prayed for God to send her a knight to rescue her from Baron Raulf’s evil clutches?
Smiling, she sent up a heartfelt prayer to her heavenly father, and then suddenly recalling her desire for a few moments privacy to pray for her uncle’s eternal soul, she hung her head in contrite shame and offered a fervent petition for her uncle’s gentle spirit.
After but a few moments of quiet prayer and reflection, however, her thoughts were back to swirling around inside her head in a chaotic manner and she was unable to concentrate further on her petitions. Her lips curled upward in a foolish smile and her hands drew playful designs in the sandy earth where she rested near the stream. Her fingers brushed across something hard and sharp, and distracted from her pleasant day-dreams, she let her gaze drop downward to see what her busy hands had unearthed. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight greeting her, and her lips formed an astonished, “Oh!”
The familiar stone was caked with mud and sand, and the silver clasp that kept it tethered to the thin silver chain around its owner’s neck was no longer polished and shining, but she reluctantly acknowledged what she had uncovered. The gem no longer glowed blue in the early morning light as it did when it rested against Michel’s flesh, but there was little doubt in Elena’s mind she’d found the treasure he so frantically pursued against the current after he lost it while bathing that morning. For a brief, guilt-inducing moment Elena considered leaving the stone where she found it. Given their recent exchange, she was reluctant to remind Michel of the lady who had likely made a gift to him of the strange jewel.
Recalling his stricken expression at its loss, Elena knew it would not be right for her to deprive him of a keepsake Michel so obviously valued. So with studied reluctance, she carefully dug the stone out from its resting place and lifted it onto her lap so she could examine the odd amulet more closely. It wasn’t the work of a particularly skilled artisan, she thought, eyeing its sharp edges and uneven lines. Even as she lifted it from her lap to examine it more closely, the gem slipped from her grasp and rolled down the bank towards the stream.
Gasping in surprise, Elena stretched out her arm and closed her fist around the stone just as it would have fallen back into the rushing water. Silently rebuking herself for her carelessness, she scooted herself back several feet away from the river’s edge with the jeweled stone clasped firmly in her closed fist, only belatedly becoming aware of a burning sensation in her hand, as if the treasure she held resented her interference in its course. Muttering beneath her breath she quickly dropped the stone into her lap and shook her hand to ease the stinging pain.
Her brows drawn together in confusion she examined the palm of her hand that held the stone. There were red marks on her skin mirroring the shape of the stone. Confused by the evidence she could not make sense of, she carefully used her skirts to cradle Michel’s lost treasure while she crawled back to the stream to dunk her hand in the cold water to ease her discomfort.
When she pulled her hand back out of the stream she was relieved to find the pain had left her but the odd imprint remained. More careful now, she scooted back away from the edge, wrapped the stone in a handful of her skirt and stowed it in her pocket, only to have it slide through a previously undiscovered hole, fall to the ground and bounce along, seemingly of its own accord, back in the direction of the stream.
Astonishment froze her steps for a brief moment before she set off in pursuit of what she now concluded must be a magic stone. No wonder Michel was so devastated by its loss. She managed to catch up with the fleeing treasure before it was once more lost beneath the rushing current, but not before she slid from the slippery bank and fell head first into
Smiling, she sent up a heartfelt prayer to her heavenly father, and then suddenly recalling her desire for a few moments privacy to pray for her uncle’s eternal soul, she hung her head in contrite shame and offered a fervent petition for her uncle’s gentle spirit.
After but a few moments of quiet prayer and reflection, however, her thoughts were back to swirling around inside her head in a chaotic manner and she was unable to concentrate further on her petitions. Her lips curled upward in a foolish smile and her hands drew playful designs in the sandy earth where she rested near the stream. Her fingers brushed across something hard and sharp, and distracted from her pleasant day-dreams, she let her gaze drop downward to see what her busy hands had unearthed. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight greeting her, and her lips formed an astonished, “Oh!”
The familiar stone was caked with mud and sand, and the silver clasp that kept it tethered to the thin silver chain around its owner’s neck was no longer polished and shining, but she reluctantly acknowledged what she had uncovered. The gem no longer glowed blue in the early morning light as it did when it rested against Michel’s flesh, but there was little doubt in Elena’s mind she’d found the treasure he so frantically pursued against the current after he lost it while bathing that morning. For a brief, guilt-inducing moment Elena considered leaving the stone where she found it. Given their recent exchange, she was reluctant to remind Michel of the lady who had likely made a gift to him of the strange jewel.
Recalling his stricken expression at its loss, Elena knew it would not be right for her to deprive him of a keepsake Michel so obviously valued. So with studied reluctance, she carefully dug the stone out from its resting place and lifted it onto her lap so she could examine the odd amulet more closely. It wasn’t the work of a particularly skilled artisan, she thought, eyeing its sharp edges and uneven lines. Even as she lifted it from her lap to examine it more closely, the gem slipped from her grasp and rolled down the bank towards the stream.
Gasping in surprise, Elena stretched out her arm and closed her fist around the stone just as it would have fallen back into the rushing water. Silently rebuking herself for her carelessness, she scooted herself back several feet away from the river’s edge with the jeweled stone clasped firmly in her closed fist, only belatedly becoming aware of a burning sensation in her hand, as if the treasure she held resented her interference in its course. Muttering beneath her breath she quickly dropped the stone into her lap and shook her hand to ease the stinging pain.
Her brows drawn together in confusion she examined the palm of her hand that held the stone. There were red marks on her skin mirroring the shape of the stone. Confused by the evidence she could not make sense of, she carefully used her skirts to cradle Michel’s lost treasure while she crawled back to the stream to dunk her hand in the cold water to ease her discomfort.
When she pulled her hand back out of the stream she was relieved to find the pain had left her but the odd imprint remained. More careful now, she scooted back away from the edge, wrapped the stone in a handful of her skirt and stowed it in her pocket, only to have it slide through a previously undiscovered hole, fall to the ground and bounce along, seemingly of its own accord, back in the direction of the stream.
Astonishment froze her steps for a brief moment before she set off in pursuit of what she now concluded must be a magic stone. No wonder Michel was so devastated by its loss. She managed to catch up with the fleeing treasure before it was once more lost beneath the rushing current, but not before she slid from the slippery bank and fell head first into
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