“It probably took several years,” said Alex. “The dwarfs were supposed to have been here for some time.”
“You will find no living dwarfs here,” said Bill, a note of sadness in his voice. “If there were dwarfs on this island, we would know about it.”
“That may be,” Alex answered. “But Thrang still has hope.”
Alex moved forward to help the sailors lower the large rowboat that would take him and his friends to the shore. As they eased the boat into the water, Thrang appeared on deck with the rest of the company. They all looked happier than they had in days, and Alex knew they were looking forward to being on solid ground again.
It didn’t take long for Alex and the others to climb over the side of the ship and into the rowboat. Alex thanked Bill and the sailors for all their help before waving good-bye. They all wished him and the others luck in their quest.
“We will return to this spot in two weeks’ time,” Bill called. “We will wait for one day and then leave. Do not forget your days, or you may remain here for the rest of them.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Thrang called back, gripping the side of the rowboat tightly.
As Alex and his friends rowed away, the sailors on the Seekerquickly let out their sails. By the time the rowboat had reached the island, Bill had maneuvered the Seekerout of the harbor and was sailing away.
Alex felt strangely alone as he looked across the sandy beach, trying to get a feel for the island and some idea of where the dwarfs might have mined. He could see several tall, rocky hills nearby, but little else. Dark green pine trees seemed to be growing everywhere on the island except on the beach, which was wide near the harbor.
“It’s good to be on dry land,” Thrang said as they dragged the rowboat high up on the beach to prevent the tides from pulling it away. “No more rolling about on the water.”
“Please,” said Kat. “No talk of rolling about.”
Thrang was eager to start searching, but only Alex and Arconn felt well enough to do much exploring; the others were still weak from seasickness and hunger. Even Thrang, for all his desire, had to walk slowly and rest often.
“We should be able to find some sign nearby,” Arconn said, his tone hopeful. “If the dwarfs built the harbor, they would have build something else close by as well.”
“Perhaps Arconn and I should look around a bit,” Alex added. “The rest of you should take things slowly until you’ve recovered from our voyage.”
“Yes, that might be best,” agreed Thrang. “If you find anything or run into trouble, call out. We’ll come along as quickly as we can.”
Alex and Arconn left the others and started off across the sand. The beach was wider than Alex had thought, and much steeper than it looked. It was difficult to walk in the dry, loose sand, and both he and Arconn had to stop to catch their breath once they reached the edge of the trees.
“I would guess,” Arconn began, pausing to breath deeply. “I would guess we will find a path into the trees somewhere close.”
“By now, the trees would have grown over any paths,” said Alex. “If Albrek’s people made a road of stone, we might be able to find that.”
“Stone roads are slow work,” Arconn pointed out. “Though if they built the pier for the harbor, perhaps they built a road as well.”
“I would think they’d need a stone road all the way to the sea,” said Alex. “It would be hard work carrying supplies across the open sand, and I would guess they had a lot of supplies and other things to carry.”
“Which way, then?” Arconn questioned, looking at the trees in front of them.
“Left?” Alex guessed. “There were some hills that way. Perhaps that’s where the dwarfs began their mining.”
Arconn agreed, and the two of them walked along the edge of the trees. Alex thought about the dwarfs coming to the island looking for mines and hoping to become rich. According to the story from the archives of Benorg, some of those hopes had come true. But, then, why weren’t there any dwarfs here now? It seemed unlikely that the dwarfs, having found mines here, would suddenly decide to leave.
“Here is something,” said Arconn, bringing Alex back from his thoughts.
Arconn hurried forward and bent down to pick up something from the ground. Alex followed him, wondering what his friend had found. When Arconn stood up, he held something shiny in his hand. He looked at it for a moment and then held it out to Alex. Alex lifted the egg-shaped sapphire from Arconn’s hand, holding it up to catch the sunlight.
“No dwarf would let that drop by accident,” Arconn said, his eyes fixed on Alex and not the gem.
“A sign?” Alex asked.
“A strange place for a sign.”
Alex looked at the empty beach around them before turning his attention to the trees. He noticed that some of the taller trees were scarred on the side facing the beach, and looked as if they had been burned at one time. He moved forward to take a closer look at the burned trees, Arconn walking beside him.
“Strange,” Alex commented.
“Very strange,” Arconn agreed. “Some of these burn marks look like letters or runes, but it is impossible to tell for sure.”
“Let’s continue,” said Alex, returning the gem to Arconn. “Maybe we can find an answer to this riddle.”
Arconn placed the gem in his pocket as they continued walking along the edge of the beach, their eyes scanning the ground in front of them. If the egg-sized sapphire had indeed been meant as a sign, then there might be others. After walking several hundred yards, they both stopped at the same time. They were standing close to the trees, and without noticing it, they had walked into a grove hidden from the beach. Trees grew almost all the way around them, and to their right, between the pine trees, was an unmistakable stone path.
“Odd that this path should be hidden from view,” Arconn said.
“Maybe the dwarfs didn’t want just anybody finding the path to their homes,” Alex suggested.
“Or perhaps the trees have grown since the dwarfs left.”
They were both silent for a moment.
“I feel uneasy,” said Arconn.
“So do I,” said Alex. He knew there was no reason for him to be nervous, yet the feeling was there all the same. “I don’t know why, but something about this island doesn’t feel right.”
“Should we call the others?”
“Let’s look along the path a bit first,” said Alex, stepping forward.
Alex and Arconn walked along the stone path through the trees. They hadn’t gone very far when they spotted a fair-sized bag lying on the path. Alex bent down and picked up the bag, which seemed unusually full. He looked at Arconn, and then back to the bag in his hands. Slowly he untied the knots that held the bag shut and was amazed by what the bag contained.
“Nobody would drop these,” Alex said, holding the bag open so Arconn could see the hundreds of small gems inside. “A single sapphire, maybe—but this?”
“The puzzle is a hard one,” said Arconn, gazing along the path. “I feel uncertain about this place. I feel like we are being watched, but I know there is no one near.”
“I feel it too,” Alex agreed. “Let’s go a little farther, just to see if the trees start to thin. Then we’ll go back and get the others. Maybe Kat can help solve this puzzle for us.”
Arconn nodded his agreement. Alex walked slowly beside his friend, pondering his own feelings. He had felt strangely alone as he watched the Seekersail away but not at all uneasy. Now he felt both alone and uneasy, and he didn’t like it.
There was something wrong here on the Isle of Bones, and Alex wasn’t sure he wanted to know what it was. In the back of his mind, however, was a longing he didn’t understand, a strange desire to be here and to find the answers to questions he couldn’t remember. It was confusing, and he struggled with his thoughts, trying to keep things clear in his mind.
They walked for about a half a mile, picking up three more bags all containing riches of some kind as they went. With each bag they picked up, Alex’s uneasiness grew, and he began to wish they had never come here. Finally, the trees around them started to thin out, and they reached the edge of a small valley. They could see several stone houses in the distance, though they looked like they’d been empty for a long time. Alex reminded himself that Albrek had been there nearly two thousand years before.