Varian's Tangled Trials

The Thief

Yong woke up slowly, groaning in discomfort. He pushed himself up from where he'd been laying on Prometheus' back. The donkey stood in the middle of a crossroads. Ruddiger, curled up next to Yong, started to wake as well. Yong looked around and found Varian standing a few feet ahead. He was muttering and pouring over a map.

"Varian?" said Yong groggily. Varian didn't respond. Instead, he knelt in the dirt and pulled out a journal where he started to take notes. "Varian?" Yong slid off of Prometheus's back and walked over. "Varian, shouldn't we stop to eat or something?"

Varian kept his eyes down, focused on his task. "There's food in the saddlebag," he said.

Yong frowned. "No, I mean, we should rest, Varian."

"There's no time. We have to get to the water trial before he does. Heading him off is the only way to catch him."

"I know, but we've been going almost non-stop for three days now. Even when we do stop, you've been working on your mom's journal. Have you slept at all?"

Varian looked up, bags visible under bloodshot eyes. "Yong, we can't let him get away with this."

"We won't." Yong placed a comforting hand on Varian's shoulder. "But it will be hard to face him if you've worked yourself to death."

Varian sighed. "Yeah, okay, you're right." He rubbed his eyes and looked back down at the map. "I was getting nowhere with this anyway. I can't figure out whether to take the main road or the mountain pass. Maybe after a nap, I'll think clearer."

"Well," said a familiar voice. "The mountain pass is temptingly short. I'll give you that." Yong and Varian looked behind them to see their totem thief leaning against Prometheus in broad daylight. "But I hear it's lousy with avalanches this time of year. Probably not the best choice."

They jumped to their feet to face the smarmy cheat.

"You," growled Varian.

"Me!" said the stranger, pleasantly holding out his arms.

Yong jumped forward to tackle the stranger. The thief sidestepped out of the way. Varian pulled a vial out of his bag. Yong swung around and pulled out his firecrackers.

"Hey! Woah there," said the stranger, throwing his hands up. "I'm here to talk."

"Dirty thief!" snapped Varian, vial poised in the air.

"See, this is why Funsize here was right about you getting some sleep. You get cranky, start calling people names..."

"Where is it?" growled Varian.

"Yeah! Hand it over!" demanded Yong.

The stranger lowered his hands slowly. "Yes, the totem. That's what I'm here about. But, if you want it, you're going to have to hear me out."

Varian and Yong exchanged a look. They relaxed slightly but still glared back at the thief to listen.

"What do you want?" asked Varian.

The stranger puffed himself up proudly. "First, let me introduce myself. My name is Hugo, and I hail from the great and powerful nation of Ingvarr. I'm an accomplished alchemist, engineer, and adventurer. So naturally, when I heard about the wonders of the Eternal Library, I had to try to find it for myself."

Varian's eyes narrowed, then darted up and down Hugo's body. Tall, lean, just like the thief from Old Corona. Varian bit his tongue and let Hugo continue. "I'm sure men of science like yourselves would understand." He smiled at the two of them but found only silent stares. "Eh hem... anyway, when I arrived at the first trial, I was as surprised as you were to discover there were others on this noble quest. And how talented you were! But I felt I still needed to test you. See if you required my specialized skills."