Chapter One
Gazing through the time-fogged window of his cabin, Marco imagined the generations of indigent families who had lived within the vast wilderness of the majestic Adirondack mountains. Brilliant rays from the setting sun gave the distant snow-capped peaks an orange glow as the light cascaded over the rocky slopes.
A native New Yorker, with a second home near the Amazon jungle in Brazil, Marco was as comfortable in the cool spring temperatures of the mountains as in the searing, humid environment of the rainforest. He had a master’s degree in archaeology, but it was primarily Marco’s expertise in security protocols that kept his services in high demand. Marco had been hired by Professor Alfred Langford, who had received a grant to explore the Adirondack wilderness. The professor hoped to find compelling evidence of indigent inhabitants, past or present, that he could use to lobby for federal protection within the New York forest.
Marco’s phone buzzed. “Hey, Al,” he answered.
“Good afternoon, Marco. Just checking in to see if you’d gotten settled and have everything you need for the expedition.”
“I’m all set, sitting here with a glass of wine, enjoying an exquisite view. Chase and Maria are on their way. They should be here any minute. We’ll go over the wilderness maps and get a sense of the vicinity and the terrain we’ll be traveling through.”
“Excellent, excellent. I wish I could be there, but the maps I sent should show you exactly where I expect you to find evidence of habitation.”
Although the professor couldn’t see him, Marco nodded in agreement. “Are you sure you won’t join us in the search?”
“As much as I’d enjoy it, I’m committed to lecturing during the upcoming semester at Ralston University. I thought about holding off on this search until afterward, but that would put us in the middle of tourist season.”
“Even during tourist season, I’m not sure there will be many sightseers where we’re going,” Marco replied.
“With the recent write up in Archaeology Today, I’m afraid there could be an influx of treasure hunters,” the professor replied. “I’d rather turn you three loose before anyone else gets the idea they might find souvenir relics. Besides,” he chuckled. “I’m the guy with the hunch. You’re the guy with the artifact radar.”
“It’s sad so many relics end up being lost or stuck in a box in the basement, because whoever found them had no idea of their historical significance. People found them, thought they were cool stones, and stuck them in their pockets.” Marco said.
“Exactly,” Al agreed. “Tourists are damaging evidence without realizing it. This might be one of the last chances anyone will have to stop the destruction. Thanks for handling things for me, and good luck.”
As he disconnected the call, Marco thought. Anita would love this view. He took a sip of wine and pressed her number.
***
Eliza slept on Carolyn’s lap as Carolyn and Anita sat on the front porch watching the sunset.
Carolyn pulled the edges of the quilt closer to her chest. “What a gorgeous evening.”
“Cool evenings are some of my favorite times when I’m camping. There’s something comforting about being snuggled in a blanket outside in the chilly air,” Anita said.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Carolyn replied as Anita’s phone buzzed.
Out of habit, Anita kept her phone nearby, although since she’d moved to Dancing Valley, she rarely needed it. When Anita saw the caller’s name flash, a smile lit up her face and Carolyn figured it must be Marco.
“Hope I’m not interrupting your dinner,” he said.
“Not at all. Carolyn and I are sitting outside enjoying the fall breeze.”
Eliza mumbled, “There are three of us out here.”
Eliza was a telecat, a supernatural feline with the power to communicate telepathically with select people. Carolyn was one of those people, as was Anita. Uncommon creatures, telecats look no different from domestic cats. They can be of any size or any color. Eliza’s plush coat was pure white except for an oblong patch of black on her left side over her rib cage.
“Eliza’s here too,” Anita added with a chuckle as Carolyn rolled her eyes and stroked the telecat.
“Do you remember my telling you about the grant project in the Adirondacks?”
“Sure,” she replied. “It sounds like an exciting opportunity.”
Several months prior, a scuba diver found a dugout canoe buried in Lake Placid. Likely passed over by hundreds of others, the canoe looked like a log partially buried in the muddy bottom of the lake. After he and a friend spent a couple of days working to free it from the silt and hauling it to land, the diver, an archaeology student, contacted Professor Langford, who drilled out a small section of wood and evaluated it for age. The result showed the canoe had been built over three centuries before. Although it hadn’t been the first dugout found in the lakes of the Adirondacks, it was one of few and raised eyebrows within the archaeological community. The discovery had been featured in an archaeological magazine and had prompted discussion about its value and the possibility of other relics in the area.
“I’m in New York now, but the dig isn’t set to begin until the first of next week. Chase and Maria agreed to help with the project. They’re on their way here now. I was wondering if you’d be interested in spending a few days in the mountains. I’m staying in a cabin with a gorgeous view. It has two bedrooms, well, one bedroom and a pullout in the living room. I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
“Hang on a second.” She looked at Carolyn. “Will you be alright alone for a few days?”
“I’m not alone. Besides Eliza, I’m surrounded by dozens of little friends. They’ve been my companions for a century and a half.”
Eliza murmured, “You’re only a hundred and forty-one.”
Ignoring the telecat, Carolyn continued, “Stay as long as you’d like. Viki and Vianna will help look after the plants in the greenhouse.” A pixie and an elf respectively, Viki and Vianna were frequent visitors to Carolyn’s herb garden.
After a thumbs up at Carolyn, Anita smiled and told Marco, “I’d love to join you.”
Anita and Marco met after she hired him to guide her on an expedition in the Amazon rainforest. A botanist, Anita had written a book about herbal remedies. Her fascination with herbal cures led her to believe she might find plants growing in the jungle that could lead to major breakthroughs in medical research. She’d found several that looked promising, but some of her samples had gotten lost and the others deteriorated prematurely.
After she returned from the jungle, she and Marco kept in touch. On one of his trips into the rainforest, he noticed a plant Anita had been particularly interested in. It had gone to seed, and so he collected the seeds. When he told Anita, she was thrilled, and Marco went back to collect more seeds from the plants she had tried to take back to her home in Dancing Valley. It wasn’t until the seeds had flourished in the greenhouse where she’d planted them that Anita discovered two of them had mystical properties. They could cure the infrequent viruses that could infect supernatural entities, including the little people who lived in Dancing Valley.
Anita looked toward the greenhouse. “Nothing is more rewarding than to be able to share our plants with the little ones who need them.”
Nodding, Carolyn said, “If not for Marco, we wouldn’t have them to share.”
“I worry about what he’ll think if he ever finds out I’m a witch,” Anita said.
Carolyn smiled. “It worked out for Chase and Maria. Those two have known each other for years. Chase realized Maria had a special way with animals, but he had no idea about the magic of the forest or Maria’s abilities until a year before their wedding.”
Anita sighed. “You’re right. My relationship with Marco isn’t far enough along to worry about it, anyway.”
Carolyn raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly. “It might be farther along than you realize.”
Chapter Two
Minutes after Marco spoke to Anita, three sharp knocks sounded on the cabin door. When he opened the door, Chase greeted him with an enthusiastic handshake. “How are you doing, pal?”
“Good, good. Come on in.” He poured a glass of wine and handed it to Chase. “Where’s your better half?”
“She had a few calls to make, but she’ll be here before long. Our cabin is the third one. Since they don’t have many visitors this time of year, the manager told me they try to keep a vacant cabin between those that are occupied.”
Marco replied, “Not a bad idea. It allows more privacy. Most people who come here in March or April are looking for solitude.”
“The weather is going to be comfortable, at least for the next few days,” Chase said. “Forty-five degrees is nice for hiking.”
“And for digging,” Marco agreed. “I talked to Al a little while ago and asked again if he could join us, but he’s committed to the university.”
“It surprised me when he didn’t delay the search.” Chase chuckled. “Maria and I have worked with him before and he’s crazy about being in dirt up to his elbows. I guess all the chatter about that dugout canoe has the treasure hunters heading for the mountains.”
Marco sighed. “That and the idiot who published the article about the lost gold mine in the same edition of the magazine. It’s a double whammy. The amateurs will be out in force, destroying valuable relics they know nothing about. The professor hopes we can find enough evidence to prove the historical significance. If we succeed, he’ll try to convince the legislators to implement a law to protect the area, and he’d have a good chance of getting that accomplished.”
“What kind of legislation is he looking for?” Chase asked.
“He drafted a law that would provide funding for dozens of fish and game conservation officers. Besides their regular duties, the officers would request identification from any person they encountered within the wilderness area. Campers who had no permit would be required to leave, and at the officer’s discretion, their camping equipment could be confiscated. His intent is to stop the tomb raiders.” Marco chuckled. “They probably aren’t actually raiding tombs, but you get the idea.”
Maria tapped on the door, and Marco waved her inside. “Hey, partner!” He gave her a brief hug. “Just like old times, huh?”
“It is, but a lot more comfortable than ninety humid degrees in the shade like it was in the Amazon.” She wiped her hand across her forehead dramatically.
Marco’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Anita’s arriving in the morning.”
Maria leaned forward and grinned. “It will be great to get together. If I’d realized she would be here, she could have traveled with us.”
“Anita didn’t know either. I invited her half an hour ago. I figured we’re going to be in and out of these cabins for a couple of weeks at minimum. She loves hiking and camping and might even find some interesting plants in the mountains.”
“How far is the potential site?” Maria asked.
Marco opened a map, spread it on the table. He smoothed the wrinkles and pointed to a spot west of where their cabins were situated. “This is Long Lake, and our cabins are about here. We know hunter-gatherers inhabited this entire area at one time. They moved throughout the mountains, rarely staying in one place for an extended period.” He slid his finger an inch to the left. “This area is the most desolate and remains essentially unexplored.”
“Didn’t Rosco find the firepits on a hike near Long Lake?” Maria asked.
Chase bobbed his head. “Yeah. I remember talking to him about that.” He touched a blue oval on the map. “This is Tupper Lake. Knives and spears, among other artifacts, have been found around the lake, and date back over 7,000 years.
“Lake Placid is where Al’s student found the dugout canoe. It forms a triangle with Tupper Lake and Long Lake. For decades, historians had assumed few people lived in the area, but recently discovered evidence has proven that assumption to be incorrect.”
“It wasn’t until the early twentieth century when historians realized, or admitted, the Adirondacks were inhabited,” Maria said.
“You’re correct,” Marco replied and drew a circle with his finger. “With all the waterways in this area, it’s the logical place to find evidence of a settlement. A lot of rivers and channels connect the lakes. Considering the waterways as highways, it makes sense dugout canoes were a major method of travel through the dense forests.”
Maria pouted and rubbed her chin. “You aren’t thinking about hiking back and forth every day, are you? A five-mile hike, on average, takes two hours.”
Marco shrugged. “If we found a decent site close by, I would, but I expect we’re going to end up about here.” He tapped the map. “Somewhere between twenty and thirty miles from the cabin.”
Maria nodded. “That’s what it looks like to me, too. Thirty miles is a long hike, but an easy one-day trip. We can take turns coming back if we need to replenish supplies or anything.”
“Of course, we may end up only ten or twenty miles away,” Chase added. “For how long did Al rent the cabins?”
“Three weeks,” Marco answered. “With an option to extend another three weeks, which means, even though it’s unlikely they’d all fill up, we’re guaranteed the option to stay for at least a month and a half. We’re off season, and he got an excellent discount by paying for two cabins for an extended period.”
Chase nodded his agreement. “If there’s something to be found, that should give us plenty of time to find it. If we can discover two or three locations that show potential, the professor will arrange for more regimented archaeological digs of the prospective areas.”
