Mathoyl Vathall showman looked disappointed by the question. “Not at all, not at all. Actually, I think you are quite well-suited to this quest.”

“Do you even know what our quest is?” Peter asked him. He tried to hide the sarcasm in his voice, but at that point in his life, it just came to him so easily.

“My lad, I know about quests, I know about adventures, I know about magic and other worlds. There is very little that I do not know.”

Peter looked at him as though he had the slightest bit of disbelief at that remark. “Is that so? Then what is our quest?”

The shaman chuckle to himself. He didn’t seem irritated that he had been questioned in such a way, and for that Bayani was relieved. He did not like the way that Peter sometimes tempted fate with his attitude, but he did not think that it was his place to criticize him for it, either. He preferred to lead by example and behave more kindly.

“You have an item with you,” the shaman said, looking straight ate Bayani. “What you do with it could very easily decide the fate of Summerlay.”

Bayani looked over at Peter, trying not to widen his eyes too much. Peter looked back at him, giving the slightest of nods. Then he looked back to the shaman.

“So what is it then?” Peter insisted on knowing.

“Did the person who gave it to you not tell you what it was?” Mathoyl Vathall replied. He smiled at Peter.

“I meant,” Peter said, “do you know what it is?”

The shaman chuckled. “Good lad, there is no need to be coy with me. There is no reason for you to pretend, nor to hide. I mean you no harm whatsoever. The amethyst, the crystal, contains within it the memories of a certain event. I knew the moment that you entered Vathalloín that there was a magical item coming this way. I felt its approach. I know when there are crystals that contain magic about. You understand then, I cannot help but know.”

“Do you think that Nashtra knows, too?” Bayani asked, as though he had just realized that he might need to worry about it.

The shaman shook his head. “Nashtra knows trails, he knows that out of the outlands, he knows the forest, but he does not know magic.”

“But he said that he can touch the electrified water…” Peter countered.

“He can walk the rivers of energy, that is true, but what you possess is beyond him. Even if he did know about that crystal, you have no reason to fear him. He is a good young man. You are lucky that he was the one called upon to aid you on your way.”