The Bard has found what appears to be a small cave but, looking at the rocks and their placement, I believe this may be the remains of an ancient passage grave. I kneel before the opening and carefully test the air with my nose. It seems fresh enough. In fact, there is a slight breeze coming out of the hole.

I whisper a word to my staff, which causes the crystal at the top to low with an intense blue-white light. Pushing my "torch" before me, I crawl into the opening. MacMorna stands ready to extract me if there is trouble. However, I have not gone far when the ceiling rises above me to a height where I can almost stand. I call this information out to MacMorna, who is as anxious as I to see what’s inside. He grunts and snorts like that half-wild bull they brought back from Lughnasadh. As he is somewhat larger than I, he is sliding along on his belly… and making rather slow progress at it. A bump on the head elicits a well-rounded curse, and then he joins me in the antechamber of this "cave".

"What do you see?" he asks, wiping the dirt and mud off his face.

"I see rocks," I reply with no hint of sarcasm. "Look at the fine work the ancients did in building this place."

MacMorna just grunts in response and peers around. "We’re supposed to be searching for our Rian! Remember?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes." I turn my attention away from the fine corbelled arch of the ceiling and ‘crouch’ my way down the tunnel opposite the entrance. There are many scuff-marks on the floor and lower walls, indicating that a number of people have used this passage in recent days. I point this out to the bard and he just grunts again. I get the same response from some gnawed bones and some pottery fragments. Finally, after about thirty paces, the narrow tunnel swells to a round room some ten paces across, with a number of small passages leading off at various points around the perimeter.

The walls shine with dripping moisture and it is decidedly chill. There is ample evidence of recent occupation; black ashes in a central hearth, the remains of many meals, burnt-out torches wedged into cracks in the wall. There is a jar of pine pitch at one side with a number of fresh torches. The Bard grabs one of these and looks around for a fire to light it from.

"Allow me!" I say as a bright flame whispers into existence at the tip of my finger. I light the Bard’s torch and he give me brief thanks before going off to inspect the side passages. He starts at one side and I take the other. From time to time I hear muffled grunts coming from the far side of the chamber. For myself, I quickly discover that each of these cubbies have been used as sleeping rooms. Not so far off from their original intent as funeral chambers. In one, I find a fine tartan left behind. In another, a bit of gold in the dirt catches my eye. It seems to be a well-made and finely-decorated brooch. I also find a couple of chamber pots in need of emptying.

There is a shout from MacMorna which causes me to jump and nearly bang my own head on the low ceiling. I hurry over to where he is hunched over. "What do you make of this?" he asks.

In his one hand, he holds a large square of black cloth, and in his other is a thin cord. I take them from him and give them a feel. "Silk!" I exclaim, "And it’s VERY far from its home!" The cord seems to be made of the same material, and is very strong and very light. "Was there anything else back there?"

"Just a few scraps of dirty linen and a moldy crust of bread", her answers. I duck my head in to confirm their lack of value. Then I show him my findings. He turns the brooch this way and that in the light. He looks closely at the tartan and then gives a vigorous nod.

"I think I know where we’ll find our Rian", he announces.

"And how is that?" I ask.

"I have the twin brother to this brooch among my personal keepsakes. It belonged to one Domnaill, youngest son of the chieftain of Dun Ailinne. He turned rogue a few years back. Caused much trouble in the Niafer lands. There was a confrontation between our war band and his bunch of renegades, somewhere near here. He and most of the rest were killed. Dobhar gave me the brooch for my part in the battles. And this tartan confirms it. I think we had best get out of here and find Fenian! I think we need to pay a visit to Dun Ailinne!" My heart leaps at these revelations. I smile for the first time in over a moon. Not a pretty smile, but still a smile!