[Child of the 7th Age]

Luindal had expected that Rôg would find some evidence of one of the two Stones within a relatively short space of time. But for the next two hours they had little luck. Luindal watched and waited with impatience as his friend repeatedly dove in and out of the water, coming up to the surface every now and then for a fresh lungful of air.

Luindal fidgeted in his place and wished that he was back on the Spirit. At least, he would have been able to move around and pace the length of the deck instead of being miserably hunched in one spot. Not only was his suit emitting a definite odor, but the seal skins Rôg had used pulled so tight across his chest that he felt he could barely breath. Rôg had finished searching the waters immediately surrounding them without finding anything of interest, and had beckoned his companions to follow him to a spot some ways eastward that was closer to the edge of the sandbar.

Luindal frowned at this piece of news. They were in no danger sitting in the smaller vessels, but it would be a tricky piece of sailing to manoeuver the Spirit so close to the bar and not have her stranded on the shallow bottom. He glanced back nervously at his beloved sailing ship, which was still positioned in the deep waters where he had told the rest of the crew to wait. He wanted this job done quickly. There had already been too many instances of guile and deceit on the part of Marreth and his men. He did not trust Marreth for a minute to let them search in peace.

Added to that was the fact that the wind was blowing briskly. The distinct hint of moisture in the air and the grey clouds scudding overhead indicated a storm could be brewing. Their job was a delicate one, and they would have no hope of pulling up the Stone if the weather turned bad. Already the waters of the Bay were beginning to churn, and small, choppy waves made their small boats bob up and down in the waters of the Bay.

Just as Luindal was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't call off their search, he caught a glimpse of Rôg swimming purposefully towards them. The shapechanger came up beside the boat and announced that the larger of the two Stones had been found on the floor of the Bay just west of the sandbar. It had not been buried in the sand and appeared to be in perfect shape.


Overwhelmed with feelings of curiosity and relief, Luindal pushed aside his doubts about the weather and slipped into the water at Rôg's side. The pair dove and then swam towards the spot where the palantir lay......