Adventurers Wanted, Book 4: Sands of Nezza by M. L. Forman Read Free Book Online Page A

Alex. “I’d like to have some water close by, in case another earthen stoic shows up.”
    Savage nodded and started walking. Alex followed close behind, not wanting to get lost in the darkness. His legs felt weak, and he knew it was because of the magic he had used. Magic had a price after all, but Alex thought that weak legs and being dead tired were a small price to pay for escaping the stoic.
    They walked for almost a mile before Alex had to stop. The magic he’d used to destroy the stoic had taken more out of him than he’d thought, and all he wanted to do was to rest.
    “Wait,” said Alex, reaching out to touch Savage’s shoulder. “I need a few minutes to catch my breath.”
    “This isn’t the best spot to be sitting and resting,” said Savage.
    Alex looked at the hillside they were standing on. There were no trees and only a few small bushes. He suddenly felt very exposed.
    “We should find better cover. But I’d like to rest and perhaps talk for a few minutes before going on,” said Alex.
    Savage nodded and headed down the hill. Alex followed slowly, each step a little harder to take than the last. He paused after only going about fifty yards, focusing his mind and using the elf magic he had learned to help him rest. Alex’s body relaxed, his muscles loosened, and he continued on more quickly. The elf magic would let his mind and body rest, almost like he was sleeping, but he could continue to move and talk just the same.
    It wasn’t long before Savage stopped and sat down on a fallen log. They were surrounded by pine trees, and Alex found a comfortable spot at the roots of one of them. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes.
    “What did you want to talk about?” Savage questioned.
    “The order of Malgor,” said Alex. “I want to know why you were surprised when you thought they had sent me here.”
    “Let’s just say the order isn’t what it used to be,” Savage answered.
    “They aren’t able to get things done the way they used to?”
    “I’m not sure they get anything done at all these days.”
    “Why do you think that is?” Alex asked.
    “I don’t have to think—I know,” Savage answered in a fierce tone. “There are too many lazy people in the order, making decisions about what is and isn’t important. Not enough information is getting to the top levels of the order anymore. Nobody checks up on things because it’s easier to say there isn’t a problem than it is to find out what the problem really is.”
    “Don’t you send your reports to a central location?”
    “I used to, but they changed things a few years back, just after I started working for them,” said Savage. “There were rumors that someone with evil intentions was interfering with the order, maybe even trying to kill the leaders of the order, so the order became more secretive.”
    “I can understand the concern,” said Alex. “I’m sure the order has made a lot of enemies over the years.”
    “Not as many as you might think,” said Savage. “The order has never played favorites, so today’s enemy might be tomorrow’s friend, if you follow me.”
    “Yes, I understand. The order passes information to the people who need it, even if those same people have been a problem in the past.”
    “Exactly, so I don’t see the reason for their fear,” Savage continued. “Whatever their reasons, all the reports have to pass through levels. At each level, a person or a group of people decides what is important enough to pass on and what isn’t.”
    “That’s the problem?” Alex asked.
    “No, the problem is that I don’t know who’s reading my reports and what they are passing on,” said Savage. “If I say that it looks like all of Nezza may soon be at war, someone higher up might decide that Nezza has been at war for years. They might think that war in Nezza is normal, but they’ve never been here and they don’t know what it’s really like. But they pass on the message that