“You are most kind, Master Silversmith, though I fear it will be myself alone who will be questioned,” said Kat, her voice a mix of sadness and pride.

“I won’t deny that seers are not as well respected as they should be in parts of Thraxon,” said Thrang, bowing to Kat. “However, you are part of this company, and I will not have your honor called into question.”

The rest of the company agreed, and Kat smiled and thanked everyone for their kindness.

“Now, we will share our food so that we all have plenty in our bags,” said Thrang. “Then we will arm and ride into our adventure.”

They all cheered at Thrang’s words and quickly started swapping packages. Alex accepted several parcels from both Thrang and Barnabus, who seemed to be carrying most of the company’s food between them. He still had a fair supply of food in his bag from his first two adventures, however, and he was not surprised to find that none of it had spoiled.

As Thrang and Arconn helped Thrain store packages in his new magic bag, Alex turned to his weapons. He attached his magic sword, Moon Slayer, to his belt, along with his true-silver knife. Taking a deep breath, he retrieved his staff from his bag as well. He had never carried a staff on an adventure before, and he felt a little odd carrying it now.

“A fine-looking staff,” Arconn commented. “I have never seen one quite like it.”

“It is different than most,” said Alex.

“I wish I could have been there when you took the oath,” said Thrang, also looking at Alex’s staff. “Halfdan told me about it, but still . . .”

“I missed you both on my last adventure,” said Alex. “But we are together again for this adventure.”

“And I hope we find as much success as we did the last time we rode together,” said Thrang.

Alex nodded and then looked around to see how the rest of the company would be armed. Nellus wore a long sword at his side and carried a bow, while Barnabus carried a short sword and a fair-sized ax. Kat was carrying both a finely made scimitar and a bow. Arconn and Thrang were both armed as they had been on Alex’s first adventure: Arconn with his longbow and dagger, Thrang with his short sword and ax. Thrain was attaching a short sword to his belt, though he already had a crossbow slung across his back.

“A fierce-looking company,” Thrang said with pride.

“Very fierce,” said Arconn. “Though I doubt we will meet trouble so close to the arch.”

“It’s not likely,” said Thrang. “But it’s always best to be prepared.”

Alex agreed, though he wondered if it might actually be a good thing if they did meet something not too dangerous, because then they could see how well they fought together as a group.

“If we are ready, then,” said Thrang, “let us ride to Thraxon and hope for success.”

“Success!” the rest of the company echoed loudly.

They rode toward the great arch. Alex found that his staff was a little awkward to ride with at first, but he soon got used to it.

As they rode through the arch, Alex immediately noticed how different Thraxon was from the other lands he had visited. The hills instantly changed to towering, jagged mountains. Tall pine trees were scattered on the mountainside, and Alex was amazed that not only had the trees managed to take root but also that the narrow spaces where they grew had not collapsed under the weight of the trees. The well-made road under their feet stretched along the base of the mountains in a southerly direction.

“Are these the Gray Mountains of Thraxon?” Alex asked.

“They are,” Thrang answered. “The Gray Mountains are large, however, and there are no dwarf cities between the arch and Benorg.”

“What about other things that live in the mountains?” Arconn asked.

“What other things?” Thrang questioned.

“Goblins,” Alex answered, knowing exactly what Arconn was thinking.

“There are none that I know of,” said Thrang. “There are goblins in Thraxon, but they are mostly in the Blue Mountains, which are far to the south and west.”

“Yet goblins move and are seldom seen until they wish to be seen,” said Arconn.

“That is true,” Thrang agreed. “However, my people are more watchful than most.”

Alex hoped Thrang was right. He had battled goblins on his last adventure and was in no rush to face more of the evil creatures.

Riding along the edge of the mountains, Alex studied the landscape and the rugged beauty around him. The mountains formed an uneven wall, broken by wide, green valleys with deep rivers running through them and narrow valleys with smaller streams. Across all the rivers and streams were well-built stone bridges. The water flowed to the west across open grasslands, and Alex wondered if they joined together at some distant point.

They spoke little as Thrang led them forward. Even Thrain seemed happy to simply watch the countryside slip by and not ask questions. As the sun set over the grasslands to their right, Thrang called them to a halt in an open space close to a stream.

“I’ve used this campsite many times,” said Thrang. “There are several adventurers who live in Thraxon, and we all use the same campsites as we travel to and from the arch.”

“Well-used campsites are not always the best,” Arconn said.

“Do you feel something?” Thrang asked in concern.

“I do not,” said Arconn. “I was simply thinking that such a campsite might be a target for bandits.”

“If bandits had ever attacked one of these campsites, I would have heard about it,” said Thrang, shaking his head.

Once they had taken care of their horses and set up their camp, Thrang waved for Thrain to join him. Alex watched as Thrang piled up branches for their campfire, and he knew that Thrang wanted to teach the younger dwarf how to magically light and put out a fire. He remembered the first time he had tried this bit of magic, as well as the effect his untrained magic had on the pile of branches.

“Watch your beard,” said Alex to Thrang with a smile.

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” said Thrang, stroking his beard. “I doubt very much that young Thrain will be able to ignite it, as you once did.”

“You lit Thrang’s beard on fire?” Thrain asked in shock and surprise.

“Not his beard,” said Alex. “I overdid the inferno command, and the effect was more than Thrang bargained for.”

“My own fault for not explaining things clearly.” Thrang laughed. “Though I should have known better, as we knew about your abilities even then.”

“You might have known, but I still had doubts,” said Alex. “I didn’t know Thrain had magical ability.”

“Only simple dwarf magic,” Thrain said, looking embarrassed.

“Only?” Alex questioned. “Magic is magic; it all has the same root. And if you were to master all the dwarf magic there is, you would know a great deal indeed.”

“You’re talking more and more like a wizard,” said Thrang, shaking his head. “Soon you’ll be harder to understand than Arconn.”

Alex laughed and took a step back. He watched as Thrang showed Thrain how the infernoand quenchcommands worked. Thrain was impressed, and Alex smiled as Thrang carefully told the young dwarf to concentrate on a single branch, something he had not told Alex the first time Alex had tried the spell.

Thrain stood still for several minutes, concentrating. Finally, he pointed at one branch and spoke the magic word. A thin wisp of smoke rose from the branch but was quickly blown away by the breeze. Thrain looked disappointed, but Thrang was extremely happy.

“Not bad for your first try. It normally takes several tries to summon a flame when you first learn the magic.”

“But it was only a little smoke,” said Thrain in a dejected tone.

“Perhaps you weren’t concentrating hard enough,” Alex said.

“Perhaps not,” Thrang agreed. “Try once more, and this time try to focus all your thoughts.”

Thrain obeyed and closed his eyes. Alex winked at Thrang, who immediately took a step back. After a few moments, Thrain opened his eyes and, pointing at the branch once more, spoke the magic word. This time a flame sprang to life as soon as the word had left his lips.