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.“We need to keep moving.”Bodrin was ready with his staff and hunting knife, but no one really wanted lizard for dinner.The next morning, they reached the desert’s center, where the colossal mesas rose like great pylons supporting the sky.The massive rock columns, horizontally striped in rich earth- tone hues, rose up a thousand feet.They took center stage in the view.“Tournak, have you ever been here before?” Saxthor asked.“I mean, are you familiar with these mesas?”“There are so many massive pillars.Which one are you looking for, Saxthor?” Bodrin asked.“I don’t know.I don’t know how all this works yet.”“Sorry, Saxthor, I haven’t been through the Sengenwhan desert before,” Tournak said.“I’m afraid this is again up to you.”The group settled in the shadow of a slender, towering rock needle for the morning meal.Saxthor went off by himself.He took off his necklace and held it out before him with the sun behind his back.Starting from the now-visible clasp, he moved the necklace to the second loop figuring he’d already found the first jewel, the Cobalt Blue Sapphire of Loyalty.Saxthor focused the light through his dragon ring’s gemstone, beaming it through the loop.A blue picture of a great mesa appeared as a hologram.Saxthor read the message that overlaid the vision:The mesa tall with needle side,Whose shadow casts its height to hide,The rock beneath at base to show,Where Topaz rests for you to know.Closing the necklace back around his neck, Saxthor joined the others who were famished and eating.He said nothing, but took his food portion and ate in silence.After the meal, and some rest, Bodrin grew impatient.“So where’s this jewel we’re looking for, Saxthor?”“We’ll know soon.I’ll need to lead the journey’s next leg.”“You’re in charge.”“Well, I know where we’re going now.”Bodrin looked at Tournak and Hendrel.Tournak said nothing, feeling at ease with Saxthor’s confidence.Bodrin shrugged and turned away.The travelers followed Saxthor, who led by studying the mesas as they came into view.At dusk, he pointed to a medium-sized pillar with an unusual broken top and a towering rock needle standing not far from it.Pointing to the butte, Saxthor said, “That’s where we’re headed.”They made camp for the night beneath some ancient cacti that formed a circle like columns around a gazebo.No one asked about how Saxthor knew where he was heading or the mesa’s significance.They began their journey the next morning by hiking to the objective Saxthor had pointed out the evening before.Just past midday, they reached it and settled down to rest.Covering his face to nap, Saxthor lay down beside Bodrin.“You’re in no hurry,” Bodrin said, then began pacing when Saxthor didn’t respond.Eventually, Bodrin sat down again, but still Saxthor said nothing.Bodrin fidgeted, yet appeared to study the sky.A scorpion happened by and Saxthor flicked it over in front of Bodrin who exploded, jumped up, and smashed the creature repeatedly with the flat of his sword.He sat back down, much calmer.“Saxthor, we don’t want to annoy you by questioning your judgment, but is everything all right?” Bodrin looked at Tournak and Hendrel for support, but they went about their own discussion.“Everything is fine, thank you.” Saxthor looked up, patted Bodrin’s shoulder, then started to sharpen Sorblade with long, studied strokes.Bodrin fumed.Waiting on Saxthor to give them direction that afternoon, the others repacked supplies and cleaned weapons.Saxthor just dozed.“How long are we going to sit here?” Bodrin asked Tournak, who shrugged his shoulders.Bodrin kicked a small rock at a cactus.When Saxthor awoke in midafternoon, he sat up.He watched the tall needle’s shadow moving across the valley floor.The shadow settled on a rock at the nearby mesa’s base, then disappeared after a moment, cut off by another shadow.Saxthor rushed to where the shadow last pointed, and located a rock perched on a column at the mesa’s base.“Come over here and help me with this,” Saxthor called out.“Help me move this boulder.”Happy to be doing something, anything at last, the others rushed to help.They took a large cactus rib and, using a rock for a fulcrum, nudged the boulder off its ancient resting-place.“Wow, a rock in a cavity,” Bodrin said.“You knew this was between the big rock and its base? It’s a geode.” He picked it up“Crack it open with another rock,” Saxthor said.When the geode resisted the hard blows, the others tried without success.Tournak wondered if Saxthor had misunderstood the riddle.Was this the correct vessel?Saxthor picked up the geode that warmed in his hands, as when he first picked up Sorblade.He looked puzzled, then again used the sun’s energy, focusing sunlight through the dragon ring’s blue topaz.The blue beam caused the geode to blossom into six, petal-like chunks.From among the geode’s pale amethyst crystals, the golden Imperial Topaz of Sincerity plopped into Saxthor’s lap.The adventurers celebrated that night.They lit a campfire behind the mesa, where possible eyes on their trail wouldn’t see the light [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]