Alex found a large table near one wall and started thumbing through the pile of documents that was stacked on it. He could read most of what was written on them, but there were some runes that were completely new to him. He tried not to read everything on every document, instead he skimmed the words he knew, hoping to find a passing reference to Albrek or perhaps even a map. Searching the documents was tiring, but Alex enjoyed it more than the others did. His ability to read dwarf runes improved as the day went on, and he found that he could move quickly through the old pages as long as he remembered to skim them and not read every word.

They stopped their search at noon for a quick meal, which Thorgood had sent down to the vaults for them. After lunch, the chief librarian ordered Barnabus and Nellus out of the vault, saying that they were just getting in the way. Thrain watched them go with a sad look on his face and then returned to the enormous volume one of the librarians had given him. Alex suspected that this was not Thrain’s idea of an adventure.

The documents in the vaults seemed endless as Alex and his friends returned day after day to the caverns. Barnabus and Nellus, still banned from the library, had taken to exploring the city, and on their fourth day in Benorg, Thrang sent Thrain along with them.

“I need someone to keep an eye on those two,” said Thrang. “I don’t want them getting into any trouble.”

“Well, if you really need me to,” Thrain said, a hopeful look on his face.

“Go on, then,” Thrang said gruffly.

“That was kind of you,” Alex said as Thrain left the library. He shifted a stack of documents off his table.

“Well, it’s his first time out and all,” said Thrang. “I really should have had this part of the adventure done before putting the company together.”

“What, and deprive us of all of this?” Alex joked.

Thrang laughed with Alex and reached for another stack of papers.

Alex was actually enjoying his time in the vaults. He had found the dwarfs to be both helpful and willing to explain any of the runes he did not yet understand. They were also impressed that a man, especially a wizard, had taken the time to learn so much about their methods of writing.

“Not many men ever learn this lore,” the chief librarian said. “It does my heart good to know that a wizard would take the time to learn our ways.”

On their tenth day in the vaults, Kat finally found something that was useful. It was a piece of parchment, almost too dirty to read. Placing it carefully under a bright light, Thrang and the chief librarian were able to piece together what it said. Some parts were impossible to make out, but other parts of the page were clearly legible.

“This is part of the tale of Albrek,” said Thrang excitedly.

“Does it say where he traveled?” Arconn questioned.

“Just a moment,” answered Thrang, looking back at the paper.

“The Isle of Bones,” the chief librarian muttered.

“Isle of Bones?” Kat repeated with a worried look on her face.

“In a moment, in a moment,” said Thrang, holding up his hand for silence.

Alex looked over Thrang’s shoulder at the parchment, reading as much of it as he could, but several of the runes were still unfamiliar to him.

“Ah, yes, of course,” said the chief librarian, slapping his head as he looked up. “This indicates that the full story of Albrek is written in the special history of the city. I never even thought of looking there.”

“Special history?” Alex asked.

“Oh, it’s not secret or anything like that,” the librarian said, moving toward the back of the vault. “We just keep a record of special events—things that are outstanding in some way or another.”

“And Albrek’s search for new mines was outstanding?” Arconn questioned.

“Well, the stories say that he took more than five hundred dwarfs with him,” said Thrang as the librarian hurried away.

“A large party to go looking for mines,” said Kat.

“Not really,” said Thrang. “Mining is a labor-intensive job, after all, and you need to sink a shaft or two before you know if your mine is worth anything.”

They waited in a tense silence for the librarian to return. When he did, he carried with him a thick volume bound in black leather. He set it on the table and began thumbing through the pages. He seemed to be looking for a certain page, flipping large groups of pages all at once and making dust fly from the book’s cover. In a surprisingly short time, he had found what he wanted, and he and Thrang huddled around the open book. Alex, standing nearby, also began to read the book.

“Interesting,” said Thrang. “It seems Albrek planned to travel farther than I thought.”

“And?” Arconn asked.

“The story is a bit confusing, but basically it says where Albrek was going, or at least where he planned to go,” said Thrang. “According to this, he was going to the Isle of Bones. After that he was going south to the Lost Mountains, and finally to Gal Tock.”

“What is Gal Tock?” Alex questioned.

“What is the Isle of Bones?” asked Kat at the same time.

“The Isle of Bones actually has nothing at all to do with bones,” answered Thrang. “It’s a mountainous island in the Eastern Sea. We call it that because the mountains are rocky and remind us of the bones of the earth.”

“And Gal Tock?” Alex asked again.

“Gal Tock is a dwarf name meaning gold rock, or golden rocks,” answered the librarian. “The exact location isn’t known, but the stories tell of a place where the morning sun shines on the rocks and make them look like gold. All I can tell you is that it is supposed to be far to the south.”

“That would make sense, because the Lost Mountains are also well south of here,” Thrang added. “It looks like Albrek went northeast to the Isle of Bones first, then south to the Lost Mountains. If he went farther than that, then he must have gone looking for Gal Tock.”

“Does the story say if he made it to any of those places?” Arconn questioned.

“It mentions some of his group returning,” said Thrang. “They came back while Albrek was still on the Isle of Bones, so we know he made it that far.”

“It seems we know where we are going,” said Kat, a slightly troubled look on her face.

“Yes, yes, we do,” said Thrang happily.

“How soon will we depart?” Alex asked.

“As soon as possible,” answered Thrang. “It will take at least a month to get to the Isle of Bones, maybe longer. Summer has already begun, and I’d like to head northeast while the weather is warm.”

“Tomorrow, then?” Arconn questioned.

“The day after, I think,” said Thrang. “We should make sure we are well stocked with provisions and warm clothes.” He turned to the librarian. “It would also be useful to look at some of the older maps of Thraxon to get a better idea of Albrek’s journey.”

“Does anyone live on the Isle of Bones?” Kat asked.

“Not that I’ve ever heard of,” answered Thrang. “It’s a rugged island, and being as far north as it is, a very cold place in the wintertime.”

“Hopefully we will be there while it is still summertime,” said Alex.

“If all goes well,” Arconn added.

“And if things go really well, and we find the Ring of Searching on the Isle of Bones, we could be back here before winter sets in.” Thrang laughed. “Though I doubt it will be quite as easy as that.”

“It never is,” said Alex.

Chapter Five

East by North

That night, as the company ate dinner, Thrang presented his plans for their journey. They would travel east from Benorg and follow the main road, which would take them out of the mountains and into the open plains beyond. From there they would travel as directly east as possible, though they would eventually need to turn northeast to reach the Isle of Bones.

“How far away is the Eastern Sea?” Nellus questioned.