drawstring bag Oarly had given him. Hyden elbowed Phen, and both of them watched curiously as the giant’s face began to split into a grin. His expression quickly went blank and he did his best to try to hide the gift under the table, but the queen had seen him and held out a snapping finger.
It was comical. The huge, powerful king of the most treacherous terrain known looked like a scolded boy handing over a frog he had kept in his pocket too long. The queen pulled from the bag a silver canteen. In her hand it looked like a boot flask. She unfastened the lid and sniffed at its contents and nearly dropped the thing. This caused both King Aldar and Oarly to lurch forward as if they could catch the container.
“What is that horrible-smelling stuff?” the queen asked.
“It’s granite juice, my lady,” Oarly said. “It’s used to polish hard metals and etch stone… among other things.” The last was mumbled so that only King Aldar and Hyden could hear it.
“It’s a very precious liquid, dear,” King Aldar said gingerly. “Please don’t spill it. Master Oarly has carried it such a long way.”
As she closed the container, King Aldar relaxed and smiled again. “What was it that the ever-so-kind dwarf gifted my ladies?” he asked.
“Oh,” the queen’s face suddenly beamed as she handed the flask back to her husband. “It’s a wonderful gift that Gretta and I can share. Look.”
She showed him the box and King Aldar nodded appreciatively at Oarly. Hyden noticed that both the king’s goblet and Oarly’s goblet were filled from a different flagon than everyone else's. With a hard look at the king, Dostin managed to get a refill out of that particular flagon once, as well. Hyden got a whiff of the stuff they were drinking and nearly vomited from the harsh smell. It reminded him of the concoction Master Amill once used to rid Queen Willa’s castle of rats and other vermin. Whatever it was, it was potent. Oarly’s eyes were glazed, and a slight grin stayed on his face as he feasted dreamily.
The fare was simple yet delicious. Everyone had their fill of meat, bread, vegetables, and gravy sauce. After a bit of pleasant conversation, the three women excused themselves. Only then, King Aldar sneaked a tiny sip from the canteen Oarly had given him. After he swallowed, he went completely pale. Hyden, Lieutenant Welch, and Corva shared looks of concern for a moment, but the king’s color came roaring back with a vengeance. His face slowly turned as purple as a plum. His huge hands were gripping the edge of the marble table so hard that Hyden thought he might snap off chunks of it.
“It’s the best, I assure you,” said Oarly through a lilted stupor.
After taking a few deep breaths, King Aldar agreed. “’Tis!” he managed with a nod.
Noticing that Hyden hadn’t been drinking much, Corva took the moment to ask him something that had been bothering him since he and Dostin joined them.
“Is there any way that I can escort Princess Telgra home, once she’s visited the Leif Repline?” the elf asked in an unassuming manner. “I understand your purpose for going onto the Wedjak, but she is the only one of her kind. If something were to happen to her, there is no telling what the elves would do.” Corva looked desperately concerned for her safety.
“I can’t make her do anything,” Hyden answered truthfully. “And I can’t allow anyone to force her to do anything that she doesn’t want to do.”
King Aldar pointed at the empty space between them and shook his head as if he were about to make a point, but apparently he couldn’t find the words just yet.
“It would be better if our group wasn’t so large,” Lieutenant Welch said. “I agree with Sir Hyden Hawk, though. I won’t allow her to be coerced into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.”
“We’ve still got two weeks of journeying, and that’s after winter relents. It’ll be months before we can get to the Leif Repline fountain,” Phen said matter-of-factly. “There will be plenty of time to figure all of that out, Corva.”
“He he tweedle dee,” Oarly sang out quietly. His voice sounded distant, like he was somewhere else. “Tweedle dee and tweedle do, flutter high and hammer true.”
Dostin giggled girlishly for a moment then lapsed into a soft snore.
“I understand,” Corva sighed. His voice and his expression showed his frustration. “I just have this sinking feeling about what my people might do in the meantime.”
“You’re starting to sound like Vaegon,” Hyden said.
Before Corva could respond, King Aldar finally found his voice.
“Your journey to the Leif Repline won’t be… so… so…” The giant sneezed hard, causing Dostin to erupt into a peal of giggling.
Corva put a hand on the monk’s shoulder and calmed him. Over the interruption, the king finally blurted out what he had been trying to say.
“It will take days, not months,” King Aldar said, fighting off another sneeze. “I… I… could put you a few days’ journey from the Leif Repline in a heartbeat.” He finally let loose his sneeze and seemed to lose focus for a few moments. When he gathered himself, he looked at Oarly appreciatively. “The best it is, dwarf.” The king’s eyes closed and his head lolled to the side.
“Teleporting?” Phen asked.
King Aldar nodded as he slid slowly into his chair. “You’ve got the Gwag to contend with, though. It guards the fountain jealously. It… it… is…” The king was out of it then, his huge face a study in bliss.
“Well that’s good news,” Hyden said.
“Good?” Lieutenant Welch asked. “A thing called the Gwag is guarding the fountain pool and that’s good news?”
“Aye.” Hyden grinned at Phen.
“Aye, it is,” Oarly mumbled into his dream.
“It’s good because we can find out what this Gwag is about, and get Marble Boy, Princess Telgra, and Talon back to normal in just a day or two.” He grinned.
“I can hardly wait,” Welch added sarcastically.
Chapter 39
“So what is a Gwag?” Hyden asked Phen the next morning.
Phen was sitting at a huge desk, looking like a whitewashed child on the giant-sized furniture. The desktop was cluttered with books, most opened, but some in crude stacks. Unable to sleep in his petrified state, Phen had spent the night searching for information about the Gwag, the Leif Repline, and anything else he could think of.
“Here, read this.” Phen pointed to an open text. “It’s the only mention of the fountain pool’s guardian, but it’s not mentioned as a Gwag. They describe it as a long, fur-coated, four-legged serpent.”
“How could it be a serpent if it has fur and legs?” Hyden asked.
“Just read the passage,” Phen smarted. “It’s a description given by an exploration party from before Pratchert’s day. One of the men in that party went with Pratchert and his father to hunt that ice bear pelt that’s in your tower’s trophy room.”
“It’s Dahg Mahn’s tower, not mine,” Hyden said, taking the book. He sank down onto a divan and began to read. After a moment he sat up and looked at Phen. “It says that the fountain poisoned one of their men.” He glanced at the book and found the line he was after. “‘Shriveled him to a husk in a matter of moments, after just one sip,’” he quoted.
“Aye.” Phen faced Hyden and made a strange face, as if he were contemplating deeply. “I’ve read a lot here, but I'm hoping King Aldar will allow me into the giants’ library, if they have one. I think there are probably traps and other deterrents, as well as this Gwag protecting the fountain. Something that powerful couldn’t be left accessible to just anyone who wanted to exploit it. Some of the accounts I’ve read speak of the fountain’s waters as if they were the elixir of eternity or something.” He sighed. “As eager as I am to be returned to normal, I think we should study as much as we can before we go.”
“Aye,” Hyden agreed. “I’ll see if Cade or His Majesty will take you to the Hall of Chronicles. Berda once told me that they keep all the stories and legends of the giant folk there.”
Phen nodded with a pleased smile on his bland face. After a moment he said, “Did you notice last night that
