Alex took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. He told them how Shahree’s terrified whinny had called to him, and how he felt that he mustfollow, even though he knew he shouldn’t leave the camp. He told them that Andy was against him leaving, and how he had gone anyway, following a feeling he couldn’t explain. He told them everything as calmly as he could, and when he finished, the others remained silent for several minutes.

“It is not yet harmless,” Bregnest finally said, breaking the silence and pointing at the troll with his sword. “Though dawn’s light will finish the job you started.”

“We should check its pockets before it turns to stone,” Thrang commented. “Might be worth the trouble.”

“Turns to stone?” Alex questioned.

“Trolls turn to stone in sunlight,” Thrang answered. “And what’s in its pockets will turn to stone as well.”

“Check them,” Bregnest said to Thrang. “I’ll be ready if it moves again. Though I doubt it ever will.”

Thrang cautiously approached the troll and reached up to pat the large pockets. He drew his short sword and cut the bottom out of each pocket, letting the contents fall to the ground. Moving quickly to retrieve everything that fell, he hurried away from the troll once more.

“Have to wait for daylight to see what there is,” Thrang commented, squinting at the pile of items in his hands.

“Dawn will be here soon,” replied Arconn. “And punishment should be decided before it arrives.”

“Very well,” said Bregnest, looking grim. “As punishment for disobeying orders, Alex, you forfeit your extra share of any treasure found with the troll or in its lair. You will still receive an equal share, as agreed upon in the Adventurer’s Bargain, but even though you defeated the troll in single combat, you will not have the honor of dividing this treasure.”

“All right,” said Alex, relieved. He had worried he’d be sent back to Telous and not allowed to go on. “I know it was wrong to leave the camp,” he added quickly to cover the sound of his relief. “I just felt I had to.”

“This may seem a small punishment to you,” said Bregnest sternly. “However, it is a dishonor to lose your extra share. You do not know all the ways of adventurers yet, nor do you understand how much value we place on honor.”

“I may not understand,” Alex answered, standing up, “but I feel that I did what I had to do.”

“And it has turned out well,” Arconn added.

“Yes, yes it has,” admitted Bregnest with a slight smile. “So there will be no punishment other than what I have said. After all, few adventurers would take on a three-legged troll alone. You have proven your courage and worth this night, my friend.”

“Thank you,” said Alex, bowing to Bregnest.

“Arconn, bring the others here when they have found the horses,” said Bregnest, his eyes turning to the troll once more. “We should search the troll’s cave as a company.”

chapter six

The Troll’s Cave

Alex wiped the troll’s blood off his sword and sheathed it as he waited with Thrang and Bregnest. He felt tired and drained, but proud at having defeated

the troll.

The eastern sky was growing light when Arconn finally returned to the clearing, followed closely by the rest of the company. It seemed that Arconn had already told Alex’s story to the others, and they arrived, excited to see the frozen troll.

“Not a bad night’s work,” Skeld commented, looking at the troll and its missing leg. “Don’t see many like this one, do we?”

“Three legs,” said Tayo as he stood beside Bregnest.

“What do you mean? Isn’t that normal for trolls?” Alex asked.

Skeld burst into laughter and the others smiled as well. When Skeld regained control of himself, he looked at Alex. “Do you know about the birds and the bees?” he asked in a tone that made him sound like a schoolteacher.

“Yes,” Alex replied.

“Well, trolls don’t,” said Skeld, laughing madly again.

Alex looked to Thrang for an answer.

“Trolls aren’t like other creatures,” Thrang explained with a smile. “Trolls molt.”

“Molt?”

“They shed their skins, but not like a snake. When trolls molt, they divide into two different trolls.”

Alex looked at the other members of the company, thinking that this was a joke, but they all nodded in agreement with what Thrang had said.

“It’s in the handbook,” said Andy. “You should take more time to read it.”

“I suppose I should,” Alex admitted. He hadn’t even looked at the handbook since Arconn had given it to him.

“Now watch,” said Thrang, looking to the east. “You’ll see something that not many have.”

Alex and his companions watched as the sunlight moved to where they were standing in the clearing. Even Skeld became quiet as the light inched closer to the troll. When the first ray of sunlight touched the troll’s uplifted arm there was a sharp cracking sound, like ice splitting, and the troll’s skin and clothes changed from green and brown to light gray stone.

“That’s what happens to trolls caught in sunlight,” said Thrang in a satisfied tone.

“That’s incredible,” said Alex in amazement.

“Most adventurers know that sunlight will turn trolls to stone,” said Skeld, chuckling to himself. “But getting them into the sunlight—that’s the hard part.”

“Enough talk,” said Thrang. “Let’s see what it had in its pockets.”

They all gathered around the objects Thrang had retrieved in the darkness: a fair-sized iron key, a suitcase-sized coin purse, and half a dozen leather bags.

“The key will be to its cave,” said Thrang, handing it to Bregnest. “We’ll have to look for that.”

“And well worth looking for,” Arconn added.

“Let’s see now,” Thrang continued, opening the giant coin purse and pouring the contents onto the ground.

Alex gasped as the gold and silver coins spilled out at Thrang’s feet. He had never seen any treasure in his life and this pile seemed huge to him.

“Most trolls carry only a small part of their wealth with them,” said Tayo with a grim smile. “If this is a sign, the cave should hold a fair amount.”

“Let’s see what these might be,” said Thrang, reaching for one of the leather bags and untying the knotted cord that held it closed.

Thrang slipped his hand inside. Alex took a deep breath as Thrang pulled out a handful of large, dark red rubies. Out of the second bag, Thrang withdrew some incredibly green emeralds. The third bag contained more rubies, while the fourth and fifth bags were each full of shiny white diamonds. Alex couldn’t believe how much treasure the troll had been carrying.

“It seems our adventure has already made a profit,” said Skeld, slapping Alex on the back and smiling.

Thrang’s hands trembled with excitement as he untied the cords on the last bag. Alex watched him closely, wondering what new treasure this last bag would hold. Thrang looked into the bag for a moment, a puzzled look on his face. Then he held out his left hand and dumped the bag’s contents into it: a single golden ring set with a large black stone.

“Something special ’bout this,” said Thrang, looking at Bregnest. “No troll would carry a ring. Not unless it was something special.”

“That’s true,” Bregnest agreed. “So hear now what I say about the division of this treasure. As a single victor, Alex would normally have the honor of dividing this treasure as well as an extra share. Because of Alex’s punishment for leaving his post, I will divide this first treasure evenly between us, with one exception. This ring is unknown, but may have magical powers. According to our agreement, it belongs to Alex.” He looked sternly at Alex. “I would advise leaving it in its bag, however, until you find an oracle who can tell you exactly what it is.”

Thrang placed the ring back into the leather bag and handed it to Alex. He accepted the bag with a bow, but made no move to put it into his magic bag with his other belongings. Part of him wanted to look at the ring again, but he decided to follow Bregnest’s advice and kept the bag closed.