As they leave, Caleb notices fresh boot prints near the camp that do not belong to any Apache scout. Someone has been watching the tribe. Red Hawk says the prince appeared twice during the previous night, always near the water stores. Caleb realizes their search may attract more than desperate travelers. Mara quietly tells him that the spring was never merely a source of water in the old stories.
It was hidden because powerful men once tried to control it. Caleb asks why her grandmother kept that knowledge secret. Mara answers that whoever controls the spring controls every settlement around it. The words make Caleb look again at his father's map. For the first time, he wonders whether his father died while protecting the same secret.
With that fear growing, the three riders disappear into the rising heat. The journey begins beneath a white merciless sun. Caleb, Red Hawk, and Mara cross a dry basin where the ground is broken into long cracks. Every mile tests their horses, and the small water supply becomes lighter with each drink. Mara uses the map to compare the landscape with memories from her grandmother.
She believes the black stone should stand near three narrow cliffs. But the cliffs are hidden behind a ridge that looks different from every direction. By afternoon, they reach the first marker, a weathered stone standing alone beside a dead tree. Caleb finds the same symbol carved into its surface. Beneath it is a shallow groove shaped like an arrow.
Red Hawk follows the direction and discovers an old trail almost erased by sand. The trail leads into a canyon where the temperature suddenly drops. Caleb realizes the canyon may collect underground water, but there is no visible stream. Inside the canyon, they find abandoned tools, broken wooden crates, and rusted metal pieces. Someone once worked there.
Mara becomes uneasy because the objects are newer than the stories she remembers. Caleb searches the ground and discovers a brass button stamped with a mark of a cattle company that still operates in a nearby town. Red Hawk immediately understands the danger. The spring may have been found before and someone may have hidden it deliberately. As darkness approaches, the three make camp beneath an overhang.
During the night, Mara hears movement beyond the firelight. Caleb quietly follows the sound and sees two riders watching from a distant ridge. He does not chase them. Instead, he returns and tells Red Hawk. The leader realizes that someone wants them to fail before they reach the water.
The next morning, they continue deeper into the canyon. A sudden rock slide blocks the obvious path, forcing them to climb through a narrow passage. Mara notices a line of small stones arranged beside the wall. She remembers her grandmother saying that the old guardians marked safe routes with stones because natural landmarks could change. Caleb follows the line and finds a hidden opening behind a curtain of dry brush.
Beyond the opening lies a steep ravine. At its bottom, Caleb spots damp earth. He kneels and presses his hand into the soil. It is cool. Red Hawk watches silently as Caleb digs with his knife.