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Arlen and Hunwet began combing the slopes of this side of the mountains for a sign of moisture. Abby, distraught, lagged behind. |
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At first she rode her horse around the base of the mountain, looking up at the slopes and out at the desert and praying that she had simply missed seeing a trickle of water somewhere in the vastness that unfolded about her. All she found of interest was a dry groove in the earth that had been carved by streams running from the mountain. |
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She dismounted and tied the horse to the branches of a smoke tree. At the rut's sides were rounded rocks from which protruded shapes like tiny seashells. She had seen similar formations before. |
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"They are the remains of little sea creatures," Hunwet had told her. "Part of the desert was once, in ancient times, beneath a large ocean. Some native people believe the areas where such long-ago creatures and plants are found to be sacred. They are said by some tribes to connect the past with the present and future. Some believe they hold great power that a pula shaman who uses dreams to make magiccan use." He had looked at Abby intently. Maybe her powers of vision were similar to a pul's. Maybe she could use the magic to help the others if it were anything but a myth. |
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Holding her skirt out of the way, Abby sat down in the shallow gully. She leaned her back against one of its sides, touching a jutting rock embedded with clumps of small fossilized shells. |
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