all stopped talking and sat staring into the fire. Alex continued to study the northern horizon, his senses on alert. Kat joined him by his side.

“Could this be what I spoke of?” Kat questioned, her voice low so the others could not hear.

“Perhaps,” answered Alex.

“Then its intentions are evil, and it is waiting for a better time to attack us,” Kat said softly.

“Yes,” Alex agreed. “I was thinking of the rumors Bane heard. A nagas would make travelers vanish, just as bandits or trolls would.”

“So you think the rumors had something to do with this nagas creature?”

“I do,” said Alex.

Just then Arconn appeared, hurrying toward the camp with a grim but satisfied look on his face.

“Thrain explained, then?” Arconn asked as soon as he could make himself heard over the questions of the others.

“He did,” said Thrang. “And a foolish thing it was for you to go off following a giant snake.”

“I had my reasons,” said Arconn calmly.

“And what might they have been?” Thrang questioned, a note of anger in his voice.

“I wanted to see where the creature made its home,” answered Arconn. “I thought the nagas might be the source of the rumors Bane had heard.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Alex added.

“And did you find the pit where this serpent sleeps?” Thrang asked.

“Yes, and my suspicions were verified,” said Arconn. “Bones and debris littered the ground in front of the serpent’s cave. I fear it has been waylaying travelers for some time now.”

“And would waylay us, too, if it had a chance,” said Thrang.

“It may have already seen us,” said Kat.

“What’s that? How? When?” Thrang asked.

Kat explained what had happened on the hill and that she now felt certain that the evil intentions she had felt came from the nagas, and that it was only waiting for a convenient time to attack them.

“What should we do?” Barnabus asked.

“Attack it first,” Nellus suggested.

“It is growing dark, and the nagas would have great advantage in the dark,” said Arconn.

“Yet we cannot remain here,” said Thrang thoughtfully. “If the nagas has seen us here, we should move. Then at least it will not find us where it expects us to be.”

“There is some wisdom in that, though where to move to is a problem,” said Alex. “The nagas can move swiftly, and it will try to follow us wherever we go. If it does not find us here, it will be on guard, making it harder for us to attack it.”

“What, then?” Thrang questioned, looking at Alex.

“Perhaps we can draw it in,” Alex suggested. “It knows we are here, but it does not know that weknow it is here.”

“How difficult are these things to kill?” Thrang asked, fingering his ax.

“They are powerful creatures, and some have stings in their tails,” said Arconn.

“Their teeth are long and sharp, and they can raise as much as half their body off the ground,” Alex added.

“Dangerous at both ends, then,” Thrang said. “Still, we must do something before this creature attempts to attack us.”

“It is a difficult problem,” said Alex, thinking it through. “I would suggest not being in the tents where we are separated and vulnerable to attack, but if we are all in the open, then the nagas will see us and might wait for another time to attack.”

“There are also the horses to consider,” said Arconn. “If it cannot get at us, it may go for the horses.”

“Well, we must do something,” Thrang repeated, looking worried and desperate. “And we must do something now.”

Chapter Nine

The Nagas

Alex sat alone beside the fire, watching as the flames began to fail. All of his senses were alert, and his mind searched the ground around their camp for any sign of the nagas. The others were crowded into two of their four tents, waiting for any sound that would indicate the nagas was attacking. It was a desperate plan, but they couldn’t think of anything else to do.

As a precaution, Alex had put a hiding spell on their horses, so at least the nagas would not be able to find them easily. It was not a difficult spell, but there were seven horses, and it had required more time than Alex would have liked. Still, the horses should be safe, and once the nagas appeared, his friends would be close at hand.

The nagas was both cunning and intelligent. No simple tricks would deceive the giant serpent, and they didn’t have time to plan anything too difficult. So Alex sat alone as bait, watching the fire and waiting for the nagas to arrive. He worried that his ability to feel the nagas was limited, and he hoped that he would have time to act before the nagas could attack him.

Suddenly the hair on the back of Alex’s neck stood up. The nagas had arrived. Alex could feel its eyes looking at him from the darkness, searching the camp. Alex remained still, as if dozing by the fire during his watch. He needed the nagas to come closer before he tried anything or else it might escape into the darkness.

Concentrating, he could feel the snake moving, circling the camp, and looking for the best place to attack.

Alex stayed still, focusing his mind on the nagas. He knew exactly where it was, and he was impressed and a little surprised by the snake’s patience. The nagas was considering every possibility before it attacked, as if it half-expected some trick. For a moment Alex wondered if the creature had seen Arconn following it earlier, but he didn’t think that was the case. This was a careful creature by nature, but it was also ruthless in its desire to destroy.

The movement was quiet and quick, and almost before Alex realized what was happening, the nagas was closing in on him. He spun around, lifting his staff as he turned. Without waiting to get a clear view of his enemy, he cast a freezing spell and called out for his friends to join him.

The freezing spell caught the tail of the nagas, immobilizing the last third of the giant snake. Unfortunately, its front two-thirds was still very mobile, and the spell had infuriated the nagas. It had expected easy prey, but now it had to face six warriors and a wizard.

The nagas lunged toward Alex, and he dove left to avoid being caught in its massive jaws.

Alex rolled quickly to his feet, his hand frozen halfway to his sword. For a moment he stood, undecided about what to do. He could cast another spell using his staff, or he could draw his magic sword and attempt to fight the nagas physically.

As he debated what to do next, he heard the sound of Arconn’s bow and Thrain’s crossbow. Arconn’s arrow hit the nagas squarely in the body, but it broke on the thick scales of the serpent. Thrain’s bolt, however, sank deep into the nagas’s body just behind its head.

The nagas screamed in pain and rage. Rising up, it turned away from Alex, angling toward Thrain. Thrain was too busy reloading his crossbow instead of paying attention to the nagas and was unaware of the danger.

Alex launched himself toward his friend, knocking Thrain away just as the nagas’s head struck the ground where Thrain had been standing. Alex rolled away from his friend, turning to see what the serpent would do next. Raising his staff, he prepared to cast another spell, but the nagas was too quick for him. Its massive head shot forward, missing Alex but striking his staff instead. The staff shuddered in Alex’s grasp, and he was thrown backward, slightly dazed.

By the time Alex was back on his feet, the nagas was closing in on him. Nellus and Barnabus were staggering to their feet, having dodged the attack. Arconn and Kat were firing arrows, trying to find some soft spot on the monster where their arrows would do some good. There was a loud twang and the nagas rose up once more, screaming for a second time. Thrain had managed to fire a second bolt, this one striking the nagas in the eye.

Alex didn’t wait to cast a spell; instead he drew his sword and ran forward. The reckless feeling he had experienced when he faced Bane returned once more, but now it was directed toward this snake that dared to attack him. The nagas’s head was ten feet in the air, so Alex swung his sword at the massive body in front of him and felt his blow slice through the scaled armor of his enemy, cutting the body almost in half.

“Quickly!” Alex heard Thrang shout from behind him.

The head of the nagas dropped toward the ground, unable to lift its broken body.

Thrang charged with his ax, striking the head of the serpent as it tried desperately to crawl away. The nagas jerked wildly, and Thrang was thrown back. Alex ran to the head as well, lifting his sword for a final blow. The nagas wriggled madly on the ground, trying to twist its body over its head for protection, but its frozen tail made that impossible. Alex brought his sword down with all the strength he had.

For a moment the nagas continued to move, but Alex knew that it was already dead. The reckless feeling was slipping away from him, but he realized how close it had come to controlling him completely.

Barnabus and Nellus put their weapons away and helped Thrang to his feet, commenting on his bold attack. Alex smiled at Thrain, who looked pale and afraid but determined to stand his ground.

“More dangerous than a dragon,” Thrang said, retrieving his ax from the severed head of the nagas.

“Not as bad as that,” said Arconn.

“It moved faster than I thought it would,” said Alex.

“Lucky you were able to partially freeze it,” Thrang said, wiping his ax on the grass.

“You . . . you saved me,” said Thrain, walking up to Alex. “It would have killed me if you hadn’t knocked me out of the way.”

“You would have done the same for me,” said Alex. He looked around at his companions. “It appears that we are all unhurt.”

“Yes, it does,” said Nellus, standing close to the fire.

“I don’t suppose any of us wants to spend the rest of the night so close to that thing,” Kat said, a look of disgust on her face as she pointed at the dead nagas.

“We will have to move camp,” said Thrang. “Even dead, this creature is unpleasant to be near.”

They went to work at once, taking down tents and packing their things. Alex removed his hiding spell from their horses as Thrang asked Thrain to put out the fire. Arconn suggested they move closer to the nagas’s cave and search it once the sun had come up.

“That would be best,” agreed Thrang. “I have no desire to be searching caves in the dark. Who knows what other creatures we might find.”

“I doubt there are many creatures that would share a cave with a nagas,” said Alex.

They followed the stream north for about a mile before setting up a new camp. The night was warm and clear, and since they didn’t plan on staying there long, they didn’t bother setting up their tents again. None of them felt tired after their fight with the nagas, so they spent the last hours of darkness sitting around the fire and talking.

“A masterful final blow,” Barnabus said to Alex. “You were quick in the attack.”

“A useful trait for the person who is the bait.” Kat laughed.

“I was almost too slow,” said Alex. “The nagas moved much faster than I thought it would.”

“But not fast enough.” Thrang laughed. “Though it was a close call for some of us. Young Thrain here was so busy thinking of attack, the creature almost had him. You should pay more attention to your enemy,” Thrang said to Thrain.

“In the heat of battle, it is easy to forget the danger,” Alex said, glancing at Thrain, who looked a little embarrassed.

“True enough,” Arconn added. “I have often seen warriors take terrible wounds simply because they were trying to attack and forgot their defense.”

“All that you say is true,” said Thrang, his voice softer. “And Thrain did draw first blood. That’s not bad for a first-time adventurer—not bad at all.”

The last few hours before sunrise passed quickly, and their talk dwindled to silence as the new day arrived. As the company ate breakfast, Alex noticed that Thrain still seemed a little shy of him. He wondered if the contest of power with Bane, and the fact that Alex had saved Thrain’s life, had made Thrain unsure of their relationship.

Alex remembered the wild, reckless feelings that had almost overcome him while fighting the nagas and facing off against Bane. It was something he had never felt before, not even when he was fighting goblins with his magic sword. He considered asking Whalen about it, but he knew Whalen would tell him to control his emotions. The trouble was, the feeling wasn’t really an emotion. It was a sense of power, greater power than he had ever experienced before, and a recklessness that came from knowing he could not be defeated. It was strange, and it scared him more than he liked to admit.

After breakfast, Arconn led them through the trees to a wide clearing full of wreckage. Broken wagons, carts, and bones were scattered over the ground. To one side of the clearing, a large cave opened into a small hillside, its dark opening looking like a patch of midnight that morning had forgotten to wipe away.

“Why would so many people bring carts and wagons here?” Nellus questioned.

“The nagas tricked them,” said Alex. “It must have made promises to these travelers to lure them close to its den.”

“Then why did it not do the same with us?” Kat questioned.

“Travelers are easier prey than adventurers are,” Arconn answered.

“Yes,” agreed Thrang, looking around the clearing. “Arconn, Alex, and I will enter the cave. The rest of you, search the wagons and carts.”

“For what?” Thrain asked.

“Treasure, of course. The nagas could not easily move items from carts and wagons,” Thrang said. “It would be best for us to make a complete search.”

The others did as Thrang asked, dismounting from their horses and beginning their work. Alex and Arconn rode forward with Thrang to the cave opening and tied their horses to a broken wagon wheel just outside the dark entrance.

“We’ll need torches,” said Thrang.

Alex smiled, and with a wave of his hand, conjured up several weir lights and sent them into the cave.

“Yet another good reason to bring a wizard along,” said Thrang with a grin.

“I find them easier than torches, and faster,” said Alex.

“Halfdan said you used them to great effect on your last adventure together,” Thrang said.

“They have many uses,” said Alex. “Right now they will make our search quicker. I don’t want to spend any more time in this cave than we have to.”

“Nor do I,” said Arconn.

Thrang nodded his agreement and led the way into the cave. The weir lights moved ahead of them, lighting the cave better than a dozen torches. Fortunately, the cave did not extend deep into the hill. It took only a minute or two for the three of them to find the main chamber, and when they did, they stopped in surprise.

“You said these creatures hoarded treasure, but I did not expect this,” Thrang said to Alex.

The floor of the chamber was covered with wealth. Gold and silver coins were scattered everywhere, making it appear as if the cave floor was solid metal. The weir lights reflected brightly off the treasure.

“It will take at least two days to get all of this out in the open,” Thrang declared.

“Yet well worth the labor,” Arconn said.

“Yes, but I do not wish to remain in this dark place for two days or more,” said Alex.

“So you would leave all of this behind?” Thrang asked, stunned.

“That is not what I said,” Alex answered. “If you will allow me, I can quickly move all of this into my bag, and then we can find a better place to do the sorting and dividing.”

“Not going to try and put one thing in your bag at a time, then.” Arconn laughed.

“You two have taught me well,” said Alex with a bow, remembering the trouble he’d had the first time he’d used a magic bag. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind standing back—I wouldn’t want to accidentally add the two of you to my bag.”

Thrang and Arconn both laughed and stepped behind Alex. Alex lifted his bag and concentrated on the room in front of him. He had done something similar before, so he knew it would work now. He spoke softly so Thrang and Arconn would not hear the secret password to his magic bag, and in one shimmering moment, the chamber was emptied.

“I’ve never seen that done before,” Thrang said, an astonished look on his face. “Piles of bags or stacks of wealth, yes, but never an entire room in one instant.”

“Useful, if you are in a rush,” said Arconn.

Thrang insisted on checking every corner of the empty cavern, so Alex sent the weir lights dancing around the room as Thrang searched. He even made a couple of them circle Thrang’s head. Arconn stifled a laugh when Thrang stood up too quickly and the weir lights bounced off his head, spinning wildly around the chamber.

“Well, it seems you’ve done your work well,” said Thrang at last, swatting at one of the weir lights that had returned to circle his head. “Let’s get out of this hole and see what the others have found.”

They left the empty cave, and Alex put out the weir lights as they returned to the bright morning sunshine. The others were having more difficulty with their search than Alex, Thrang, and Arconn had had. Many of the wagons and carts had been tipped over, making it difficult to see what was under them. Alex noticed that his friends had stacked a fair-sized pile of bags and boxes already, and he wondered how much wealth the nagas had managed to hoard.

“Any treasure in the cave?” Barnabus questioned.

“A fair amount,” answered Thrang. “Master Taylor has put it in his bag for now, thinking it would be best to sort and divide later.”

“There is wisdom in that,” Nellus said, lifting a broken cart to see what was under it. “The bones of the dead are all around this place.”

“The sooner we are away from here, the better,” said Thrang. “What have you found so far?”

It turned out the others had searched about one-third of the clearing. Alex, Thrang, and Arconn joined in the search and were soon sweaty and dirty with the work. Alex was surprised by the amount of treasure they found in the broken wagons and carts, and he wondered who would be traveling with so much wealth in this open and empty country. He had little time to ponder because Thrang soon called him away from the cart he was searching.

“Magic books,” said Thrang, holding up a large, leather-bound volume. “A strange find, and something you should have a look at.”

Alex took the book from Thrang, looking at it for several minutes before noticing the pile of nine or ten other books that Thrang had recovered from a broken-down wagon.

“With your permission, I would like to add these to my bag,” said Alex slowly, looking at Thrang.

“They are yours, of course,” said Thrang. “None of us has any use for magic books, and they should not be left about for just anyone to find.”

Alex bowed to Thrang and began looking at the books more closely. After several minutes, he put the books inside his bag and began walking around the clearing in a wide circle.

“What are you doing?” Thrang questioned, dragging a heavy chest out from under one of the wagons.

“Looking for something,” Alex replied.

As the others finished their search, Alex continued to wander back and forth, across and around the clearing.

“Well, that’s done,” said Thrang, loudly enough for Alex to hear him. “Now if Alex will add all of this to what we’ve already taken from the cave, we can find a better place to do our sorting.”

“In a moment,” said Alex, finally spotting what he was looking for and hurrying toward it.

He moved carefully into the trees on one side of the clearing, and when he returned, he was carrying two staffs.

“The nagas was even more dangerous than I thought,” Thrang said in a whisper.

“We were lucky to defeat it,” Nellus added.

“But a wizard?” Barnabus questioned.

“Perhaps,” said Alex. “It is a wizard’s staff, but the person carrying it may not have been a true wizard.”

“How did you know it was there?” Kat asked.

“The books,” said Alex. “They are too advanced for most, and I thought it unlikely that just anyone would be carrying them.”

“But a wizard would stand a fair chance against the nagas,” said Barnabus.

“A true wizard would,” said Alex. “We do not know who carried this staff, so we cannot say that he was a wizard.”

“Alex is correct,” said Arconn. “There are some who carry a staff and pretend to be wizards. This staff might have been carried by one of those.”

“Yes, but a staff,” Thrain said breathlessly.

“A staff is a tool and a symbol of a wizard, not the power of the wizard,” Alex explained, looking at Thrain. “The power is in the wizard, not in his staff.”

“What will you do with this second staff?” Thrang questioned.

“I will take it with me,” said Alex, “and send a message to Whalen and the counsel of wizards. They might be able to tell us who the staff belonged to. If they can’t, then I will have to assume the person who carried this staff was a pretender.”

“Very well then,” said Thrang, looking at the staff with interest. “We should move on, so if you will add this pile to what we’ve taken from the cave . . .”

“As you wish,” said Alex, reaching for his magic bag.

They moved back to the road and continued to head east.

At midday Thrang began looking for a spot to camp. He wanted to sort the treasure they had taken from the nagas, and he wanted a good place to do it. After a half an hour of searching, he found a spot that suited him, and they set up camp once more. Barnabus began cooking a meal for them, and Alex marked out an area to gather their treasure for sorting.

“Will it fit there?” Thrang questioned as Alex scratched a circle in the dirt with his staff.

“It might be a little tight,” Alex said with a laugh.

“Leave room for us to sort,” Thrang said. “Don’t pile it so high that we’re in danger of being buried if a pile tips over.”

Alex laughed again and finished scratching his circle. When they had all finished eating, Thrang gathered the company near the circle and asked Alex to produce the treasure. Alex bowed and spoke softly into his bag. In a rush of sparkling light, the treasure of the nagas appeared in the circle he had drawn. The late afternoon sun reflected brightly from the enormous pile.

“You’re sure you did not add some of your own treasure?” Arconn teased, smiling at Alex.

“Of course not.” Alex laughed.

“It looks like our work is cut out for us,” Kat said. “It will take two, maybe three days, to sort all of this.”

“Then let’s begin,” said Thrang happily.

“And you were worried we wouldn’t find any treasure,” Alex said to Thrain.

Thrain blushed slightly but didn’t reply.

Thrang set them to work sorting the treasure into piles. He was pleased as the various piles grew larger and larger, while the pile in the center seemed to remain the same size. As the sun was setting, he asked Alex to conjure the weir lights so they could continue their work.

Alex laughed and suggested that a meal and a good night’s sleep might be a better idea.

“Yes, of course,” said Thrang, glancing at the treasure. “I suppose this is safe enough here.”

“Unless something worse than the nagas comes looking for it,” Arconn said.

“Oh, don’t say that,” said Thrain, glancing over his shoulder into the gathering darkness.

That night was a happy one around the campfire. Nellus and Barnabus joked that Thrang had prevented them from attacking the nagas when he jumped in front of them. Thrang replied that he had to jump in front of them because he was afraid they would bungle the job. Alex commented on how well Thrain had done, and Arconn and Kat were both quick to agree. Thrain blushed at the praise, pleased by the attention.

It took them two full days to sort and divide everything they had found in the cave and the clearing. Thrang insisted that all the odd numbers go to Alex since he was the one who actually killed the nagas. Alex wasn’t happy about it, but he accepted Thrang’s decision, simply because he knew it would do no good to argue.

On the morning of the third day after their battle with the nagas, they resumed their journey. The weather was warm and dry, and they all knew they would soon reach the Eastern Sea. What would happen once they reached the sea, however, was something that none of them could tell.