| 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.
-
 Rift
scrabbled about on the floor, whilst Astra watched him with a contemptuous
smile on her face.
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