One person remains on the shore, looks to be Miko. When he sees them paddling for shore, he gets to his feet and races back to the ruins. Shortly the others gather by the water’s edge to greet them on their return.
When they’re about halfway to shore, James’ eye catches something from the mountain and he glances to its slopes. Not sure at first what caught his eye it takes him a moment to realize just what he’s seeing.
Concentrating on his paddling, Jiron doesn’t realize James has stopped until the raft begins to turn in a circle instead of forward. Looking to his friend, he sees him staring with mouth slightly open at the mountain. He stops paddling as he turns to look. He’s about to ask him what’s going on when he sees it too, a shadowy face on the slope of the mountain. And the face has a beard. “How is that possible?” he asks.
Grabbing his paddle, James replies, “I don’t know but try to remember where the end of the beard is.” Paddling with renewed determination, he and Jiron push for shore.
They continuously glance at the shadowy visage upon the mountain, trying to fix in their minds exactly where the end of the beard lies. It looks to end at a large outcropping of stone jutting out from the side of the mountain.
As they near the beach, James yells, “We found it!”
“Where?” asks Fifer.
Beaching the raft, James and Jiron jump to the sand and break into a run. “Up the mountain!” he cries as he and Jiron race for the spot before the light completely fades. It’s a little ways up the mountain from where the ruins sit and as they climb, the sun drops behind the mountains and the shadows disappear.
“What did you see?” asks Miko.
“A face in shadows,” replies James.
“A face?” questions Qyrll.
“Yes,” he answers.
“But how is that possible?” Uther asks as he follows along behind.
From the front of the group, James’ voice comes back to him, “I don’t know.”
They continue working their way up the slope. Darkness begins to creep into the world as the light slowly fades away. Before it fails altogether, the outcropping of rock which coincided with the shadow’s beard comes into view.
The rock around them begins to show signs of having been worked. Right angles, which could never be formed with such precision by nature start to appear. What use they held can no longer be determined.
Forging through the underbrush James suddenly comes into a clearing and before him lies the outcropping. The signs of human workmanship can be seen all over now. Holding out his hand, his orb suddenly springs to life for him to see better as the light has all but faded away.
In the glow of the orb, he approaches the outcropping. “Examine the whole area,” he says. “Look for any sign of the Star.” Suddenly, several other orbs spring into being and the entire area is flooded with light.
“Won’t this attract anyone in the area?” Jiron asks him.
“Damn, forgot about that in my excitement,” he says as he looks around at the blazing orbs. Then he glances back to Jiron and shrugs, “Too late now.”
“At least we have the high ground,” Qyrll says.
“What?” asks Jorry.
“The high ground,” he explains. “The fighter upon the high ground has a better tactical advantage.”
“Oh,” he says.
“You should know that,” Uther pipes up. “Remember that time when…” He and Jorry go off together as he begins another of his stories.
Pull his beard to make him sit up. Should that be taken literally? If so, then how do you pull a shadow? Questions run through James’ mind as he ponders the best course of action. The others are hunting as well, looking over, under and around for any place bearing the Star of Morcyth. He is sure that is what must be found. Down to the center of his being he knows that to be true.
Dave is standing off to the side, not being very helpful. Oh sure, whenever James glances his way he makes it seem that he is actively looking. When he turns back, he goes back to watching the others, a look on his face saying this is dumb.
It was during just such a time when Jiron comes up behind him and asks, “Why aren’t you helping?”
Dave turns around to see him there with fists on his hips and a scowl on his face. “What business is it of yours?”
Eyes narrowing, Jiron replies slightly louder than necessary, “You are supposed to be James’ friend. Yet when everyone else is trying their best to aid him, you stand around as if you don’t care or are just too lazy.” After a moment of silence as they stare at each other, he adds in contempt, “You make me sick.”
The others pause in their searching while they move closer to where the growing drama is unfolding. From the far side of the clearing, James takes notice of what’s transpiring and hurries over.
“Why don’t you leave me alone?” Dave says, voice rising in irritation. Glancing around at the others he continues. “You all have done nothing but treat me like dirt ever since we first met. You can all just go to hell!”
“Dave!” exclaims James as he comes to stand near them.
“Sorry to have to say that James,” he says, “but it’s true. You care more about these butchers than you do about me. And I’ve been your friend longer.”
“Butchers?” Uther retorts his anger getting the best of him. “We ain’t the ones going around killing girls!”
At that Dave looks in shock at him and takes a step backward.
Uther turns his attention to James and says, “That’s right. He’s the one who’s been killing all the girls wherever we go.”
James looks in horror at Uther then glances to Dave. “Is this true?” he asks, voice barely able to speak the words.
Before he has a chance to reply, Jorry adds, “We saw him with that innkeeper’s daughter the evening before she turned up dead.”
Looking pleadingly at his friend, Dave says, “I had nothing to do with her death. You’ve got to believe me.”
“You were with her then?” he asks.
Nodding, he says, “For a short time. She was nice and we talked, but that was all. I left her alive!” Glancing at the others standing around him, he sees they don’t believe him. “You all are just trying to turn him against me!”
“Is that what you were planning on doing to Tersa?” asks Jiron enraged.
“Everyone settle down!” yells James. “Jiron, back off.”
Jiron flashes him a look but holds his ground.
“Now, did anyone see him kill anybody?” he asks. Looking around at them, he sees them all shake their heads negatively. To Uther he asks, “What makes you believe this?”
“Girls have ended up dead wherever we go,” he explains. “I think it more than coincidence that he was seen in the company of one before she turns up dead.”
“James,” Dave whispers, “you’ve got to believe me.”
“He’s also been acting odd ever since he’s joined us,” adds Fifer. “Moody, easily angered.”
“What he’s been through could explain that easily enough,” James replies. He looks to his friend and sees a look of abject pleading. Could it be? The thought goes against what he knows of his friend and he refuses to even give it credence by considering it more.
He gazes from one to the other, in everyone’s eyes he can see they believe him to be guilty. At last his eyes settle on his friend, his life long friend. So many times Dave’s been there for him. He knows what kind of person he is and it isn’t a killer. Years of shared experiences, fun, is he to throw all of it away?
The others are waiting for him to make a decision but it’s one which can only go one way. “Since no one witnessed the act, I can’t bring myself to believe it could happen,” he finally says. “Where I come from we believe in the credo ‘Innocent until proven guilty’. As no one saw the crime, I cannot simply assume his guilt.”