"No, it wouldn't." said the Great Tree, "I can contact every tree spirit in the world, but I have no notion where they are. Tree spirits just don't have any use for a sense of direction or distance. We enjoy communicating with those near us, so you might say we have a sense of proximity, but that's all."

Malcolm asked, "Captain Jar, you don't know of any wizards in the area who have studied storms and can predict them do you?"

"I'm afraid not. I'm at sea so much I don't know much about people beyond my own family, friends and neighbors in this area and in the other ports I visit, to a lesser extent," replied the captain, "But I have heard that such exist. I can send out word that we are seeking that kind of help. If we could just predict a coming storm and its strength one or two days in advance, there are enough islands to provide shelter, I would feel confident and I believe my crew would too. In summer the trip to the area we think the Great Tree is would take about two weeks. Dodging storms it might take four or five if we start soon. It will probably take longer to return since we'll be deeper into winter and will have to shelter from storms longer."

"We're going to have to take that time; our greatest hope is in Justin's abilities - and in keeping them secret from Bolgar - and any way the Great Tree can enhance those abilities will multiply our advantage. I don't want to place too much burden on Justin in this conflict - I believe we could win without his abilities - but it will already be much easier with the help of the tree spirits and any further advantages we can gain will save many more lives and prevent much suffering and destruction."

There was much more talk but in the end it was decided to find someone who was able to reliably predict the weather and to be ready to set out as soon as they were found. The rest of our plans were continuing well.

The Tirkenez family and Buden were going to push ahead to the town they always wintered in, but they promised they would keep in touch through the tree spirits and would carefully try to determine if Bolgar had any influence in the area. We would miss them but they had lives to live. They took the mysterious box with them but promised not to try to open it until Malcolm could help them.

Captain Jar explained the situation to his men and they enthusiastically joined our campaign. So as the sailors readied the ship Malcolm worked his magic to strengthen every part of the vessel; hull, timbers, masts, spars, ropes and sails; each item would be under a different kind of stress so each needed a different spell.

Lira, Aril and I had plenty to do, including updating this journal, but we also had some time on our hands. Since we had become fast friends with Rose, Mima, Krager and Bret, we got together with them quite a bit. They had their own work to do, of course, but everyone was so glad to have them back that they were not troubled by a bit of taking their ease. Krager was learning the bakers business from his dad and they had to start very early in the morning indeed and so got off early in the afternoon.

Rose and Mima had had enough of the sea, they said, to last them a lifetime, but Krager wanted to come along with us and Bret. He didn't want to be a sailor, but he wanted to join in the adventure. Aril, Lira and I would have just as soon stayed on dry land too, but we had to get to the Great Tree and by sea was the only way to do it.

We wandered in the forests and beaches surrounding Garnet Bay and the weather held quite warm for autumn. We swam in the sea and had picnics on the beach and in the forests. One beautiful afternoon we were picnicking quite a ways away from home, enjoying the fruit, and the conversation, of an ancient apple tree, not at the same time, of course. We had followed an obscure, little traveled path and had found a long abandoned farmstead. All the buildings had collapsed but there was still the apple tree and a fine meadow that had miraculously not been overgrown by tree, bush or bramble.

As we sat there munching, not connected to the tree spirit, just leaning on the tree, an old gentleman with a backpack and a staff came out of the forest up the trail we had come up.

"Greetings, young folk!" he said, "I noticed that several people had come up the trail before me. You put more wear on the trail than I do in two months."

"We're sorry if we've intruded, sir,." Lira said. "We'll leave and avoid this area if you wish."

"Not at all!" he replied, "To be sure, I moved up here to be away from snoopy and meddling people, but I do like non-snoopy and non-meddling company from time to time. I hope that's what you folks are. I live about a mile further on and I'd invite you to come visit me, but there's a rain storm coming and you'd best be getting back to civilization as fast as you can if you don't want to get soaked. The storm will be over in two days and then we'll have some more nice weather - please come up and visit me then if you wish."

"Are you a weather predictor?" I asked.

"I do pretty well at it and have a few other skills I need for living alone up here. I'll be on my way now, and you'd better go too - good-by." And he disappeared up the trail into the forest on the other side of the meadow.

Even though the sky was blue with just a few puffy clouds, the old man had seemed so sure of himself that we quickly packed up and headed back. It was good that we did; by the time we were half way back the western sky was full of threatening clouds and the first drops of rain were beginning to fall as we got to town.

Two days later the sky cleared and the morning sun promised to dry up the forest so that it would be a nice day for another hike and picnic. Malcolm was guardedly pleased that we may have found a weather man. He approved of our revisiting the old man, but he cautioned us to be very careful and not to use any magic or talk about tree spirits. Once we were more convinced of his harmlessness and had discovered his interests we could try to attract him to our enterprise. If he appeared at all unreliable or suspect for some reason, we'd just forget him and keep looking. If we weren't back by evening he'd come after us. I remembered how he had lighted the trail of the nolpers through the gnome's caverns and felt better that we had a backup.

Read Part Seventeen 

Stories about dragons, centaurs, and wizards, enhanced with electronic media, for fantasy lovers; new postings monthly by Antelope E-Books

Stories of action, adventure, mystery, and just plain fun, for the entire family with new postings monthly.