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

sword, Alex examined every inch of the sword. Mr. Blackburn’s price seemed high to Alex, but Andy seemed to think it was fair and agreed to pay in Thrang’s place.
    Mr. Blackburn brought the sword’s scabbard to Alex and bowed slightly as he handed it to him. The scabbard, like the sword, was inlayed with gold. Once again Alex thought he could make out words mixed in with the swirls of gold, and once again when he blinked, the words were gone and only the golden swirls remained.
    Alex put his new sword in its scabbard and, with Andy’s help, he managed to get it inside his magic bag. They both thanked Mr. Blackburn for his help, and then they walked back into Telous.
    Alex couldn’t stop thinking about his new sword, a sword with a mysterious past. Mr. Blackburn had made it sound like a sword’s history was important to know and it bothered Alex that his sword had no history, or at least none he knew about. He also thought it seemed a little odd that he had chosen the sword after closing his eyes and thinking about wizards.
    At the back of Alex’s mind, the strange little voice was talking again. Mr. Blackburn had said he could use a staff, and that meant he could use magic. The idea of using magic and being a wizard excited Alex’s imagination, though he knew almost nothing about magic—other than it actually worked—and even less about wizards. His thoughts circled endlessly in his mind, before he decided finally that it was pointless to worry.
    “Get everything you need?” Thrang asked as soon as Alex and Andy entered the Golden Swan.
    “Everything,” Andy answered, handing Thrang the bundle of receipts he’d been collecting. “Hope we didn’t go too far.”
    “Or damage Master Thrang’s hoard too much,” Skeld laughed from behind Thrang. “But that would take more time than you two had.”
    “Your tongue does more damage than anything else,” said Thrang, glancing over his shoulder at Skeld. “Though it looks like these two tried very hard to break me,” he added with a wink and a grin.
    “I’m sorry,” Alex started.
    “Not at all, not at all,” said Thrang before Alex could add anything more. “As long as you got what you needed, there’s no damage done.”
    “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you,” Alex managed to say, but Thrang simply waved his hand and laughed.
    “It’s nothing,” said Thrang, tucking the receipts into his belt. “Your friendship is payment enough.”
    Alex saw Bregnest come down the main staircase and Andy walk quickly to his side. Andy leaned close and whispered something to Bregnest. He glanced at Alex, his eyebrows raised, and then nodded to Andy. Alex suspected Andy was telling Bregnest what Mr. Blackburn had said about his being able to use a staff. He wondered what Bregnest would think, and more important, what he would do.
    “Come on then, dinner’s waiting,” said Skeld happily. “Best eat well while we can.”
    Alex followed Skeld down a hallway toward the back of the Golden Swan with Thrang at his side. Alex wasn’t sure if he should thank Thrang again for his generosity or not. He decided not to say anything more, mostly because of what Andy had told him about dwarfs.
    At the end of the hallway, they entered a dining room with a huge table that barely fit inside. The other members of the company were already seated and waiting for them, talking casually about the upcoming adventure.
    “Now we are eight,” said Bregnest, taking his place at the head of the table between Thrang and Arconn. “And before we are overcome with food and drink, I would like to say a few words.”
    “Food first, talk after,” Skeld said loudly, sliding into his own chair and motioning for Alex to take the seat to his right.
    “You’ll eat and drink too much to listen,” Bregnest replied with half a smile. “And then you’ll complain that I never told you anything.”
    “I’ll complain anyway,” Skeld laughed merrily.
    “Be that as it may,”