[color=gray][quote=Lila]Lila's unique physiology made ascending the tree a simple task and when she reached the ruby she pulled to free it from the bark.[/quote][/color]

The moment the ruby was removed, the tree was not a tree.

The bark and leaves and branches flickered once like a broken hologram. The tree was gone altogether, and Lila was instead clinging to a dark stone pillar with glowing runes carved along its length, with a small empty socket where the ruby had been a moment ago.

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/aC2cmgR.jpg[/img][/center]

The flowers all around suddenly closed their petals.

The statue had disappeared from its pedestal. It now stood before A'shinok, with its stone sword pointed at his chest. The statue was of the same dark stone as Lila's glowing pillar. It was carved in the shape of a human man in leather studded armor, wearing a helmet in the shape of a dog's head. The statue was entirely lifeless and motionless, yet inches from a deadly blow.

Through the sockets of his skull, Clavic would see something that no one else could see: the shadows! The very same person-shaped shadows that had watched from the hilltop and had moved in their peripheral -- to Clavic, a dozen shadows wandered among the trees. Each of them stopped every so often, looked around, and walked back, as if they were guards posted on watch -- but none of the shadows saw the travelers at all.

There were other rubies embedded in the trees: seven in total, in a circle around the central white pillar, should one look carefully for the spark of sunlight on the gems.

The magpie flapped with a flash of wings, and it lighted on Nel's shoulder with a gentle grasp. It made a creaking noise deep in its throat -- even for the strange sounds of the magpie, that sound was most uncommon. [color=#89c4c2]"Push the button!"[/color] the bird squeaked excitedly into Nel's ear, bouncing just a little. [color=#89c4c2]"Push it push it!"[/color]

The spiral in the great white pillar had begun to glow just slightly, the same hue as the runes of Lila's dark pillar.

[color=gray][quote=Leon]"Take my hand, I'll pull you up." he called out with his right hand tightly gripped to the nearest object and the other stretched out like the branch of a tree during a storm -which is to say wildly flailing because Grom isn't exactly the smoothest ride.[/quote][/color]

Kettle ran alongside Grom's tail, stretched out her fingers and grasped Leon's wrist as it flailed past her. With gritted teeth she caught a saddlebag with her other hand and hauled herself up behind Leon, clinging to him for balance. 
[color=#B2AEBC]"GROM! HEEL!"[/color] she screamed past Leon's ear while she grabbed for the reins that flapped in the wind.

Grom suddenly stopped. Leon and Kettle lurched and tumbled over Grom's head and fell into a muddy creek.

[color=#B2AEBC]"Damned . . . no good . . . cameldragon . . ."[/color] were only the least colorful words Kettle chose to describe the steed who had just caused a great deal more trouble than she'd bargained for.

Her back was turned to the thing that had caused Grom to stop.

It was a moss-covered statue, centuries old and big as a house. The enormous sculpture had spines and claws and folded wings, and was curled into itself as if sleeping. Its sharp stone jaws were open, and in its mouth was a glimmering ruby.

All the flowers around them had closed their petals.

In the corner of Leon's eye he would see a shadow move.