“About two hundred miles,” answered Thrang. “If we travel straight from here to there. But since we need to go north as well as east, that will add at least fifty miles to our journey.”

“Is this Eastern Sea the border of Thraxon?” Barnabus asked.

“Not at all,” Thrang said with a laugh. “In high summer we could travel around the sea to the north, though few people have ever done so. And you can easily sail around the bottom of the sea to the south, though you would have to go extremely far south to do so.”

“Are there cities along the sea coast?” asked Thrain, his excitement showing yet again.

Thrang nodded. “There are; though I’ve never visited any of them. The southern coast is well populated—more than the north, but as I’ve mentioned, northern winters are hard, and not many people want to live in so rugged an area.”

“I wonder if there will be anyone at all on the Isle of Bones,” Kat said. The troubled look Alex had seen before on her face had returned.

“Why do you say that?” Alex questioned.

“Something about the place,” said Kat, not meeting Alex’s eyes. “I cannot say why. It is just a feeling.”

“Any feeling a seer has is worth paying attention to,” Arconn said.

“It may be nothing,” said Kat, smiling weakly. “I thought of another place when I first heard the name, so now I have the two linked in my mind. The other place was a terrible place—somewhere I hope never to go again.”

“If you feel there is danger on the Isle of Bones, we should know about it,” said Nellus, his voice kind but firm.

“No, nothing like that,” answered Kat with a wave of her hand. “Please, do not be troubled. A memory from my past has darkened the name for me, that is all.”

“Very well then,” said Thrang, glancing from Kat to Alex and back. “We will leave the day after tomorrow, and we should easily reach the seacoast long before winter comes.”

With Thrang’s final words, the group began separating for the night. It was late, and everyone was thinking of bed and their last day in Benorg. Alex stayed in his seat for a minute, watching Kat as she crossed the room toward the stairs leading to her room. He wondered what experience she was remembering that caused her such pain, but he knew better than to ask. Perhaps he would ask later, when the time was right and they were alone.

***

They woke the next morning to a light rain. Alex didn’t know when they would be coming back to Benorg and had wanted to spend the day wandering the streets and seeing at least some of the city. He hoped Thrang would offer to show them around the city, but he said he needed to talk to Thorgood again and finish preparing for their journey.

Arconn offered to accompany Alex into the city after breakfast, despite the rain. Alex jumped at the chance and quickly found a hooded cloak to wear. He considered inviting Thrain to come along and show them what he had discovered during his days of exploration, but Thrain was busy repacking his magic bag. Nellus, Kat, and Barnabus were likewise busy with their own preparations for the long journey ahead of them.

“Just the two of us, then,” said Alex to Arconn.

“Two strangers in a strange city,” said Arconn. “Though I doubt we will find any trouble among our friendly hosts.”

“And don’t you two start any trouble either,” said Thrang with a grunting laugh. “I don’t want any of Thorgood’s people turned into farm animals.”

“Oh, and here I was hoping to practice my craft,” said Alex.

Arconn laughed and followed Alex into the street. The rain was still light, and the air was warm and full of sweet smells. They wandered the streets of the aboveground city for a time, entering a few of the shops they passed along the way. The dwarfs were all friendly, though many seemed shy of Alex and his staff. Alex asked Arconn about it as they left a shop where Alex had bought several bags of dwarf candy.

“I expect a lot of people are shy of you and your staff,” said Arconn. “A wizard with a staff makes a great difference to most people, which is not always a disadvantage.”

“I have noticed a difference in the way people look at me,” said Alex with a hint of unhappiness in his voice.

“Do not let it bother you,” Arconn said. “There have never been many wizards and to see a wizard as young as you are is somewhat unexpected.”

“Whalen said that most wizards are at least thirty or forty years old before they take a staff,” Alex said.

“That is true,” Arconn said. “Or at least, it is for all truewizards.”

“Do some false wizards take staffs at a young age?” Alex questioned.

“There are some people who carry staffs who are not wizards,” said Arconn. “You will find in your travels that some magical people wish to be called wizard, but do not know what the title truly means. It is a matter of pride for some, power for others, and foolishness for all who do not deserve the staff or the title.”

“And some people take a staff just to give the appearance of being a wizard,” said Alex, considering Arconn’s words.

“They do. Though many of them can actually use the staff, as you could have if you’d taken one on your first adventure,” said Arconn. “Not knowing what a true wizard is does not mean the staff will not work.”

“That is true. However, it won’t work as well as it might if someone took the time to become a true wizard.”

“I would not know about that,” said Arconn. “I have known a few wizards and have always chosen not to associate with pretenders.”

“Is it easy to spot the pretenders?”

“There are ways to know, but it is not always easy.”

“Can you explain the ways?” Alex asked, wondering if he would be able to detect a false or pretend wizard.

“You would know,” said Arconn in a definite tone. “Power knows power, and like knows like. You would see the pretender and know that they were not what they pretended to be. And if they had any magical ability at all, they would know you for what you are as well.”

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” said Alex softly. “Though I hope I never run into a pretender.”

“You might not,” said Arconn. He directed Alex toward the entrance to the underground part of Benorg. “Few pretenders would want to be caught by a true wizard. I believe there are some harsh penalties for pretenders.”

“There are,” said Alex, remembering what Whalen had taught him. “The punishments are usually left up to the wizard who finds the pretender.”

“Posing as a wizard is a dangerous game to play,” Arconn agreed.

Alex was a little surprised that Arconn knew so much about wizards and their rules, but then he remembered that Arconn was several hundred years old—perhaps even a thousand years old—and the elf knew a great many things.

The two of them spent the rest of the day exploring as much of the city as they could, returning to their home in time for their evening meal with the rest of the company. The others were already seated around the table, and Thrang was glaring at Thrain. While Alex and Arconn had been exploring, Thrain had taken everything out of his magic bag looking for a logbook he wanted to use as they traveled. Thrang had stumbled over some of Thrain’s gear as he was rushing around the house and had hurt his ankle. Nellus and Barnabus had been quick to intervene, helping Thrain store his gear and explaining more clearly how to use his magic bag.

“That ankle isn’t going to keep you out of the saddle, is it?” Nellus asked Thrang as they ate.

“It will take more than a bad ankle and Thrain’s foolishness to keep me from this quest,” said Thrang in a grumpy tone.

Thrain went red and slouched in his chair, his boundless enthusiasm dampened by Thrang’s dark mood.

“It’s your own fault, you know,” Alex said to Thrang.

“My own fault!” Thrang said hotly. “How could it possibly be my fault?”

“If you’d explained the magic bag properly, Thrain could have found his logbook without taking everything out of his bag,” said Alex in a matter-of–fact tone.