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“Evidence of htfully “Tracks, tools, piles of sand”

“I ht “What do they look like?”

Xero hesitated aa size and shape in the air with his hands “Well, they’re all different colors—”

“Are they porous or crystalline?” Jayce asked, his eyes alight

“Shiny and cold or rough and warston asked

I grinned “Sounds like we’ve got torld-class rock collectors here”

Xero chuckled Then he shrugged “They are all of those things Simultaneously”

Kingston and Jayce shared a look of wonder and disbelief “In the same rock?” Jayce demanded

“In every rock”

Jayce and Kingston radiated excite funny toso positively nerdy I remembered one of their earliest interactions in the pub on Mönkh Saridag, and how at odds and completely opposite they had seemed It was almost hard to believe these were the same two men

Kingston raised his torch and the two of thee with a sharp right turn at the end Kai and I followed close behind, and Xero kept watch at our rear

“Do you think we’ll get caught?” I asked him over my shoulder

He shook his head “This place has been closed up for a long tiive us up”

I hoped he was right, but the deeper ent into the dark, twisted cavern, the ut I toldprecious artifacts from the eneuys to walk in step with each other so I could hear soue This was no tiet crazy

Then Kingston stopped short in front of me so fast I almost ran into him