Forbidden Quest, 2nd Edition by Alaina Stanford

  “The entrance to the cave is back in the valley with the trolls.” Sarah stretched out on the cool grass grateful for the warmth of the morning sunlight. “It’s impossible to tell how extensive the tunnels run. They could be connected to the Cave of Sorrows. The entire mountain range is riddled with caverns. We could run into them again at any time.”

  Hopper scratched at the itchy bumps on his hairy arms. Glancing over at the map Sarah had just examined he moaned, “Then I better get a bigger club... and a flea collar. I feel like an old couch in an abandoned pet store. I swarming with fleas, I’m infested.”

  “Go take a bath in the stream.” Sarah feigned a look of disgust and leaned slightly away from him.

  “We’re on top of a mountain. Do you know how cold that water is?” Hopper whined, scratching the back of his neck.

  Sarah shot him a serious look, “If you want to sleep next to me tonight, you’ll get rid of them.”

  Skulking toward the brook that ran alongside their camp, Hopper dove into the icy water and scratched at his fur trying to drown every flea on his body.

  Having overheard the conversation, Jack stifled a smile and sat down on the grass next to Nicole. He watched her reexamined the small jewel covered.

  “Give it up,” Jack advised, “We blew it. The box is empty there’s no talisman.”

  “No,” Nicole glared at Jack.

  “Someone beat us to it,” Jack reasoned, sliding his arm around her.

  Irritated by his willingness to call it quits, she shoved him away. “That’s impossible. Why don’t you give me a hand instead of trying to distract me? I do not have time to play. Your primal desires are going to have to wait.” Nicole glared at him then turned back to the chest.

  “What’s with you? Last night you couldn’t keep your hands off me. Today, all I get is cold stares and arguments.”

  “I’m sorry Jack.” Nicole turned back to him. She released a deep breath she didn’t realize she been holding. “I don’t want to go in there again. Hopper can’t take another fight, and we are running out of time. This has to be what we are looking for. It’s just another illusion like the tunnel.”

  “What about last night?” Jack asked softly. “Was that an illusion?”

  Nicole’s expression softened, “No, it was real to me, and it was wonderful, Jack. But, can you honestly say we actually made love? After all, this is a fantasy.”

  He frowned and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck. “Last night was the most incredible experience of my life, and I’d like to repeat it as many times as possible.”

  “That’s what I mean, Jack. It was too incredible to believe.” She kissed him on the cheek. Jack felt heat surge through his body as the memory of the previous evening flooded his mind. “Everyone has an image of the perfect lover,” Nicole continued. “Last night you were mine, and I was yours. But was my perfect lover really you, or someone my mind fabricated, with the help of Dr. Strong?”

  “It was me.” Jack tightened his arms around her. The silk caress of her hair against his arms made him shiver. “Dr. Strong is not in control of our every move. You said so yourself.”

  “Jack, I’m not trying to destroy what happened last night. I’m just trying to understand it.” Nicole caressed his cheek with the back of her fingertips.

  “Don’t try to understand it, Nicole. Just believe it,” Jack whispered, kissing her deeply. “It was me. Maybe you are just a bit embarrassed by the thought of us making love on the floor of that obstacle course with Dr. Strong looking on. “

  “I admit, the idea of his voyeurism has occurred to me and strangely enough, it doesn’t bother me at all.” She whispered, snuggling close to him.

  “Then maybe what you need is to stop over analyzing and listen to reason.”

  “All right, if it will make you feel better, I’ll stop thinking about it all together. All of these so-called analytics are giving me a headache.” She leaned in to kiss him, but stopped. Shaking her head, she turned back to the box. ‘‘That’s it! I’m over analyzing! Everything about the troll’s tunnel was a deception. It wasn’t what we expected. We worked too hard to find something that was right in front of our eyes.”

  Drawing the small knife from Jack’s belt, Nicole tested each jewel embedded in the top of the chest with its point. Only one came away at her urging, the large oblong gem in the center. Hidden below the sparkling black crystal was a long brass chain attached to the top of the gem by a tiny pewter gargoyle. “The talisman,” she declared with triumph.