"Comrades, we have the vile hole for which we have searched, but, alas we can not yet enter. Strong warriors who have joined us, we may ask you to drop your swords and lift these rocks over the next few days. We hope that you will oblige us. First, however, we must discern which piles we should move."

Sarg, Geoff, Dawn, and Bart are asked to make a trail along the "teeth" and meet back at the "nose". Lars and Fr. Durrant follow Mr. Louglynn directly to the nose. As they walk he puts his hand on the wizards shoulder, for the priest senses that his friend has been shaken. They say nothing.

Lars, who has just been standing around looking board, happily snaps to his duty. He beats a trail for the pair to the nose, then heads for the left eye, leaving them behind. Once there, Lars says a prayer and begins to study the mound. No evil emanates from the pile. Lars makes it to the right eye and completes his prayer, again revealing no evil, when he hears Fr. Durrant shouting from the large nose mound. "SQUIRE, what have your learned?"

Lars shakes is head and shouts back, "Four times I’ve found no trace of ill intent!" As his shout reaches the Father, the wizard again takes to the air.

Mr. Louglynn flies to him and says, "Squire, we shall require your shield."

The squire pauses for a moment, "why?"

"Because we need a palette; it will come to no harm, and we shall return it unharmed."

Lars hesitatingly gives it up, says, trailing off, "well, if I get it right back." Mr. Louglynn puts his staff down, readies some writing equipment, takes the shield, and returns to the sky. High in the air, he balances the shield in his lap and makes a rough map.

As the three made their way to the "nose," Sarg says to Geoff and Dawn, "Bart and me’ll go to the end this way." Pointing along the long curving line of mounds to the east. "If you two will make a trail the other direction?"

After Lars left them for the "eye", Fr. Durrant and Mr. Louglynn circle nose pile and speak quietly to each other. "Daylight is running out, Durry," says the mage, "you haven't the time to study all of these stones as I sense you want to do. You must narrow your search."

"But Lou, how can we know all of our options?"

"We never do. Perhaps the gods do, but not knowing is the mortal's lot. You have in fact narrowed your search already -- by asking me to bring you to these piles. Start with the nose, for it is only one pile. Call on Boniface to give these stones tongues and ask them what they know. Then let us tomorrow tear down the eyes and nose. That would at least destroy the visage. We know there must be an entrance beneath one of these piles. Maybe more than one. We just need to figure out which ones. Let us start here and continue on to the mouth only if our investigations prove fruitless."

The priest sighs, "I suppose you are right, but I fear the stones will not be entirely honest to folk with a mission such as ours." He turns away from his friend, raising his voice "SQUIRE, what have your learned? Mr. Louglynn return to the sky and mark the pattern on the map."

Once Lou leaves, Fr. Durrant faces the stones that mark the nose and performs an elaborate ritual that lasts about ten minutes, during which he places a bit of mercury and clay upon the stones. When he finishes the ritual, he says "Stones, I trust you not." He then begins another incantation ("Holy Boniface, for truth is rare in a place of evil such as this your servant calls upon you to grant him the power to…") terminated by sprinkling gold dust atop his head.

"Stones," the priest continues, "tell me what lies beneath you?"
"The ancient dirt of the earth," the gritty hoarse whisper of the stones,
speaking as one, respond.

"Oh, lowest stone upon the pile, what lies beneath the earth that surrounds
you?"
"The earth is thick, but far below, are the veins of my birth."

"Do you conceal anything?"
"We do not."

"What do you know of the other piles?"
"A few of us have been in other piles, but we only know what we touch."

"Do the other piles conceal anything?"
"None of the piles any of us have touched covers more than dirt."

"Do you know where those piles are."
"They are where we were."

"Why were you piled so?"
"We know not."

"How were you put into place?"
"Soft warm hands."

"Who put you here?"
"Many voices were there, but one grim voice commanded all."

"From whence did that voice grim voice come?"
"From the one called 'Great Master.'"

"What do you know of the tomb that you mark?
"We know nothing."

"From where were brought."
"We brought from below, up the hill, and put under the sky."

"Did you come from below the hill on which I now stand?"
"Yes."

"How do I get there?"
"Follow the tunnels the soft hands carried us through."

"Where is the opening through which you came?"
"At the base of this hill's steep slope."

"Can you see?"
"We feel the warmth of light upon us."

"Can you direct me to the opening through which you came?"
"The Sun revolves around it."

"Stones, the sun revolves around everything.  Do you mean that shadows never shroud it while the sun shines?"
"No, we mean the opening is on the Sun's axis."

"Have you been moved since you were brought to the hill?"
"Many times over the countless cold times since we where brought."

"How did you come to return to your spot?"
"In the dark time, we return through the air."

"Have any adventurers ever moved you since?"
"Soft warm hands have carried us or thrown us from the pile."

"Why would they do such a thing?"
"We know not."

"Have any ever returned after they had passed you?"
"We can not know."

"What manner of creatures have passed you?"
"We have heard many voices over the ages. No other sounds have come but the wind and rain; no other touches but the wind and the rain. Only the rare voice and rarer touch of those like you."

"Have you been spoken to before?"
"Only a few times, all many, many cold times ago, all in different sounds, yours different still."

"What did you tell them?"
"Much the same as we tell you."

"Did you lead them below?"
"We know not," the whispers fade.

Lars returned to the nose when Fr. Durrant was querying the mound. Fr. Durrant looks away from it and sees Lars. He looks around to see Sarg and Barton heading along the "teeth" mounds to the east, and Geoff and Dawn at the last "tooth" to the west starting to head toward him. Lou is descending. Fr. Durrant sits and waits and ponders the answers he was given.

Mr. Louglynn returns Lars' shield and goes to retrieve his staff that Lars was wont to touch. Suspecting that his spell would soon end, on his way back Mr. Louglynn stays close over the trail Lars made to he nose mound. The spell does expire about half way there.