“And I spoke too quickly, without thought,” Bane added. “In the future I will not be so hasty.”

“Good,” said Alex. “Now, I think we should eat. Bane, you are welcome to join us.”

Bane glanced at Thrang. “The leader of the adventure should be the one to invite guests,” he said politely.

“My apologies, Master Silversmith,” said Alex. “I seem to have forgotten my place.”

“What’s that?” said Thrang, looking between Alex and Bane. “Oh, yes, we would be honored if you would join us.”

“The honor is mine,” said Bane, bowing to Thrang. “I would count it a great blessing to share a meal with your company.”

Thrang offered Bane a chair, and Alex suggested they push the two tables together into one long table. Bane and Thrang sat at opposite ends of the table, and Alex sat next to Bane. He wanted to talk to the paladin and find out more about him.

“Changed the seating, then, have you?” Rose remarked as she returned with a large platter. “And added a new friend as well. The two of you have scared away my regular customers, you know,” she said to Alex and Bane.

“I am sorry,” Bane said. “The fault is mine, and I will gladly compensate you for the loss of business.”

“Oh, that’s not needed,” said Rose with a laugh. “Those old grumps needed a bit of shaking up. They sit here every night and drink one mug apiece, and they never leave a tip. After tonight, I expect they’ll be drinking a bit more for the next few days.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, there will be eight for dinner,” said Thrang. “And please, put the mugs on our bill.”

“No trouble at all,” said Rose, putting the large platter of potatoes on the table. “I’ll be just a minute with the rest of it, and then I’ll leave you be.”

Rose moved surprisingly fast, and soon everyone in the company had filled their plates with hot food. Alex noticed that Bane made sure everyone had enough of everything before helping himself, and he smiled approvingly. He had never met a paladin before, and he didn’t remember reading anything about them in any of his studies.

“Have you traveled far?” Bane asked, looking at Thrang.

“Not yet,” said Thrang, cutting into his steak. “Our adventure is just beginning, and we have a long road to travel before its end.”

“May I ask which direction that road lies?” Bane asked. “Of course, if you’d rather not say, I understand.”

“We go east,” said Thrang simply.

“I have just come from the east,” said Bane. “I had heard stories of trouble there, though I had none myself.”

“What kind of trouble?” Thrang questioned.

“Rumors of bandits or maybe trolls,” Bane answered. “I saw few tracks in my travels, so I can’t say which, if any, of the rumors are true.”

“Trolls have more wealth than bandits,” Alex pointed out.

“And are often more dangerous,” Arconn added.

“And both are best avoided,” said Nellus, his voice troubled.

“Well, we won’t go looking for them,” said Alex. “I was just thinking if we had to face one or the other.”

“I doubt that either would be much trouble for Master Taylor,” Bane said.

“You are too kind,” said Alex. “And please, call me Alex.”

Their meal went on with a great deal of talk, but not much laughter. Bane knew a great deal about the land to the east, and they all listened closely as he told them about the difficulties he had run into and rumors he had heard.

“There are more dangers in Thraxon then there once were,” Bane concluded, pushing his chair back from the table.

“Not enough adventurers,” said Thrang, nodding his head. “If more adventures were going on here, many of the troubles you’ve heard of would be removed.”

“Perhaps,” Bane allowed. “Though the people of the land have some responsibility as well. They should not wait for adventurers to come and solve their problems for them.”

“True,” said Thrang, stroking his beard. “And the different peoples of Thraxon have not worked together for many years. I will mention it to King Thorgood when we return to Benorg.”

“Do you know the king well?” Bane questioned.

“Better than most,” said Thrang. “I have been one of his ministers. And this is his adventure, in a manner of speaking.”

“Then perhaps I could impose on you,” said Bane, leaning forward intently. “I am on my way to Benorg, and I need to search its history. Perhaps you could send a message to the king, asking for his assistance in my quest.”

“We know nothing of you or your quest,” said Thrang carefully. “I would need to know something about you and what you are looking for before I could ask the king to help you.”

“Yes, of course,” said Bane. “I will be happy to tell you anything I can.”

“But not everything,” said Alex, looking at Bane.

“You see much,” said Bane with a nod. “Yes, there are some things that I cannot tell, not even to a wizard like yourself.”

“Then tell us your story if you will,” said Thrang. “If there are parts you must leave out, we will understand and not ask questions.”

Chapter Seven

The Paladin’s Tale

Alex and his companions leaned back in their chairs, waiting expectantly. For several minutes Bane said nothing. His head was bowed slightly, as though he was trying to remember something from the distant past. If Alex hadn’t known better, he would have thought that Bane had fallen asleep.

Bane lifted his head, and Alex was surprised to realize that Bane was actually a great deal older than he appeared to be. The paladin looked worn and tired, and his face had turned a slight gray color.

“I was born in Goval,” said Bane slowly, “before it was divided into two lands. I had an easy childhood, or at least as easy as any childhood can be. Nothing of great importance happened to me as a child, and I mention it only so you will know that I was once a normal man.”

Bane paused, a troubled look crossing his face, but it was quickly gone, and he continued his story.

“When I was sixteen years old, the wars in Goval began. At the time, I didn’t know who started the wars, or why. To me, war looked like a great adventure, an opportunity to win fortune and fame. With such thoughts in my mind, I left my happy home and joined one of the many armies that marched across the land.

“I was a boy pretending to be a man. I knew nothing of war and less of life. Sadly, I learned too much about both, for I had a gift. The art of war came naturally to me, too naturally, in fact. I should have stayed at home, but that thought did not occur to me until it was much too late to go back. By the time I was seventeen, I had killed twenty men in single combat, and many more than that in the massed attacks between the armies.

“War is bloody, dirty work, but I took to it willingly, and my fame began to grow among the soldiers of our army. I was respected as a warrior, though I was still a boy. The fame went to my head, and I became proud and arrogant, two things I struggle with even today.”

Bane took a long drink from his mug. Alex could understand Bane’s feelings and desires, as he had sometimes felt a similar thirst for battle when wielding his sword, Moon Slayer.

“As my reputation grew,” Bane continued, “so did my responsibility. When I was eighteen, I commanded a squad of men. By the time I was twenty, I commanded a company. In four short years, the army had become my life. I had almost forgotten the home and family that I’d once had.

“When I was twenty-one years old, our army joined with another, and we received a new lord to rule us in our deadly game. He was a wise man, cunning on the battlefield and careful with the lives of his men. He had heard about me and ordered me to stand before him. At the time, I thought it was the greatest moment of my life.

“He began to train me to be more than just the mindless leader of a company. He taught me tactics and strategies. He showed me how to win men’s loyalty and get the most out of them. Those were the good lessons he taught me—but there were other lessons as well.”