Home Trip. 3

Once back with the crowd, Craven realized what he had done. Tabor was beyond angry with him. He was furious. He would have to face his father and tell him he had failed. Craven knew it was all his fault. Zarin had outsmarted him again. He was so mad at himself. He had to find a way to make up for his failure or Tabor would out him from his group of friends. Already he refused to talk with him and made him walk behind them. Craven wasn't exactly the brains of the group and he didn't come from one of the most influential of families. All he had was his magical talent and what wits he could summon. Would it be possible for him to get the ring back from them? Or should he just find some other way of taking his revenge? Magically, he was no match for Zarin and physically, he couldn't match Reno. But maybe there was away. The weakest one of the group would be his target. Trip. He had no family in Winterhaven like Zarin and Dack. Trip had come with Reno from Andros, a country far away from Winterhaven. Not very much was known about Andros, except that it had been overthrown by a mage named Mahlos, and the royal family had been killed. Reno was supposed to be a cousin to Prince Shayn so Craven guessed it was possible he had belonged to the Andros royal family. Trip was Reno's best friend very good with his magic. But magic wouldn't be enough to save him if Craven could do this right. He smiled as his thoughts begin to come together into a plan. He decided to work alone. That way there would be no one but himself to blame if the thing went wrong. but he knew he would have to tell Tabor.

As they boarded the Golden Goblin to return to Winterhaven, Craven went to talk to Tabor. He found him alone on deck stewing over his failure.
"Tabor," he said. "I need to talk to you."
"Haven't you done enough already?" He turned from his ex-friend.
"I screwed up bad I know," Craven said.  But what if I can get the ring back?"
"Then you will be my second again." Tabor turned to look at him. "What do you have planned?"
"To get the ring back." He turned and walked off. "By myself."

"You should have seen us, Thalia." Reno patted Dack on his back. "If Dack's spell had affected you, you would have thought we were Tabor, Aron, and Elan. We had Craven so mad, I thought his head would explode."
Thalia and Trip laughed with the rest of the group. " See, the studying is paying off." She told him.
"What are we going to do with the ring?" Trip asked. Everyone looked at Zarin for the answer.
"I don't know." Zarin shrugged. "I didn't think beyond keeping them from getting it."
"But I just had a thought." Trip said. "What if we get back to Winterhaven and Tayor is waiting at the docks with guards. He could say we stole it from Tabor. What would happen?"
"They would take it from us and give it to him," Reno said. Everyone had a scared look on their face. "I'm sure he could come up with some false proof that it was his ring."
"Then we need to get rid of it." Zarin pulled the ring from his pocket and held it over the side of the ship.
"Wait." Trip stopped him. "I could fly it back and return before we dock. No evidence, no charges. Besides, If we don't have the ring, Professor will back us. He knows we wouldn't steal."
"But we did steal it," Dack told them.
"No, not really." Thalia stopped Dack. "If it belonged in the mine, it would have been detected by the magic of the dwarves and the mine. We never would have made it out with it in our pocket."
Zarin handed the ring to Trip. "Go, and get back fast."
Trip popped it in his mouth then looked around to be sure no one was watching. Then he climbed on the rail and dived off. Shifting in the air he took off on the winds and sped for Winterhaven.
A few minutes late Tabor and the Elves walked over to confront them
"What do you want?" Zarin asked.
"You know what I want." Tabor spat at them. "Give it to me now and save yourself from the city dungeons."
"We don't know what you're talking about," Zarin told him as the Elves stepped upon him. Reno and Dack stood with Zarin.
"You know what I'm talking about. You have the ring." Elan reached for Zarin's bag.
"Touch that bag, and I'll rip off your arm and beat you with it." Reno took Zarin's bag from him.
"Why don't you trolls get lost." Walking out in front of Tabor, Thalia frowned at them. "We didn't do anything to you, so get away from us."
"LIARS!!" Tabor's face turned red as he screamed at them. He raised his hands focused on a spell.
"Mr. Larin don't you dare!!" In an explosion of smoke, Professor Insa appeared between them smoke rising all around him. "What is the meaning of this!!"
"They took something of mine!" Tabor shouted. "And I want it back!"
Professor Insa turned to Zarin and his friends. "Is this true Mr. Testa?"
"We don't have anything that belongs to them, Professor."
"He's lying!" Elan reached again for Zarin's bag. Reno pulled away snarling at Elan. "Search them, you'll find it."
"Can I see the bag Mr. Andropolos?" Prof Insa held out his hand.
"Of course you can." Reno handed the bag over to him and stood with his friend. Prof. Insa opened the bag and went through it.
"What exactly am I looking for in here?" He asked.
Zarin smiled at Tabor.
"Yeah, Tabor. What did we steal from you? Was it expensive?"
Aron started to say something when Tabor shot him a look. He knew if the Professor found the ring, he'd know what it was. Tabor couldn't have that. He could wait until the ship docked and his father was there.
"Never mind Professor." He turned to walk off.
"Mr. Larin!" Prof Insa called him. "Don't you think you owe them an apology?"
"HUMPH!!" Tabor and his friends all stormed to the other side of the boat.
"What was that all about," Prof Insa asked them. "Did something happen while I was away?"
"No," Zarin told him. "We had an interesting tour of the mine. Dack didn't feel well, so we let him get some rest.Tabor's a jerk. Other then that, it was fun."
"Yeah." They all echoed Zarin smiling.
Prof Insa looked at them like he suspected they were leaving something out. He looked around for a second.
"Where's Mr. Tricolos?"
"Here!" They heard coming from behind the cabin deck. Trip came out sweeping his jet black hair back from his face. It was wet. They looked at him.
"Big waves up forward. Stay back from the rails up there."
"If you're all OK." Prof Insa turned to go. "I'll go get the others ready to disembark. We're almost home."
"See ya Professor!!' Thalia wave as he left. Once he was gone they all went into the cabin and shut the door.
"That was fast!" Dack brushed feathers from Trip's shoulder. Trip nodded.
"Any problems?" Zarin asked.
"No," He said "But I was right. Tabor's father is waiting at the docks with guards. We'll be searched when we get back."
"You hid the ring?"
"Yeah." Trip said. "They won't find it."
Over at the window, Thalia had been watching to be sure Tabor couldn't spy on them. She saw something that disturbed her.
"Look, everybody." She waved them over.
"What?" Reno asked.
"It's Craven. He's all alone out there. They won't talk to him."
"Of course. Tabor's pretty mad at him." Reno looked out at him. "Not only did he blow it, but he also hit him."
"Don't feel sorry for him." Dack stepped away from the others. " Not after all the bullying, he's done to us. I'm not sorry."
"Dack, he uses to be one of your closest friends." Thalia looked depressed. "How can you stand it?"
"He changed," Dack said. "It was weird."
"You want to go cheer him up," Zarin asked.
She turned to look at them giving them the eye."As if."
"Good." Zarin walked to the door and opened. "We're docking. Come on. Let's get this over with."
Zarin and his friends were the last to leave the ship. As they came down the gangplank they saw Tayor Larin standing there with two city guards and Tabor and his friend. Professor Insa was there arguing with Tayor.
"This is a serious charge your making against my student." He said sternly. "You have proof, I presume?"
"Yes, I do," Tayor said stepping towards them.
"You mind telling me what was stolen?" He stepped in front of Zarin.
"A ring Tabor was wearing." Tayor looked at Zarin. "They attacked him in the mine and took it."
Professor Insa looked at him like he was crazy. He knew better than that. If it was the other way around he might believe it. But no one attacks Tabor as big as he is, and with two or three of his buddies with him. No way.
"Let me get this straight." Professor Insa said to Tayor. "Your saying Zarin and Dack attacked Tabor and robbed him? Is that correct?
"We want to search for them." Tayor said
"Wait a minute." Professor Insa held out his hand to stop him
"No Professor." Zarin stepped over to him. "We didn't take anything from Tabor. They can search for us."
"Inside and out." Tayor smiled.
"Now you wait just one minute." He said angrily. "I won't allow..."
"Inside and out," Zarin said. "We don't have any ring of his."
"Are you sure you want to submit to this?"  Prof Insa asked. "You don't have to."
"We want to prove our innocence," Zarin said as Tayor stepped forward. "But, we want you to do it Professor, not him."
"This is outrageous!!" Tayor yelled. "I have a right to..."
"You have no right to touch or examine these children against their will." Prof Insa had had enough. "I will do it with the guard's presence. Step away Please."
Tayor took another step towards Zarin and the others. Professor Insa held out his hand to stop him.
"Step away!" He said smoke beginning to rise all around him. "Or I will make you step away. Your choice."
Tayor looked deeply in Insa's eyes. The hate they had for each other was almost like something so solid they could beat each other with it. Tayor stepped away and moved Tabor and his friends further up the docks.
Professor Insa turns to Zarin and the others. "This won't hurt at all. If you have anything on you it will show. You ready?"
"Yes, sir." They all said.
"Just line up along the pier here and I'll cast on all of you at once."
Zarin and the others lined up one by one next to each other. Prof Insa stood in front of then and put his hands together. He started a spell in the deep voice they couldn't understand then waved at them. All five kids felt a strangely warm feeling in their bodies. Prof Insa and the guards inspected each of them one by one and found nothing. Not in there clothing or in their bodies.
"Nothing." The guard said. "I'll let Councilman Tayor know we found nothing."
"Good." Prof Insa said. "And get him out of here."
They watched the guards salute then go and talk to Tayor. It didn't look like he took it to well. He was screaming at the poor guards. They saw him start back towards them, but the guards stopped him. He left in frustration. Prof. Insa looked back at them snickering with laughter. He had a serious look on his face.
"Mr. Testa. I will see you in my study in one hour."
"Yes sir." He answered. Prof Insa turned to leave. "Professor?"
He stopped and looked back. "Yes?"
"Am I in trouble?"
"I don't know yet." He grabbed his cloak and spun into a cloud of smoke and disappeared.