Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran by M.L. Forman

shouted.
     
    “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Halfdan exclaimed as he rushed to Andy’s side. “No feeling at all?”
     
    “What do you mean?” Andy yelled. “My leg won’t move at all.”
     
    “It’ll wear off in a few minutes,” Halfdan answered with an unconcerned wave of his hand. “Try wiggling your toes, and pay attention to which toe you feel moving first.”
     
    “What?”
     
    “This is important, Andy,” Halfdan said in excitement. “After drinking from a new batch of potion, if a person loses feeling in part of their body, their fortune can be told by which parts start feeling things first.”
     
    “You didn’t mention anything about losing the use of our body parts before giving us the potion,” Val commented with a sour look.
     
    “It doesn’t happen that often,” Halfdan replied, blushing slightly. “To be honest, I didn’t think it would happen, but now that it has . . . Andy, are you wiggling your toes like I said?”
     
    “How should I know?” Andy snapped. “I can’t feel anything.”
     
    “Well, keep trying. It should only take a minute or two.”
     
    Halfdan’s prediction was correct. After a few minutes Andy’s leg started to move, and before long, he was back on his feet. Halfdan continued to ask questions about which toe Andy could wiggle first, but Andy was in no mood to answer.
     
    “I’m trying to be helpful,” Halfdan finally said. “If you’ll tell me which of your toes moved first, I could tell you a lot about your future.”
     
    “The little one,” Andy replied as his anger cooled. “My little toe was the first one I felt. So what can you tell me about my future?”
     
    “Oh, that’s good, that’s very good,” said Halfdan. “If the little toe moves first, you’ll have a long and happy life, filled with good fortune.”
     
    “What if his big toe had moved first?” Bregnest questioned.
     
    “Ah, well, if the big toe moves first, you’ll live to a ripe old age and have a happy marriage,” Halfdan answered.
     
    “Do all the toes have something to do with long life and happiness?” Sindar questioned.
     
    “Hmmm, now that I think about it, they do,” said Halfdan in a serious tone. “Still, it’s considered very lucky to have this happen with a new batch of potion.”
     
    “Lucky that the loss of feeling doesn’t last for long,” Val commented quietly.
     
    “Come,” Bregnest said before Halfdan could reply to Val. “We’ve got places to be and things to do. We can talk about dwarf fortune-telling another time.”
     
    The short journey from the great arch to Oslansk was a pleasant one. The weather remained fair as they traveled, though the nights continued to be cold. Most mornings there was frost on the ground when they woke up, and Alex knew that Shahree was grateful for the heavy blanket he put on her at night. More than once he thought about conjuring a magical fire to keep everyone warm at night, but he always remembered Whalen’s warning about using his powers.
     
    Each night after their evening meal, the company would sit around the fire, talking and telling stories of past adventures. Alex was beginning to feel as if he had never gone home at all, but had simply continued his last adventure.
     
    On their sixth day away from Telous, Alex and his companions reached the city of Oslansk. Alex was impressed with the city’s appearance, even from a distance. Oslansk looked like it had been carved completely from white marble. The large city sat on a hillside and was surrounded by high walls. The white buildings of Oslansk shimmered in the afternoon sunlight, looking both inviting and friendly to travelers.
     
    “My father has invited us all to stay with him and the rest of my family,” Andy said as they rode toward the city.
     
    “Will there be enough room for all of us?” Bregnest asked in a slightly worried tone.
     
    “Yes,” Andy answered. “In fact, he rented a large house where we will be able to