29. Jasmine

"Ineed to do this in private." Jasmine gave Aru an apologetic smile and walked toward a jutting boulder she"d spotted a few feet from the landing site.

It offered a modicum of privacy, and as she sat down in its shadow, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and offered a silent prayer to the goddess.

A tingling sensation started in her fingers, and as she held the stick aloft, it began to vibrate, pointing steadily toward the north.

"It"s working." She was amazed and relieved at the same time. "It"s working better without a map." A grin spread across her face as she got to her feet and walked back to where she"d left Aru. "It"s pointing north."

"Then that"s where we need to go," Aru said.

She returned to her seat, gave Edgar a thumbs-up, and put on her headphones. "We are heading north," she said.

The same routine was repeated several more times, with only slight shifts in heading, and by mid-afternoon, it was clear that they were nearing the limit of their range and needed to head back.

Looking at his avionics, Edgar seemed thoughtful. "I have an idea," he said. "Rather than continuing in that direction for the next hour or so before I have to return to base camp, we should change our heading, going either northeast or northwest for ten or twenty miles and take a new reading there."

Jasmine was confused. "Why would we want to abandon the heading the scrying is telling us to pursue?" The nodding she noticed from the gods made it clear to her that she was not the only one confounded by the suggestion.

Turning partially around so he was addressing everyone, Edgar gestured with his hands to illustrate. "Finding a point along a line can be tedious. Depending on how far away one is from the location, we may find ourselves hopping endlessly, or at least until we exceed our fuel range."

Aru nodded. "I see what you are saying."

"If we get another reading from a different location, we can follow both headings on the map from their point of origin." Edgar demonstrated what he had in mind by drawing an imaginary triangle in the air.

"So, if Jasmine can get an updated reading in the new location, we can triangulate both headings and get a better read on the pod"s location. I can then take you as close as I can get or as close as fuel will permit me. That should save time and make your trek shorter."

Jasmine could feel the renewed excitement from the gods. The tedious routine of the past few hours had dampened their spirit, making them fear that this hopping about with the helicopter might take days. Now, there was a chance they could get started on their trek as early as today.

It took Edgar all of five minutes to draw a new heading on the map he was using and consult the instruments before pointing to a spot for them to see. "This is where you need to get to. Both lines intersect in this location. Given the error size of these headings," Edgar looked at Jasmine apologetically as he continued, "You should expect the pod to be found in the general vicinity rather than at the exact intersection point."

Looking at everyone to ensure they were following him, Edgar marked a new spot on the map. "This is as far as I can take you, though. Even going that far means I will have to rely on emergency fuel reserves to make it back. You will need to go on foot from there."

"Are you sure you are not cutting it too tight with the fuel?" Jasmine was concerned that Edgar was taking unnecessary risks out of concern for her.

Leaning over and framing her face with his hands, Edgar sounded calm and assured. "I will be fine. I know exactly how much fuel I have left and what I need. I am not taking a risk at all."

When they took off again, Jasmine no longer felt anxious. It wasn"t just the familiarity with the experience she"d developed throughout the day but also the knowledge that her scrying worked and the excitement over the imminent discovery of the pod.

When Edgar landed again, she leaned over, kissed his cheek, took Aru"s offered hand, and jumped out.

After the helicopter took off, the gods shouldered the backpacks including hers, and Negal helped her over every patch that he deemed even slightly difficult for her.

The terrain around them was harsh, with jagged rocks and steep inclines that made every step a struggle. As they pressed on, the sun started its descent, and the wind picked up, whipping at Jasmine"s face and hair as if trying to push her back. But she wasn"t about to let it deter her.