Chapter 6
As soon as the Shags departed, Aron turned his attention back to the center of the chamber. A stump of the crystal pillar still stood, the top ragged where it had shattered. He studied the structure in silence for long moments, sensing Clay, growing restive, fidgeting nearby. Without needing to measure, Aron’s keen eyes told him each facet measured a trifle narrower or wider than the one next to it. The broken monolith held nine sides. The fact alone hinted it was no substance of Earth because there, native crystals normally had but six or eight—an even number of faces, as did those of Elvenheim.
From the corners of his eyes, he saw his partner stoop and pick up a few smaller fragments of the clear, glassy stone from the floor. Aron almost told Clay to stop, but then decided it
