shores. A dark line of trees swayed gently at the opposite bank, and beyond them stretched a ridge of hills. In the distance to his right rose a mountain covered in brown rocks and boulders. No, this was their mountain. The fortress stood on a flattened portion of the hill on the right side, but the cone of the mountain rose farther up on the left. His village lay on the other side of the mountain, and he —
The previous vision flooded back, and Merlin lurched to his feet. His mother! Heart pounding, he turned to his father, but Owain was gone. Only faint impressions in the mud remained as proof that his father had lain beside him on the bank.
A cry went up from the lake.
Two boats drifted near each other with a long, thin timber stretched from one to the other, the ends held by a man inside each boat. Between the boats, the timber hung over the water, and two strong saplings had been sinewed perpendicularly to it, left to drag in the water. Other men, four per boat, held oars while they looked intently into the water between the vessels. In the back of the boat on the left, one man stood, and he too peered into the water.
A man’s gray hair broke the surface with a loud splash, and he sucked in mouthfuls of air. A chorus of shouts greeted him as he sputtered, sucked in more air, and was pulled into the boat on the right side.
The man who was standing, apparently their leader, flicked some lakeweed at him. “Why so long? A fool thing, Gavar, keepin’ us scared like you’d been eaten.”
“I was lookin’ fer … poor Gwevian,” Gavar said, “but it was’na her body down there … rather a great rock. Oddlike.”
Before he could continue, the crew gave sighs of relief and catcalls.
But Gavar shook his head. “I’m goin’ down again to get it. It’s a different kind o’ stone, and I plan to get it to shore fer a look.”
One of the crew jeered. “Got a rock, you say? We’re supposed to be after Gwevian. How’n a mollusk do you think we’ve time for nonsense? What would poor Owain say to yer foolishness?”
“Hey,” another called, “maybe we should crack the rock on yer head, you lugger.”
Old Gavar shook his head, spraying water in all directions. “No breaking it … You can have a peek, sure, but nothin’ more!”
The leader raised his hands. “Stop yer fightin’! We’ve work to do. The stone’s yers, Gavar. But no time now. We’re supposed to be dredgin’ for An Gof’s missus.”
“No, I’m gettin’ it now.” And he dove into the water again, despite the protests of the men.
Soon his head appeared above the water — close to the shore where Merlin sat. Gavar stood up with a groan, and in his arms he cradled a large stone. “This … be … it.”
“That be too big fer you to hold, Gavar!”
“How’d you pick that up?”
“Must be lighter than it looks.”
Merlin’s eyes opened wide as he beheld the stone.
It was about two feet broad and half that in thickness. Despite the algae and weed stuck to it, the mottled and craggy surface was unlike any stone Merlin had ever heard of or seen. Though rocklike, its metallic wetness shone with the reflected light of the dying day.
Something about it made Merlin shudder.
From deep within the stone, a faint blue light shone and then faded away.
Gavar carried the stone toward the shore with his wiry arms, and as he lifted it out of the water, his face grew red and his breath came in gasps. At one point he slumped down, but with a grunt he hefted the stone higher and made a final push for shore.
Finally, he threw the boulder just beyond the water’s edge and collapsed next to it, crying out and clawing at his chest. His body stiffened, jerked, and his face went white. Coughing and choking, he reached out his hand, caressed the stone, and fell still.
The men in the boats blinked. Some dropped their oars; most turned pale. All spoke in whispers.
“What’s happened?”
“Unnatural.”
The leader directed the boats forward, and he and three others stepped ashore. By the time they got to Gavar, the man had slipped a little into the water, so they pulled him up onshore. One of the men knelt beside him and placed a hand on Gavar’s chest.
“His stone did kill him,” he said. “His heart’s not boppin’ anymore.”