Albrek's Tomb - Forman Mark L - Страница 47
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“So, you’ve spoken to both of them now. What do you think?” Thrang asked when Alex returned to the house for the midday meal.
“I know who the true heir is,” said Alex without explaining. “How soon can the ceremony be arranged? I’d like to announce my decision and return the bag at the same time.”
“I’ll have to talk to Haymar and Halbrek to see how soon they can be ready,” said Thorson. “Though I doubt the two of them will agree to the decision of who the true heir is and the ceremony of the bag’s return at the same time.”
“Tell them that is the only way the bag will be returned,” said Alex with a smile. “They should both be there for the decision as well as to witness the bag’s return to the true heir.”
“It will be as you wish,” said Thorson with an understanding smile.
As it worked out, it took two days to prepare for the ceremony. Haymar and Halbrek argued about how many people should attend the ceremony and who those people should be. Then they argued about where the ceremony should take place and even what time of day it should begin. In the end, Thorson made most of the arrangements and decided most of the questions about who should be there. The only two things Alex insisted on were that some of the guests in attendance not be related to either Haymar or Halbrek, and that all of his companions be included as guests. He also suggested that Thrang’s nephew, Fivra, should be there.
“It might enlighten him a little,” said Alex. “After all, a lost bag means a lost adventurer, something I’m sure Fivra has not considered in his thinking.”
“Ah, yes,” said Thrang with a nod. “A cunning plan to show him the hard facts about adventures without saying anything. Very good, Alex, very good.”
As they waited for the ceremony to begin, all of Alex’s companions seemed to be getting nervous. They were interested to know what decision he had made, but Alex wouldn’t tell them. He thought it best not to say anything until the day of the ceremony, mostly because he wanted to see how Haymar and Halbrek would act between now and then.
“Halbrek seems confident,” Thorson observed as Alex and his friends made their way into the feasting hall on the day of the ceremony. “There are some rumors in the city that he will be named the true heir.”
“Rumors that Halbrek started, no doubt,” said Thrang, looking unhappy.
“Loose talk seldom holds truth,” Arconn said, taking a seat next to Alex.
“You havediscovered who the true heir is, haven’t you?” Thrain questioned in a worried tone.
“Yes, I have,” said Alex with a slight smile.
Once all the guests had arrived, Thorson stood up to address the crowd. Since Thorson had made most of the arrangements, he had been chosen to supervise both the decision about who the true heir was and the ceremony of returning the lost bag.
After several minutes of greetings and a quick explanation of the events for those dwarfs who didn’t already know what was going on, Thorson introduced Thrang and his company, and then he called both Haymar and Halbrek forward.
“Master Taylor, if you will,” said Thorson, bowing to Alex.
“I’ve been asked to judge who the true heir of Hathnord is,” Alex began, standing between Haymar and Halbrek. “It was not a simple task, but I know who the true heir is, and who I will be returning the lost bag of Hathnord to.”
Alex paused for a moment to look at both Haymar and Halbrek. Haymar looked a little nervous but stood firmly in his place. Halbrek looked pleased with himself and was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
“The true heir of Hathnord is Haymar Glynn,” said Alex in a loud, clear voice. “His claim on the bag is recognized, and I offer to return his father’s lost bag to him.”
“No!” cried Halbrek, his smile gone and his face growing red with anger. “We had an agreement. You were supposed to name me the rightful heir.”
“ Youhad an agreement,” Alex corrected. “I agreed to nothing. You admitted to me that you did not know the passwords to your father’s bag. Worse, you tried to bribe me into naming you as Hathnord’s heir.”
“I never said I didn’t know the passwords,” said Halbrek angrily. “And I would never think of offering a bribe for something that is rightfully mine.”
“I was asked to decide who this bag belongs to, and I have,” said Alex firmly. “If you know the passwords as you claim you do, tell me now.”
“I . . . well . . . we agreed that . . .” Halbrek stuttered.
“You are a fool, Halbrek Glynn,” said Alex coldly. “You have tried to cheat your brother out of his rights and honors, and worse, you have tried to bribe a wizard. Admit what you have done, or spend the rest of your life trying to hide it.”
“There’s nothing to admit,” Halbrek shouted. “You’ve made a mistake, but I suppose there is nothing I can do about that. Serves me right for putting my faith in such a young wizard, but what’s done is done.”
“Halbrek, please, tell the truth,” said Haymar, a look of concern on his face.
“You should talk about truth,” Halbrek spat back. “It’s obvious to me that you’re the one who’s done the bribing around here. You’ve cheated me out of my inheritance, just as you’ve tried to cheat me out of everything else.”
“You cheat yourself,” said Alex calmly. “You will take back what you’ve said about bribes, or I might take offense.”
“Take what offense you like,” Halbrek sneered. “You’ve taken my honor this day, so offending you is of little concern to me.”
“Forgive him, Master Taylor,” Haymar pleaded. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
“Because of the day and because Haymar asks it, I will take no action against Halbrek for his insults,” said Alex, fixing Halbrek with a glare. “However, if you ever even suggest that I would accept a bribe again, I will track you down and claim my revenge on you. And I promise you, Halbrek Glynn, that my revenge will be far worse than the loss of honor you’ve suffered this day.”
Halbrek paled. He seemed to be frozen in place. Once Alex had finished speaking, Halbrek tried to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. His face twisted with rage and fear.
“Go now,” Alex commanded. “You have no place among these honorable people.”
Halbrek turned and rushed out of the room. Alex and Haymar watched him go, as did everyone else in the hall. The guests looked stunned and surprised, and everything was quiet until Thorson spoke once more.
“Well, let the ceremony of returning the lost bag begin,” said Thorson nervously.
With Thorson’s words, the tension was broken and the dwarfs in the hall began to whisper. Thorson moved to where Alex and Haymar were still standing, and, speaking over the whispers, he started the ceremony.
Haymar managed a weak smile and offered Alex one-half of all that the bag contained. Alex thought Haymar was being overly generous and in the end accepted only one-third of the treasure in Hathnord’s bag. He would have asked for less, but he knew only too well that asking for too little would be an insult to Haymar.
With the bag returned to the rightful heir, the feast began and the noise in the room increased. Alex returned to his seat next to his friends. Thrang was upset about Halbrek’s outburst and his insults to Alex, and he insisted that Halbrek be punished in some way.
“I think he will be punished enough,” said Alex. “Everyone here knows what he has done, and the news will spread through Kazad-Syn quickly.”
“Still, he has insulted you,” said Thrang. “Something more than public shame is called for.”
“He will make his own punishment,” said Alex. “Everyone in the city will know what he’s done, though I think he will continue to deny it. Yet, the more he denies the truth, the easier it will be for others to see what he truly is.”
Thrang didn’t respond but it was clear that he thought some other punishment should be given to Halbrek. The feast, however, was very good, and soon the conversation turned from punishment to more pleasant topics.
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