The sun beat down mercilessly, turning the field into a furnace. Ragnar wiped sweat from his brow, leaving a streak of mud across his tanned skin. Two days of digging had left the warriors exhausted, their muscles aching from the repetitive motion of breaking through the hard-packed earth.
“Moon goddess, this heat is unbearable,” Ragnar muttered, plunging his shovel back into the dirt. The shovel struck something solid, sending a jarring shock up his arms.
Jett looked up from his section a few feet away. “Found something else?”
Ragnar carefully brushed away the soil, anticipation fueling him.
“Just another rock,” he sighed, tossing it onto their growing pile of discarded stones. “How many of these crystal things does the Alpha expect us to find anyway?”
Axel grunted from his position. “As many as Luna Lily can unearth, apparently.” There was no malice in his tone—just tired resignation.
