“Don’t you?” Alex questioned.

“You don’t even know what Thorgood promised,” Thrang said in a low voice. “We agreed not to speak of it until Thorgood was present.”

“I know it was a great promise, and I can guess that whatever Thorgood promised, it will have little meaning for me,” said Alex. “You and I will speak with Thorgood and his lords tomorrow, and we will see what sort of agreement we can reach.”

“Not all of the lords will support Thorgood, no matter what he has promised,” Thrang warned.

“They will support the true king of the dwarf realm, or they will lose face,” said Alex. “And if the true king of the dwarf realm of Thraxon should break the oath I will ask him to take, then perhaps there will not be a true king in the dwarf realm of Thraxon.”

“You are entering dangerous waters,” Thrang warned.

“Perhaps,” Alex answered. “Yet who better to meddle than a dragon lord?”

Thrang did not reply, and Alex didn’t feel like answering any more questions. There were things he needed to do before he met with Thorgood and his lords in the morning, and he knew that he would get little sleep, if any at all, tonight. He stood up and said good night to his friends, leaving them beside the fire without the answers they wanted.

***

“You look as if you’ve been awake all night,” Arconn said to Alex when he joined his friends for breakfast.

“I have been,” Alex said with a tired smile.

“If you are too tired, I can ask the king to postpone our meeting,” said Thrang.

“No, it would be best to do this as soon as possible,” said Alex, taking his seat and reaching for the nearest platter of food.

Alex ate quickly, and then joined Thrang by the fire.

“Do you know what you will do today?” Thrang asked.

“Yes,” Alex answered. “And I think the dwarf realm will be a better place for it.”

“I hope you are right,” Thrang said softly. “Whatever happens, I will stand by you.”

“Thank you,” said Alex, patting Thrang’s shoulder. “Now, let’s go speak with Thorgood and his lords. There are things that have gone on too long, and things that need to be stopped.”

Thrang nodded as he turned back to the room and headed for the door. Alex walked quietly beside his friend across the courtyard toward the main palace. When they arrived, Thorgood was already waiting for them, a nervous look on his face.

“The lords have gathered, but only with some grumbling,” said Thorgood. “Be careful of what you say, my friends. Illius is in a foul mood and will try to twist your words to his advantage.”

“Illius of Burnlap?” Alex questioned.

“Yes, how did you know that?” Thorgood asked in surprise.

“You can learn much if you pay attention,” said Alex. “Do not worry, I will deal with Illius.”

“I cannot allow you to harm any of my lords with your magic,” Thorgood warned.

“I will not use magic against any of them,” said Alex, bowing.

Thorgood nodded, then led the way into the chamber where the lords waited. Thrang looked worried, but Alex knew exactly what he would do and say.

“My lords,” Thorgood began as they entered the chamber. “My honored guest, Master Taylor, has asked to meet with us all. He feels there are things that should be discussed with this council, which is why I have asked you all to come here this morning.”

“ Demandedwe come would be closer,” a thin and sickly looking dwarf to the right of the king said. “Forgive me, Lord Thorgood, but this is most uncommon. The council of lords seldom allows an outsider into this chamber.”

“As Thrang told you last night, I was named a lord of the dwarf city of Neplee while on our adventure,” said Alex in a pleasant tone.

“Yes, that is true,” the sickly dwarf answered with a sneer. “But the southern cities are seldom represented here, and we have only Thrang’s word that you were named a lord of Neplee.”

“You doubt my word, Illius?” Thrang questioned angrily.

“Not at all, Lord Silversmith,” Illius answered with a twisted smile. “Your stories of distant lands have thrilled us all for many years. I’m sure no one here would ever question your word.”

“Enough of this,” said Thorgood, sounding angry himself. “Master Taylor has been named a lord of Neplee, and furthermore, he is a wizard and a dragon lord. I think that is more than enough reason to let him enter this hall and speak to us.”

“As you wish, my king,” said Illius coldly as he returned to his seat.

“Very well,” said Thorgood as he regained control of his emotions. “Master Taylor, will you tell us why you wanted to meet with us all?”

“There were two reasons that I asked for this meeting,” said Alex as he bowed to Thorgood. “Now that I am here, though, I see there are even more reasons than I thought. However, I will begin with the first reason.”

“And that would be?” Illius demanded loudly.

“That would be to inform you, King Thorgood, and your lords, that I have sworn to assist the new Oracle of the Empty Tower in any way she may require of me,” said Alex, watching Illius out of the corner of his eye. “I have told the oracle to send for me if ever she is in need, and I, or my friends, would come to her assistance.”

“A threat, then,” said Illius in an angry tone. “You hide a threat in your words, wizard.”

“I make no threats,” Alex answered calmly. “I am simply informing you that I will aid the oracle if she is in need. Only those foolish enough to try to control the oracle—or control access to the oracle—need fear what I say. I’m sure King Thorgood has no such plans, and so there is no threat in what I’ve told you.”

There was a general murmur of agreement at Alex’s words, and Illius looked around angrily. It was obvious he wanted the dwarf lords to feel threatened by Alex, but they all seemed to understand and accept what he had said.

“Wizards are known for their cunning ways,” Illius said in a sour tone. “My friends may not see through your words, but I do.”

“Do you?” Alex questioned. “I doubt you see very much at all. Your eyes are fixed in one place, and you have failed to look around you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Illius questioned, jumping to his feet.

“I mean that I found a new reason for this meeting the minute I heard your name,” said Alex. “I heard your name before I ever came to this land or joined in the adventure to find the Ring of Searching.”

“Where did you hear my name?” Illius questioned, his face going red. “In some wizard’s trance? Or perhaps some dragon told it to you.”

“No,” Alex said. “I heard it in the adventure shop of Mr. Cornelius Clutter.”

“What?” Illius shouted.

“Before I joined this adventure, I was visiting Mr. Clutter,” Alex explained. “He was kind enough to tell me about some other adventures that needed members. One of those was to seek for the crown of Set, and the adventure was being paid for by one Illius of Burnlap.”

“Lies!” Illius shouted. “You lie.”

“That is something I do not do,” said Alex coldly, his own anger growing. “If I did not respect Thorgood’s wishes regarding the use of magic in this room, you would even now be babbling the truth about your secret adventure.”

“It was not secret,” Illius said quickly, looking away from Alex. “I was . . . I was going to seek the crown and present it to the king as a gift. I thought it would make a grand gift, that is all.”

“And I suppose you never thought of keeping the crown for yourself, did you?” said Alex. “Never thought that the one who held the crown might be named the true king of the dwarf realm. Never considered the possibility that once you had the crown, you could claim to be the true heir of Set.”

“No, I never . . .” Illius stammered. He had gone pale as Alex spoke. “It was to be a gift—I swear on my honor.”

“You have no honor,” Alex snapped. “You twist the words of others to suit yourself. You show no respect to your king when he asks you to attend a council meeting. In secret, you have planned to control the city of Darvish in order to force those who seek the oracle to pay you for the privilege. Yes, I see the truth, and I know where your soldiers are going. No wizard is so blind that he could not see what you are trying to do, Illius.”