07: A Sudden Shift

Setting: Winter 1992: The Realm of Dungeons & Dragons

Summary: Things change as the accidents turn deliberate on the Champion's quest.

xxx

November 9, 1992:

Eric stood in the small flow of water while Uni and Sheila bathed his dusty, muddy legs and flanks. The redheaded Thief smiled softly as she worked near the equally redheaded elf. "Eric, your hide is so soft. And pretty. See? Gold flecks through your hide and your hair."

Eric turned his head to look over himself with mild interest. It seemed that he and Uni regained their strength with every hour. He nuzzled at Uni then stretched his neck to lightly tap Sheila with his nose, drawing a soft giggle from the Thief.

She smiled and stroked that same nose with a dripping hand. "I miss the six," she sighed and amended, "seven of us." Sheila didn't have to say out loud that she wished Dara hadn't been so necessary to them. Trouble had always followed the group, but it seemed amplified with the advent of their guide. Reaching back, Sheila twisted her waist-length hair into a loose bun, tucking the end under itself to keep it temporarily out of her way as she began to wash Eric once more.

Uni paused, still learning into Eric, studying her long-time friend. Very softly, she asked, "Sheila? Are you pregnant, too?"

"What?" Sheila straightened in shock, noticing that Eric didn't seem surprised by the former unicorn's question. The pair must have discussed the topic before. Flushing brightly, Sheila cleared her throat and said, "no. I'm regular." She realized, too late, that her answer showed she and Hank - - or at least she and someone had been sexually active recently enough for Sheila to keep track of her fertility cycle.

With a nod, Uni said, "do you want to be? Some day?"

Teal eyes softening, Sheila whispered, "yeah. But not right now. Not on such a long quest. Terri's going to deliver a couple months after we get to the Singing Forest. That means either staying at the forest or traveling with a newborn." The young woman shook her head and glanced over at her brother's girlfriend. "It's going to be dangerous."

Looking back at Uni, Sheila noticed the sadness in the elf's eyes and bit her lip. She knew she hadn't been mistaken about the look she'd observed: Uni and Eric loved each other but certainly couldn't be together. Uni was a unicorn in reality and Eric was a human. That kind of pairing wouldn't work in any world. Thus, Sheila didn't ask Uni the question the other woman had asked her. Instead, she said, "are you looking forward to Terri's baby? I don't know if you've ever seen a baby human up close."

Considering Sheila's question, Uni shrugged and honestly stated, "I do not know how to feel about the baby. Maybe I will know later." She gave Eric's hide one last brushing with the wet cloth she used then rinsed it out and laid it over a high rock to dry in the unexpectedly warm late fall air.

"Hey," Hank's voice drew their attention but didn't startle the other three. The blond Ranger smiled and stepped close to Sheila, holding one of Eric's saddlebags. He softly said, "Diana's keeping Dara busy gathering herbs under Presto's guidance. He's got some ideas on things Terri can drink, in tea form, to keep her stress down. He said the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks it's something to do with blood pressure and the baby."

"Oh, poor Terri," Sheila murmured, misery ranging through her soft tones.

Uni asked, equally softly, "why does he need to distract Dara? What are you doing, Hank?"

Opening the saddle bag, revealing neatly folded clothing as well as bundles of leaves tied with vines, Hank carefully pulled out the alicorn. He missed Sheila's widening eyes as he offered the Weapon of Power to Uni. "Dara told me she wanted to see a real unicorn because they are valuable.

Eric stamped his right forefoot as both girls drew indignant breaths at the idea Dara might hurt or sell a unicorn.

"She said," Hank went on, "that they can teleport and read minds and heal." Hank looked around the small group and said, "she specified that unicorns can heal the wounds made by the undead. I want you, Uni, to try to heal Eric's vampire marks. I want to see how much Dara really knows about healing and the undead."

Mind racing, Sheila said, "she does seem to know quite a bit, Hank. She does live on the edge of a swamp she said was filled with undead."

Uni lifted the alicorn in her hand, meeting Eric's tired eyes. She reached up her other hand to unbandage the long unhealed talon rakes around and under his own alicorn. The wound looked worse, beginning to fester no matter how clean they kept it. Wincing, Uni gently touched the tip of the alicorn to Eric's and concentrated on what she wanted: to expel any foul infection from the vampire, to heal her friend.

White light, bright and pure, shone forth from the alicorn and Hank shifted slightly to block the sight from the rest of the party behind them. Enveloping Eric's head, the light seemed to wash over him and pulse before fading completely. Uni's hand dropped, shaking and barely able to retain her grip; she leaned on Hank for support.

Eric shook his head and whickered softly. The infection seemed to dry up as they watched, the swelling, the redness, the painfully distorted claw marks knitting back together second by second until even scars faded. Eric's brown eyes widened in surprise and he shook his head again, black and gold mane rippling.

"She knew," Uni whispered, her voice harsh and unforgiving. "She knew from the moment she found out Eric was a unicorn that we could heal an undead strike. She kept it to herself for three months!" Turning to Hank and Sheila, Uni hissed, "three months ago we could have healed both Eric and Dekkion!"

"Shhh," Sheila cautioned Uni, glancing behind them to make sure Dara was still occupied.

Hank didn't deny Uni's words. "She also knew before Presto did that you and Eric had been poisoned. I'm willing to bet she knew it was cyanide."

"Cyanide?" Uni frowned, stopped in her outraged diatribe. "What is cyanide?"

"Belladonna berries, Presto said. He found them in your food sack," Hank informed the elf.

An indignant sounding, though very soft, neigh erupted from Eric.

Uni shook her head. "When I collect anything, Eric checks it over before we store or eat it. He always has. I know the names of everything I collect because he tells me. I never took any Belladonna."

"Nightshade's another name," Hank offered, watching Eric more than Uni.

Eric still seemed indignant, but his tired pained eyes had cleared with his healing. He really seemed to be more lively and healthy.

"No, if it has two names, it wouldn't matter. It would still look the same," Uni challenged. "And I know the word nightshade. Eric told me both when we first found the stuff five years ago." She tapped Hank, who looked at her once more, "he said in ancient times on earth women would use it to look more pale. He then laughed and said I looked like I ate it every day, I am so pale. Then he told me they found out it's deadly and has poison, but he could not recall if the poison had a name."

"So, neither of you collected belladonna and put it in your sack of food." Sheila frowned and resisted the urge to look for Dara.

"Right," Hank nodded and very lightly slapped Eric's rump, startling the former Cavalier. "Let's go through your bags. I have a feeling Dara might have gotten into them while we were distracted or sleeping."

"And she never took the alicorn or net?" Sheila asked softly.

"She couldn't," Hank affirmed.

"Everyone knows where the net is," Uni agreed. "We would know it was missing and was her."

"And the alicorn?" Sheila pressed, walking over to the saddlebags with the other three.

"I think Dara has noted it on several occasions, actually. She told me she thought Uni had cursed Eric. I think she saw the alicorn and decided Uni stole it from another unicorn." Hank squatted down and placed the pair of saddle bags down, opening both once more. He carefully removed the spare clothes Ayesha had packed for Uni, the sack of food Uni stored in there for her and Eric, and the net. Hesitating, Hank reached into the one still half full and began carefully removing the razor leaf bundles Varla had placed in there.

"Razor leaf!" Sheila breathed, eyes widening. She hadn't seen those collected or going into the bag. "Oh, we can help Terri!" She picked up and began unwrapping one of the tight bundles, her fingers careful yet sure.

"What do you mean?" Uni asked.

Teal eyes shining, Sheila said, "Marinda used this stuff to help pregnant ladies who got too stressed. I would have suggested it when Terri seized, but I didn't know it was available. I thought I'd be just wasting our time mentioning this. It's used in tea to help them calm down. It brings down the blood pressure, I believe."

"And you know how to use it? How to make the tea?" Hank asked, his spirits lifting greatly at the idea that Terri would have her medicine after all.

Nodding, Sheila smiled brightly. "Yes, and I'll show all of you how to use it. Razor leaf is good for other things, but mostly for blood problems. Marinda once told Varla and I that razor leaf takes blood but helps blood. It's the even trade of nature, she said." Meeting Hank's widened blue eyes, Sheila smiled wider, "Marinda always told us about the local herbs and medicinal plants, but I never thought I knew enough about them. I was deaf and thought I misunderstood too much of what she said."

Unable to hold back, Hank hugged Sheila and grinned at Uni and Eric. "We can help Terri!" He didn't let the Thief go as he toned down his attitude and murmured, "and we can heal Dekkion. We need to turn back."

Eric shook his head and stamped his foot at the same time Uni protested, "no!"

"What?" Hank and Sheila softly chimed together in confusion. "Why?" Hank continued.

Uni placed a hand on Hank's wrist and, just as softly, said, "Dekkion should either be dead or healed by now. Silvermane and his herd would have seen to him."

Eric nickered, and Uni translated easily since she held the alicorn. "Eric says we must go on for Ramoud."

"Guys?" Presto's voice interrupted the small meeting and the four looked over at their friend. He carried a bag of gathered herbs. "Everything okay?" he asked, looking over their faces before his golden eyes snapped back to Eric's unbandaged forehead. "You healed?" Excitement tinged his light tenor tones.

Eric blew out between his lips. Uni instantly started wrapping fresh bandaging around the unicorn's head, hiding the healing she'd done. "Yes and no," she told the Wizard. "A certain person does not need to know. But, yes."

Presto nodded without arguing or questions. He merely stated, "we should look into making small packs of the different herbal brews we'll give Terri. That way, any time she needs one, she can make it without worrying about leaves or doses."

Sheila smiled at Presto and held up a bundle of razor leaf. "This, Presto. Marinda would use this with pregnant women who had to keep their stress low."

Eyes lighting up, Presto took the bundle carefully and breathed, "when did we get razor leaf? I must have missed it. I . . ."

"Varla," Uni said. "And Ayesha. They put it in the saddle bags. I think we were all distracted." She brushed a delicate hand through Eric's long mane then grabbed his currying brush so she could tend him since he'd been bathed.

Bobby called, "hey, guys, we're gonna get some lunch together. Anyone else hungry or just me and Diana?"

Shooting the others a look of amused relief, Presto took the saddle bag from Sheila and began repacking it. "I'll be right over and get you guys to help me with the herbs, okay? I want everyone familiar with the doses and methods of brewing."

Hank clapped Presto on the shoulder then led the others back to the campsite, Eric and Uni taking up the rear at a slow walk. Eric seemed livelier than he had since the poisoning, but he still moved methodically, keeping his head down to Uni's level as much as possible. She kept a hand lightly tangled in his mane.

xxx

December 5, 1992:

A light snow drifted from the darkened skies. The group had been traveling through a rolling countryside which promised to be green in summer; however, due to the winter season, the fields lay sleeping, the trees leafless. The group of eight huddled around the fire they'd managed to scrape together, trying for warmth in the grey-colored evening. Soon they would try to get some sleep, but the weather proved worrying, as did the lack of dwellings in what appeared to be farmland.

"How come we haven't come across anyone else this whole time? Aside those giants?" Terri asked softly, looking towards her rubbing hands.

"And the dead guy," added Bobby.

"Bobby!" Sheila hissed at her brother, quickly looking at Terri then sliding her eyes to Dara. She caught the frown on the guide's face.

Looking at Sheila then frowning more severely, Dara said, "war people." She sounded defiant.

"Well," Sheila temporized, trying to soothe the other woman's ruffled feelings, "that's possible."

With a disgusted snort, Bobby shook his head, blond locks shifting as he did so. "Nah, there'd still be people left behind. Children, elders, people to look after them. And the houses. There'd be houses."

Dara stiffened, narrowing her eyes at Bobby. For the past two weeks, she had seemed to feel the Champions directed every negative comment directly at her. It seemed Dara had become paranoid recently.

Glaring openly at Bobby, Dara said, quite clearly and firmly, "dead. All dead."

As Bobby opened his mouth to argue about the missing houses, Diana hissed, "stop it!"

Golden light shone from Terri's eyes and the locket under her shirt.

Dara suddenly seemed very interested in Terri, sidling closer, but the young brunette never noticed.

An almost delicate looking hand grasped Dara, causing her to jump. Presto held her shoulder, preventing her from getting too close to the Dreamer. "Don't. She needs space. She's dreaming."

"Dream Dara," the blond woman pointed out, sounding a mix of awe and smug.

Meeting Dara's baby blue eyes with his own golden ones, Presto nodded. "But if she gets interrupted, we don't know what she'll dream. And then she won't ever dream of Dara again."

A fierce frown slammed over Dara's features and she pulled away from Presto. "Not mean!"

"No, Dara," Presto countered, aware that Terri stopped glowing and started to relax nearby. "I'm not trying to be mean. I'm trying to say that Terri needs space so she can have her dreams or we might never have the warnings like the one that saved you."

With a sob, Terri jackknifed into a sudden sitting position and wrapped her arms fiercely around Bobby. She buried her face in his neck and whispered, "I don't want you to drown!"

Bobby slid his arms around his girlfriend, tightly holding her, protective in his surprise and love. "I ain't drowning, Terr. I can swim great. You know that." He stroked her hair as he comforted her, letting her grasp and cry on him. For once the man who didn't like physical displays of affection allowed it without protest.

Sheila called out, "if you can, bring her closer to the fire, Bobby. Her tea will be ready soon." The woman's voice held worry but a determination to remain calm and in control of the situation. They could do little about either the cold or Terri's dreams, but they could control other factors around those two big uncertainties. Sheila wanted to help ease Terri before another seizure started; they'd been lucky enough that she'd only had two others during the journey so far.

Trying to soothe the weeping younger woman, Diana said, "okay, so we have to be extra careful for Bobby at the Crystal Waters. We can do that."

"Yeah," Bobby agreed readily enough.

Terri lifted her head and shook it, eyes filled with tears from her frightening vision. "No, Bobby. There wasn't any water. Just sand. A lot of sand everywhere. It was impossible to tell how far it went or when it might move." She sobbed again, clutching the harness he wore over his tunic. "You disappeared in the sand and we couldn't find you. Then, the sand moved and you were . . . you weren't bre . . ."

"Shh," Bobby buried Terri's face in his shoulder and looked at the others. "Sand that drowns? Quicksand can, but it doesn't move like she's describing."

"Shift Sands," Dara said confidently. "Shift Sands eat people."

"What?" Sheila actually squeaked then cleared her throat.

"We have rope," Hank finally broke in, voice calm, soothing, reasonable. He sounded like this new threat was merely one of the normal hazards they'd encountered and conquered. "We tie everyone together. Then, if someone slips, we can pull them out easily. Adults would usually do that during big storms - - tie the children together then to themselves. Worked in blizzards and hurricanes."

Suddenly, Dara leaned towards Terri and in a comforting tone said, "Terri house. Done wander."

The others tried to fathom out what she meant but then Bobby said, "well, when this is all done, of course Terri and I are getting a home when we're married." He smiled.

Terri pushed away, looking annoyed. "Marriage won't solve everything, Bobby!" She pushed to her feet, ignoring the stunned, confused looks on half of the group. She wrapped her arms around herself, stamped her booted feet, and said, "I'm going on watch now." She shot her boyfriend a challenging glare.

Bobby sounded wounded as he demanded, "what did I say? Why're you mad at me?"

Terri turned her back and shot over her shoulder, "you didn't even ask me to marry you. You just assumed we will. Typical man!" And she stomped off, Dara scrambling to follow as she had the first watch, too.

Mouth hanging open, Bobby shot to his feet and hurried after the pair of women, making protesting words and attempts at apologies.

Diana shook her head, "mood swings." She looked at the others. "I have a feeling Bobby's going to be very worn out by Terri's hormone rages." She sighed and huddled under a blanket, Sheila wrapped up with her so they could share body heat. "Okay, so we tie everyone together to help stop someone sinking and getting lost," she moved back onto the subject of their next obvious hurdle in the quest for Heart's Unity.

Presto looked worried and Hank glanced at the ginger-haired man, tilting his own blond head in curiosity. "What's wrong, Presto?"

With a sigh, Presto met Hank's eyes and very softly said, "Galveston, Texas."

"What about it?" Sheila asked, just as softly, knowing instantly Presto didn't want Bobby or Terri to hear.

"There was a hurricane in 1900. Ten nuns and ninety orphans died. Actually, six thousand people died, but the nuns and children were tied together. Only three orphans survived the storm." The Wizard met the Thief's eyes. "We'll have to be willing and ready to cut the rope if those sands try to kill more than one of us."

He flushed at the protests from the others, but finally, starting with Hank, Presto found agreement for his sound, if heartbreaking, instruction: if it meant losing two or saving one, the answer was obvious.

xxx

December 14, 1992 to December 15, 1992:

The suns began to set as the group arrived before what seemed to be another rolling field. As they'd steadily been moving southward, the weather didn't get worse, nor did the temperatures. The Champions didn't feel any warmer, but they didn't have to deal with snow and ice for the time being.

Looking out over the vast plains, Hank sighed and called out, "Dara? How much further to Shift Sands?" He used her name for the hazard.

She stepped up beside the Ranger and looked out, as well, over the landscape. "Wander night, wander Shift Sands," she informed him.

With a nod, Hank called to the others, "Dara says we'll reach it tonight if we keep going. I don't want to stumble onto them, so we'll camp here and move out in the morning. Let's get some rest." He turned and helped them set up their bedrolls and the campfire.

No one, not even Dara, slept solo in the cold. Sheila and Terri had taken to sleeping back to back and sharing their blankets and warmth. Diana had offered, and been accepted, to bunk with Dara. Hank and Bobby shared their bedrolls. Uni and Presto actually used their blankets, with Eric's saddle blankets, over all three of them, just to make sure Eric could stay warm, too. Of course, that meant everyone had mixed around who stood watch with whom. The pair sharing became joint watches so no one had to shiver by him or herself.

Glancing towards the expanse of dark field, Terri shuddered and accepted her tea from Sheila, drinking it cold. They'd figured out that warm tea in the morning helped but she could really have it cold for just as much effect. Terri didn't care when she had it or how: it tasted bitter all the time. Sipping the tea, the young brunet kept her eyes on Bobby, worried and feeling sick. "I don't know, Sheila. This time the dream keeps changing. Sometimes he has the rope, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he jumps in after something, sometimes he trips, and sometimes he just walks right in. This last time he was pushed. But every single time, he doesn't come back up until the sands shift to reveal his body." She shuddered and Sheila slipped an arm around Terri.

"We'll be very careful, Terri. No one wants to lose Bobby." Sheila hugged the teen briefly then went back to adjusting their bedrolls. The evening meal went quickly and everyone slipped into their pallets, Sheila and Terri taking the first watch.

The night remained quiet and cold as the hours slipped past. Near the end of third watch, Hank circled around the far end of camp, by the road they'd come from. Bobby stood staring out at the road ahead. He frowned as something caught his eyes: moonlight glinting off something nearby. Hefting his club, Bobby carefully walked towards the object, using his club to test the ground ahead, in case they were closer to this quicksand area than Dara had guessed or let on.

Nothing changed about the ground. It stayed firm and cold, so Bobby grimaced and stepped closer to the object. He spoke softly to himself, out loud, "is that a body?" Again testing the ground before him, Bobby made his way closer to the object: mummified body wrapped in cream colored leathers but no apparent metal on it. The light coloring had caught the starlight and had drawn Bobby's eyes. He could feel loose soil or sand under his feet but really didn't register the slight movements. A cream colored leather-bound book sat buried partially underneath the body.

"Damn. I wonder who this guy was?" He lifted his voice to call in a stage whisper, trying not to wake up those in camp behind him, "anyone there? Hello?" He didn't really think he'd get an answer, but it never hurt to check. This guy, after all, had obviously been dead too long to answer - - and if he did, Bobby would be ready. He lifted his club.

No one replied but he heard the soft, careful step behind him. Trusting Hank to have his back, Bobby squatted down and shimmied out the book. He frowned at the weight of it, the apparent pearls embedded in the soft leather, Bobby looked up in the darkness, mildly surprised, at Hank's shape right by his shoulder. "No one answered me. Wonder what this guy was doing out here."

"I don't know, Bobby. Is that a book? Maybe it's dangerous." Hank replied, drawing a frown from Bobby.

"Normally you worry if someone's hurt before you worry about how dangerous . . ."

Bobby didn't get to finish as Hank slammed him hard in the chest with both hands, pushing and sending the Barbarian tumbling sideways into a hole that had suddenly opened in the ground before him. Bobby yelped as he fell, his club still gripped in his right hand, the book in his left. The ground shifted, almost like a sliding door, and covered the young man, burying him completely, along with the mummified body.

The last thing Bobby saw was the grinning, twisted features of a rather delighted Hank standing there, watching.

xxx

December 15, 1992:

Third Watch (about 3 AM)

Terri's screams woke everyone up with a start, the Champions reaching for their weapons. Her eyes faded from gold back to dark blue and the young woman began convulsing heavily. Sheila screamed out, "Bobby! Hank! Terri's convulsing!" She tried to tend to the girl as Presto and Hank had taught the group to do.

Presto hurried over to help as Diana whirled around and called out, "Dara? Where's Dara?"

"Dara here," the young guide answered readily enough. She stepped from the darkness, tying the rope belt at her waist shut. "Dara waste."

Hank hurried over frowning but not interfering with the efforts to help Terri. Instead, he looked over the group. "Where's Bobby?"

He didn't wait for the others to look around or try to answer. Instead, Hank bolted directly for where he'd last seen his younger friend: on the edge of camp near the road ahead. "Bobby?"

The guide grabbed for Hank's arm and warned, "Sand Shift."

Stunned, the Ranger confronted her. "You mean we're already here? Camping next to the place?" He shook her hand off and turned back to the vast unassuming field, unrecognized by anyone due to the darkness the night before. "Bobby! Diana, your javelin!"

"Already on it, Hank," Diana grimly stated as she stepped forward and extended the javelin to the seven foot size she rarely used. Dara's eyes widened at the newly revealed power of the object, but Diana ignored her and began prodding the ground, stepping carefully only where she checked.

Hank used his bow to check the ground. He moved close to Diana but not close enough to impede her. "Bobby!" Stopping, he lifted the bow and shot an arrow into the air, lighting the place up as bright as day.

Standing, leaving Sheila to tend the weekend teen, Presto turned and pulled out his hat, his eyes and tone intent. He waved his fingers then made a quick spreading flicker of them as he pulled the magic energy from his hat and guided it:

Sweeping sands

Stars on low

Diamond light

Brightly glow!

The field before them lit up brightly as millions of sands began to glow as bright as diamonds in sunlight. Pained at the sudden brilliance, everyone shielded their eyes, Hank and Diana freezing in place. Presto sighed and realized he'd asked for too much. He needed to find a way to tone the light down.

Dara seemed very interested in Presto's hat suddenly, shifting closer to the Wizard and trying to see it better. He shot her an annoyed look as she distracted him from his concentration, preventing him from casting a dimming spell. As she moved around for a better look, Presto whirled and barked, "Dara, do you mind? I'm trying to help here!"

Blue eyes widening, Dara stopped and backed up a couple of steps. She looked away, as if embarrassed. With a deepening frown she asked, "Eric where?"

Whirling around, Presto shaded his eyes and tried to find the large shape of the ebony-maned unicorn. "Eric? Uni?"

Uni called from the edge of the glowing sands, "I'm here. Airk's with me." She sounded strained and Presto turned again, hoping he didn't get dizzy. Diana and Hank still stood, lit up too brightly to move, but Uni stood ready with the ropes to help if they needed her. She blinked and said, "I can't tell where it's dangerous." The field stretched before her, sands slowly shifting back and forth, as if waves on a beach, revealing several darker patches before covering them back up once more.

"The sand is glowing," Presto answered. "But what're the dark parts?" He hurried to the lithe elf's side.

"There are holes or something out here!" Diana suddenly called. "They have the color of sand, but aren't glowing." She tapped on the closest one with her javelin and lifted her eyes, shocked, to meet Hank's. "Rock?"

"Can you reach one without falling?" Hank asked, starting to spot the non-glowing patches in the shifting sands, too.

"I can try," Diana answered, trying not to sound frustrated. "Do those spots move, too? It's like a sea out here. The sand rolls in waves?"

"Boot magic," Dara called, sounding annoyed. Presto and Sheila looked at the guide, Sheila frowning softly. Dara looked directly at the Thief. "Boot magic. Wander mud. Wander sand."

Realizing what Dara thought her Boots of Silence could do, Sheila flushed and shook her head. "No, Dara. They don't allow me to walk through anything I want to. They just happen to be resistant to sticky things." She didn't want to tell Dara they kept her silent if the woman hadn't already figured it out.

Snorting, sounding disgusted suddenly, Dara grumbled, "magic bad. Hat good."

Presto stiffened and tucked his hat directly into his pocket instead of leaving it hanging from his belt. "Dara," he said, his tone a warning, "you said you made it to the Crystal Water. So you made it past this place. Tell us how to save Bobby."

Dara frowned in return and asked, "All magic?"

"Yes, each of us has something magical. Now help us save Bobby!" Presto insisted, his tenor voice falling into a growl.

"Open not glow," Dara shrugged, as if it had been perfectly obvious.

Sheila turned and sprinted to the edge of the glowing, sparkling field. "Diana! Dara says check the non-glowing parts! That they open!"

Nodding, Diana called back, "everyone stay alert" She tapped the nearest dark spot then waited. Nothing happened so she sprang over to it using her gymnastics prowess. Her feet landed with a dull thud. The rock suddenly began sliding from under her and Diana instinctively jumped back, directly into the rolling sand. She didn't disappear and she stared down into a dark, yawning hole in disbelief. "She's right! Bobby must be in one of these!"

Sheila suddenly called, "Bobby! Bobby, can you hear us?."

A sudden crack of thunder came from the ground and sand and rock splintered outwards without warning. Diana had to duck and roll right into the glowing grains of sand, but she seemed to take no injury as she did so. A hand slipped up from the newly revealed hole as sand started sliding in, and Bobby pulled himself out, eyes holding the same thunder his club had released.

"What the hell, Hank! You pushed me!" The Barbarian sounded confused and angry.

"What?" Hank looked shocked, standing in a lighted sandy spot in front of a darkened rock slab. The sands shifted once more to cover the spot, still filling Bobby's hole. Hank studied Bobby, shaking his head, "no I didn't. I was on the other side of camp when you disappeared. Terri woke us up and we came running. Why would I push you?"

"Why would he push anyone, Bobby?" Sheila asked, biting her lip in distress.

"Stranger wander?" Dara offered, drawing all attention.

"Stranger?" Bobby growled. "What stranger?"

Meeting his gaze without flinching, Dara reminded him, "Bobby call stranger."

"I didn't see a stranger. I was calling out to see if there was one." Bobby corrected the other blonde.

"Why?" Hank asked, carefully finding his way back through the sands to the campsite, watching as Diana and Bobby also made their way back. "Why were you looking for someone, Bobby?"

"Cause I found a body," Bobby said. He held his club and the cream colored book.

Drawing a soft breath, Uni asked, "a body? Was it like the last?"

Bobby finally settled on solid ground next to the slowly dying campfire. "Don't know. I didn't get to look at it before Hank," at the Ranger's confused and worried look, Bobby amended his words. "Before someone, who looked like Hank, pushed me into the hole. And then it closed with me in it. It was a rock hole - - smooth sides."

"It's a good bet," Diana sighed, "that whoever pushed you knew that there was a hole right there." She looked at Bobby rather than at anyone else. "So, it was a reasonably built man with longish hair and a bow?"

"No," Bobby growled and sighed, feeling Terri's trembling hand on his shoulder as she sank down next to him. He looked at her then around the group. "It was a blond man with longish hair, green leathers, and Hank's height and build. I didn't see the bow, but I wasn't looking."

"Shift shape," Dara said, sounding afraid. Her eyes went to Uni and she took a step back.

Uni looked surprised and said, "I'm not a shapeshifter, Dara. I'm under a curse, like Arik."

"Magic," Dara offered, looking over all of them then at Presto. "Thing change."

Holding back a sigh, Presto shook his head, "no, Dara. I don't do that kind of magic." He had done it once, but he wasn't good at illusions or alteration or transmuting. He was better at conjuring and invoking. "There's someone out here and it can look like at least Hank, so let's all be careful."

"Sounded like him, too," Bobby grumbled.

"You spoke to him?" Sheila sounded surprised then doubtful.

"Yeah, we talked about the dumb book and why it was there, then he pushed me," Bobby said.

Hank looked puzzled and concerned by that revelation.

"If it can look like Hank, it can probably look like anyone," Diana frowned, shooting Hank a supportive glance. She collapsed her javelin but kept her hand over the smaller rod as she tucked it in her belt. She noted that Hank and Bobby didn't loosen their grips on their own weapons. Uni stepped over to the saddle bags and put the rope away, deliberately keeping the tip of one foot against Eric's shield.

"Diana," Uni called out, drawing her attention, "when you moved through the sand, what was solid?"

"The sand shifted a little but was pretty much a small layer on solid ground, it seemed. The rock was solid, too, but it didn't feel as steady. It moved too quickly." Diana sighed and turned to Dara. "How do we get through?" she asked. "You knew how to get past the swamp and the mudflats. Tell us how to get past the sands."

Looking nervous, Dara turned her gaze on each Champion. Finally, she said, "not wood. Wander sand." She paused then added, "Terri home. Wander home."

Shooting to his feet, Bobby growled, "not on your life, Dara! We're not sending Terri anywhere unless we all go. That's the same for each of us. All or nothing." He slashed the air with one hand in a gesture of finality.

The guide merely curled in on herself and glared at the unrelenting Barbarian.

"Well, why don't we get started while the spell is making the sand glow in the dark?" Diana asked, turning to start gathering their camping supplies. She shot Hank a small smile, still supportive.

Apparently, most of the group didn't believe Bobby really spoke to, then was pushed by, Hank, but no one wanted to accuse Bobby of hallucinating or lying. They quickly, almost silently, gathered their belongings, each Champion keeping their magical item close to hand so nothing would go missing. Uni slipped Eric's shield over her arm rather than on his saddle bags. Bobby shoved the pliant but heavy book into his own tunic and belted his harness over it to prevent slippage. He gave a glare at Dara's curious look but didn't say a word as he avoided working near Hank, despite the shared sleeping place and Hank's worried looks.

Soon, the camp had been cleared and Hank suddenly called, "bathroom break before we start. Over here, guys." Hank indicated some nearby winter denuded foliage that might have been bushes once. "Ladies over there," he gestured further away from the shifting sands, behind a second sparse set of bushes that would provide the bare minimum of coverage. As the two genders split up, Hank reached out to gently grip Bobby's shoulder.

"I'd never push you, Bobby," he whispered urgently.

Looking up to meet the Ranger's eyes Bobby nodded, looking grim. He kept his tone so quiet, only Presto and Eric could overhear the pair. "I know. But I think I know who did."

"Who?" Presto whispered, glancing towards the bushes then back to the Barbarian.

"Dara," Bobby said. "She knew what I was doing and where. Only me and Hank were awake when I got pushed. How did she know I was calling for a stranger?"

Hank sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I should've said something. Dara doesn't sleep for long periods of time. Sheila noticed, too."

"So did I," Presto agreed.

"Oh, yeah, I know," Bobby waved a hand dismissively. He moved off with the rest of the males so they could relieve themselves before the females got back. "But I can tell her step from yours, Hank, and it was hers. I heard her come up behind me, but when I looked, it was you. I thought you'd be covering us from a distance, but that's not what I saw. It was the creepiest thing. I just knew I wasn't talking to you, but it looked and sounded like you.

Taking a breath and stopping the others before they could speak, Bobby said, "and she was more interested in convincing me the book had been thrown away because it might be dangerous. You would have wondered how the body got there and if others might have been hurt, not the damn book."

"It sounded like me . . ." Hank frowned.

"Yeah, Hank," Bobby met his older friend's eyes. "Right down to your accent. Whoever it was spoke perfect English and sounded like he grew up in Southern California."

That seemed to surprise Hank the most. He had lived in SoCal for years until his dad's divorce. Then they'd moved to the midwest where they settled. None of the other kids had his accent, which was, at times, barely detectable. Someone had to have paid very close attention to his speaking to imitate him so well, especially in what seemed to have been a very short conversation.

"I say we send her home," Bobby growled, frowning fiercely.

"We can't," Presto sighed.

"Why not? If she's endangering us, she can't stay. Maybe we can give her a message and directions to the camp for her pay . . ."

"Not if she's able to imitate me, Bobby." Hank sighed.

Presto held up both hands. "We can't send her off, because we can't prove it was her. Yes, we've had a run of extremely bad luck and increased danger. Eric and Uni were poisoned, Terri's been getting convulsions and bad visions that don't even stay the same, and now we've got someone attacking us under the guise of a friend. But, it could be someone else who's been following us. A partner of hers or even a total stranger. We need proof before deserting her alone and unprotected out here - - especially as those hordes would have been coming back this way."

Nodding, Hank agreed, sounding reluctant, "you're right, Presto. We can't abandon her on supposition. We'll need to watch her and either get proof or stop her before she can pull anything. I would suggest we find a way to tell the others without Dara overhearing. After all, Diana stands watch alone with her now."

"Each of us gets one of the girls alone and tells her?" Bobby suggested.

"Or Eric tells Uni and she can tell the others?" Presto offered. He looked at the unicorn, who'd stood silent and listening the entire time. "Right, Eric?"

Eric bobbed his head, not making a noise, but he did sweep his right forehoof along the ground. He pushed lightly at Presto's shoulder and whickered, drawing a frown from the Wizard. Suddenly, a soft voice came from the darkness, causing the guys to realize Eric had heard the person approaching.

"Done waste?" Dara asked, still on the other side of the vegetation.

"Yeah, let's get going," Bobby said. He shot Hank a look as if he didn't trust the taller blond man then stepped to Dara's side.

Realizing Bobby played a part, Hank merely frowned but didn't protest or reveal Bobby's deception. He followed Bobby and Dara, listening to Presto on his heels. Eric didn't hurry, but his very distinct hoofbeats joined them about five minutes later. Dara led the guys back to the females of the group.

"So, Dara," Diana spoke in a calm voice, shooting Bobby and Hank a worried glance. "You said it takes a day or two to get through the sands?"

"Day possible. Two possible," Dara agreed readily enough. She eyes Hank warily, sidling a bit closer to Bobby.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. Terri, get up on Eric's back," Presto suddenly called, startling everyone and drawing a confused look from the weakened woman. It would be almost an hour before Terri could think straight again, drained and sickened by her convulsions. Presto explained, "we're not going to be stopping to camp until we're through these sands. It's going to get rough since we won't be stopping for food breaks, either."

"Waste?" Dara asked, looking curious more than worried.

"If someone's gotta go, he or she will just have to go. I predict it's going to be uncomfortable and smelly until we can get to the other side. Hopefully we can clean up quickly once there," Presto informed them.

Hesitantly, Sheila said, "what if there aren't any streams, Presto?"

The Wizard looked at the Thief, "we'll make due, Sheila. Unless you want to chance stepping into a rock hole?" At her head shake, Presto nodded. "We go single file right behind Eric. So, Eric then Uni then Diana then Dara then me then Sheila then Bobby. Is that acceptable?" Having lived on caravan for six years, and even led Ramoud's people on occasion, Presto instinctively took over.

No one argued.