Author's Note: Any bolded text are direct quotes from the novels, and are used to provide context to the story. Also note that there are massive spoilers for The Maze of the Beast ahead.

Disclaimer: All bolded text and recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

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"Jasmine, no!" Lief exclaimed.

"Do not leave us!" Dain cried at the same moment.

Jasmine turned to Barda. "I am right, am I not?" she demanded. "Tell them!" The big man hesitated, but his grieved face showed that he knew her reasoning was sound.

She nodded briskly. "Then that is settled. All being well, we will meet on the coast, at the river's end."

Without another word, Jasmine gave a small gesture of farewell and turned to move briskly through the green landscape of the trees and bushes. Kree took to the skies from her arm and screeched his own farewell to their former companions.

She could hear a sharp cry of protest from Lief, but she brushed it off and soon the three males were but a speck on the horizon. Jasmine knew that none of them had particularly approved of her plan, especially considering how she had sprung it on them without much of a warning. However, what she had said was anything but an exaggeration. A wild girl and a black bird—she and Kree truly stood out more than the rest, and to continue their journey as a group would have been little more than suicide.

Still, Jasmine could tell that Lief and Dain both thought differently on an otherwise sensical choice. She was only thankful that Barda had at least slightly more logical cognition than the other two dimwits. But even then, the man did not hold much over his younger counterparts.

They will thank me later, she thought to herself as she ran nimbly through the ever-increasing density of what must have been an old forest. We do not need any more distractions with Ols and the such.

Indeed, if they were going to advance towards the Maze of the Beast as planned, they would all be wise to try not to expend too much energy on other lesser matters. After all, there was little doubt that the Guardian of the sixth Gem would be just as powerful, or perhaps even more so, than its predecessors.

And surely the Shadow Lord would have increased his efforts by now to stop them from achieving their goals. Even Doom himself had warned that the area they were in was crawling with minions of the Shadowlands—and if anything, it could not hurt to be more prudent.

At the thought of the mysterious man, Jasmine smirked triumphantly, tossing her long midnight curls. She was more than grateful for Dain's help in their escape from that miserable prison, but she only wished she could have seen the expression on their captor's normally passive face when he realized that they had disappeared inexplicably. Filli chattered whimsically on her shoulder, as if mirroring her thoughts.

"It looks as though it is just us three again," Jasmine said with a soft smile. "But that is fine—we make the better team, after all." Kree cawed above in agreement.

They traveled swiftly, covering much ground through the winding foliage of the forest. Soon, however, their pace had slowed to a light walk as the already dark sky became pitch black under the wide canopies of the treetops.

Jasmine was unsure how much time had passed since her split from the others, but she figured now was as good a time as any to catch some much-needed rest. The whispers of the trees around her were all inviting, offering themselves as a temporary haven for the girl and her animal companions.

She thanked them for their kindness and leapt gracefully up the branches of the nearest tree. Satisfied that she was out of anyone's line of sight, the girl sighed once in content and leaned back to rest against the thick, aged trunk.

Kree fluttered gently down to perch next to her and Filli, carrying in his claws a large pear-shaped fruit he had plucked from a nearby bush. The three of them happily indulged in its sweet, juicy flesh as they recovered from a long night's journey—truly a return to the old times.

As she laid in the comforting warmth of the tree, Jasmine spared a passing thought towards her other human companions.

In all honesty, some time away from the group would surely be for the better, not only as a precaution, but as a psychological break as well. She was no fool. The girl knew that she had been annoying Lief and Barda lately, as her own beliefs often ran counter to their rather stringent codes of honor; however, she would be lying if she said she did not find them to be irritating at times also.

That was not to say that Jasmine was ungrateful to them; on the contrary, the memory of their efforts to save her life on Dread Mountain, in spite of her protests, continued to burn in the back of her mind. No, she was very grateful to them both.

But Barda and Lief were still proud people, oft to a fault, and such a dangerous sentiment was what tended to draw her ire. Jasmine too was admittedly proud, but unlike those two, she at least had the mental capacity to know when practicality took precedence over pride. Why they insisted on staying true to their self-convictions, even when said convictions were so plainly failing them, she would never understand.

Lief, especially, was always the most self-righteous of them all. The boy had good intentions at heart—she would give him that much—but he rarely, if ever, considered all the possible consequences before diving headfirst into a commitment.

And that will surely be his ultimate downfall, Jasmine mused to herself. There was no shame in thinking such things. She would not wish in a thousand years for such a fate to befall her friend, but it was certainly a flaw she had noticed for some time now.

Barda, on the other hand, was different. Jasmine knew from the moment she had first met the bearded man that he drew his strength, not from a feeling of righteousness, but from a determined sense of justice. Justice for what exactly, she did not know. Perhaps Barda felt a need to correct a wrong he had committed in the past?

That seemed to be the most likely explanation. And though she would have loved to know the answer, it was not her place to inquire of his past. Criticize his faults, maybe—after all, they too could doubtlessly name many a trait of her own that they consider to be a fault—but delve into his personal history? That was a line she would not dare cross.

Breaking out of her own thoughts, Jasmine's lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as she watched Kree and Filli curl up around one another and simultaneously fall into a deep sleep. She stroked them carefully with the back of her hands for a long minute before deciding to follow their example. Sleep was a luxury they could ill afford to pass up.

As she stretched her limbs outward to settle for the night, she found herself absently hoping that the others had also found themselves a safe place to rest. That said, she did not particularly worry too much about them; both Lief and Barda were skilled fighters, and Dain had proven that he was more than capable of defending himself as well.

Still... perhaps I should check on them to be sure? Jasmine contemplated silently. She hesitated for a moment before ultimately reaching into her pack for her water sac. She moved to take a swig but stopped short when she remembered that Lief had been the one to carry the water from the Dreaming Spring.

Cursing softly to herself, the girl laid back down on top of the branch, pillowing her head with the palms of her hands. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind and she smiled brightly. As she opened her mouth, she spoke aloud to seemingly no one: "I am fine. I trust that the three of you are as well."

The silence of the night was deafening, and like she had expected, there was no audible reply. Even the trees around her seemed to be confused as to whom she had been speaking to.

Feeling quite clever, Jasmine finally surrendered her emerald eyes to the allure of slumber, keeping her smile through her dreams. She knew it had been a long shot, but of course, better to err on the side of safety than to have a certain impulsive, young man worry endlessly about her without reason.

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For three whole days, Jasmine trekked alone tirelessly. It had not taken long for her to emerge from the forest and locate the legendary River Tor. The waterway was massive and beautiful, but also unforgiving, as she had quickly learned.

Not only was the river incredibly deep, but the thick mud banks along its edge were nothing short of death traps to all who tried to cross. Indeed, more than once had Jasmine witnessed a poor soul stuck in the mud be ambushed by bandits and pirates who hid along the tall, wild reed beds. The brown sludge had made quick work in immobilizing its unsuspecting victim, which ruled out any ideas she could think of to get to the other side.

And to make matters worse, it seemed as though Doom was right about the Shadow Lord having a thick presence here. Grey Guards patrolled the paths along the water in droves, diligently watching for the trio their master had ordered them to find and destroy. In fact, at some point, Jasmine had even been forced to let Kree fly on ahead of her and Filli so as not to draw any unneeded attention.

But all else aside, her plan appeared to be working wonders. She had yet to fight for her life against any shapeshifting Ols, and the Guards rarely paid any heed to her. More than likely, the others were just as fortunate as she was. If splitting up makes our journey this easy, the girl thought as she walked down the dirt road, then I say we should do this more often.

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By the fourth day, however, Jasmine began to grow restless. According to the trees, the mouth of the River Tor was little more than a week's worth of walking away, but in all honesty, she was unsure. The countryside for the past few days and nights had remained relatively unchanged throughout, and this was strange.

Lief had mentioned before that the river was supposed to empty into the Silver Sea, but despite this, for a long time there were absolutely no signs of coastal life anywhere—only an endless expanse of marshy weeds and dirt.

And so, Jasmine could hardly contain her excitement when she heard Kree's call from up ahead. A bridge, he had said. Making sure to tuck Filli away safely beneath her collar, the girl hastily made her way over to where Kree perched waiting obediently.

She carefully studied the bridge, which stretched far across the River Tor. It was unlike any such structure she had ever seen before; for reasons unknown, the frame arched high into the sky, like that of a rainbow, and was magnificently wide, but it certainly had seen better days. Judging from the rotting woodwork, Jasmine guessed that the bridge had fallen into a sad state of neglect several years prior.

Still, it seemed sturdy enough to carry her weight as it were, and there was no way that she was going to pass up an opportunity for a nice change of pace. She made her way across cautiously, however, in anticipation of the imminent collapse of structural support that never came.

Once safely on the other side, Jasmine straightened her arms out in a stretch as she surveyed the landscape around her. Her jaw dropped when she realized that, running separately parallel to the River Tor was another stream of water—only this one was much wider.

"Another river!?" she exclaimed incredulously. Filli squeaked quietly in her ear and, in an instant, pointed a tiny furry paw towards the distance.

Jasmine turned to where the animal had indicated, and was surprised to find that the two bodies of water were not so separate after all. Further ahead, the two rivers joined together, as though they were two people linking arms. And situated in the middle of the confluence, the girl spotted a collection of tightly packed grey columns, topped with golden yellow hay. Her stomach grumbled loudly when she recognized that they were in fact houses, shapes of human civilization.

A town! Jasmine cried mentally as she began moving briskly towards the buildings with renewed energy. Perchance the people there will have something to eat!

The three of them made quick work of the distance to the town. However, the moment Jasmine was able to take a closer look at the small human enclave, she immediately wished she had not.

The village seemed empty—hallowed and abandoned—as if it had suffered some terrible disaster. Many houses had been burned. Windows were shattered. Rubble and broken glass littered the narrow streets.

There was a post sticking up from the ground ahead, and when they reached it they saw that it had once supported a sign. Now the sign lay on the ground, its edges broken, its brave lettering muddled.

"What happened here...?" she wondered aloud. Had the Shadow Lord come and lay waste this patch of land as well? But there were no marks of the Shadows to be seen anywhere!

Leaning over the sign, Jasmine squinted her sharp green eyes as she attempted to make out the words. "Wuh... Wee-ree?" she struggled, tapping her index finger against her chin. "I know the middle word is Waters... and the last must be... Meet?"

The elegant scrawl of the words was indeed difficult to make out, especially considering the wear and tear the signpost must have gone through.

"What does it say, Lief?" the girl demanded suddenly, unable to stop the familiar words that came out before it was too late. She flushed briefly from her moment of folly. "Oh, right."

Frustrated, Jasmine tossed her head lividly with a growl and swiveled to scan the ground around her. She grabbed at a splinter of broken wood from the post, moving to the side towards the mud nearby. Painstakingly, she began to carve and recreate the letters of the first word into the mud so as to better read the message.

"Where... Where Waters Meet...!" she whispered, feeling quite pleased with herself. She then glanced at the flowing juncture of the two rivers ahead, which had plainly been the inspiration for the village's name. "Truly? That was the best they could come up with?"

She shook her head in exaggerated disappointment as Kree clucked in amused agreement.

Walking slowly through the entrance, the group took a brief and saddening tour of the ghost town. The houses were bare, stripped of anything that would normally have been found in them. There were signs of struggle, of violence, and of terror. This had clearly not been the work of nature—no, it had been deliberate and planned; by pirates perhaps?

After all, the ruins of Where Waters Meet did not have the telltale utter destruction that always accompanied raids by the Shadow Lord's minions; but the blood-splattered streets and slashed-in doors led Jasmine to suspect that whoever had ransacked the town had been no more merciful to its population.

It was peculiar, really. Everywhere she looked, there were strange markings carved all along the walls of buildings and on other sign posts. The marks were different than the iconic brand of the Shadows, and seemed more akin to words. Some had been chipped away at, while others had been visibly written with what could only be human blood.

As the girl continued to tour around, the growl in her belly began to grow even louder. She sighed and spoke to Filli, who mewed up at her desperately. "I do not think we will find anything to eat here."

She gave a quick glance up at the sky which was starting to darken once more. "We will just have to wait until tomorrow. But first, we should take shelter for the night."

They hurriedly claimed a nearby abandoned old house. It felt awkward to take advantage of someone else's home—especially considering the bloodshed that most likely occurred in it—but Jasmine justified that it was for a noble cause.

On the inside, however, the house clearly told a horrible and chilling story. Tables were overturned and smashed wooden chairs littered the ground. All that remained to show some past form of a happy life were small trinkets and tools—a badly beaten doll, a needle with some yellow thread curled into a tight ball, and an unfinished woven dress in-progress. Everything else that held even the slightest of monetary value had been looted by the invaders. Jasmine shivered at the thought of what must have happened to the family that used to live here.

She shook her head once more, this time to deter any unwelcome sentiments. There is no use dwelling in the past, she reminded herself while breathing in and out deeply. She needed to refocus her attention on the task at hand: the penultimate quest for the Seven Gems.

The Maze of the Beast was only a week or so away, but the question was: would they all make it there together in one piece? And how far along were the others exactly?

She was ahead of them, that much was certain. But had Lief, Barda, and Dain managed to somewhat keep up with her pace? Were they even aware that she was ahead?

Jasmine sat cross-legged on the dirt floor, taking care not to disturb the scenario around her. Oh, how she wished to have had the foresight to bring along some pencil and paper in her pack. At least then she could have sent the boys a short note through Kree telling them where she was.

The girl briefly scanned the room again, hoping to find some writing utensils to borrow for a quick message. But there was nothing—whoever had lived here must have been more of a seamster than a scribe. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she gave a quiet shout of eureka. The thread! she inwardly yelled while scrambling to clutch at the ball of yellow yarn.

Both Kree and Filli looked at one another curiously from her shoulder as she rushed out the door and into the dead of night. She then hastily turned to run back towards the entrance to the village, only stopping to kneel when she reached the fallen sign.

Unsheathing her dagger, Jasmine began to cut off a number of pieces of the knitting wool. She delicately held two strands and placed them carefully along the top of the flat sign. Her animal friends peered over her shoulder as she worked.

It took several minutes, but Jasmine eventually managed to maneuver the two pieces in a satisfactory 'J' shape.

"There," she said with a grin. "Now, if Lief, Barda, and Dain arrive later, they will know we were already here." Of course, that was given the assumption that the others would decide to cross the bridge as she had done.

Grabbing another particularly long strand, Jasmine then proceeded to arrange it into a second curled image—one that resembled a bird in flight. "It is you, Kree," she explained. "That way, there will be no mistaking us." The raven cawed proudly.

Moments later, Filli began to chatter indignantly in her ear.

"What about you, Filli?" she defended. "How am I to make a picture of you?" Snubbing her questions, the rodent instead jumped down from her shoulder to steal a piece of yarn. He then meticulously started to paw his way around as he arranged the string into a third pattern.

Jasmine blinked at the circle that appeared next to the image of Kree. "That looks nothing like you!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "And a circle could mean anything!" She scoffed at Filli's subsequent squeaks, which were in protest against her criticisms.

As if to prove her point, the girl gestured at the waxing gibbous of the moon in the dark sky. "It could mean the moon if it were full tonight—" She stopped herself short as another flash of brilliance crossed her mind.

Wordlessly, Jasmine sliced off two more pieces of yarn and placed them next to Filli's work: one as a horizontal line, followed by the other curled into the number '3'.

She smiled as she admired her own handiwork. It would have done Lief and the others no good to simply know that she had come across Where Waters Meet. No, they would have to also know when she had arrived, so as to better gauge their own progress.

And indeed, now they would have all the clues they needed—for Filli's attempted self-portrait did in fact look like a full moon, and what was tonight but three nights before the end of the lunar cycle?

Our work here is done, Jasmine thought matter-of-factly as she carried her companions back to their adopted shelter. She prayed that at least one of the males would have a quick enough wit to understand the message. But such a fate was out of her hands now, and true to her nature, she thought no more of it. For tomorrow, her journey would continue, and she had her own tasks to worry about.