"How can you tell when one of the alarms has been tripped?" I asked Him.

"Well, that one was a pain in the neck - not really - but it did give me a strange feeling in the neck. I can change the spell slightly so it affects different parts of my body."

We increased our speed and in another half hour Malcolm said, "We're passing the place I set the warning spell in this end of the canyon. I'll reset it and it will tell us a lot if this alarm is triggered and if so how soon.

Two hours later it still hadn't been triggered nor had any of the others; perhaps a traveler had decided to camp where we had been, but Malcolm was still concerned. "A wizard," he said, "might be able to detect the first spell when it gave the alarm and then be able to neutralize the others. Even though we have powerful defenses, even against other wizards, I'd prefer not to have a confrontation on this island so far from home and with people of unknown potential about. We have far too great an enemy to be delayed thwarting a smaller one. Our longboat is hidden in a small cove on the north coast and we should be able to reach it tomorrow night."

"Should we try to travel during the day tomorrow to get there quicker? asked Bret. I think all of us wondered that.

"I don't think that is necessary." Malcolm replied. "Even if we did, we would have to wait until dark to set out - we might as well make our stand, if a stand is needed, at a place most advantageous to ourselves.

"Justin has the innate ability to learn magic the first time through perfectly. I'll teach him the alarm spell as we go - then perhaps if he sets it, any presser will not recognize it because the maker will have a different signature. Aril and Lira, you learn too in case we have need of a third and fourth alarm."

So as we walked Malcolm taught us. I was beginning to see certain patterns in certain kinds of magic and I made a suggestion to Malcolm of how to make the spell less detectable to the one tripping it. He thought it over and agreed I was probably right. "I think we'll hold you and your changed method in reserve for now." He said, "Let's let one of the girls do it first - then we'll still have you and the new method available if needed."

We then stopped for a short rest, Aril set the alarm and we went on.

We were just beginning to feel a sense of relief about three quarters of an hour later when Malcolm said, "Someone just tripped the alarm. We're definitely being followed. But they're falling behind and they either don't know they tripped alarms of they aren't bothering to circumvent them. We'll continue until dawn and hope they'll get further behind. Then we'll find a good place to both rest the day and defend ourselves."

As we climbed higher the canyon became narrower and more difficult. We were able to keep up a good pace because there were so many of us to help one another. When we finally came to the head of the canyon we were high on a ridge of the central peak of the island. It was midnight and the waning moon had risen so we we're provided a spectacular view of the north side of the island and the sea beyond.

Beginning just below us appeared to be the great forests that supplied the masts, spars and timbers for the shipyards the island was famous for according to Bret and Tarl. We clambered down the bare rock to the sudden forest floor. These were the first trees we'd seen on the island - either they'd never grown on the other side or they'd all been logged off years ago. Or perhaps we'd just been in places where no trees existed - who knows.

I wanted to pop into the nearest tree but Malcolm said there would be plenty of time when we found our bivouac for the day - now we must continue as quickly as possible.

Happily these were large old trees, widely spaced with almost no underbrush. It reminded me of the great old forest where Malcolm and I met Victorius and Lira. Of course no light from the moon penetrated so Malcolm allowed a couple of lanterns. We were able to go quite quickly down hill towards the sea. After about an hour we came upon a rough road going in the same direction we were so we took it.

About an hour later Aril said, "Ooo, that was a weird feeling, someone must have tripped my alarm."

"They're moving a bit faster." said Malcolm, "We'll have to hurry."

The road went up and down, left and right and gradually got better. We began to see places where trees had been cut and loaded to be taken down to the coast. A bit of moonlight could get through in these places

Suddenly the trees ended and there was a clump of buildings and equipment surrounding the road, obviously a logging camp. One of the buildings was well lighted and delicious smells were assailing our noses and stomachs; the cook-shack was readying breakfast. We sadly hurried by and on down the road. The trees rapidly retreated on either side and we were going through a very rocky countryside with only occasional bushes and large stumps. We stopped a moment and Lira set an alarm.

Dawn was being hinted at in the east and we had to find a good place to make our stand. As we continued on our way the land didn't change except for some areas where stands of old trees had been cut and new trees between two and four feet high had been planted or had just grown naturally. As the sun came up we could see that there was no real cover between the edge of the forest behind us and a ridge across our way some miles ahead. But we felt if we hurried we could get to the ridge before our pressers came out of the forest. If there was no wizard in their company we would not be seen but we couldn't count on that. If there was a wizard they might want us to let down our guard by tripping the alarms as though they didn't know they existed. We just had to assume the worst.

We reached the ridge and found that it was a cliff with the road cut out of the rock going down at an easy angle. However, there were several large logging wagons coming up and they took up the whole width of the road; there was no space for us to go by, we'd have to wait until they reached the top. Somewhere in this area we'd have to find our place of defense.

On the left there was a crag with much broken and jumbled stone overlooking the road. We scrambled up and each explored a different part. One of the sailors discovered a well hidden area where the wind had deposited soil in a crater until there was a nice flat grassy area with a few small bushes big enough to accommodate us. There was a spot on the rim that could easily be climbed to where someone could comfortably watch the road and still be well hidden.

There was no use setting an alarm on the road until the logging wagons had passed, but Malcolm set a perimeter alarm around us so no one could sneak up in invisible mode. While we cooked and ate, Malcolm placed a number of protections on each of us and our whole group. I recognized some of them from the training he'd given me before. Then he set watches and the rest of us tried to sleep.

It was nearing noon when Malcolm awakened us. He had gone down to the road and set an alarm after the wagons had passed. The alarm at the edge of the forest had been tripped but that had probably been done by the wagons.

"The alarm on the road was just tripped." said Malcolm, "It's time to confront whoever it is."

We all climbed up and peeped over the edge of the crater as Malcolm climbed up to the lookout place and said in a very impressive voice that seemed to come from all directions at once, "We do not appreciate being followed by unknown persons, reveal yourself at once or suffer the consequences!"

A familiar voice replied, "Is that any way to greet an old friend?!" And a familiar figure popped into visibility.

"Tintinel! we cried out together.

Read Part Thirteen 

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