as the earth bucked under him.

The golden fire began to diminish, and the rumble of turbulence died; the clouds of dust began to settle.

'Agellic,' Cyrene whimpered.

Logan twisted over until he was facing the direction of the Jewel. Dirt still swirled in the air, but he could see the golden Jewel lying in a deep crater below an outcropping of rock. A form silhouetted by the dust lay next to it.

Logan turned his tear-streaked face to Cyrene and queried, 'Are you okay?'

Cyrene nodded, dirt shaking free of her dark blonde hair. 'I think so.'

The displacement around Logan faded, and, somehow, he found the strength to sit up. He could now see the thief sprawled out near the Jewel's cavity, golden flames lapping at his bare bones,

'Jesus Christ,' he cursed, 'the Blackbody was right. The combined discharge of the two disasters killed him.'

The young man turned away from the skeletal thief and saw Cyrene peering at him. Self-consciously, he wiped the sweat and dirt away from his face. From the way she was staring at him, he thought something might have been hanging out of his nose!

'Is something wrong?' he questioned.

An admiring glitter sparked in Cyrene's eyes. 'You saved my life,' she breathed. 'Three times.'

Logan could feel his face flush in embarrassment as he got to his feet, waiting for the shakiness to leave his muscles. His sweat suit, he noticed, was completely dusted, and clouds of dirt spumed into the air as he beat at his clothing. A number of times he hit sore spots and winced as pain nipped at his nerves. Cyrene also got to her feet, frowning as she inspected the rips in her skirt and bodice. Her eyes twinkled, however, every time she glanced at Logan.

Logan offered his hand. 'Let's go see if we can salvage anything from your horse,' he suggested.

The blonde took his hand, nodding. Before clambering back up, Logan slid into the deep depression and picked up the Jewel, not looking at the fleshless thief. Even the leather pouch had been burned away by the double discharge, he realized, and, uneasily, tucked the Jewel under his left arm. He had no idea where his stolen horse had run off to.

He rejoined Cyrene, who was busily struggling back up, and the two fought their way to the crushed horse. Logan winced at all the blood, but Cyrene tiptoed daintily about the rocks and puddles, tugging out the saddlebags of her mount. Fortunately, most of her rations were intact, and she was able to pull free a heavy cloak. Everything else was lost beneath the rubble.

Logan shifted the Jewel to his right arm as Cyrene approached him. Dejectedly, the blonde sat down at the edge of the slope, staring out over the mountain range and the settling dust.

'Now what?'

Logan wiped the blood off his left arm. 'Don't know,' he answered, flinching as he touched his wound.

Cyrene looked up at him, her hands going to his injured forearm. 'We're going to have to find some way to clean ourselves up,' she said. 'That cut looks like it got a lot of dirt in it.'

Logan blanched. An infected cut? Just what he needed-and no modern medicine! No Band-Aids! No hydrogen peroxide! If they couldn't find water… what? Would they have to chop off his arm?

When Logan was able to force his worries away, Cyrene was already sliding down the hillside, trying to keep her balance as she skated over the rocky surface. Puzzled, Logan trailed.

'Cyrene,' he called, 'where are you going?'

The blonde did not look back. 'Saw something,' was all she said.

Logan continued to follow, almost losing the Jewel when he reached level ground. Stumbling to keep the gem and his balance, he noticed the gnarled limb of an oak tree half-protruding from the stones. Smiling when he saw it was unbroken, the young man freed Druid Launce's staff and leaned against it as he tagged behind Cyrene. He finally caught up with her near the thief's skeleton and burned-out ditch. He blinked when he saw the small geyser of water spouting from a crack in the mountainside.

Cyrene turned back to him, smiling. 'That quake upset an underground spring,' she surmised, stepping up to the bubbling water.

While crystal-clear water formed a pool in the crater below the fountaining spring, the pair washed the dirt and blood from their bodies. They were even able to wash the grime from their hair by leaning over the geyser. It was like an upside-down showerhead, Logan thought. And the water was warm, not boiling hot.

The young man was a bit taken aback when Cyrene told him to strip, until she explained she would wash his clothing. Awkwardly, Logan pulled off his sweat suit and handed it to the blonde. His clothing below wasn't in much better condition, and he knew Cyrene was waiting for those as well. Feeling like a complete goon, he shed his shirt, shoes, and socks, but hesitated after that.

Cyrene had a mischievous smile on her face as she watched him. 'I don't bite,' she quipped, and Logan knew he didn't have to be Freud to figure that one out!

His cheeks grew warm and he wondered what brilliant shade of red he had become.

'There's a little grassy knoll to our left,' Cyrene told him. 'If you want, you can go over there… behind some rocks.' The glitter in her deep blue eyes grew. 'But I want everything,' she warned.

Goon! Goon! Goon! Goon! Goon! Logan muttered to himself as he left. You got something against your body? Afraid to show it to someone who's only washing your clothes?

But she's a female! another portion of his mind declared, shocked.

Brilliant observation! Logan mocked himself. Jesus, I made myself look even dumber by standing around not wanting to give her my pants than just ripping them off and giving 'em to her!

But then you'd be naked! his mind cried out in horror.

Oh, great! Logan retorted. It's wonderful to know that I'm so knowledgeable when it comes to the human body!

Still arguing with himself, Logan rounded some boulders and walked across the grass. A few large stones lay strewn about the knoll, probably dislodged from the quake but looking rather decorative in the grassy area. He gave the area a quick scan and convinced himself he was well hidden from anyone in the mountain range. Hurriedly, he stripped off his remaining clothes and threw them over the rocks to Cyrene. In a feeble attempt to get his mind off his state, the young man unsheathed his sword and practiced swinging the blade. After a while, he became relaxed, and the cool, fresh air of the Hills stimulated every portion of his body. A gentle breeze tickled the hairs on his legs, and an oddly natural feeling crept upon Logan, quite the opposite of that disturbing buzz of disagreement.

Logan slipped the talisman over his head and sat down, sighing as the aches eased in his muscles.

'Matthew,' CyTene called to him.

Logan perked up. 'What?'

'The water's collecting into a perfect pond,' the blonde told him. 'If you want to wash yourself, you can just jump in.' Then she added, 'I won't look.'

Logan set his dagger, staff, sword, and the Jewel down beside the talisman. A vital, refreshing feeling flowed through his muscles, and he stood up proudly. 'No, that's all right.' Then he added, 'You can look.'

Logan was only slightly surprised when he rounded the rocks and found Cyrene already in the stone-shaped pond. The spring, he saw, was flowing into the crater formed by the Jewel's double discharge, and, like Cyrene had told him, it created the perfect pond. Eagerly, he joined her in the warm liquid while she watched him advance, blue eyes twinkling.

With a whoop, Logan splashed into the water, submerging and shaking his head free of any remaining dirt in his hair. He surfaced directly in front of Cyrene, and the crystal-clear waters were like a shimmering gown on her beautiful frame.

She was eyeing him in a like fashion.

Cyrene kicked through the pond, nosing up to the young man. Her blue eyes were locked on his as she halted an inch away from his face. 'How much?' she asked.

Logan wiped water from his face. 'Huh?' he exclaimed. 'How much what?'

Deep blue eyes trailed up Logan's body. 'Money,' said the blonde with a smirk. 'How much money?'

Logan couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. She was using his exact lines herself! 'What do you take me for?' Logan questioned, softly. 'A chomprat?'

Вы читаете The Jewel of Equilibrant
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