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S.Y. 317.5 (April 8, 2003)
A Clue
By Lady Sam
From Sardel's Journal

"Zed. this is hat I told you about, the one I found in the Town Hall."

Zed leaned down looked very closely, "Well, Sam tis a Hat."

"ZED, I know its a hat, but what of the letters written in the dust?" Again Zed leaned over and looked at the hat. "Who's hat is it?" Zed pondered to himself I am sure, for if it were a question to me, I was going to hit him.

Zed, stands straight, brushes his robes into place and looks toward me and says, "Tis a Hawks Feather.", I really started to think about dragging Zed outside and teaching him a lesson.

"Zed, even I know that, I am a merchant I see them all the time, BUT WHOS HAT IS IT?"

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking out loud, tis Sardel's hat, I am almost sure."

"Zed how can you tell that?"

"Oh, tis simple, first, tis a Hawks feather, Sardel is a scribe by training, and scribes use such feathers as quills, and…" Zed pauses for a moment and leans down again to look very closely at the hat. He continues after only a short pause "and .. and .. his name is sewn into the band right there." Zed points to a tailors mark on the band near the back, and sure enough in a very fine thread is the word 'Sardel'.

I lean over and place my head in my hands. I think to myself, fore I did not want to say it out loud 'some mages'. "So Zed what was Sardel’s hat doing in the Town Hall, he was not there during the meeting and the guards did not see anyone enter after we left the election meeting, and what of the letters written in the dust?" Zed again ponders, fore that is one thing mages do very well,

"Sam, tis a magic hat, Sardel even though a simple scribe, has some great powers. Methinks he did send the hat as a clue for use to find him and something about the election."

"Zed, how can you send a hat, he was not in the area, and spells can only move things but a short distance?" Zed smiled, I am sure he was thinking, 'I got her now, I know something she doesn't.'

"Well Sam, as I said, tis a magic hat. If ye remove the feather…" Zed carefully pulled the feather from the band, and placed it on the table. “and if you take the hat and ..." Zed proceeded to take the old felt hat and wad it into a ball and rub it between his hands. Zed continued with "and you say a word of magic…" Zed said several words that most people could not understand and the hat fell apart, into what I would call little sparkly bits. Zed said, "See little sparkly bits." Again I lowered my head to my hands, thinking, I have to learn more magic I guess.

Zed now in a different tone of voice began to recite a verse or chant, as he picked up all the 'little sparkly bits' and the feather. In a very loud voice he spoke the words of command "Find Sardel", and a force as powerful as I had felt only in the city of Wind, came into the room and in Zed's hands a Hawk appeared. The Hawk, looked about and sat on Zed's upturned hand.

"Zed if I may be so bold?"

"Ahh, yes Lady Sam, have ye a question."

"Zed why is the Hawk, still sitting on your hand?" Zed looked about the house, and said.

"Lady Sam, all the windows and doors are closed he can not leave just yet." Now most people would have jumped up and ran to a window and opened it up for this magical Hawk to fly out of the house, but being a pretty smart person even despite being a shoppe keeper, I figured I would ask.

"Zed, if you don't mind me asking, what will happen when I open a window and what should we do?" Zed began to form a plan, I hope.

"Sam we have to be ready to follow him, the Hawk will not fly fast, but will fly to where he was summoned to go, so we will have to follow him to find Sardel."

“Ahhh.” That sounded like a good plan. I turned and gathered a few things from a chest, Zed, looked in his pouch, and turned to me and nodded. I walked to the door and stood ready to open it, Zed called his mount with several magical words, as I also called mine, we mounted, Zed again straighted his robe, and gave me a nod.

Nothing happened, the Hawk remained standing on Zed upturned hand. Zed, also noticed this and very calmly leaned next to the Hawk and whispered something. With that the Hawk took wing and flew out the door, both Zed and I raced for the door bumping into each other as we left the shoppe.

"Where did it go?" I asked, Zed looked up, and pointed to the Sky.

"See it circles to find its way, it will head off in a moment." Just as Zed had finished the words, the Hawk turned north and started his journey. Zed yelled over his shoulder, "There he goes follow him." We start north, but from my shoppe, the sea at sheep’s bay, would block our path, I yelled to Zed, as we rode into the forest.

"Zed, what about the sea, we will lose him."

"Ahh, Hawks do not fly over the sea, he should follow the coast or he may turn inland. Just keep following not matter what."

Hmm, no matter what… "Zed if you don't mind?" I said as we dodged trees, and bushes, fore the Hawk was flying just above the trees in mostly a straight line.

"What’s that, Lady Sam?"

"Zed I was just thinking, what if Sardel is held by a pack of Liches, or Ogres, or some other vile creature?" Before Zed could answer, we reached the shore of Sheep’s Bay and the Hawk turned east.

"Lady Sam, I am sure that whomever or whatever holds Sardel, tis not friendly, in the sense that ye means."

"Zed are we going into a trap?" Fore the longest time Zed thought about my question, then turned to me and winked. I didn't even pack lunch, and my axe was dull, and...

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