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“Three main ones,” the miner replies. “I found several other places where it looked like people had begun a new one but gave up.”

“Where do you mine?” Uther asks.

At that the miner becomes quiet and leads them on in silence for awhile.

The path they’re following is little more than a game trail and at times are forced to ride in single file. In the lead is the miner with James following right behind. Jiron is behind him with Dave next in line. Jorry and Uther have the thankless duty of bringing up the rear. Winding through the trees, the path makes its way through the hills until finally coming to a place where the trees open up. In the valley below is a large lake.

“Is that the lake you were talking about?” James asks as he gazes at the panoramic view. The lake is a startling blue, nestled in against the backdrop of a mountain range to the north. Altogether a stunning scene.

Glancing back to him, the miner replies, “No. That one lies another day or two to the north. We’re going to have to make our way to the left around this lake until we come to a river that flows into it from the lake we’re heading for.”

“Oh,” grunts James.

By the time they get to the shore of the lake, the sun has dipped to the peaks in the distance. “We should stop here and continue in the morning,” the miner announces.

“I agree,” states James. To the others he says, “We’re staying here tonight.”

Dismounting they set about making camp and have a fire going in no time. Sitting around the fire, the miner glances to James and asks, “Just what is your interest in this place anyway?”

“A long time ago, there was a god named Morcyth whose followers were fairly wide spread,” James explains. “Ever heard of him?”

Shaking his head, the miner says, “No.”

“Not surprising, his followers disappeared around five centuries ago.” Taking out the medallion, he shows him the design and says, “This was the symbol for their religion. I’ve been trying to find where the last priests went, you see they disappeared about the same time.”

“And you think they went here?” the miner asks.

“Perhaps,” he replies. “Won’t know until we get there. But it’s likely.”

The night begins to settle in and the stars appear above them. They’ve acquired a good store of wood for the evening, already the temperature has dropped significantly. The clear sky above them tells of another cold night to come.

“Do you think they followed us?” Jiron asks after the meal when they’re sitting around the fire.

“Who?” asks the miner. “Who followed us?”

“You didn’t see them around Ironhold?” asks Fifer.

Shaking his head, the miner says, “The only ones I saw were you.”

“Forces from the Empire have been camped in the hills around Ironhold since we showed up, maybe before,” James tells him.

“What do they want?” the miner asks.

“Me, us,” replies James.

“You going to get me killed!” the miner exclaims.

“Now settle down,” Jiron tells him. “They’ve known of our presence there for days and have done nothing so far.”

“So far,” he says, none too happy. He scans the woods around them as if expecting an imminent attack at any moment.

“As soon as we get to where you saw the design, you can leave,” James tells him.

“Just be careful about running into them on your way back,” suggests Fifer. “They may want to talk to you about us.”

Scowling, the miner looks at each in turn then stares at the fire, deep in thought.

To Jiron James says, “Better have two on watch at a time tonight, just in case.”

Nodding, Jiron replies, “Good idea.” He then sets up a watch schedule and those not pulling the first watch lay out their blankets as close to the fire as they can.

The night passes uneventfully and they are up and on their way with the rising of the sun. The miner turns them north and follows the shoreline of the lake. They don’t travel very far before coming to a medium sized river flowing from the north.

Before James has a chance to ask, the miner says, “This ain’t the one. We have to cross it and continue following the lake until we reach the next river.