Adventurers Wanted 2) The Horn of Moran by M.L. Forman

away his magic with no real effort. The warning about evil being close was easy enough to understand, but not at all comforting. Alex didn’t know where the evil was coming from, and even worse, he still didn’t know how to control his emotions.
     
    Whalen will know, Alex thought as he drifted off to sleep. Whalen will have the answers I need.
     
    * * *
     
    Alex woke early the next morning to a familiar dinging noise. Sitting up, he saw a geeb standing on the edge of his bed. He paid and thanked the geeb, then swiftly opened the letter from Whalen.
     
Dear Alex,
     
I must apologize. I should have prepared you better and pushed you harder to learn more than you have. I also should have taught you to control your emotions before now. I am truly sorry. I hope that you can forgive an old fool for trying to teach you as he would any other apprentice. But you are not a normal apprentice, Alex, and I must remember that.
     
You will, of course, have dozens of questions about the Watchers. Sadly, they are more myth than fact, and it is unclear how many of them there are. What little I can tell you is that they are known to appear from time to time to give warnings and advice, so you should pay attention to what was said.
     
I can also tell you that the Watchers are known to work for good, and to help where they can. They are incredibly powerful, but seldom use their magic directly. The fact that a Watcher actually let you see him—let alone spoke to you—is very impressive. Sadly, you will have to do as he said and wait for the answers to your questions, as only the Watchers can really answer them for you.
     
Regarding the Tower of the Moon. There are many stories and legends about the Tower, and once Bregnest told me that you would be going that way, I’ve been asking questions. You are correct that the Tower is the center of magical power for Norsland. But it has been more than two thousand years since a wizard has lived there. I’m sorry I do not have more information, but I’m still looking, and I have sent several letters to friends. As soon as I learn anything that might be helpful to you, I will send it along.
     
Now, as for your training, I’ve included some exercises to help you control your emotions. I want you to do them every night before you go to sleep and every morning when you wake up. They may seem boring or a bit odd, but they will help you more than you might think.
     
I’ve also included a list of books for your future reading, including instructions for transfiguration, which I believe you are ready to attempt. Start with small things at first—leaves, small rocks, things like that. If you have difficulty with the magic, let me know and I’ll do what I can to help.
     
Keep me informed on how your adventure is going. Keep your eyes open and study hard. I will hope for your success.
     
Yours in fellowship, Whalen
     
P.S. You might ask Sindar about how to control your emotions. He knows a great many things, and he might be able to help you even more than I can.
     
    Alex considered Whalen’s letter for several minutes. It seemed that Whalen didn’t have all the answers he wanted, but he did have some good advice. Worrying about the Watcher wouldn’t do any good, but learning self-control would. Alex thought Sindar might be able to help him control his emotions, but he would have to wait until later to ask—the list of things he was supposed to start reading was surprisingly long.
     
    Alex promised himself that he would do Whalen’s exercises every night and morning, even though they seemed strange to say the least. Most of what Whalen wanted him to do was concentrate and breathe slowly, but there were other things as well. Count backward from a thousand while controlling the speed of his breathing. Recite the alphabet backward as fast as he could in one breath. Even balancing objects on top of each other with his magic while reciting the alphabet backward and breathing slowly were part of