We found an occasional tree in these forests that didn't have a resident tree spirit. We asked one of our little trees about it. It told us that in areas like this where there were very large number of trees some never got spirits.

As we approached the end of the second day the trail began to look a bit more traveled and then we came upon a homestead. They welcomed the entertainers and gave us all their hospitality. We had a fine sing-along with them that night.

Then next night we stopped at a small community and they were given a full show, for which they were provided some produce and a bit of money.

And so it went - more small towns and individual homes as we followed creek that grew to a stream and then a river. On the morning of the fourth day we turned north and had to climb over the ridge that had been on our right all the way down. Fortas told me that it was quite a ways to the sea yet on this side of the ridge, but the sea came further in on the other side.

When we got to the top about noon all we could see to the north was the tops of clouds, but as we ate our lunch the clouds gradually disappeared and we got our first sight of the sea.

Straight north from the bottom of the ridge a long shining white piece of land sat between the sea and Garnet Bay. Fortas said it was called a spit and was sand. The channel connecting the bay and the sea was at the north end where we could barely see it. We could see the town of Garnet Bay on the inland side of the bay and there were docks and ships there, though Fortas said the fishing fleet was out to sea. It was a very beautiful sight.

I selected a weather-gnarled old pine to make contact with and then we went down the ridge. When we got to the bottom the road went left to the town and right to the beach; we took the beach road. The road ended at a nice camping place with several groups already camping there. We decided to stop and spend the night after talking to a native who said there would be several fine days ahead.

We set up our camp with Malcolm's tent at the back against the thick forest. Malcolm had a large piece of cloth with a doorway that he hung between two of the wagons and put the tent doorway in the doorway of the cloth. This made his tent appear much bigger to anyone who came around so there wouldn't be comments on how many people were inside such a tiny tent.

When everything was set up Malcolm placed a keep-out spell on our camp and we all went out to the beach. Piro asked people nearby to keep an eye on our camp.

As we had come along the road we had heard the sea roaring louder and louder. Aril, Lira and I had no idea that the sea made a roaring noise. When we got near the water it became obvious that the roaring came from large waves that continually came in one after the other. Shuah was so excited she was dancing up the beach.

There were large white birds gliding overhead and smaller birds running rapidly along the lines where the waves stopped coming in. Every so often one would quickly stab its beak in the sand and pull something out and swallow it.

We walked down the beach quite a ways. There were broken shells and a few whole ones which we collected. There were rounded stones of all kinds and we collected a few of the prettiest. When Shuah got tired I or someone else would carry her on our shoulders. But she didn't stay long; she'd see some pretty thing and want down.

There was driftwood, pieces of old nets and all kinds of other unidentifiable stuff. We walked about an hour and cane to the end of the beach. The ridge we had crossed had become a cliff that went far out to sea and blocked us from going further. We hadn't seen another soul since leaving the camp ground. We were pretty hot by then and went under some trees where a creek came out from the base of the ridge. Many people obviously stopped here as there were logs to sit on around a well-made permanent stone fire pit. There were some large trees up the creek and I made contact with one of them as usual.

After cooling a while we all suddenly wanted to try wading or swimming in the sea. Aril, Lira and I were a bit nervous about the waves, but we were assured they weren't dangerous because the tide was coming in. What difference that made I don't know but we accepted it.

The water was cool but not cold, not like that stream I almost drowned in, and it was fun feeling the sand eaten out from under foot by the flowing water and getting hit by the incoming waves. Shuah could swim very well but she really enjoyed being held up by the hands by two of us as waves struck her in the middle. At one point I scooped up a handful of water and took a big drink. I quickly spat it out - it was salty! No one had told me about that. Everyone who did know, however, almost collapsed with laughter.

Budin could actually stay under water indefinitely; he breathed air on land and water under water. However he said he didn't care much for the salty water of the sea - he preferred fresh water.

When we were all played out we went back to the place by the stream and I had a big drink of water, fresh water, from a sparkling falls coming down the cliff. So did everyone else, but they graciously let me go first.

We would have liked to stay at this beautiful secluded spot for many days, but until we got a report from the Watcher about Bolgar's plans we had to assume the worst and be as swift as possible. As the sun was setting we wended our way back to the camp. At one point on our way we noticed in a pile of driftwood a small wooden box. It looked just as warn and rounded as the driftwood around it but regular enough to be out of place. Shuah ran over and picked it up and carried it the rest of the way back. Actually it just looked like a block of wood that had drifted for a long time, but something inside rattled so we knew it was a hollow box, though there seemed no way to open it.

When we got to camp all the other campers were just setting about to start a communal supper and they invited us to join in, which we happily did. Everyone contributed food and labor and when it was done everyone contributed appetite. After eating, all those who had musical instruments got together and played well-known folk tunes and everyone else sang along. Even Aril, Lira and I had learned enough of the language to sing the choruses and sometimes some of the verses if we'd heard them before.

After the sing-along everyone went to their own camps. All of our group went into Malcolm's tent to discuss our plans and the small box. First Malcolm told us that he had been told that some young people were missing in the town. It was feared that a slaver ship was in port. All the ships had been searched but no captives had been found. Ships being the shapes they were, small hiding places could be built that would be very hard to discover. We were warned that the young folks among us should never be alone. We all agreed that if these young people could be found by any magic we should certainly help them.

We were all curious to know what was rattling inside the wooden box. Piro, who had many tools they used to build props for their entertainment and even musical instruments, brought in a small saw. He made a mark around the middle of the box and then began to saw around it at the mark, going a bit deeper each time around. "When we get it open," he explained, "I'll put hinges on the two halves and a nice finish on it for Shuah."

Malcolm stopped him for a moment and put a light protection spell on the box both to protect what might be in it and to protect us if the contents were dangerous. It made Piro's job a bit harder but there wasn't much left to go. He broke through one side, then the other three in the next circuit. When he lifted one side off inside was a dazzling complex box made of many colors of metal. Parts of it were movable; some could rotate some could slide and some could be depressed. Other parts looked like they could be movable but couldn't be moved.

"This appears to be a puzzle box." said Piro, "They can be very hard to open and are usually made of inlayed wood; I have built some myself. Some of these parts that look movable can't be moved until others are moved in the right sequence. This box might contain anything or nothing. Since it's so beautifully made of metal, including gold, it might contain a priceless treasure, especially since it was protected by a sealed wooden box. If so, it could also contain a poisoned blade or needle, or several, waiting for anyone who tried to open it the wrong way. I think we should try to open it but we must be very careful. Let us sleep on it.

Read Part Six 

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