The Uzan Crystal

by Lisa S. Buchholz

  "Well, it's better than nothing at all," Angelina said to encourage the group. "It's another step toward an ultimate goal."

  They agreed that it was better than nothing but it still left them feeling disheartened. And to hear that a child was involved made it even worse. If Madina could influence a Cardellian to betray his strict loyalty to his people, just think what she was capable of. They grabbed their packs and headed out into the bright sunshine of the morning.

  Chapter 32

  The Journey Continues

  Lorac was waiting for them outside with their tocusses. After everyone had mounted, they were on their way through the city toward the gates. Most of the inhabitants were still asleep. Only a few servants and guards were seen. Tor was waiting for them when they reached the gates.

  "I wanted to say farewell and to wish you all a safe journey." Sir Taz dismounted to embrace his father.

  Angelina glanced around expecting to see Olena but she wasn't in sight. She figured she and Sir Taz must have said their good-byes last night.

  Sir Taz again mounted his tocuss and they rode through the gates of the city back out into the White Sea.

  It was peaceful and very quiet except for the swish of the sand as the tocusses walked and an occasional grunt or two from them as they communicated with one another.

  Angelina was lulled asleep by the rocking motion of the tocuss. When she woke and glanced around, all she saw were the white waves of sand. It had been Thaddious' voice that had stirred her from her slumber. He was yelling ahead to Lorac. He was saying something about his tocuss acting up and not wanting to walk.

  Everyone came to a halt and Lorac hopped off her tocuss and headed over to see what Thaddious was talking about.

  Lord Farley and Merk took the opportunity to dismount and stretch a little. Following their lead the rest of the party decided to take a quick break. Sir Taz headed over to where Thaddious and Lorac were.

  Lorac was checking the tocuss's legs and feet and rubbing her hands over its hide. "I'm not sure what's wrong," she began as she stopped her inspection of the beast and looked over at Thaddious, "I can't find any burrs or injuries that would be bothering him and he doesn't look ill. It's rare that a tocuss doesn't want to follow another of its own kind, but I have seen it before." She took the reigns of the tocuss in her hand. "I'll take this one up front and give you mine. That should be the end of it. I'll be right back."

  Sir Taz waited for Lorac to move the beast and went over to Thaddious. "Did your tocuss seem agitated," he asked.

  "No, it just didn't want to move. It kept stopping and I'd have to kick it's flanks like a horse and it would walk a few steps and stop again," replied Thaddious. "Why," he asked as his eyes narrowed in suspicion, "do you think something is going on?"

  "Maybe I'm just reading into the situation," Sir Taz explained, "but it is rare that a tocuss would give anyone problems and with us being on this journey, anything is possible."

  "We'll I'll keep my eyes open," Thaddious reassured Sir Taz. "If we are threatened, we should at least have time to prepare. There isn't much chance of an ambush out in this wasteland and I'm sure we would see it coming." They both gave each other a look as if to say the unspoken words of "what if we don't see it coming."

  "Here you go," said Lorac as she handed the reigns of her tocuss to Thaddious. "Let me know if she gives you any trouble." She turned to the rest of the group, "Okay everybody, let's get a move on. We still have a few hours to ride until we break for lunch."

  It wasn't long after they were on their way when Dax's tocuss stopped and refused to budge. "Hey, something is going on," yelled Dax, "now my tocuss won't budge."

  The group stopped and Lorac was turning her tocuss around to head back to where Dax was when it happened.

  The sand around Dax's tocuss and Merk's tocuss began to give way and sink inward. Dax and Merk jumped from their tocuss to get clear, but the sand around them began to pull them under as well. Bishoff jumped from his tocuss, threw himself flat on the sand and yelled for Dax to grab onto him. As he was doing this, Lord Ackbar and Sir Matthew rushed to Merk's aid. Sir Taz and Lorac pulled the other tocuss's away from the sinking sand and yelled for everyone to get back. Lady Elise panicked when she saw that Merk was sinking in the sand and rushed over to help. Lord Farley grabbed Elise and pulled her back as she struggled with him to get loose while he was trying to get her to realize that they were doing what they could and they didn't want to have to worry about her as well. Pendrake had grabbed rope and tossed one end of it to Merk and hollered for him to loop it under his arms. The sand was pulling the screaming tocuss under and had a fast hold on the two men.

  Bishoff, Sir Matthew and Lord Ackbar were unable to pull the men from the sand and it was beginning to pull them under as well. Koren and Corbin grabbed onto Sir Matthew and Lord Ackbar's boots as Thaddious grabbed onto Bishoff's feet. Sir Asen saw what Pendrake was doing and tossed a rope to Dax. Angelina rushed over to comfort Elise. Sir Taz had Lorac keep the other tocusses clear of the area and he rushed in to help.

  The tocusses were almost completely under and both men were up to their chests in sand. Once Dax and Merk had the ropes tied around them, the rest of the men that were helping were pulled away from the sinking sand. Everyone split up and grabbed onto the rope holding Dax and the one holding Merk. It was unbelievable. With everyone helping they still could not pull the men free or stop their sinking. The only thing above sand was their arms and head.

  Elise was screaming for them to pull the men out. Everyone had such a tight grip on the ropes that some of their hands were chafing and beginning to bleed. They dug their heels into the sand and tried to keep from slipping forward, but it was no use. Dax and Merk were fighting to keep their faces above the sand.

  The tocusses had already been pulled under and the sand covered the area as if nothing had been there. Merk was pulled under and the only thing above the sand was his hand gripping the rope. Elise screamed and flung herself across the sand and grabbed onto his hand. She began to be pulled under head first. Dax had gone under and some of the men were trying to dig around him to get him out, regardless of them possibly getting caught up in the sand and sinking as well.

  "Do something!," screamed the now frantic Angelina seeing her best friend being devoured by the sand.

  Four of the men grabbed onto Elise's legs and slowly pulled her from the sand. It seemed that as soon as Dax and Merk were pulled under, the sand stopped sinking. The ropes were pulled up and out of the sand. The loop was still tied in each rope but there wasn't a sign of the two men.

  Elise came up covered with sand and gasping for breath. In her right hand she grasped Merk's torn sleeve. The men sat her down on the sand. She rubbed her hands over her face to dislodge some of the sand and opened her eyes. She looked around quickly to see if Dax and Merk had been pulled free. When she didn't see them she glanced at her clenched fist and began to sob. Angelina rushed to her side and held her close to comfort her.

  Everyone was in stunned silence. The only sound breaking the silence was Elise's grief.

  Most of the men were covered in sand and their hands were raw where they had held onto the rope. Sir Taz and Lorac were the first in motion to see to it that everyone else was alright and that sand was dusted off and water was handed out. Lorac took ointment and fresh bandages and went around tending to their wounds.

  Angelina pulled Elise to her feet and walked her over behind one of the tocusses. She stripped her tunic and leggings off and shook the sand from them, then she brushed it from her hair and the rest of her clothes before having Elise get dressed. A cool wet cloth was brought over by Lorac and Angelina cleaned Elise's tear streaked face. Elise had not said a word and refused to give up the ripped fabric from Merk's tunic. Angelina knew that Elise and Merk had feelings for each other and decided to wait until Elise was ready to talk about it first. There was nothing else that they could do but continue on.

  Sir Taz and Lorac both knew that the sorce
ress was behind the death of their two companions. Neither had ever heard of sinking sand pits and knew that if they existed, they would have. Besides, why would the sand begin to sink and stop just as abruptly if it wasn't sorcery at work.

  The group rode single file and did not stop until it was time to make camp for the night. No one had been up to stopping for lunch so they had continued on. It was solemn that evening. Conversation was at a minimum. Sir Taz and Lorac explained to the group what they had discussed earlier about the sand. It wasn't surprising that everyone had been thinking the same.

  Angelina was feeling guilty. If it weren't for her and this quest, no one would have been killed. She should have come alone. At least if she were killed it would only be one person and she wouldn't have brought anyone else into it. And Elise must really be unhappy with her. After all, she was responsible for Elise losing someone who had become very special to her.

  The group ate their meal and turned in for the night. Lord Farley, Pendrake and Sir Taz stayed up and sat near the fire talking. They each took a turn of a few hours to keep watch. Pendrake had last watch and woke everyone at dawn. They ate their breakfast which consisted of bread and dried fruit and then set out. Things were pretty quiet most of the day. It wasn't until near evening when the tocuss that Corbin was riding was bit by a blue flame. Corbin was in line behind Thaddious and in front of Sir Asen when it happened. The tocuss that Thaddious was riding on kicked up a blue flame and when Corbin's tocuss took its next step it landed near the already agitated blue flame and the blue flame struck the tocuss on the foot. The tocuss squealed in pain as it jumped sideways and then its whole body tensed. Sir Asen saw the blue flame on the sand and hollered to the group up front.

  "Everyone stop!" he shouted as he reigned in his tocuss. The ones following him automatically halted. "Corbin's tocuss was stung by a blue flame and the blue flame is still in striking stance." He no sooner got it out before he heard the whiz of a knife flying through the air, pinning the now dead blue flame to the sand. Sir Asen swung around to see Sir Matthew looking at him with a smile on his face. He should have known who had thrown it.

  As soon as the blue flame had been disposed of by Sir Matthew's blade, Corbin jumped down from his now dead tocuss. The blue flame's poison had spread throughout the tocuss and it had stiffened up in death. Corbin couldn't believe that his tocuss was dead. It looked as if it was just standing there waiting for a rider.

  Lorac came over, removed the saddle and packs from the tocuss and handed them to Corbin before she had Sir Matthew and Bishoff push the tocuss over onto its side. Corbin gave her a questioning look. "If the natural predators see a standing tocuss they will assume it is resting and will not come near it. If it's down on its side they will see it as easy prey and come to feast."

  "But isn't the poison in the tocuss. Wouldn't they in turn die if they eat it?" he asked.

  "The predators are the blue flame so they are immune to the poison. It won't be long before the entire tocuss is covered in hungry blue flames." She turned back toward her tocuss. "I suggest we don't stick around to watch."

  Corbin tossed the saddle down near the tocuss and threw his pack up to Sir Asen. "I guess I'll be riding with you until our next stop."

  Sir Asen gave Corbin a hand up and they continued on. Things were not going well was putting it mildly!

  That evening everyone decided to make haste and only rest for a few hours that night. Lorac said that she didn't travel often at night but was confident that she could direct them. They were on their way to Wickerbey where they would book passage to Incaught on one of the ships. Lorac had decided that the best route would be through the White Sea and not near the coast. If they traveled too close to the shore, the rocky outcrops and sheer cliffs would present more of a problem and would slow their travel. And at this point, Lorac wanted to get to Wickerbey as quickly as possible. She knew that the blue flame had been knocked out of its hole by something other than another tocuss. Tocusses knew where the blue flame lay beneath the sands and were able to walk directly on top of them without disturbing them. She knew by the look Sir Taz had given her that she wasn't the only one thinking that. There was a force against them and she was hoping they would make it to Wickerbey without losing anyone else.

  Angelina had tried to speak with Elise about how she was holding up but Elise only gave her one word answers and didn't seem to be in the mood to talk. Angelina decided to let things go until after they reached Wickerbey and she could have time alone with her friend. She noticed that Elise had neatly folded Merk's piece of tunic and put it in her pouch. She put on a brave face for Elise but began to tear up at that thought. Elise had never admitted as much but she saw the way they acted around each other and the looks they gave when they thought no one else would notice. She could only empathize with her. She made a mental note to talk to Elise the first chance they had to be alone. There were other things that she had wanted to talk to Elise about but it seemed like it was never the appropriate time. She turned her attention back to the rider in front of her before she closed her eyes. She hadn't slept well the past few nights and decided to catch up now. She knew there were enough people on the look out for danger that her pair of eyes wouldn't be missed.

  The following days were much the same. They rested a few hours in the afternoon and then again at night, stopping briefly in between when needed. It was a relief when Lorac told them that they would have to endure only a few more days of the sand before they would be back on solid ground.

  It was a blessing to everyone when they began to see vegetation and the sand began to give way to shrubs and grass. It wasn't long after when they reached the open fields. Lorac suggested that they go to one of the larger towns to get horses. She would accompany them that far and then she would have to rest the tocusses and then head back to Eldorfess. She volunteered her services to continue on with them but Angelina as well as the rest of them insisted that she had been through enough. They had only asked that she be their guide and were grateful to her for that.

  Chapter 33

  A Chance To Talk

  It was two days later that they reached Stristone, a fairly large town only another day's journey to Wickerbey. Sir Taz and Pendrake said their farewells to Lorac and headed off to find an inn for them to stay at for that night. Sir Asen, Bishoff and Lord Farley helped Lorac get the tocusses brushed, watered and fed before they headed over to the stables to see what horses Lord Ackbar and Sir Matthew were able to procure.

  Angelina, Elise, Koren and Corbin headed to the seamstresses shop to pick up heavier clothes and boots for their ocean voyage.

  Thaddious said that he had been to Wickerbey many a time and would ride on this evening so that they would be ready to sail when they arrived that next evening. It had been decided a few days back that they should split their group in half and book passage on two different ships in case something happened to one of the ships. Sir Taz and Lord Farley insisted that they stay with the women.

  Pendrake pledged to Angelina that if something should happen to their ship and they were lost, he would still continue on with the journey and do whatever he could to help Airic. She insisted that he not risk his life. He told her that after what happened to Merk, it was too late to turn back. He would do whatever it took to make the sorceress pay for what she did. Merk and he had been together since they were young lads and they considered each other brothers. Angelina knew how he felt and could not deny him justice. After all, Elise was her best friend, but it often seemed that they were more like sisters.

  Sir Taz and Pendrake rounded everyone up and they all headed to the inn. Hot baths had been drawn for the men and women and they headed to the bath houses behind the inn. There were two large rooms, one for the men and one for the women.

  When Angelina opened the door to their bath house the steam swirled out. It had been many days since she was able to soak in a hot bath. Both she and Elise stepped inside and closed the door behind them. They went straight back into the
changing room and stripped off their dusty clothes. They opened a second door which led from the changing room into the bath area and headed over to the tubs. Two had been filled to the top with steaming water and hot rocks had been doused with cool water to help warm the entire room. There were thick robes hanging on hooks near the tubs. Angelina tested the water with her toes. It was really warm and took her a few minutes before she was able to climb in. She looked over at Elise and noticed that she was doing the same. After they had climbed in the tub and Angelina was leaning back with her eyes closed, Elise broke the silence.

  "You know it wasn't your fault," she began, "and I don't blame you at all."

  Angelina knew what she was talking about and didn't say anything. She let Elise continue.

  "We all made our own decisions to come and we knew the risks. I guess we still know the risks." She took a deep breath and dunked under the water to wet her hair. When she came up she continued, "I never spoke about how I felt toward Merk but I know it was obvious." She stopped because she had to take a few minutes to calm herself before she continued. "I'm just sorry that I never had the chance to tell him, to actually say the words."