Based on the recent cathedral bells, it was just after midnight. That meant we had less than six hours before the Springtide sunrise. We needed to complete the oyster quest with enough time to return to the shore for the blossoms quest. I had no idea how long the first quest might take underwater, but the blossom quest would take one minute, regardless of the outcomes. It was the nature of its magic.

  I felt we would not need to search too long for the vipers. If we walked along the marsh now, we might find them along the way. Those snakes had a reputation as dangerous predators, but depending on who you asked, all snakes fell into that category.

  I turned to the group. “Do we rent a couple of boats to take us out, or do we follow the shore and hunt for some vipers along the way?”

  Quartz started to suggest that we take the shore, but the word “viper” gave him pause.

  “How big are the vipers, Gwyd?” Biff asked.

  Steven chuckled. “Not worried about a few snakes, are you?”

  Wilma chimed in, “A few giant, venomous snakes? Yeah, not my favorite thing.”

  We all stared at each other. I shrugged. “Well, we need to find them one way or another, and if we have to hunt for them after sunrise, they may be well away from the city. We will want time to return and clean up for the trials.”

  There were general nods of agreement. “So, marsh in the march?” Quartz asked as a pun.

  He received some good-humored moans, and we set off along the marshy, sandy shoreline toward the easiest access to the oyster beds, which I had researched several days ago in the library. I did not tell my father what I had planned. He was deathly afraid of sharks and refused to take Mom and me out on the bay or allow us to swim there. That was one reason Mom spent time at the park pond—that and her dryad friend, of course.

  Had Dad known about the giant eel, we would not have been allowed in the park, either. But people had gone swimming in the pond for decades, and I do not ever remember hearing a rumor that monsters had attacked anyone. True, the dark waters provoked a lot of crazy stories, but I don’t think there was a string of missing people to lend it credibility. So, the attack today had to have been a one-off.

  Steven said, “Let’s get into marching order and start this quest.”

  He didn’t sound really excited about it. And by the moans, I don’t think the others were excited either. But we got into our marching order and kept an eye out for vipers, eels, and, if Biff’s paranoia could be believed, land sharks as well.

  Overall, we made good time to the opposite side of the cove, where the oyster boats were stored in low racks along the beach. The smoothest walk would lead us to the oyster beds. We kept our heads on swivel, expecting an ambush attack at any moment.

  Despite careful searching and a pinch of paranoia, we did not encounter a single giant marsh viper along the way. I had assumed they would be the easiest part of the three quests, but I began to fear that none of the three quests would prove too easy.

  The point along the shore I was looking for was not hard to locate, thanks to the dozen shallow boats used by oystermen to harvest their catches, which were sitting tipped over on the shore. The oyster farmers never went into the cove or bay at night, so they would not interfere.

  I pointed to the boats and then out into the cove. “These boats can get into deeper water more quickly if you like, but walking out across the shallower oyster beds might be easier, and then going deeper to find the giant oysters. We have plenty of time, and if we graze for some smaller pearls, that could give us a little practice and some additional treasure along the way.”

  Quartz chimed in, “Treasure sounds good.”

  We ignored him.

  I added, “Most of the shallow beds will be cleaned out since we are approaching the last harvesting month. Once Springtide arrives, oysters are only harvested for another month. They have been picked pretty clean for the past seven or eight months.

  “Less talk and more walk,” Quartz said impatiently. But then he thought better of rushing into the water, looked at me, and then just shrugged his shoulders and took a few steps toward the back of the group.

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  “Steven, can you cast your water-breathing spell on our new friend Quartz here? We each have one ready in our rings.”

  “Of course. It doesn’t sting too much.”

  Quartz looked up, eyes wide, and after a pause, said, “Oh ha ha. Let’s make fun of the dwarf.”

  “Sorry, friend,” Steven said. “It actually stings quite a lot.”

  Quartz’s eyes went wide again, and he looked over at me.

  Steven cast the spell, which, of course, was painless. He said for Quartz’s sake, “As a reminder, the benefit of the Protector’s Breath spell is that no matter how polluted the air or water, you will breathe normally. Toxins and poisonous gas will be eliminated, but shark bites, jellyfish stings, and crushing giant oysters will not be affected.”

  Adriana said dryly, “Thanks, Steven. Your advice is always so helpful.”

  Steven smiled widely and said, “What’s our marching order?”

  “I’ll bring up the rear.” Quartz volunteered quickly.

  Steven nodded. “Good idea. As a warrior, you can help protect us against ambush predator attacks, which usually strike the back of the party. The weak and lame are often the slowest.”

  Quartz opened and closed his mouth. “Hey, that’s kind of my schtick.” But he remained at the back of the group, determined to be the last one in the water.

  “I’ll lead,” offered Biff.

  “And I will follow after you,” I said, patting him on the shoulder.

  “Simon and I will come next,” Wilma offered.

  “Then Bido and I will follow with Quartz guarding our rear,” Adriana added.

  “Hey, now,” Quartz argued. But we all ignored him.

  I pointed straight out from where we were and spoke to Biff. “We will need to make our way across a hundred yards or so of oyster beds until we reach deeper waters where the giant oysters can be found. We will hunt among them, careful not to stray too close to the dropoff.”

  Even though I was not speaking loudly, Quartz chimed in from the back, “The dropoff?”

  I turned to the group. “I’ll review this again since Quartz joined us after the dinner planning session. “We will make our way across the oyster beds for around a hundred, maybe a hundred-ten yards. At that point, there will be a need to climb down some coral and rocks to get to the giant oyster beds in deeper water.

  “Remember that evening is a time for predators, but with some light from our mages, we should be able to see, and it will spook most predators into leaving us alone.”

  “And attract the particularly nasty ones,” Quartz mumbled to himself.

  “Quartz may be right, so keep your head on swivel.” I agreed. “Once we get to the giant beds, remember that, unlike regular oysters, the giant ones are true predators, and while they are not likely to be large enough to swallow any of us whole-” I looked at quartz’s size. I corrected, “And while they are not large enough to swallow most of us whole, once they clamp down, it will be crushing and seriously hard to get them to open again.”

  “What are we looking for besides soppy robes and armor?” Quartz asked a bit sourly.

  “My quest comes in three parts. The first is to find a lustrous black pearl among the giant oysters. Very rare and sought by alchemists.”

  “Black pearls sound good.” He said, brightening.

  “We may not find even one, but we will stay down either until we do or our water-breathing spell runs out. It is the primary quest and the one that requires all of us for the best hope for success.” I explained.

  Quartz had nothing to say to that.

  As Biff led us into the water and Wilma and Adriana all cast light spells to help us see better in the dark waters, I heard Quartz ask, as the water covered my head, “What were the other two quests you are working on?”

  We walked across uneven, slippery, muddy sand for a dozen yards before the ground became more solid sand and stone. Once we reached that cleaner sand border, we walked among the oyster beds. A few oysters were around, scattered in groups of three or four, but most had been picked clean.

  I continued where I left off as we walked into the bay. “One of the other quests involves retrieving the venom glands of a nasty kind of marsh viper, and the third quest involves harvesting a blossom from a plant that only blooms for a minute or so at dawn on Sprintide morning in the marshes around the city walls,” I replied.

  “A nasty, poisonous, and carnivorous plant, no doubt?” Quartz asked speculatively.

  “No, it's just a flower. Pretty, too.” I answered.

  “Oh.” He said, half relieved and half disappointed.

  Biff led us further, and we covered another sixty yards before coming across an area packed full of oysters. All the previous beds had been wiped clean, so we decided to stop and pry open one oyster each for practice. These oysters were around the size of my hand. They were larger than the ones closer to shore, and it took some effort to pry them open.

  Quartz ate his oyster while the rest of us just dropped them and watched as a school of colorful blue and yellow fish swooped in and tore at the oyster meat.

  “Hey!” Biff exclaimed. “This one has a pearl in it.” Since he was the first to reach the oysters and had used a wide blade to open his up, he had time to open a second while others were still struggling to open their first one.

  “Must be your lucky day, Biff!” Wilma shouted from where she was watching the small, colorful, shiny fish dart around us.

  At that exact moment, a large predatory fish, which appeared to be a barracuda, shot forward and bit both the hand Biff was holding the oyster in and the oyster itself. In a flash of silver-reflected light, it was gone again, along with the oyster. Fortunately, Biff’s hand remained intact and on his wrist.

  Biff was holding his knife and his pearl in his right hand, but had lost the oyster to the barracuda out of his left hand.

  “Kept hold of the treasure.” Quartz observed. “Good man. For a human.”

  Biff had suffered minor damage from the strike, but it was not enough to cause him any concern. He refused Steven’s offer to heal him. After examining the pearl and how it shone in the magical mage light, he handed it to me. “It’s your quests, so your treasures.”

  “I take everything back,” Quartz said, looking disgustedly at Biff and his generosity toward me.

  There were a few chuckles as we looked out over the oyster bed.

  “There has to be an easier way,” Addy said. Several heads nodded in agreement.

  I stared at the sandy seabed with scattered rocks and islands of coral.

  I hadn't thought through the details of how to do this, except one oyster at a time. And given the more dangerous and larger oysters we had in mind, this really could take all night…