The group consider what to do next. Yenab the Shevam is still under the care of Baltanjiz, but the secret of what had happened still eludes them. Baltanjiz has sent for help from the Temple of Ghatama, the city God of Thought, Wisdom and Harmony to see if the Shevam could be healed. rejoined by Farshad, who is dressed in the apparel of a minstrel, his other profession.
José suggests that the Temple might also be a useful place to find information on the curse that is affecting Yenab and Baltanjiz’s sawmill, and thus they head there. The Temple is simpler than the city Temple of the Three, but as the original city deity, it is older and much loved. The group enters the public precinct where they are intercepted by a priest, Galdaya-Shirim, who, once he finds out their mission, is willing to assist them, knowing that they are helping Baltajniz and Yenab, Despite the contribution of 30 silver dan they are still not allowed into the Temple’s holy areas, pointedly taken away from them, but they are taken around the compound to the Index. The Priests of Ghatama serve their city, but the rites are secret, their mysteries revealed only to initiates.
After much searching through the indexes, some information is given, not about the curse, but about the area
In the area, maybe not the sawmill itself, but not far from it, is reported to be holy to in a place of power holy to a nature Goddess unkown to Ghatama and secret priests tend it.
It is reported that the deep woods are the haunt of perim, and a gate to their realm in the spirit world is there.
This gives the group a possible cause for a curse, either an angry Goddess or spirits, or both.
They return, make their farewells to Baltajniz, who gives them a descriptive route to the sawmill, and as they depart, Jalabu, who had been staying in the background with Utana’s servant, reveals his secret to al lthere, he is known to Farshad, once the merchant families of Farshad and Jalabu had embarked on a joint venture. That venture was successful, for Farshad’s family, Jalabu’s house had lost much thanks to some very curious wording of the contract and disposal of the goods, and Jalabu was here to press his claims on Farshad, the chief architect of the arrangement.
As Farshad tries to talk his way out the highly dangerous situation, it is hard to know who is more discomfited, Farshad, or his current business partners, whose new found wealth is invested in a scheme of Farshad’s. After witnessing Farshad’s reaction, Jalabu leaves it for the now, but advises Farshad that he seeks restitution.
The group ride on, leaving the main mountain trail past the watchful, and unfriendly fort of Tazjin, where their passage is marked but not interrupted.
A little bit beyond, a hidden tunnel, where a cleft in the rock takes a narrow trail through the cliff wall that otherwise denies easy passage to the other side of the mountains. From the other side, the hidden valley rises up, and near the end of the day they come to Fysiz, a few houses and gardens around a trading post used by hunters, loggers, prospectors and herdsmen.
In the centre, the trading post, inn, smithy, stables, whatever is needed, welcomes the group in the form of the owner, Bagin. They are welcomed as bringers of news from the outside world. José does what he can to bring relief to the sick, Farshad entertains, and Dhran, Jalabu and Utana, after settling the animals and arranging accommodation mingle. Dhran it is who learns of the belief of some that the market for the wood was drying up, and are told that they believe some sort of insurance fraud was being undertaken. A passing remark tells of gold in the stream that provides the saw mill its power, though no one claims to have brought any here.
“`During the night, at the end of the watch, Jalabu hears a noise, waking up Dhran, who prepares his nearest weapon. Jalabu, carefully going to the leather wall of the stables they are sleeping in, leans out, trips on a food trough and falls out, face first in from of Rudim, a child.
Rudim tells them his father worked in the mill, but that he had not been seen for months, and he would guide them in exchange for food or useful goods for his mother. Utana and Jalabu take the boy to his mother who, angry, threatens them with her broom. As she shoos Rudim inside, Jalabu is able to gift him with a coin, and get his mother, Dyrcas, to talk, briefly. She confirms the boy’s story, and the groups fear that the boy would, at best, find the corpse of his father.
Jalabu and Utana gift Dyrcas with some coins and leave her, promising to find an answer for her.
Leaving Utana’s servant behind, with the mules, the group eschews the wide trade trail. for a narrower, but straighter route up the hill, coming to a stream that is the same as feeds the sawmill, Farshad, going head, finds the drying shed where the wood is dried, and a raised plot with mounds of earth on it, the group join him, and there we left it