As dwarf fought orc in what had been the lair of Minestus, a hundred miles
or so away
the group of three Aqualarian rangers had reluctantly concluded that it
would be futile to
continue their search for Astra any longer. Enquiries along the road they
believed she
and her companions had followed had revealed nothing. They now had the
unpleasant task
of returning to Aqualaria and telling
the Queen the worst news of all: not that her daughter was dead but that
she was
dishonoured.
Fortunately for Fred, Astra and Rift, unarmed as they were, the orcs were not interested in them whilst there were dwarves to fight. Meanwhile Rift had come to a decision borne of desperation. He would use the Crystallic to get himself and Astra out. No-one seemed to be paying him any attention, and he had already given up all hope of claiming the dragon's hoard. He didn't think that deserting Tarin would amount to a breach of the Pact, but if he was wrong then he would just have to rely on the Crystallic to protect him. He withdrew to the farthest recess, and conveniently also the darkest part, of the cave. He took the Crystallic from the pouch at his belt where he had put it for safekeeping. Then he had a thought: why waste the empty pouch? He swiftly filled it with jewels. Then he raised the Crystallic and began to concentrate. Rift's greed was his undoing. The few seconds he took to fill his pouch were long enough for Astra to notice that he was no longer standing near her. Looking round, she spotted him and saw that he had the Crystallic out. She did not know what he planned, but knowing Rift she was sure that it would not be anything to her advantage. Running over, she attempted to wrestle the gem from his hand. Rift's concentration had been such that he was taken by surprise. The Crystallic flew out of his hand with great force, and was lost somewhere on the dark and jewel-strewn floor. Though it was large and highly distinctive, the chance of finding it in the near darkness without a prolonged search was remote.
|
9/25/1999 9:53:51 AM
Extending Enabled
21324292 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.