Guardian of the Stone

by Amity Grays

  “I did,” he assured, following her gaze. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “From the beginning,” she said. “I want to hear it all, every detail.”

  He let his thoughts slip back in time—back to the first day of his mission. “I didn’t know what I was stepping into that day. There was very little time for explanations.” He looked back to the same beautiful face that had stared at him from the photo that day in the lab.

  Leaning back against the bench, Edeline turned to face him, her eyes widening with excitement as an eager smile touched her lips.

  “I had been told very little about you or the stone, only that you were my mission.” Looking down momentarily, he chuckled and shook his head. “Arrogantly, I thought it would be that easy. I’d go back, find you and bring you home. I had no idea I was about to be tested more thoroughly than I had ever been tested in my life. And it wasn’t only my skills which were tried. It was also my beliefs, my honor.”

  It was too early to mention his heart.

  He told her about how he’d found her and rescued her and about her rather unappreciative response.

  “I actually said that?”

  “You did. You thought I was completely crazy.”

  “How horribly ungrateful.” She laughed, looking a far cry from repentant.

  “You think that’s funny do you?”

  “Perhaps a little, though I’m sure at the time, I was actually quite frightened.” She allowed her head to rest against her arm. “Obviously, somewhere along the line, you managed to charm me.”

  “Charm you?” It was his turn to laugh. “No, I simply became the less frightening of your choices.”

  Her sparkling blue eyes danced with amusement. “So in a world of undesirables, you became the desirable?”

  “Something like that.” His eyes dropped to her grinning lips. The urge to kiss her was nearly unmanageable. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what had made him sit so close. He should have known it would be difficult. He couldn’t be anywhere near her without instinctually wanting to pull her into his arms.

  “We became a team, you and I. Like I said, you hadn’t really much of a choice. Everything and everyone which came our way was strange to you. I simply became the most familiar.”

  She lifted her head, watching him as he struggled with how much to tell her. “It was more than that. Is there a reason you won’t tell me?”

  He hesitated. He could tell her everything that happened, but how could he tell her what was in her heart?

  Her expression grew somber. She looked down toward the bench. “I would have found you attractive. That alone would have swayed my actions.”

  Bold. Just one of her many traits he so admired.

  “The attraction was mutual. You were the most…you are the most…beautiful woman I have ever seen. But it was more than that, Edeline. We may have been together only a very short time, but every minute moved like a day. Everything was so…” He looked down.

  “Magical?” she guessed.

  He laughed. “Maybe.” He thought about it as he watched her blue eyes sparkle with interest. “Yes, maybe.”

  Moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, she ventured further. “How much more than attraction?”

  “We were never alone, if that answers your question.”

  Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, but she didn’t look away. “Who were the others?”

  He told her about the knights, what they’d learned and what they’d encountered. He told her about the trip to her grandparents’ villa, the Dogs and her father. He told her about their final moments on the cliffs below Brines Castle.

  When he was done, she looked away. “I thought it would bring me relief, but instead I feel an even greater loss. I wish I could have known them—truly known them. I wish…”

  The sorrow in her voice nearly ripped him in two.

  Cupping her face in his hands, he brought her eyes back to his. He wanted her to see his sincerity. “I’m sorry, Edeline.”

  Covering his hands with hers, she looked at him as though confused. “Why would you be sorry? You brought me home.”

  “I promised myself I’d remember it all to share with you later. I thought that would be enough. It was an arrogant assumption. I realize that now.”

  “What more could you do? What more could you possibly give?”

  Dropping his hold, he shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps I should have left you with the choice. It was, after all, your land, your father, your time.” It had haunted him since he’d returned. He had to tell her the truth. “Edeline, I didn’t tell you. I didn’t tell you what would happen—that you’d lose it all—every memory, every moment. I should have told you what to expect.”

  “Why didn’t you?” There was no accusation in her words, only curiosity.

  “I don’t know. It seemed somehow cruel. But then, when you were pulled from my arms…” He could still remember it, and it still burned like a sword straight through his heart. He looked away. “The look on your face, the hurt, the betrayal…I can’t take it back. I know you’re here with me now, but I can’t help but feel that I failed you. I can’t help but feel that I lost a part of you that day.”

  She leaned forward into his line of vision. Smiled. “Dane, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The idea may have frightened me, but I wouldn’t have stayed. This is my world, Federic is my father, and I’m very glad to be in this time. It would have been my choice.”

  Her smile warmed his heart and freed a mind tormented by memories of that day in the portal. He couldn’t have asked for a greater gift. He’d needed her forgiveness, more than he’d even realized.

  “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into his front pocket.

  “Something for me?” Her hands clapped together as she followed his movements with a great deal of excitement, reminding him a little of a small child on Christmas morning.

  “It belonged to your mother. Omont had it made especially for her.” After grabbing the trinket, he pulled out his hand and uncurled his fist to display the brooch. “We found it at your grandparents’ house that day. Your father—”

  Catching her breath, she stared at him in amazement. “Did you say it was my mother’s?”

  “Yes, it was, but it’s yours now.”

  “Given to her by my father?” Big blue eyes looked at him as though they were witnessing a miracle, and it suddenly dawned on him perhaps they were.

  Smiling, he reached for her hand. Turning it over, he then placed the brooch in its palm. “Your father was delighted that it now belongs to you, as he was sure your mother would have been.”

  “My mother’s,” Edeline whispered, staring at the brooch as her eyes began to tear. “My mother’s,” she repeated before throwing her arms around him and kissing him soundly.

  Just as he reached to hold her tight, she pulled back.

  “Oh, Dane, I—I don’t know what to say.” She opened her hand to once more stare at the ornament, tears trickling down her cheeks. “My whole life I’ve longed to own anything of my mother’s—anything at all. I can’t believe it. I just…I can’t believe it.”

  Holding the brooch up toward the light, she continued to stare at its rough gems and simple design. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Jaquette le Picart,” she said, testing her mother’s name. “Omont Montague,” she said, testing her father’s. “A gift from both.”

  “Yes,” he said, unable to take his eyes off the beauty of the moment.

  A single tear ran down her cheek.

  Wiping it away, he pulled her into his arms.

  He felt her shake, heard her sniff.

  He squeezed her tight.

  “I’m not sad,” she said, allowing her head to rest against his chest.

  The words ringing all too familiar, he almost choked on the potency of the moment. “I know,” he replied, his voice rough with emotion.

  “I’m really qu
ite happy.” She looked up into his eyes, and there it was—the same look she had given him that day in the village of Vanac, the look that said clearly he had her trust and her affection.

  “I know,” he said, wiping away another tear.

  This was his Edeline, the same woman he’d held that day, the same woman he’d feared he might have lost forever.

  Pulling the brooch to her heart, she sighed. “Thank you, Dane, for everything.”

  “You’re welcome, Edeline.”

  Taking a deep breath, she smiled up at him. “I kissed you.”

  His gaze moving to her lips, he swallowed. “I know.”

  The air around them charged with an all too familiar awareness. Placing his hands behind her neck, he pulled her in for another.

  The doors to the chapel opened. Voices drifted into the silent room as Federic and Father Tom walked in.

  Closing her eyes and pulling away, Edeline grimaced. By all appearances, she was as disappointed as he by the interruption.

  When she opened her eyes again, she smiled. “I hope you keep that thought,” she said, allowing her glance to drop once more to his lips. “I’d be terribly disappointed if you didn’t.”

  Dane laughed. “There’s little chance of that.”

  “Good,” she said, quickly moving from his arms and running down the aisle, holding out the brooch for the men to see. “Look,” she said, lifting the brooch for their inspection. “Dane brought it back for me. It was my mother’s.”

  Both men studied the brooch and then smiled.

  “It’s wonderful, Eda,” Father Tom said.

  “The most beautiful jewel I’ve ever seen,” Federic said, taking his daughter in his arms and squeezing her tight.

  Dane moved from the pew and headed their way.

  “Dad, I met them—Omont, Roncin, Hemart and Lucas. I met them all.”

  Federic’s eyes widened with shock. He stared over her shoulder toward Dane. He’d known about Omont, but had not heard about the others. “You met them?”

  “It’s a long story, but yes, we met them. We actually couldn’t have made it without their help. They were truly a gift from God. I have messages for you from all of them.”

  Suddenly it was Federic’s eyes which watered with emotion. “They were remarkable men, every one of them.”

  “Yes,” agreed Dane having reached them. “They are a true testament to your own valor.”

  “They are a testament to something much greater than that, my friend. I’m most eager to hear every detail, but I’m afraid now isn’t the time.” Patting Edeline’s shoulders, Federic leaned forward to deposit a kiss upon her forehead. “They want us to gather our things. We’re leaving for France.”

  Edeline lifted herself up in her seat, hoping for a better look down the aisle. Still there was no sign of Dane.

  Letting out a worried breath, she sat back down.

  He’d left their small group right as they’d started to board. Though he’d assured her he’d be right back, that had been several minutes ago. By the way everyone was shuffling around, closing departments and securing all loose items, she feared they were getting ready to take off. She was afraid the pilot might not realize they were waiting for another, and she needed him—Lieutenant Colonel Dane Walker. In fact, she was surprised to realize just how desperately she did need him there.

  When exactly had he become so vital to her—not only as her guardian, but also as her friend, and in an odd way, her soul mate?

  Leaning toward her father, she rested her head on his shoulder. “They wouldn’t leave without him would they?”

  Dealing with his own set of uncertainties, Federic flipped the page on the plane’s Safety Response Guide and scowled. “Look at this photo, Edeline. It looks like they’re pushing the poor chap out the side door.”

  Glancing down toward the manual, she eyed the photo demonstrating how to help another passenger exit the side doors. It did, indeed, appear the individual was being shoved out in midair. “Hmm, hopefully in the time of need, the operator stops to actually read the instructions.”

  “We’re not the ones in the center aisle are we?” Federic leaned sideways in his seat, searching the central exit.

  Having lost her headrest, Edeline sat back up, raising herself in her seat to once again check the entrance.

  “Ah,” Federic grunted, nodding up ahead to the exit. “We’ll let them worry about the exit plan.” Flipping the page, he scooted back in his seat.

  Father Tom leaned across the aisle to grin at Federic. “You’re the only person I’ve ever met who’s actually read that thing from cover to cover.”

  Squeezing her father’s hand, Edeline smiled. “Yes, but your diligence is to be commended. I feel much safer for your efforts.”

  Federic sighed. “Oh, I’d be a mess. You’d best hope for no true calamity. Swords and daggers I can handle, a plummeting tin bird is a little out of my comfort zone.”

  Edeline blinked. “You really know how to calm a girl’s nerves, Dad.”

  “We’ll be fine, Federic,” Father Tom said, patting her father’s shoulder.

  “Dad, let me have the guide.” Edeline held out her hand, but her father ignored it. “It’s not doing you any good. It’s just getting you upset.”

  Holding fast to the booklet, he continued to ignore her.

  “How can a man who jumped off a cliff toward a turbulent sea, fear something as common day as flying?” she asked, withdrawing her hand.

  “Faith in God is what took me over the cliff,” Federic said, hitting his hands against the chair’s armrests. “Here I’m putting my faith in man—a maker I’m a little less comfortable with. And this isn’t a small jump anywhere, you know. We’ll be doing a lot of flying…over a lot of ocean.”

  “Folks fly over water every day. We’ll be fine,” repeated the priest. “Look on the next page,” he instructed, leaning even further across the aisle and turning the next page on the brochure. “It tells you all about how to handle a water landing. See,” he said, pointing to the next illustration. “The cushions can be used as floatation devices.”

  “Oh yeah, look at that.” Federic studied the photo, then turned around in his seat to test the seat’s cushion.

  Bravo, Father Tom.

  He knew her father well. Hopefully Federic’s curiosity would soon outweigh his fear. If it didn’t, it was going to be a long ride for all of them.

  Edeline sighed and began flipping through the few magazines scrunched inside the pouch on the back of the seat in front of her. Neither the traveler’s guide, nor the book on economic forecasting promised to keep her amused, so she surrendered her search for entertainment and leaned back against her seat.

  A dark head moved into the plane, sending her heart pounding a little harder as her stomach fluttered with a funny mixture of relief and excitement.

  Stopping just inside the door, Dane spoke briefly with General Matthews, showing him something he held in his hand.

  The general ran his hands through his hair as though frustrated and slowly shook his head. Then turning, he motioned for the soldier behind him to close the door and signal the pilot.

  Dane looked back her way.

  Their eyes met and held. The broad smile she could now feel plastered across her face was immediately mirrored on his.

  “Federic,” Father Tom said, “why don’t you move over here by me where you can have the window seat?”

  “I don’t think so. But thanks all the same.” Federic shook his head. “I’m staying right here and keeping Edeline company.”

  “I believe she’ll have company, Federic.” Father Tom nodded toward Dane.

  Federic looked toward Dane and then back to her.

  “Thanks, Dad,” she said with a grin.

  Her father grumbled. “Oh, all right,” he said, standing and side-stepped across the aisle. “But scoot over. The last thing I need is to see how far we’ll be falling.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Father Tom said wi
th a chuckle, scooting over to the next seat as his friend begrudgingly moved into his.

  Edeline watched as Dane threw his bag into the overhead compartment. He was a handsome man from any angle, but something in that moment simply took her breath away. He had loved her. Perhaps he hadn’t said it outright, but she’d heard it in his words, seen it in his eyes. She had a very strong feeling she had loved him just the same. The knowledge was as thrilling as it was unbelievable. Would they find that love again? Did he love her even now?

  He took the seat beside her and held out a photo in front of her.

  The sweet face of the little girl from the mansion stared back at her.

  “Oh, Dane, that’s her. Who is she? How did you get this? Have they found her family?”

  “Her name is Lucy. She went missing from the Sadie Milton Orphanage last Tuesday.”

  Edeline’s eyes began to water. “I hate to think what could have happened to her. What monsters they are to do such a thing to a child.” Unlike Edeline, who had been given the stone and then rushed to safety, Lucy’s fate would have been left in the hands of men who lived without morals, acted without care.

  “She’s in good hands now,” he reminded.

  “The best.” Until they discovered where the child belonged, she’d been placed with Pual and Amanda.

  Dane handed her the photo and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “This is going to work. We’ll find the cradle, and we’ll put an end to your nightmare once and for all.”

  “What if we don’t find it, or what if we do and it doesn’t work? Is there any other way to rid me of this power?”

  “Not one I know of.” His brown eyes dropped to the photo in her hands. “At least not one I’ll ever allow.”

  “Dane,” she said hesitantly, the idea of sharing what she’d experienced somewhat frightening. “I…I put the necklace on, only for a moment, but…”

  Taking the photo from her hands, he then covered her hands with his. “It’s all right, Edeline. You can tell me. I knew something unusual must have happened.”

  “You knew? How?”

  “Well, for starters, you had the necklace, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t simply hand it over. Whatever happened, it made you believe; otherwise you wouldn’t have bothered to try to protect it. You also wouldn’t have called it a power rather than a curse. Plus, you’re no longer mocking it. Which means something’s happened to make you see its value.”