Chapter Eleven: Danger

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Note:  Important scene in this chapter!  And the next chapter is outrageously important too.  Comments and votes on your thoughts, please!  Thanks to those still reading! 

*This chapter is unedited.

“I just realized that it’s going to take a lot longer to get to the Temple of the Earth.”  Alistair sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah.  We’re still in the middle of Han, but we have to round back to Bonum for this last artifact,” Caleb frowned, tapping at the map as the group continued walking.

Though she was aware of what they were saying, Rima couldn’t bring herself to respond.  Her eyes were glued to the Artifact around her wrist: an elegant white gold bracelet with nine different-colored gems and a larger silvery-golden jewel in the shape of a feather.  She creased her brows and took up the gem strung on her necklace, comparing the two.

How odd.  The Life Jewel on her necklace was white-gold but the one on her bracelet, the actual Wind Artifact itself, was silver-gold.

Maybe the Jewel changes its color depending on what purpose it serves, Rima wondered to herself.  So the necklace is the source of energy that I draw from to fuel my magic, and my bracelet amplifies it.

Something nuzzled her cheek and she glanced to her right to see Shaheen blinking at her.

“I’m fine, Shaheen,” Rima smiled.  “Thank you.”

The falcon tilted her head to the side, rather sweetly, and chirped at her.

The sun had begun to set a while ago, leaving the group no choice but to rely on Rima and her elemental magic as their guide.  The mountains to their left blocked out the remaining sunlight, and even Shan, who brought up the rear, had to hold up a torch before night truly fell.

After about another half hour of walking, it seemed that they had finally found the perfect spot.  “We should rest here for the night,” Laurel spoke up, dropping her bag on a large flat rock in the middle of a secluded clearing in a cluster of trees.  “Rima, Shan, please,” she nodded at them.

The two of them nodded back and began making their way into the trees with silent stealth.  Shaheen lightly nibbled at her ear and took off in search for her dinner. 

"Where are they going?" Rima heard Alistair ask loudly.  "What are they doing?"

~*~

“I didn’t know you could hunt,” Alistair said when she returned with the monk some time later, sounding impressed.

“We hadn’t run out of all of our food yet,” she replied, gently laying down a rabbit and squirrel.  Shan came in behind her with a wild turkey slung over his shoulder. 

“Wow, who got the turkey?”  Caleb asked, wandering over and inspecting it. 

“Rima,” Shan replied.  “I got the rabbit and squirrel.”

Laurel giggled.  “The muscular monk got the cute, fluffy animals for our dinner.”

The monk dropped the turkey onto the ground and rounded on the healer, stalking over and backing her into a tree.  “What did you say?”  His voice was a low growl, but Rima could tell from his expression that it wasn’t serious.

She quickly turned away from them to give them some privacy and did her best to focus on skinning the rabbit.  Caleb and Alistair helped skin the rest and set up a pot of water while Laurel and Shan went back into the trees in search for some spices.

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