Excavations and Enlightenment (A sequel to "Caveats and Cliches")

Chapter 14: A Riddle, Wrapped in A Mystery...

"Here?"

Easton squints at the journal.

"Here at Pema's first dig, where there was NOTHING of value? That's preposterous!"

"No, it's brilliant. No one would ever suspect that such a valuable piece would be in such a insignificant place." Sarah says, nodding her approval.

"But they could figure it out if they had the journal." Toby counters.

"I doubt it. It took the three of us awhile to put it together, and you two know Pema well. I don't think the average black market antiquities dealer would be able to piece it together."

The three of them? Ha. Sarah had this figured out before she ever consulted our brothers. I think to myself. Easton is no longer pacing, just standing with his hands on his hips as if he's trying to make up his mind. Finally coming to a decision, he says,

"Alright, tomorrow we break camp and head over to the other dig. Toby, you make sure all our equipment is accounted for. Sarah, look over that journal again and see if you can't narrow down where the staff might be hidden. Jareth, you and I will plot out the best course and get the goblins organized. Does anyone have any questions?"

A little stunned by Easton's sudden take charge demeanor, we all just stare silently at him.

"I'll take that as a no. Let's get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us."

The next morning everyone gets busy with their respective assignments and we move out. As before, it takes time for the whole group to progress along the valley floor, so we have to spend a night at the base of the path that will lead us out of the valley and back into the forest. Before darkness falls, Easton and I make a trip up the steep trail to look for a track through the woods. It's easier to find than I would have thought. Just before we reach the top of the ridge, the path splits into two; one heading back the way we came, the other veering to the left. We follow the left track part way into the forest. I check the needled device Sarah showed me to check the direction. It appears to be the route we want to take, so we return to camp.

Our trek up the steep path the next morning takes much more of the day than we were planning for. By the time we reach the ridge I know we will have to spend a night in the woods. The forest is just as uninviting as it was our first time through. We make what progress we can, and as evening falls Easton and I scout out a small clearing where we can spend the night. The goblins set up one hulking, misshapen shelter, and once again we all spend the night together. I don't complain; I can see how uneasy everyone feels in this forbidding environment.

It must be around two in the morning when I open my eyes. Throughout this strange trip, I haven't had any problem sleeping through the night. Something isn't right. I lay still, listening, trying to identify what woke me; but all I can hear is the steady breathing and gentle scuffling of those around me. Silently, I retrieve my sword and move to the entrance. I linger there, still trying to identify what woke me. I've nearly convinced myself that it was just some passing wildlife when I catch just the whisper of a sound that doesn't belong; the hint of deliberately covert movement. Exiting, I carefully circle the large tent trying to pinpoint the direction of the activity. The wind blows, rocking the trees, and a shadow flits in my peripheral vision. Something tells me it's more than just the movement of branches in the moonlight. I follow the faint shifts and stirrings for about twenty minutes, all the while completely unsure as to whether I'm following someone, or my own paranoia. I suddenly realize that this crusade has taken me far from our camp and I turn back; soundlessly making my way to the clearing. To my great relief, everything is as I left it. I toss and turn the rest of the night, trying to decide if there was actually someone there, passing almost invisibly through this daunting glade, or if our peculiar surroundings have played upon my imagination more than I realized. Apparently my discomfort shows, because Sarah pulls me aside just before we start off in the morning.

"What's wrong? You look nervous." She asks me seriously.

I relate the story of my late night adventure.

"...It might be nothing, so no reason to worry everyone." I finish.

Sarah's eyes flick to the woods around us.

"No, I trust your instincts. Do you think it could be one of the kidnappers? Maybe checking up to see if we are going to deliver?"

"I don't know, but whoever it was, they were very skilled. I don't believe a human would have been able to detect them at all."

I feel tense the rest of the day. Even though we make steady progress, the hours drag by and it seems like our caravan is moving at a snail's pace. When we finally break the treeline late that afternoon, I'm immeasurably relieved. Most of the rest of that day is spent traversing grassy hills. We could still be tracked, but it would be much more difficult for an adversary to remain unseen.

Mountains are beginning to rise around us, and I'm starting to look for a good place to camp; when Easton calls me.

"I think we are almost there! If I'm reading this correctly, we just have to circumvent this peak, and the site should be on the other side."

He traces a line around the base of the nearest peak.

"Let's keep going, if we make it today we won't have to pack up camp tomorrow, we can just get started on finding that staff."

Hesitantly, I look to the dwindling daylight and shadows gathering around us.

"We will just go a bit further, if it takes longer than I think, we will make camp. The base of the mountain will give us extra shelter, so it won't take as long to set up."

Sighing, I acquiesce and we keep pace around the mountain. As Easton said, it takes less time than I would have guessed, but as we round the last bend, we come face to face with another thick growth of forest. The entire group groans in dismay, but Easton keeps everyone going. We move into the forest and spend another half hour marching. Twilight is upon us, our progress is noisy, and I'm growing more and more apprehensive about our lack of a campsite. That is when the lifeless village rises from the gloom to gape at us grievously.

The grim site stops us dead in our tracks. The stone buildings are dark and forlorn. Trees grow straight through rooftops, vines spill out of windows, towers and spires have collapsed onto shrubs and undergrowth. It looks as if the structures and foliage are in a competition to see who can eat the other first. The affect is spooky and makes the place wholly uninviting. Toby gives a low whistle.

"I agree. No one would ever look for an Emperor's staff in there!"

Easton recovers slightly and touches my shoulder.

"Let's see if there's a good place to set up camp."

We pick our way past the appalling ruins to search for a clearing. In doing so, we come upon an expanse of open ground. It's almost fully dark, but on closer inspection, we can see the mark of human habitation not so long ago.

"It looks like this is where Pema and her team stayed. We might as well follow suit."

Easton returns to lead the rest of our crew to this spot, while I start a fire to give us some light to work by. Once we've settled in, I speak to my knights and arrange for a watch to be kept through the night. Fortunately, Toby and Easton are busy elsewhere, and the goblins know better than to question their king, so I don't have to explain our sudden need for a night watch. With that done, I suddenly feel exhausted. As soon as dinner is over, I drop into a deep and dreamless sleep.