The Temple of Indra’s Jewel: (5 page)

He handed me a cloth to dry my tears on, and to add some comfort, I supposed.

“
Ein
Zauber,
” he started.

“Pardon?”

“
Bitte.
Magic
.
It never works as it’s supposed to.” He spit out, “I didn’t know it would erase your memory.”

“It didn’t. My memory is fine. It’s just, I’m not Sapphira. I’m Sophia Marcil. I’m a librarian from the twenty-first century. Do you understand? I’m from the future.”

He stayed silent and stroked his long white beard as I expelled the entire story of Nick, falling off the island’s edge on Sainte Marguerite and the swirling underwater cavern. He took it all in stride, absorbing my situation much better than I was myself.

“I’m not delusional. I realize how ridiculous this sounds, but it’s true and I can prove it.” I took Gigi’s ring out of my pocket. “This is my great-grandmother’s; it’s the only thing that seems to have made the journey with me.”

He continued to just stare. I realized it didn’t prove a thing. Such items were available in this time. I cursed under my breath and slipped it on my finger.

“May I see it?”

I held my hand out to him. The old alchemist peered at the ring gleaming in the firelight.

“Pieces of the Purple Delhi Sapphire! The Princess showed it to me once. She wore a chip of it in an amulet around her neck, always hidden beneath her dress.”

He examined it for another two minutes. When he spoke again, his voice was unexpectedly deep and calm. “So the tale is true.”

“What tale?”

If he felt surprise at the situation we found ourselves in, he did not show it.

“You… Sapphira came to me in the middle of the night over a week ago desperate for help. She believed her brother, the Prince, was in danger because she was about to refuse marriage,” he said, handing over a mug of dark, strong-smelling liquor before taking a swig from his own.

“I read that! In her diary! That’s what led me to you, but marriage to who?”

“I do not know. My name is written in her book?” He didn’t look happy, but he went on. “
Mein
großmutter
had the sight. Her Serene Highness required me to look into her future.”

“Your grandmother was clairvoyant?” I said, beginning to understand his accent a little better. I sniffed my mug and took a small sip. The strong taste of brandy took my breath away but made my throat warm.

“I’m not as gifted as mein
großmutter
was, but I have her book and I can work potions and spells, so I gave Sapphira an enlightening potion instead. Or rather I’d thought I’d given her one.”

“What’s that?”

He turned and looked at me as though I had just asked what the sun was.

“What do you think,
mein
lieber
? A potion to enlighten, of course.”

“So this potion brought me here or switched us? Did you create some sort of wormhole in time? Can you do that?” I spit my questions out rapid fire, letting all my anxiety spill out.

“A wormhole? I have no conception of what you mean, but I must know more of your magical jewel.”

“Magical jewel?” I gasped. “No, this… it’s just a ring.”

“Mmm hmm.” He grimaced. “Didn’t you just tell me you’re from a future time?”

His mind was faster than mine, despite his mad scientist grey hair.

Good point. I nodded.

He disappeared over to the bookshelf for a moment and returned with a thick, small book bound in marbled calfskin. The one that had caught my eye earlier. Opening it a third of the way, he read for a moment.

“Have you ever heard of the Temple of Indra?”

“That sounds familiar. I think Gigi told me once of an emperor who used a jewel from that temple to control the empire, but it was just a bedtime story.”

“I’m afraid not. The Temple of Indra Jewel, also known as the Purple Delhi Sapphire, is very powerful, believed to affect time. That ring you wear is covered in its chips. I think that’s why you crossed when Sapphira drank the potion. You were both in possession of the same magic, so it brought you here to help her somehow; though to what purpose I’m unclear.”

His comments made me think of the conversation I’d overheard. They’d been looking for a stone. He was convinced Sapphira knew where it was.

I stared down at my ring, shimmering in the firelight. Did they need my ring?

“Do you know who Sapphira’s afraid of?”

“
Nein
. She said she was being followed. I gave her the potion and she left. It should have helped her foresee the future, allowed her to communicate in spirit with her ancestors, possibly even descendants, to obtain insight, but the gem must have altered the spell. She was going to send word once she got away, but it never came.”

“You have to fix this,” I said.

“But how?” he mumbled.

“I don’t know. Give me the same potion. Maybe it will switch us back.”

“It’s too dangerous. You said you fell into a swirling tunnel of water before, but I can’t be sure it will react the same way. Magic is complicated. What if the magic opens inside the cliff or over some jagged rocks? What if someone else enters it? Give me the night to go through the book. I’ll attempt to contact mein
großmutter
. But in the meantime, you must return to the palace before they realize where you’ve gone!”

“
They’ll never let me out again. They’re holding me captive. Gabriella suspects something. I can’t go back.”

“You must!”

“I overheard Enzo, the driver who brought me to the village. He’s a spy. I absolutely can’t go back!”

“What will you have me do? Open the magic right here in my home? It won’t work. This magic needs water to power it. You must be closer to the sea. No. You must return to the palace for now.”

“I’ll take my chances with you.”

“You are most disagreeable. Fine. Have it your way,” he said, pulling two skinny bottles from a shelf and pouring them half and half into a vial. He continued to huff and mumble to himself as he mixed the various green and blue and brown fluids together.

“Take this with you to sea. You said the tunnel appeared when you were swimming. That’s good. Maybe you needn’t jump.”

“All right. What do I do with it once I’m there?”

“
Trinken
Sie
liebe.”

I looked at him strangely.

“Drink it! You’ll drink it if you must go home. Try not to let anyone see you get in the water. I’m sure it goes without saying, but you’re quite recognizable as Her Highness.”

My eyes followed his gnarled finger to the liquid concoction he’d just made.

“Will it hurt?”

“Does it matter?”

“Can you come with me?”

“We mustn’t be together.”

“Why?”

“If something happens and the Princess doesn’t return, I’ll be charged in her death. I’m in enough of a predicament as it is now, with you showing up at my door for all the village to see.”

He handed me a rough, dark robe with an oversized hood that covered almost all of my face and hair.

“Go now,” he said, ushering me up some stairs and out through a set of wooden cellar doors. “Follow the cobbled path!”

I left his yard and followed the path until it turned right into an alley, wondering all the way if I was making the right decision. As I came to the cliff side, I spotted the set of stairs.

The breeze was a whisper, softly blowing the cloak hem around my feet—not enough to send chills dancing down my spine and yet I shivered. I halted at the top in the shadow of a large tree and watched the familiar stride of Enzo as he crossed the harbour below toward a band of guards. At his side was yet another traitorous face, Gabriella. Silent and still, my gaze fixed on Enzo, I watched as he stretched his arms out, presumably giving instructions to search all corners. This was far worse than I’d thought. I headed back into the laneway, clutching the cloth of my cloak tight to my body. I hugged the shadows along the alley walls, and like a shadow myself I flitted back to Rochus. He would not be happy, but what choice did I have?

As I grew close, the clacking of hooves on the cobbles drew my attention. I heard voices, and something told me to be wary. Wisely, I peeked around the corner. The road was blocked off. Guards on horseback stood in their stirrups, surveying the area. In front of Rochus’s cottage I saw a good-looking blond with a chiselled jaw carrying a walking stick. He handed some coins to the man from the apothecary store and then walked toward the front door of the old alchemist’s cottage. I didn’t recognize the man, but his style, the way he moved, suggested he belonged to the palace. I was trapped. Racing back down the lane, I emerged and noticed the guards were now standing at the cliff’s edge. I looked behind me and saw stairs leading upward through a forest of trees. It was going in the wrong direction, but I didn’t have a lot of choice. I climbed the stairs two at a time; the journey seemed endless until at last I found myself at the top of the cliff.

The guards below were unable to see me. The harbour shore ended, and only the cliff side was visible to them. I could see almost the whole of the island from here. It was much higher than the palace. My nerves danced as I looked to the sea far, far below. I continued to follow the edge until I found a part that jutted out far enough beyond the shore. There were no visible rocks sticking out of the water, which should allow me to jump safely, as long as the fall didn’t kill me. At least I hoped that was the case. I stepped to the edge, gripping the vial from Rochus, and a wave of nausea washed up my throat. Bile threatened my tongue, but I bit down hard, took a deep breath and fought the urge to vomit. The vial’s liquid was a dark muddy colour, and my stomach refused to stabilize. There was no other choice.

Bottoms
up.

The shot tasted of black liquorice and mushrooms. I looked down to see if I could see a swirling cavern and then back to make sure no one was behind me. But I was suddenly very sleepy, and all at once the trees began to spin.

The sensation of falling suddenly overwhelmed me. Wind rushed up my sleeves, causing pinpricks of goosebumps to rise on my flesh. My cloak tumbled around me. I didn’t know up from down. The wind screamed loudly at me as I plummeted to the sea. Then it dawned on me that the screams were coming from me.

I could see the water through a swirling haze of lights. It felt more like the air was pushing at me now as opposed to falling through it. I experienced the familiar feeling of being hypnotized and pulled toward something. The rush of cold wind made it difficult to breathe, snatching each breath before I could form the next one.

At once the loud whirring wind in my head became an intense beeping. It was as if time slowed down. Even my slightest movements felt incredibly fast and disorienting. I could no longer see anything, except perhaps the inside of my eyelids. My body tingled and buzzed. It felt as if my hands were linked together like two magnets; when I tried to pull them apart, the buzzing sensation in my bones intensified.

CHAPTER SIX

I
slept for some time and woke slowly, listening to the steady stream of beeps sounding in my head. Without opening my eyes, keeping my breath steady, I turned my senses outward. The bed under me was firm, and the blanket felt rough and well-worn. An odd mixture of alcohol and daisies hung in the air. In the distance I could hear the echo of footsteps and people speaking softly. I focused on them; the voices were almost too soft to understand.

“You can’t,” a breathy voice whispered. “I don’t want trouble.”

I opened a bleary eye. My vision was smeared, and it took me several moments to blink it clear. Then I saw that the room was stark and the curtains closed. The past began to flood my brain. I was immediately thankful that I hadn’t splattered on a rock or drowned in the sea.

Inhaling a deep breath, I frowned. What was with this unfortunate beeping? I didn’t recall beeping the first time.

I sat up, feeling as though quicksand clung to me. Lifting the blanket, I realized the only thing that clung to me was a hospital gown. As I attempted to swing my legs over the side of the bed, a tingling sensation shot through my whole body. I realized that perhaps the beeping was not actually coming from my head, but from the machine beside me.

Dizziness took over, and I fell back against the pillow. My hands no longer looked pale. I took that as a good sign. Then I pulled a lock of my hair in front of my eyes. My hair was dark again. The realization of all that happened fell upon me. I’d made it back!

I glanced down at my bare fingers.
The
ring!
Where
is
it?
I searched through the blanket and on the table but found nothing.

From my bed, I heard the sound of voices beyond the slightly ajar door grow louder.

“Of course,” a man agreed. His voice was angry, and I thought I recognized it. A headache pounded behind my eyes as fragments of Rochus and the cliff retreated into my subconscious.

“Shhh… please, she needs her rest.” It was a breathy voice. I tried to place it but couldn’t.

“So what is it? What’s going on with her?” the man demanded.

More whispering. I only caught phrases.

“Thinks she returned from the 1800s… slowly going out of her mind… committed…”

Oh, Lord, was that Nick? I felt a jab of betrayal.

“Your friend has a mild concussion.” The breathy voice again.

Nick, if it was him, agreed. “I’m very concerned. Could we move her?”

How much had I told them? Had I talked in my sleep? I could barely restrain myself from screaming out my questions, but I wanted to hear the rest.

“For goodness’ sake, keep your voice down. She’s dehydrated and has a few bumps and bruises, but there’s no need to assume permanent damage. Anyway, we could never do anything without the family’s consent.”

My family?
Where’s
Gigi?

I threw off the blanket, and my bare feet hit the floor. My head throbbed. One step—I started to lose my balance and grasped the wall.

“She insists she’s been missing for three days. She was only gone three minutes, tops.”

I thought I might throw up. Three minutes—how was that possible?

“She’s a very lucky lady. She’s now drinking fluids on her own. We’re monitoring for head trauma, but it’s really not that serious. It’ll take a few days, but I have no reason to doubt that she’ll make a full recovery. Now I really can’t discuss anything further with you without her husband present. Where did he go?” the breathy voice asked.

Husband? I clutched the doorknob and silently cursed my cloudy memory.

“That Irish asshole?” Nick said.

“The man who carried her in. Isn’t he family?”

“Hell, no! I’m her fiancé. He just saw her fall off the cliff and had the dumb luck of being anchored there.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but he’s the one who signed her in. He said he’d be back to check on her.”

The voices were moving away now and I could barely hear them. Gritting my teeth, I gave a quick tug, tearing two wires from the sticky tabs that were glued to me. Mass beeping began. “God help me,” I whispered.
Must
have
been
for
a
heart
monitor
or
something.
Good thing I had several nurses for friends and I knew most times the beeps were ignored. They were like background noise to the hospital staff. I drew in a long breath of relief as I spotted my suitcase in the corner.

He
wants
to
put
me
in
the
loony
bin
, I told myself, pulling a maxi dress from the case as fast as I could without falling over. I wasn’t going to be trapped again. I slammed the suitcase shut and lifted it to my side just as a heavyset nurse appeared.

“Ms. Marcil, what are you doing?” It was the breathy voice.

“I’m leaving,” I stated, stepping into my sandals. “Where’s my grandmother’s ring?”

She glanced at the chart in her hand and pushed up the glasses perched on the end of her nose before placing a hand on my arm.
“What ring? You weren’t wearing any jewellery when you came in.”

“It had a purple jewel in it.”

Rochus believed it to be a chip off the Purple Delhi Sapphire, gifted with magic. After today I was inclined to agree. Where was it? Had it been taken?

“Maybe it came off in the ocean. You fell. Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember,” I said, walking away.

“Wait, please—you can’t leave until you’ve been discharged by the doctor. Let me get your fiancé.”

“I don’t have a fiancé.” I pushed past her and entered the hall just as Nick came into view.

“Nurse, what’s going on?” Nick said.

“Ms. Marcil is trying to leave, but I need to check her blood pressure and the doctor needs to see her before I can discharge her.”

“Sophia, calm down. It’s not good for you to get so worked up. You’ve been through a very traumatic experience.”

I stopped and turned to him, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You don’t believe me. I overheard you speaking to that nurse. You called me crazy. And my ring is missing. Did you steal my ring?”

“Sophia, you weren’t wearing any ring.”

“I was too!” I said indignantly.

“Well, I didn’t see one. Sophia, please stop. You fell into the water and hit your head. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“Fell!” I huffed.

He had the decency to at least look abashed for a moment.

“Listen, Nick, you can believe me or not, but after you dropped me into the ocean, I went through some sort of wormhole.”

“Oh, not this again!” he said, turning away from me. “Nurse, you can clearly see she’s delusional. There must be something we can do.”

“I’m telling the truth. I was an imprisoned princess. It has taken me three days to get back, and there’s no way in hell you’re locking me up on some psych ward.”

“Listen to yourself. You sound like a damn lunatic!”

“Screw this!” I said. I turned and stalked off down the hall, suitcase still in hand.

I heard the nurse and Nick quietly arguing, and I took the opportunity to duck into the elevator, taking it down.

I could see the main entrance doors when pain shot behind my eyes. Noticing a washroom I stumbled to the right and made it inside. I slid to the floor with a headache so bad that I had to bite down to avoid crying out. I closed my eyes until the pounding stopped.

“Liam, are ye in there, man?” a man’s voice called. “What’s the story wit’ya? I’ve been waiting outside for nearly a half hour. I want to go check on—”

“It isn’t Liam,” I responded. I got to my feet and opened the door. His eyes bore into mine before he opened his mouth to speak.

He had the strong, muscular jaw of a Viking and plump lips that curved. His nose was one of the most attractive noses I had ever seen—not that I take in a lot of noses. The centre came down in the shape of a V and his nostrils were large, giving his whole face a rough masculine edge. He stared at me, momentarily silent. A tremor ran down my spine.

“Who is Liam?”

His eyes were mesmerizing. Flecks of gold clung to the edges and danced in the centre, making it appear as if the green was on fire.

I cleared my throat.

“I can’t believe my eyes. Ye’re here.”

His hair, a coppery red with streaks of blond that looked like spun gold in the sunlight, was short but long enough to style back. The ends curled at his neck and sides. There was an awkward pause before he shook his head, one stray red strand breaking free.

“I might be goin’ mad, but I’m after dreamin’ of you last night.” He blinked at me. “Where did you… ? I mean, bollix, I sound like I’m losin’ it.” He burst out laughing. “What were you askin’?”

I was so busy watching his mouth that I forgot what I’d asked.

“Liam, oh yes. Liam’s me brother. He, ah, came with me to visit you.” He looked me over from head to toe and smiled. “You don’t know who I am?”

Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t think so. I would remember you.”

He murmured to himself and then said, “Apparently not. I saw you fighting with your man. I pulled you from the water after…” He paused in awkward silence. “After you fell, and then I brought you here.”

Oh, God, what was up with my memory?

“You’ve been discharged?”

I looked down and quickly back up. “Yes,” I blurted.

Charmingly, he held out his hand. “I apologize. I’m usually much more calm and polite. The name’s Cullen O’Kelley, Miss… ? He paused.

I realized he was waiting to be reminded of my name.

“Sophia Marcil,” I managed to stammer out before I was suddenly very dizzy and warm. I felt as though all colour was draining from my face, and my eyes began to flutter. The last thing I remember was falling, presumably hitting the floor.

I opened my eyes when he was lifting me up.

“I’m sorry. You fainted. Are you all right?”

“Ugh. Yeah, I’m fine—maybe a little dizzy.”

“Don’t move too fast. I’ll go get a nurse?”

“No! No, please. I’m fine.”

“Is there someone else here with you? Someone besides that man I saw you fightin’ with? He tried to ban me from seein’ ya, you know.” His cheeks grew red. “I almost—well, never mind.”

“No. I’m sort of stranded here for the moment,” I said, wondering if this was the Princess Grace Hospital.

“And do you have anywhere to go?”

“Umm…” I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. “I need to call my family.”

“Would you be after goin’ with me then? I guess maybe Liam found his own way back. You can ring whoever you want, and there’s plenty of room and food.”

I heard raised voices. When I looked around Cullen, I saw Nick arguing with a security guard. Thankfully he couldn’t see me because of Cullen’s big hulking frame.

“Yes, please. I would really appreciate that. You live here in Monaco?”

“No, Dublin, but we’re vacationing—my parents and my brother and I. You’re actually in Cannes right now. It was the closest hospital to the island we were docked at.”

“You brought me here?”

“Well, yes. That eejit of yours of course followed, takin’ over, so I left.”

The yelling had escalated. I peeked nervously around again. There was no way I was being locked on some psych ward. Cullen looked back at them and then down at me.

“So, you were discharged, eh?”

“Y-yes,” I stuttered. “I just don’t want to go with him.”

He picked up my suitcase and smirked.

“Our place is just outside of Antibes. Is that all right, or would you prefer I took you somewhere else?”

“No, that’s great,” I said, grabbing him by the arm and tugging us toward the door.

I desperately needed to get the hell away. Something about Mr. O’Kelley made my pulse race a little faster, in a good way.

As we headed out the door I noticed we were heading toward the back of the parking lot where only a couple of vehicles sat, one of them being a top-of-the-line Ferrari.

I glanced over at him, fixating on his stubble, an assortment of silvery blond, jet black and red. I hadn’t pegged him as a pretty boy.

“Here we are,” he said, opening the door of the Land Rover beside the Ferrari.

Like Cullen, it was down to earth and sleek, but with masculine charm.

I climbed in, smiled and closed my eyes. When I opened them again we were pulling through a private gate, surrounded by parasol pines and orange trees, facing an elegant, provincial-style villa. A front terrace faced us, and a handsome man smoking a pipe waved down at us.

“That was quick!” I noted as he turned off the ignition.

“You drifted off,” he said as he got out and came around to assist me.

“This is your family’s vacation home? I feel funny about intruding.”

“You’re not intrudin’. Come on.”

I followed Cullen inside and across the foyer. My eyes gravitated to the large windows and doors offering rosy, hopeful beams from the radiating sun. Everything curved—the stairs, the doorways and the windows—or was it my vision?

The large room suddenly felt airless and began to sway eerily, as if the floorboards were collapsing. Not again. I knew that my knees were beginning to give, but I couldn’t steady myself. I reached out for the wall in order to stay on my feet. My throat was desert dry; my heart pounded as I stumbled, but Cullen was quick to scoop me up.

“Let’s lie you down.” I could feel his muscles flex beneath his soccer jersey as he carried me up the spiral staircase.

“Ah, God, Cullen… Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what have you—?” A fine-boned woman with beautiful brown eyes and curly auburn hair cut her words short as she came around the corner and saw us.

She stared for a moment, obviously trying to absorb the situation.

“Hello there!” she said, directing her gaze at me and then back at Cullen. “I rang ya on your mobile but you didn’t answer. Is everything all right?”