Sunshine nodded slowly. She reached into her space and pulled out a small, jagged fragment_ no bigger than a marble_ of the Prime Core. She placed it in Argon's massive hand.
Melvin leaned forward, his face twisting in confusion. "Is... is this all? You showed us a larger piece when you were trying to make a deal with the council. This small thing is not worth the trip for both of us."
"It's a sample," Sunshine lied easily, her heart hammering. "I had to make sure the river could actually handle it before I threw the whole thing in."
Argon stared at the stone. Even as a fragment, it pulsed with a terrifying, power. He looked at it with something that wasn't hatred_ it was closer to hunger. He hesitated, his fingers closing slowly around it.
Before he could move it away completely, Sunshine lunged. She snatched the fragment back with the speed of a thief and, with a grunt of effort, tossed it far into the bubbling greenish-violet heat of the waterfall.
