Deltora Quests - The Shifting Sands

This story is not at all mine and this belongs to Emily Rodda

The story so far ...
Sixteen-year-old Lief, fulfilling a pledge made by his father before he was born, is on a great quest
to find the seven gems of the magic Belt of Deltora. The gems - an amethyst, a topaz, a diamond,
a ruby, an opal, a lapis lazuli, and an emerald - were stolen to open the way for the evil Shadow
Lord to invade Deltora. Hidden in fearsome places throughout the land, they must be restored to
the Belt before the heir to the throne can be found and the Shadow Lord's tyranny ended.
Lief's companions are the man Barda, who was once a Palace guard, and Jasmine, a wild,
orphaned girl of Lief's own age who they met in the fearful Forests of Silence.
So far they have found three gems. The golden topaz, symbl of faith, has the power to contact the
spirit world, and to clear the mind. The ruby, symbol of happiness, pales when danger threatens,
repels evil spirits, and is an antidote to venom. The opal, gem of hope, gives glimpses of the future.
On their travels, the companions have discovered a secret resistance movement made up of
people pledged to defy the Shadow Lord. But servants of the Enemy are everywhere. Some, like his
brutual Grey Guards, are easily recognized. Others keep their dark loyalty well hidden.
The three companions are lucky to have escaped the City of the Rats alive. But now they are
stranded on the barren plain that surrounds it, having lost all their supplies. The opal has given
Lief a terrible vision of their next goal: The Shifting Sands.
Now read on ...