Sitting in the shade of a hollow, Razier watched as the surrounding stone lightened in color from shadowy blacks and blues to deep greys, reds and browns. Always an odd mix of color she thought. ‘Lava rock.’ She thought randomly, remembering a geology lesson from Clarissa. Extrusive igneous rock formed by long ago volcanic activity then broken and raised through the ground shakes that sometimes plagued the Burnis territories where she resided. ‘Tectonic plate activity.’ She recalled idly as the area suddenly brightened around her as the sun rose behind their shelter.
Razier sighed. She missed Clarissa and the stern lectures when she questioned why she needed to study the things she was made too. She could only pray that the Queen was alright. Not for the first time she wished she had the ability to wield magic and was able to open a portal to return. She thought of following a hunting party back, or allowing herself to be captured, but her instincts told her it would be tantamount to suicide.
She palmed the stone pendant beneath her dusty tunic. It warmed in her hand and the burning sting from her forearm eased. She didn’t understand how it eased her pain, but it is something she discovered shortly after arriving in the deserts of Burnis. Pulling it out from it’s confined in her clothing, she studied it. The translucent blues and deep obsidian veins glittered in the growing light. ‘What are you?’ She asked silently. As usual, there were no answers. She wished she had interrogated the Queen about the stone, but fourteen years of trusting her led to complete faith and unquestioning loyalty.
Sighing again, she placed the pendant back under her tunic. She wished the Queen would reach out to her to indicate she was alright. Surely the betrayers would not have an easy time getting to her now that she knew who to watch out for. But what if there were others in the conspiracy to overthrow her? What if… Razier shook her head. These trains of thoughts never ended well.
Getting to her feet, she stretched. It was best to return to the colony and the shelter of the caverns before the sun got any higher. Already her clothes were beginning to be drenched in sweat. She left the hollow and retraced her steps out from the rock formation she was in.
She was just about to round a large boulder when instinct told her to stop. Caution to be heeded, she walked to the other side and peered around. ‘What the...?’ There was someone else here. From the clothing, it was one of the hunters. What were they still doing here? Were there others?
Razier looked skyward as her head began to ache. This was a strange morning full of questions. After a brief moment, she focused on the threat at hand. They must have found new power source if they remained on the surface this long. If that was the case, she needed to change tactics. Picking up a fair-sized stone, she snuck up behind the blonde hunter.
