17
DIVING FOR CRYSTALS
The spring was far deeper than Thordric had imagined, but given his nakedness, that was a good thing.
He had been the one to strip off first and go in, sprinting so that the others wouldn’t have time to see him.
The water was hot, but not scalding, and was so clear that he could see the soft green of the crystals at the bottom from where he swam treading water. Taking a deep breath, he dived down, deeper and deeper until he managed to touch one. Instead of being loose, they were growing in a large and very sharp clump. The part he’d touched was particularly lethal and cut his palm, sending inky redness through the water.
The pain was so sudden that he let go of his breath and had to rise back up to the surface, in time to see a flash of naked limbs and frizzy ha
