Adventurers Wanted 1) Slathbog's Gold by M.L. Forman Page A

through the pages. “Want to make sure before I say.”
    Alex looked questioningly at Andy, but Andy only shrugged in reply. Andy’s concern, though, made Alex more nervous as he waited to hear what Mr. Blackburn would say.
    “Ah,” said Mr. Blackburn at last, snapping the book shut. “Just as I thought.”
    “What is?” Alex asked.
    “According to the measurements, you’ll do well with most any weapon you choose,” answered Mr. Blackburn. “Book says you’ll do best with a sword or an ax . . . or a staff.”
    “A staff?” Andy jumped in surprise.
    Alex looked from Andy to Mr. Blackburn and back, wondering nervously what the big deal was about a staff.
    “That’s what the book says,” answered Mr. Blackburn,
putting the book back on its shelf. “Book’s never been wrong neither.”
    “He’s not trained for a staff,” Andy said quickly. “We’d better look at swords. Maybe an ax or two.”
    “As you wish,” said Mr. Blackburn. “If he’s not trained for a staff, it’ll do no good looking at them.”
    “What’s so special about a staff?” Alex asked.
    “Staffs are a wizard’s weapon,” said Andy, a look of wonder on his face. “Only a wizard can use a staff, and there aren’t many wizards around these days.”
    “That’s a fact,” said Mr. Blackburn, nodding. “I haven’t sold a staff in ages out of mind.”
    “That can’t be right,” protested Alex. “I’m no wizard. I can’t even do a card trick right.”
    “Be that as it may be,” said Mr. Blackburn, shrugging. “Measurements don’t lie, and the book’s never been wrong.”
    “We’ll just look at the swords and the axes,” Andy said again.
    “As you wish,” Mr. Blackburn said.
    Mr. Blackburn showed them dozens of finely made swords. He took great pleasure in pointing out the special features of each sword, and he insisted that Alex hold each one to get a feel for the balance. Alex felt a little awkward because he’d never held a sword before and some of them were surprisingly heavy. Others didn’t feel right in his hand, though he wasn’t able to say why.
    Mr. Blackburn also showed them several large axes, each with a different shaped head. Once again Alex held them all and tried to decide what an ax should feel like. After what seemed like a long time to Alex, Mr. Blackburn stopped bringing new weapons for him to look at.
    “Made a choice then?” Mr. Blackburn asked politely.
    “I don’t know,” Alex answered. “They are all so well-made that it is difficult to choose,” he added quickly for Mr. Blackburn’s benefit.
    “You’ve got to choose something,” Andy urged. “And if you don’t hurry, we’ll be late for dinner with the others.”
    Alex closed his eyes for several minutes, thinking. He wasn’t thinking about which sword or ax to pick though, but about wizards and staffs. He was certain Mr. Blackburn’s book was wrong about his being able to use a staff. Finally, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
    A sword with a blue-black blade seemed to stand out from the others as the room came back into focus. The sword had elegant gold inlay on the hilt, and Alex thought he could almost read something written in the gold, but he blinked and the words disappeared.
    “I’ll take this one,” said Alex, picking up the sword.
    “A fine choice,” said Mr. Blackburn with a smile. “Not one of mine, but still a fine piece of work.”
    “It’s not one of your swords?” Alex asked, liking how the hilt felt in his hand.
    “No, but it’s an excellent piece of work, that’s for sure,” Mr. Blackburn replied. “This sword was sold to me by an adventurer, much like yourselves, but he couldn’t tell me anything of its history.”
    “And you’re sure it’s a good sword?” Andy questioned in a serious tone.
    “Good as any I’ve ever made,” Mr. Blackburn admitted. “Maybe better. But I’ll ask you not to repeat that.”
    While Andy and Mr. Blackburn discussed the price of Alex’s new