The Temple of Indra’s Jewel: (23 page)

He held my face in both his hands. “No. What if Henri comes to you before you’ve had a chance to memorize it? I’ll not leave you alone to face that madman.”

“You can’t think like that. We don’t have any other choice. Someone needs to warn Charles. And if he kills me, then I just go on to the next life, to battle him again until I win.” I wasn’t sure that was the truth. Fear tugged at the thread of my lie, threatening to unravel it, along with my composure. I smiled anyway, not sure which one of us I was trying to convince. “I’ve got to win sometime, right?”

He pulled himself up to full height and puffed out his chest. “No. We’ll go together.”

I shook my head.

“I will not compromise, Princessin, so don’t push me.”

I again felt tears prickling my eyes. “But if I don’t go back they’ll realize I’m gone.”

“You’ll face Henri regardless, and we’ll be stronger with Charles and his army.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

W
e rode quickly in silence, eager to reach the Prince before the Carbonari. The terrain was hard, and my gown had not been made for such a trek. I clung to Viktor for warmth as we trotted through streams and crossed rock crevices that rattled my nerves. In an hour’s time we reached the Prince’s camp.

As Viktor helped me down off the horse, a guard approached, one I recognized from the palace.

“M’lady, what are you doing out here? These are not the palace grounds. There are animals and thieves in the forest.”

I pushed past the guard. “Take me to Charles. I need to speak to him immediately.”

“Just a moment.”

I continued walking.

“Please, Princess. Let me speak with him first,” the guard called after me. I encountered two more guards in front of me.

“Charles! I need to see Charles.”

“Sapphira?” Charles pushed past the guards and pulled me into a close embrace. “I thought I recognized that tone. What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?”

“Charles,” I said, momentarily surprised. I really didn’t know this man and had only encountered him in visions, and yet I felt a strange kinship with him.

“We need to speak in private. Immediately!”

“Is everything all right?”

Viktor stepped forward. “Pardon me, but in private, Your Highness.”

Tension filled the air the way it did when two powerful forces met. Charles looked Viktor up and down. I was unsure whether they even knew each other. I was about to introduce Viktor when Charles nodded.

“Follow me,” he said, leading us deeper into the tent and waving a dismissive hand to his guards, who shuffled out, but not before one of them stared me down. I was left with an eerie feeling. Either they didn’t trust us or we couldn’t trust them.

Viktor must have noticed the same look because he crossed to stand between the doorway and the Prince.

“Do you trust all of these men?” Viktor asked, drawing his weapon.

“Pardon?” Charles questioned.

“These men. Do you trust them? Will they die for you? Or can they be bribed?”

The Prince reached for his dagger, and Viktor backed off to the side.

“Charles, relax! Viktor’s only trying to protect you. We have reason to believe that the Carbonari is going to come for you—are going to try to murder you.”

Charles shook his head. “That’s preposterous, Sapphira. Why?”

“Henri.”

“What about him?”

“He’s made a deal with them. They’re going to kill you and force me to marry him so he can do their bidding.”

The ground shook, and I feared Henri’s treacherous band of men approached.

Three of the guards returned, including the one that gave me pause. Something felt wrong. They approached Charles, and I shouted for them to keep back. They were probably coming to his aid, but I couldn’t be sure.

“Stand down,” Charles called out, giving me a sideways look.

Viktor took a step toward them, still brandishing his weapon.

They all stopped, and Viktor turned to me. The dubious guard chose that moment to begin moving again.

“Traitor!” My cry rang out, alarming and desolate, as the guard leapt at Charles, dagger in hand.

Viktor dove sideways, wrestling him to the ground before he could reach Charles. Chaos erupted as more of the Prince’s men came roaring into the tent, watching as two of their comrades hauled the traitorous guard to his feet, away from Viktor’s grasp.

As they moved back, my line of sight became clear again. I dropped to my knees and crawled to the place where Viktor lay on his side, hurt, it seemed, a knife wound in his side. “Viktor, are you all right?”

Charles fell to his knees beside him, checking his wound.

“Find out what he knows,” Charles shouted to his men.

“Yes, Your Highness. Just so you’re aware, the lookouts have returned. They say a band of men approaches, fully armed. Shall we get the Princess to safety?”

“Sapphira! What in God’s name is the meaning of all this?”

“It’s the Carbonari. I told you they want to kill you. You have to trust me.”

He turned to his soldiers. “You know what to do. I’ll be out in a moment.”

“We have to go,” Viktor urged.

“There’s more,” I said.

“What more could their possibly be?” Charles asked.

“Henri’s obsessed with the Purple Delhi Sapphire,” I said as tears poured down my cheeks.

“Will’s sapphire? Why?”

I spilled the story as quickly as I could, knowing Viktor needed medical attention and Charles needed to fight.

“This is my fault. Will said it was cursed. I’ve brought this curse upon us.” Charles held his head in his hands.

“It was inevitable. I think Henri was already aware of it. He’s touched it somewhere along the line, and it’s entranced him. It’s the only explanation I can come up with.”

“That’s preposterous. Only Father, Nico and I ever knew of the jewel.”

“I think he has spies—Gabriella and Chloe for sure. Perhaps he somehow saw you and snuck in and touched it.”

“Doubtful. Why wouldn’t he have taken it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he was interrupted. Maybe he can’t get back in to the chamber.”

Charles ignored me, unmoving. I heard the soldiers calling his name, but he was despondent.

“We need to get out of here,” Viktor said, attempting to stand. He tottered to his knees, holding his side.

“Charles! Go. You and your men must fight and win. I’ll return to the castle with Viktor. I’ll find someone to heal him, and we’ll deal with Henri when you return.”

“No, you can’t go back to the palace alone… unless… Find Nico. He will protect you until I return.”

“Nico’s been absent from the palace lately.”

“I know. He was dealing with Roquebrune, but he should be back there now.”

“Is there one of your men you can spare to help me? I know we followed the river, but I don’t want to chance getting lost.”

He seemed to come alive again, surging up madly. I heard him shouting instructions and calling for his horse. One of the guards appeared.

“See the Princess safely back to the castle. Guard her with your life.”

Hooves rumbled on all sides of the tent, and the sound was thunderous. He turned to go.

“Wait. Charles, one more thing.” I rushed to his side. “Henri tortured and imprisoned my friend Rochus in the underground passage at Saint Martin, to intimidate me into telling him where the Purple Delhi Sapphire is. His eye has been cut out.” I could barely choke the words out. “I can’t stand the idea of him suffering in there because of me. Please rescue him and see to his personal care if you can.”

“Of course, but you can see to his—”

“Promise me, Charles!” I demanded.

“Of course, sister. I promise. Be safe. I’ll see you soon.”

I nodded and watched him ride off with the bulk of his soldiers before I returned to Viktor’s side.

“Get the horses,” I instructed the guard standing over me.

Then I turned back and gripped Viktor’s face. I kissed him. He seemed to be growing paler by the second.

“Please don’t die.”
This
can’t
happen.

“Look at me, Viktor. Look at me. I love you. Sapphira loves you,” I whispered.

He turned his head to me. “I’m sorry I failed you, but in truth I never wanted to live if you had to leave. Let me go in peace, and I’ll join you in the so-called next life.”

Shaking with cold, I whispered back. “No. Viktor, I won’t. Hold on. Sapphira will come back to you once I leave. You will survive, and the two of you will live the happy life together you were meant to.”

“We were never meant to. You said it yourself. Rochus said it. Sapphira and I were meant to die.”

I thought of his words and the conflicting stories Leslie and I found in our research. Viktor and Sapphira had died according to most records, but one German diary had said they were married. Had I deluded myself into thinking there were two possibilities? Was their fate inevitable? I grew angry. What was the point of all this? Why was I here? Surely this was an abomination of nature’s laws.

Viktor squeezed my hand, and I returned to the moment, feeling anger abate as I looked into his eyes.

“Sapphira. Listen to me. It’s enough you’ve overthrown the assassination attempt on the crown and protected the jewels. Henri must never sit on the throne. Never be allowed to time travel. Leave me here.”

His fiery green eyes stared, conscious, but barely.

“Go and stop Henri. It’s what you were meant to do. Not to save our lives but to stop Henri from getting the jewels. I have faith in you.” He kissed me once, hard, his lips freezing, moving across my cheek to my ear. “Besides, if you fail, you’ll find me in your next life.”

He blinked, staring into my face, a speck of blood emerging at the corner of his mouth.

“He’s bleeding out,” the guard whispered.

“I know,” I cried. “Isn’t there a doctor?”

“It’s too late,” the guard said, attempting to lift me to my feet. I looked down at Viktor. Empty eyes stared back at me.

Could
he
be
right?
I ran my hands gently over his eyelids, forcing them shut.

Stricken with loss, I allowed the guard to lift me onto the horse. He set a brisk pace, skirting the other soldiers. We were close enough to hear the clang of swords but far enough to avoid being seen. It wasn’t until I could see the palace walls that I realized night had fallen and I hadn’t even been aware we were riding. Grief, shock—it didn’t matter, I had a job to do. I continued my silent monologue, wondering if my mission was always futile. Were Sapphira and Viktor destined to die? Was I only sent here to stop Henri from killing Charles and getting the Purple Delhi Sapphire?

After Viktor’s words, I felt a new kind of freedom in facing down Henri. The Prince would live, the monarch would thrive and Henri would die. I would see to it.

I leaned forward in the saddle. “Soldier, what’s your name?”

“Jacque, Your Highness.”

“Jacque, we need to get into the castle unnoticed. Do you know of the passageway?”

“No, Madam, but I do know of the underground tunnel that will get us inside the castle. That is where we leave the Prince in an emergency. Only he knows the passageway from there.”

“Excellent.” I tried not to sound surprised that there was a tunnel.

The tunnel led under the palace wall and opened into a cave. It must have been where Viktor had surfaced.

My heart ached at the thought of him, but I pushed it aside, using the pain to fuel my determination. Jacque helped me down from the horse, and I observed the cave. I saw the tunnel Viktor had mentioned with the false wall.

“Jacque, I have to leave you here.”

“No, Princess. The Prince said to see you safely back to the palace!”

“And are we not in the palace, Jacque?”

He looked to his feet and then back up at me. “Yes, Princess, but I am to guard you with my life.”

This was going to be harder than I thought.

“Fine. You can come, but clearly we can’t leave the horse here. Is there somewhere you can hide him?”

“I could take him back into the forest and tie him there.”

“Yes, but then you would have to walk all the way back and I would have to wait here. I tell you what. You go back to my brother. He needs help fighting, and he will want to know I was returned to the palace safely.”

He looked like he wanted to argue but was unsure of his argument.

“Jacque. Don’t displease me. I am the Princess, and I do not require an armed escort. After all, I’m not the one in danger; the Prince is, and you were only to get me to the palace because I requested you, as I didn’t know the way. Now if you could be so gracious as to light me a torch, I’ll make my way back to my chambers.”

He looked at me, still hesitant.

“Quickly now!”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I
watched him leave and then headed to the wall. I pushed against it. Just as Viktor promised, the wall moved. I needed to get to the inner sanctum. The passageway twisted and turned once again, like a maze, and soon I was lost. To make matters worse, I tripped and dropped my torch. I quickly scooped it back up, but the floor of the tunnel was wet, and as the last flicker went out, I rounded a corner. I realized I was outside of the sliding panel behind Sapphira’s armoire. No wonder I’d been lost. I’d never come this way before. My heart pounded with relief. I could grab the lantern from inside the Princess’s bedroom and head back out. I knew how to get to the jewel room through the fireplace.

I placed my ear to the door. Hearing nothing, I slipped back into Sapphira’s room. My skin prickled with foreboding, images nudging my brain, as I looked around the room. Something was wrong. I could see the glow of candlelight spilling from the balcony door. I balled my fingers into tight fists and readied myself for confrontation. The hairs at the nape of my neck stood on end, just as they had in my vision, and there was a chill in the air. I felt him. I knew who was here amidst the howling wind and driving rain even before he stepped back inside the room.

Henri.

He stood there gloating. There was no denying I knew where the jewel was hidden.

“There you are, my darling.” A smug smile spread across his lips.

A ripple of déjà vu passed across my skin as he said it.

For a heartbeat we regarded each other. He was utterly still, dark eyes probing my body. I was happy and concerned all at once at having left the jewel in the case. He couldn’t steal it from me if it wasn’t on me, but I couldn’t use it against him either. The map, on the other hand, was still in my pocket.

He stood in a relaxed pose, studying me. “So, my darling, where are you returning from?”

“How’d you know I’d be here?” I demanded.

He cocked one eyebrow. “How’d I know you’d be in the room I locked you in?” He shrugged.

“What do you want?” My voice sounded rough. I was stalling, I knew what he wanted.

His eyes narrowed. I eased sideways, putting more distance between me and him, but he stepped forward, his stance rowing bolder. “I simply want to have a chat.”

“Cut the bullshit, Henri.”

All humour dropped from his face.

“Doing away with the niceties? That’s fine by me.” Rage flamed in his eyes as he captured my wrist, his fingers digging hard enough to make fire shoot to my elbow. “Where’s the Purple Delhi Sapphire? Tell me, or die.”

I screamed and pulled away. “Where’s Nico? He’ll put an end to this.” I ran for the door shouting Nico’s name.

Henri chuckled.

Had he hurt Nico? I ran out the door, smack into the chest of a large man.

“What in the devil’s name is all this shouting?”

“Nico. We were just talking about you,” Henri said.

“Nico,” I said, shaking uncontrollably. “Thank God. Help me. This man… Henri is trying to kill me.”

I took a step back as Nico crossed the room, closing in on the Comte. He was big, but not as big as… My heart ached as I thought of Viktor lying on the ground. I shook it off. It wasn’t meant to be.
You’re
here
to
stop
the
assassination
attempt
on
the
Prince
and
prevent
the
Comte
from
getting
his
hands
on
the
Purpl
e
Delhi
Sapphire’s
magic.

I turned my thoughts back outward, surveying the two men. Nico had a good two inches on the Comte, and that made me feel better. But the grace of his movements caused the hair on the back of my neck to rise. Something about Nico seemed very familiar, from his silken blond hair down to the way he held his cane.

“Henri, my boy. You just cannot help yourself from fouling up, can you?” His eyes narrowed, the line of his jaw shifting into a grimace.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Henri answered.

“He’s looking for the Purple Delhi Sapphire. Charles told me to find you.”

“Charles? You’ve seen Charles? My, my, you’ve been busy. Come here, Henri. I need to speak with you in private.”

Alarm bells continued to go off in the back of my mind.

As he led the Comte to the balcony, I crossed my arms protectively and looked at the open door. Something about this situation felt wrong. Should I run? Curiosity got the better of me.

His cane.

That was it. Nico was the man I’d seen outside Rochus’s cottage. Hadn’t I seen him bribing the apothecary owner for information? Had I misread the situation?

I inched closer to the balcony to hear what they were saying. The whispered voices and hushed tones reminded me of the conversation I’d overheard before.

The Snake and Enzo.

Suddenly one of them screamed. I ran to the door just as Henri slumped to the ground, his eyes rolling backward permanently. One last expression crossed his face, one of surprise and confusion.

Cloth in hand, Nico walked toward me, wiping the blood from his dagger. The sudden change in his demeanour left me suspicious. I looked again at the dagger; the design of a serpent wrapped down its length.

“There, he won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“Y-you stabbed him,” I stuttered.

“Yes, I know. Didn’t you want him to leave you alone?”

I stood there, shaking, as he approached. His cheeks curved up in amusement as he reached out to run his thumb over my lower lip. “Princess Sapphira, you’re so naïve,” he crooned. “Where’s the Purple Delhi Sapphire?”

“What? But I thought…” Confusion scrambled my mind.

“You thought… Henri was the bad man? Oh, my dear, naïve Sapphira. Henri was only a pawn in my game. Now I want control over that jewel and its magic.”

“I don’t care what you threaten to do to me. I’ll never let you touch it,” I bluffed, knowing I was in trouble if I couldn’t get back to the hidden chamber to get the jewel.

“Oh but I already have… Touched it, that is.” He paused to rub his chin. “Right before I murdered your father.”

“You murdered Sapp—my father?” My heart twisted; I felt her anger and sadness well at once within me.

I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to warm them. I needed to get him talking, stall him while I thought of a plan.

“How?” I sputtered.

“How do you think? His Serene Highness heard of the magical jewel and desired to purchase it, as he did all rare gems. He loved to covet all that was beautiful, never giving me what was mine. I was there when he met with William Ferris Sr., but he refused it. The fool said he would not bring such a cursed stone under our roof.”

“You murdered Prince Florestan for protecting his family?”

“Of course. I saw him eyeing me warily as I held it. I knew he could hear the stone speaking to me. He didn’t want me to possess that magic, and I knew he was bluffing. He bought the Purple Delhi Sapphire, and he hid it in this very palace. When he refused to admit it, I killed him.”

“But he didn’t buy that gem. Charles did, from Will Ferris’s son, as a gift for me. You killed him for nothing.”

“That’s surprising, but not for nothing. He refused to give me your hand in marriage.”

“That’s treason! Regicide, as a matter of fact,” I retorted. “I’ll be sure everyone knows.”

“You won’t live long enough to tell a soul.” Fury flared once again in his dark eyes. “You can join your brother in the grave tonight.”

“Don’t count on that. I’ve alerted him and his guards, and you’re going to fail.”
Sapphira
and
Viktor
may
die,
but
so
do
you.
“
That’s why you want the jewel, isn’t it? Because time travelling is the only way you can go back and fix your mistakes.”

“Time travel? My, my, my, aren’t you the clever girl.” Nico smirked. “And if you’re correct?” His eyes glittered with amusement. “You think I’d give up? I’ll never give up.”

I didn’t dignify the remark with a response.

He closed in and circled me, his feet barely making a sound across the floor. “I think I feel the magic emanating from you right now. Do you have the stone on you? No, you can’t. It’s much too weak, but its close by, isn’t it? You know, I’d much rather team up with you than fight you. If you’d only be more agreeable.”

I lashed out with a fist, only to have his forearm block my punch.

He picked up my struggling body and tossed me onto the bed. I landed with a thump and rolled over just as he came down on top of me. “Well, if you insist,” he murmured.

I lifted my hand, preparing to slap him.

“What’s this?” he said, picking up my wrist. “This is what I’m feeling. What is it? It’s not the stone, but it gives off a faint hum of its power.”

Gigi’s bracelet.
I
won’t
lose
it
too,
not
like
the
ring.
Fear bubbled just under the surface, not that I’d give him the satisfaction of seeing it.

I jabbed him hard in the nose, at the same time kicking out and catching him just below the knee. I grinned as he stumbled off me, catching himself on the desk.

“Gutsy little wench. And what is that in your pocket?”

I stood up, placing my hand protectively over the diary and map; I ran for the balcony, narrowly avoiding the dead body. I had to make it to the lantern to burn the map. He followed slowly.
Toying
with
me
like
a
cat
with
a
mouse.
A slight shift in the air alerted me to his movement seconds before he leapt for my throat.

His grip was steely around my neck; stars danced before my eyes, and a strange sound gurgled in my ears. My energy was depleted. I couldn’t breathe, and then he let up.

“You really don’t understand, do you?”

“Understand what?” I gasped, taking in gulp after gulp of air.

He loosened his grip further, almost incredulous at my comment.

“The power of the Purple Delhi Sapphire’s magic!” There was a note of disbelief in his voice, and his expression suggested he wasn’t just toying with me.

“No, but neither do you. This stone is cursed. You’re cursed,” I said, my eyes probing the sky as if I could probe my own brain. “And you’ve cursed me along with you.”

“If we’re already cursed, then give me what I want and I’ll let you live.” His voice was intense.

My eyelids dropped.

Madam Brun had warned me that he’d killed me in every life.

He fixed his odd, black eyes on me once more. “I want the Purple Delhi Sapphire,” he said smugly. “And only you know how to give it to me.”

“Then go find it. Why kill me?”

“Even if I knew where it was, I can’t just take it from you because the magic won’t transfer. You have to give it to me,” he whispered in my ear.

“I don’t know how.”

“Your friend Rochus does. He wrote it down in that promising little book of his. He can’t hold out forever. As a matter of fact, I hear he’s close to breaking. Soon he’ll tell me where he’s hidden it, and you’ll have to hand over the sapphire and, with it, all its magic, because if you don’t…”

I thrust my hand toward his face and pressed my thumb deep into his eye, no longer interested in his threats. He stumbled backward, releasing his grasp on my neck. He reached out for me. I couldn’t keep this up for much longer. He was so strong. Panic squeezed my chest. I felt the heat that burned at my back.

I needed to trap him in the jewel he so loved or face him following me in every life, but I’d naively left the glittering purple stone in its case.

With the last of my strength, I struggled to reach for the oil lantern, managing to grasp it and smash it at his feet.

Like a human torch, he caught the flame and fell back over the balcony. Happiness flooded my body.

Then I realized that he still hung there. He’d managed to grasp the ledge and also the hem of my skirt. Flames now danced poetically up my dress.

Left
to
right.
Right
to
left.

I stepped back at the same time he tugged, letting go of the ledge, the only thing keeping him suspended. The force on my hem was too much, and I tumbled over the railing, joining him in his plight.

Vertigo twirled in my stomach.
I’m
going
to
die.
Suddenly lights flashed around me. I was mesmerized.

I was once again being heaved toward something. Something bigger and far more important—another chance to break the curse. Time slowed. My body tingled and buzzed, and then it all stopped. I opened my eyes.