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He nodded. “Each has a unique scent.” He tilted his head as he looked at me. “Yours is unlike any I’ve encountered before, but smells good, like a flower, this rock smells bad, like mold.”
My eyes widened at the description. Why did mine smell unique instead of like a mage’s? I opened my mouth to ask, but realized it wasn’t the time for that. We had a job to do.
“That’s good to know. Do you think you can follow the scent from the rock to find more?” If I could avoid scouring the miles of riverbank, I would take the opportunity.
“Depends on how many there are,” he replied. “If there are a lot, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if there are only a few dozen over several miles, it might not be strong enough, with all the moving water and forest scents mixing in.”
“Okay,” I nodded in understanding. “Let’s finish making our way to the river and we’ll see what we find.”
They followed silently again, but this time it seemed like they were just lost in thought about the strange, magical rocks. The sound of rushing water grew louder and louder the closer we got until I could finally see the river through trees.
The river was fifty feet wide, ten feet deep, had rapids farther downstream, and was full of fish all year round. I often came fishing here for a change in dinner, or for Branson since he preferred fish to beef. I’d connected underground piping to a pump at the water’s edge that I used for my water in the house, though thankfully my sewage plumbing was connected to the city’s so I didn’t have to worry about a sewage tank or anything like that.
Looking up and down the river, I noticed a lack of animals, which was odd, but had happened on occasion. It could be partly to do with the creature causing them to hide in fear.
Turning upriver, I ventured closer to the riverbanks and started looking at the rocks there, searching for the magical ones.
“How much land do you own?” Percival asked as he walked behind me, his gaze moving back and forth across the river.
“One hundred acres. My land begins at the city and runs southeast from there.”
“That’s quite a plot,” Triston commented.
“Yes, well, when you don’t want anything to do with your daughter and she asks you for a house in the woods, you apparently end up providing her enough space you won’t ever find her even if you wanted to look.” I stopped walking and put a hand to my mouth, turning slowly, I lowered it and smiled. “Uh, heh, sorry. Not sure where that came from.”
“You’ll find that many hybrids are shunned by their parents as well,” Triston said with a shrug of one shoulder as he continued to walk by me. He smiled at me. “You’re better off without them.”
We walked for another hour before I spotted a clear rock, shining in the afternoon sun, on the opposite bank. “There!” Using my powers, I gripped the rock beneath my feet, andpropelled myself up and over the water, dropping the rock when I was close enough to shore to jump the last bit.
Squatting down, I picked up the rock and gasped as the magic shocked me. “Ouch.”
Percival and Triston jumped across the river with ease thanks to their shifter abilities.
“Maybe we shouldn’t touch them,” Percival suggested, looking at a second one behind me.
“You might be right,” I admitted. “We don’t know what kind of magic this is or what it might do.” Swinging my backpack off my shoulders, I opened it and pulled out a plastic bag and a pair of medical gloves. Moving about slowly, I picked up a dozen of the rocks and put them in the plastic bag before deciding it was enough and there were too many for me to collect them all.
The farther upstream we went, the more there were.
Stashing the bag and gloves in my backpack again, I headed farther upstream, noting how they appeared only on the riverbanks and not in the river.
“Curious,” I whispered.
At midday, I sat down and pulled out water and food for us all. “Let’s take a quick break,” I said.
Percival and Triston sat with me, eating pieces of jerky and drinking water.
“Are either of you in pain or tired?” I inquired. “If so, please let me know and we can return to the cabin and I can continue my search later.”
“You mean to continue without anyone to assist you?” Percival asked.
“I’m often on my own out here, remember I just help those brought to me heal, they don’t normally stay here.”
“What about the bear and hawk?” Percival asked.
“Bear? Hawk?” Triston asked, looking from Percival to me and back again.
“As I told you earlier, Branson and Kieran were like you two, injured and treated by me, but they aren’t yet at one hundred percent, so they haven’t left yet.” That was a partial lie, Kieran was one hundred percent better, but still hadn’t left. He didn’t explain why and I didn’t ask, since I enjoyed his company.
