Gareth and th Lost Island by Patrick Mallard Read Free Book Online Page A

of it, the Dean made
a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Now as per the ancient
precedents, I command you, Professor Gareth Mintel and Doctor
Tralnis Granitestaff, to be off on your quest, and to not return to
the University Arcanum until you have proof of the discovery we
have sent you to find. Mintel, you have two hours to clear out your
office before security escorts you off campus. The same goes for
you, Granitestaff. Oh, and take that smelly beast with you,” the
Dean ordered while pointing at Henry.
    Henry snarled, showing his sharp teeth. He reached
behind himself, and raised the back of his kilt a bit. Gareth ran
over, and put a hand on his friend’s arm to stop him. “Not now,
Henry!” Gareth hissed. “You can fling poo at the Dean and Nut-less when we return with proof we found the Lost island
of Mascal, I promise,” he assured his friend before herding him
towards the exit.
    Without looking back, the three of them walked out of
the Conclave Hall with their heads held high. Right before they
were out of earshot, they heard Nutleiss tell the Dean, “Thank you
for getting rid of Mintel, and that creepy little pervert.” Careful
not to let his friends know what he was doing, Henry held up a hand
with one finger extended behind his back in a universal gesture of
contempt.

Chapter 5
    Tralnis and Henry followed Gareth to his small office
in the basement of the School of Languages. They were the only ones
there at that hour, so Gareth let his shoulders slump as depression
set in. “I’m sorry for dragging you two into this. It’s not fair
that you get banished with me,” he apologized.
    “When I signed the guardianship papers for you at the
orphanage, I promised that I would look after you. You’re my son,
Gareth, and Dwarves take care of their own, no matter what,”
Tralnis replied.
    Henry hooted and snorted to tell Gareth that he felt
the same way.
    “Thank you,” Gareth whispered, letting go of some of
his guilt.
    Tralnis gave Gareth a crooked smile. “Look at it this
way. We weren’t sacked, just put on indefinite sabbatical. Soon
we’ll be off on a grand adventure, or a Frentguin as we Dwarves
call them,” he said optimistically.
    Gareth snorted, and shook his head in amusement.
Henry cocked his head to the side to ask what that word meant. “The
Dwarves have a unique way of looking at things. Frentguin means a
chance to visit faraway places, meet new people, and then have sex
with them,” he explained. Henry rolled his brown eyes and shook his
furry head. This caused Gareth to chuckle slightly. Tralnis was
glad he could distract Gareth from the downward spiral of guilt he
had been headed towards.
    The Dean had only given them two hours to clean out
their offices, and Gareth had a tendency to be something of a
packrat. Luckily for Tralnis, he never used the office that had
been assigned to him at the School of Medicine. He preferred to use
the office at his private practice instead. As such, Tralnis was
free to help Gareth pack up what they could in the short time
allotted.
    When they reached Gareth’s office, the young scholar
held the door open for the other two, and then rotated a disk next
to the door frame. Rotating the disk realigned the rune array that
sent magic to charge the trapped Aetherium gas in the clear glass
tubes that ran the length of the ceiling. Once the gas was charged,
it gave off a strong, slightly blue tinted light that was perfect
for reading and staring at tiny details for hours on end. Once
inside the office, Henry let out a long, low whistle as he looked
around.
    Tralnis looked over at Henry, and nodded his head.
“While I don’t speak Chimmish, I’m pretty sure I know what you mean
and I have to say I agree completely,” he stated. Tralnis turned to
look up at Gareth, and waved his arm around the room. “Gods of rock
and ore, Gareth, how do you manage to find anything in this mess?”
he asked.
    Gareth looked around the room, trying to see it
through his