Usel and the other centaurs waved good-bye as they rode into the woods, and they were soon lost to sight in the maze of trees.

Alex and his friends continued forward without talking, each of them thinking his own thoughts, and all of them relieved to be heading south once more.

The winter days were short, and the weather remained cold as they traveled. It sometimes snowed a little at night, but never enough to slow them down for long. Alex continued to send messages to Whalen, though not as many as he had before. He had finished studying the books Whalen had sent him at the end of his first adventure, and now he was looking through the books of the upper library. He decided he’d ask the bag maker to modify his library to expand as needed.

It wasn’t long before the company was back in the valley where they had first seen the goblins. It was midday, and there was no sign that goblins had been using the valley since the last time they had been here. They hurried on, however, not wanting to linger so close to the place where their adventure had nearly come to an end.

“How much time do you think we have left?” Alex asked that night as they sat around their campfire.

“If all goes well, we should reach Alusia well before the spring festival,” Bregnest answered. “The road from Athanor to the arch took me nearly three weeks, so it will probably take us three weeks to return to Athanor with the Horn. And once we get there, we may still have trouble reaching the king. If Kappa has men watching the road with orders to stop us, things could become difficult.”

“I’ll be glad to get to Alusia,” Halfdan commented. “Don’t remember what it’s like to be properly warm.”

“We can travel across the country if we have to,” Sindar said to Bregnest, ignoring Halfdan’s comment. “We will fight our way there if we must.”

“Let’s hope we don’t have to fight our way from the arch to Athanor,” Bregnest replied. “We won’t know anything until we get to Alusia, so it’s pointless to worry now.”

They continued south along the road to Ollvi, meeting no trouble as they traveled. Bregnest seemed more relaxed than he had been, but he still urged the company forward as much as possible. Alex knew that Bregnest’s concern was for his cousin, and he could understand his desire to hurry.

They reached Ollvi just after midday. They found rooms at the same inn where they had stayed before, and then gathered in the main bar to talk. Bregnest thought they should move on early in the morning, but their discussion was cut short by the arrival of Tom Cain.

“Master Taylor,” said Tom. “I heard that you and your friends had returned. I have come to invite you and your company to join my family for your evening meal.”

“You are most kind. However, such a request should be made to our company’s leader,” replied Alex, motioning to Bregnest.

Tom seemed confused, but he soon recovered. “Sir,” he said to Bregnest. “Would you be so kind as to honor us?”

“The honor is ours,” said Bregnest. “My company and I will be pleased to join you.”

Tom, in his excitement, bowed several times before making his way out of the inn. Bregnest chuckled slightly at Tom’s behavior and then returned his attention to the company.

“Well,” said Bregnest, “a fine meal tonight and the road again tomorrow.”

That evening, Alex and Andy led the company to the Cain house. They were both pleased to see that the house looked much better than it had the last time they were in Ollvi. Tom had obviously spent a fair amount of his father’s gold to restore the house to its former glory, and he had done a good job of it.

The Cain family greeted the company at the front door of the house, and Mrs. Cain led them into a large dining room where an excellent meal had been prepared for them. At Mrs. Cain’s request, Bregnest told them the story of how Jonathan Cain’s bag had been recovered. Alex listened to Bregnest’s retelling of the story, both pleased and relieved that his own part in it had not grown with time. After Bregnest had finished the tale, Alex asked Tom how his family was getting along.

“I have managed to regain quite a bit of what my family once owned,” said Tom. “If I could buy some horses for our southern fields, I think we may begin to see some profits.”

“Are horses hard to find here in Ollvi?” Alex questioned.

“They are not so common as they once were,” Tom answered. “I was hoping to breed horses, but the cost here in Ollvi is high. I suppose I’ll have to buy at least one and ride to Oslansk, or maybe even further south, to get a better price.”

“What price do people here ask for horses?” Alex asked.

“If you can find a horse for sale, which is rare, the price is at least fifty gold coins, usually more. Those who own horses seldom sell them, and so they can demand whatever price they desire.”

“But you need a horse,” said Alex.

“I do,” answered Tom, a slightly confused look on his face.

“Well, you never know, something may turn up.”

After they had finished their meal and thanked Mrs. Cain for her kindness, the company returned to the inn. After his friends had gone to bed, Alex sat down at a table and wrote a short letter to Tom. He explained that the horse was a gift from the company, a thank you for having them all to dinner. Once he finished the note, he went to find the innkeeper. Alex quickly explained what he wanted the innkeeper to do, and the innkeeper seemed to be pleased with Alex’s plan and accepted the letter for Tom Cain. When Alex offered to pay, the innkeeper refused, but bowed to Alex, saying that it was his honor to help.

The next morning, as they prepared to leave, Alex didn’t saddle Val’s horse. Halfdan was quick to question Alex about it, and he seemed stunned by Alex’s answer.

“What do you mean you’re leaving it here?”

“A small gift to a friend,” Alex answered with a grin.

“But this horse has great value here in Ollvi,” Sindar commented. “You could sell it for a high price.”

“Perhaps,” said Alex. “However, he reminds me too much of Val, and I would like to leave that memory behind. Besides, I’m sure he’ll have a good home with the Cain family.”

“You’ll give away all you have one of these days,” said Andy with a laugh.

“That would take some doing,” Alex answered.

Chapter Fifteen

Otho’s Wish

The trip from Ollvi to Oslansk was cold, and for the most part, uneventful. On the third day, Alex received a short message from Whalen saying that he would not be in Telous when Alex and the company returned from Norsland, but that he felt sure he would be there after their trip to Alusia.

Alex tried hard not to show his disappointment at learning his meeting with Whalen would be delayed by at least six weeks. He wanted to meet Whalen face-to-face as soon as possible.

A few days before they reached Oslansk, Andy suggested that they stay in the city for at least a week. He said something about needing a good long rest in a nice warm city, but he didn’t sound very convincing to anyone.

“Lilly and Indigo don’t have another sister, do they?” Halfdan asked suspiciously.

“As a matter of fact, they do,” said Andy, turning bright red.

“And I suppose she is as pretty as both of her sisters,” said Sindar.

“Well, she is rather pretty,” Andy admitted. “But we’re only friends, and that has nothing to do with my wanting to spend some time in the city.”

The entire company burst into laughter at Andy’s denial, and Andy was soon beet red, but laughing as well.

“Perhaps we should ride south now and avoid Oslansk all together,” Halfdan suggested.

“I think the sooner we get Andy away from here, the better off he’ll be,” Bregnest added with a slight chuckle.

“Every man has a right to fall in love,” said Sindar.