When the stone hits the shimmering area, the area shatters as the stone passes right through it. Cracks spider along its surface away from the impact point for several feet. That was as far from what he expected than anything he could have imagined.
Shorty bends over and hesitantly touches the edge of the grayness then pulls back his fingers quickly. When nothing happens, he touches it again. Running his fingers along its surface he says, “It’s glass.”
“What?” asks Potbelly, surprised at what Shorty said.
“It’s glass I tell you,” asserts Shorty. Standing up, he steps out upon the shimmering area and the surface cracks under the pressure.
“He did it!” cries Potbelly.
“We must go to them!” exclaims Aleya and makes to ride forward.
“Whoa there,” Stig says, grabbing her reins near the horse’s head and stopping her.
“But they may need us,” she says, about ready to ride over him if he doesn’t get out her way.
“Our boots will afford us protection against the glass,” he tells her. “But the horses’ hooves will get shredded.” When she glares at him, he adds, “We must walk.”
Realizing he’s not trying to stop her, only protecting her horse, she nods her head and dismounts. Taking her bow she makes to head into the shimmering area.
Stig quickly instructs Reilin to explain that they intend to go in search of their companions to Zyrn, and to wait here to keep an eye on their horses. Then he hurries after Scar, Shorty and Potbelly as they move to follow Aleya into the field of glass.
They are forced to step slowly as they make their way onto the glass surface. Each step shatters the sheet of glass covering the ground. “You could make a fortune off of this,” comments Shorty. “Delia would love this.”
“Yeah,” agrees Stig. “Come out here and carefully cut out sections and sell them, it would definitely bring a tidy sum.
Crack! Pop!
Ahead of them the glass shatters and they can see bands of heat radiating out of the newly formed opening.
Crack! Pop! Crack! Pop!
More openings form as the heat trapped beneath the sheet of glass finds an outlet. “This could get bad,” says Miko. Already, they feel the heat rising every time their feet break through the glass.
Crack! Pop! Crack! Pop!
Most of the heat eruptions are coming from further into the glass covered area, the area closest to the center of the blast.
“Jiron!” hollers Aleya. They pause for a moment, but the only sound they hear is that of heat breaking through the glass. Turning to Miko she asks, “Can you tell if they are alive?”
Shaking his head, he replies, “No, I’m sorry. However, I may be able to tell where they are.” Taking out the Star, he concentrates on the whereabouts of James, Jiron and Brother Willim.
The others wait there for a moment before a light flares from the Star and points a little to the left of the direction they were originally traveling. “I believe they lie in that direction,” he says.
“Thank you,” she says and he nods in reply.
As they continue to progress toward the location of their comrades, their feet grow hotter by the minute. “Make for the areas where the heat broke the glass,” suggests Shorty. When the others look questioningly at him, he explains. “If the heat has had a chance to escape, it may also have had a chance to cool.”
“Good thinking,” Stig says. He taps Aleya on the shoulder and says, “Let me lead here.”
About ready to argue the point, she finally relents and nods her head.
Moving past her, Stig studies the area before them and plans a route that will take advantage of the sections of broken glass. Deciding on his route, he begins to move. A thought comes to him about the broken areas of glass. It could be that those areas are actually hotter than the rest and that’s why the glass broke over them. If so, they aren’t going to have any better time of it.
“Looks like that guy Zyrn and his buddies have figured out that the glass could be valuable,” Shorty says from the rear. Glancing back, the others see Zyrn and two others holding a large piece of glass up while the rest inspect it.
“They should give James a percentage,” states Scar.
“That’s right,” agrees Potbelly. “If it weren’t for him, this glass wouldn’t even be here!”
“Not to mention they would still have a deadly problem on their hands,” offers Stig. As he reaches the first of the shattered areas where the heat escaped, he steps carefully. Finding it not any hotter than the areas of glass that have remained intact, he continues on.
At one point Scar leans on Potbelly as he inspects the bottom of his boot. Sections of the sole have melted away, though not so far as to expose the foot within. “If this keeps up,” he says quietly to Potbelly, “we’ll be walking barefoot.”
“Let’s hope they aren’t too much further then,” replies Potbelly.
With a knowing nod, Scar resumes to follow behind Aleya.
Crack! Pop!
Two feet away from Shorty, heat blasts its way through the glass. The steam that ensued from the new opening shoots upward until the pressure has been released. “I don’t think this was such a good idea,” he says loud enough to be heard by all.
No one replies as they continue on. A solid hour has elapsed already since they entered the glass covered area and the eruptions from escaping heat have all but subsided. Occasionally one can still be heard, but they are now few and far between.
At the head of the party, Stig comes to a stop. Shielding his eyes to see through the glare of the sun being reflected off the glass, he stares far ahead of them. “I think I see them,” he says pointing almost directly ahead of them.
Aleya comes to stand beside him and scans the area he indicates. Like a bubble, a shiny dome rises out of the glass. “Think they’re still inside?” she asks.
From beside her, Miko says, “They have to be.”
“Then why don’t they come out?” Stig asks.
“They may think the grayness is still active and it would be dangerous,” supposes Scar.
Nodding, Stig says, “That would make sense.”
Now with them in sight, Stig moves at a quicker pace until a section of glass slips along the ground under his foot, causing him to stumble. If it weren’t for the quick reflexes of Aleya grabbing his arm and steadying him, he would have fallen. With the ground covered in broken glass from his passing, a fall could likely have been disastrous.
“Thanks,” he says to her after regaining his balance.
“Be more careful next time,” she says.
Once again stepping carefully, he leads the way toward the dome.
Once the fires had subsided, it was much easier for Brother Willim’s magic to effectively protect all three of them from the heat. Still horribly hot within the barrier, at least they are no longer at risk of burning.
He moves over to where James is lying unconscious and turns him over onto his stomach. When he sees the extent of the burns he says to Jiron, “Help me get his shirt off. I need to take care of this.” Moving to help Brother Willim, Jiron soon has the shirt off.
Jiron holds James steady as Brother Willim removes a jar from within his robe. “This will ease the pain should he awaken,” he tells him. Dipping two fingers into the jar, he removes a large glob of salve and begins rubbing it over the burns.
“Miko is going to need to take a look at this,” Jiron states as he watches Brother William apply the ointment.
“Yes,” he agrees. “With the Star he can do a much better job of it.”
“Do you think it’s safe?” Jiron asks. “I mean, do you think he killed the grayness?”
“Possibly,” he replies. “I can no longer feel what he called the pulses of electricity which were evident earlier.”
Once Brother Willim finishes with James’ back, he begins on the other parts of his skin that had been in
