Chapter 34

“BEFORE OUR MOTHER'S illness, there was a ball at our grandfather’s home. Grandfather always gave lavish balls. We were ordered to attend and, though our family was not in high spirits, we did our duty. It seemed as if my grandfather invited the entire world to these events. There were many travelers in attendance on this particular evening. One guest was an ancient Frenchman named Nicholas Flamel. Monsieur Flamel was a scientist, who, it was rumored, could create silver and gold. Naturally, he was popular.

"He had the stone with him, and he offered it to me as a gift. I refused. He was a stranger, and it was not proper for me to accept gifts. He insisted. I politely refused again.
Then he said it was not for him to keep. He saw strength and wisdom in me that I would know what to do with such a treasure. I admit I was taken with the token. I had never seen a stone of that color and, being a vain girl of means, began to wonder what kind of gem it was.

“I showed it to Fox. When he held it, he went into a trance right there on my grandfather’s terrace. He became angry and insisted I give it back. He knew only that the stone would tear our family apart and bring about father’s downfall. Believing in my brother, I marched right back inside and did just that. Monsieur Flamel refused to take the gift back, again insisting that it belonged to someone pure of heart. My brother was equally insistent that I not accept it. We had a tense exchange right there on the edge of the dance floor.

“Naturally, it began to draw the attention of the other guests, and my father and grandfather came over. Since Mon-sieur Flamel was, it seemed, old enough to be my great-grandfather, the duke saw no harm in me accepting the gift from his guest. Father agreed. Of course, Fox began to argue. When my father reasoned out where Fox’s argument was rooted, he ordered Fox to stay out of it. Fox became more insistent and fi-nally, to quiet him and end the argument, my father threatened to whip Fox for disobedience. Our father had never raised a fin-ger to either of us in anger, but to disobey him in public was unforgivable, and my brother gave up the fight then.”

“Just like that?” Jack asked skeptically. “He stopped ar-guing because of the empty threat of a whipping?”

“It would not have been an empty threat, Jack. It would have broken my father’s heart to do it, but he would have been forced to carry through with the punishment. He loved us, but he could not allow Fox to speak about anything he saw in public. Not even my grandfather knew of Fox’s visions. It was whispered about amongst our servants, but they were loyal to our family,” Nora explained. “We were peerage, popular and wealthy. Sons did not question or argue with their fathers in public, certainly not nobility.”

“I cannot believe your brother just let it go.” Jack had stopped pacing and now stood facing Nora with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Of course he didn’t let it go,” Nora replied. “Everything my brother saw came to pass. He wasn’t about to let a rock tear apart his family. He ordered me to destroy it, throw it away.”

“You didn’t, of course.”

“I couldn’t,” Nora confessed softly. “I cannot explain why I had to keep it, only that I did. Perhaps because it was so beautiful and, though I was the only daughter of a wealthy lord and only granddaughter of a powerful duke, I had never been given a gift of its equal. It was not a gift for a young girl, but a young woman of twenty-two. I promised my brother I would rid us of it at the first sign of trouble, but could I not keep it for just a bit? Where was the harm in just having it for a little while? My brother was indulgent of his only sister.”

“What a surprise.”

“It is not as if everything went sour as soon as the stone came into my possession. It is not a bad luck charm. We didn’t understand what we had or why it was given to me.”

“What of Mr. Flamel?” Jack asked. “What came of him?”

“He returned to France,” Nora shrugged. “I didn’t hear from him again. After the battle that separated us, I went to find him, hoping that he could tell me what to do or, perhaps, I could give it back, but I found no trace of him. I never even discovered what business had brought him to England. Such things would not have been discussed with me in any case.”

“So, at this point in the story, your mother is well, your father is not a homicidal lunatic, and the stone is now in your possession,” Jack recapped bluntly.

“Yes,” Nora said. “The stone is very valuable, Jack. It is not mine to give. I am merely guarding it.”

“Until when?” Jack asked. “Who do you give it to?”

“That I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I truly don’t.”

“Why are you so intent on keeping something that tore your family apart?” Jack asked. “Did your mother die for this?”

“No,” Nora said. “She was truly sick and could not be saved even by the most talented healer in the land.”

Jack’s head popped up. He knew she had heard what he said earlier about wishing the Healer was there to help Running Bull. He had said it to see her reaction. Her story confirmed the existence of the Fox from his dream, which meant the Healer and Scholar existed as well. So far, the information she had given him coincided with his dream.
She had not lied as far as he could tell.

“I need your help, Jack,” Nora said. “Please. I have been alone this whole time, but I need to find the mystery man. He will provide answers, perhaps for both of us.”

Jack sat down and ran a hand over his face, absorbing all that she’d said. It was quite the story. While it was true there were many questions plaguing him, he hadn’t dreamt of a mystery man. This person, who supposedly held all the answers, was an unknown variable, and to Jack, that meant they couldn’t be trusted. It bore thinking about.

Her tragic story struck a chord with him, too. He could see it all as she told him, and he wasn’t without sympathy for her. Perhaps it was his own sad past that made him empathetic to her.

It was the “please” that destroyed him. Nora was a strong, independent woman, competent and brave. However, now she showed something he saw very little of from her—vulnerability. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like the idea of her being weak or helpless. Never before had he wished so desperately that the mystery man was he, that he was the one allowed to be there for her. Until that man showed up, however, he would pro-tect her as much as he could, and if something happened to her, it would be over his dead body.