Page 23 of Fire in Stone

Elex didn’t release me from his gaze. “I have to repay you.”

“What? No, you don’t.”

“I’m not leaving this world with a debt unpaid.” His tone of voice didn’t allow for any arguments. He took a red ring from his pinky finger. “This was my father’s and belonged to my great-grandmother long ago. It’s the biggest treasure I have on me, worth the freedom you gave me.”

The ring was carved from a solid red stone. It was shaped like a lizard wrapped in a circle with its head resting at the base of its tail. Elex slid it on the ring finger of my hand closest to him, which happened to be my left hand. The faceted stone caught the sunlight, sparkling and glowing like a lick of fire wrapped around my finger.

“It’s beautiful.” I admired it. “And so unique.”

Turning my hand, I noticed the lizard had different gems for its eyes, yellow-green.

“The ring is enchanted with wards to protect the wearer from curses and other malicious magic. Not that it matters in this world,” he caught himself. “But it’s also a solid Dakath Ruby stone—rare and valuable in Nerifir. It must have some value in this world too.”

I’d handled enough sales of jewelry stolen by Chris and his gang to be able to estimate the value of this rock. Taking into account the size of the stone and the incredible craftsmanship that went into creating it, the ring was priceless. The realistic details were done with care, every facet cut with precision.

I would never find a buyer for the whole thing, though. But even if cut into smaller pieces, the ring would fetch good money on the black market.

“Elex, I can’t accept it. It’s a family heirloom, it should stay with you.” I stretched my hand toward him, to hand his ring back.

He gently squeezed my chilled fingers in his large, warm hand.

“You rescued me. I owe you. I couldn’t think of a more suitable way to repay this debt. Please accept it as a token of my gratitude.” He sounded every bit the royalty he claimed to be.

He placed my hand back in my lap. Sunlight played in the facets of the flawless stone of the ring. It’d be a shame to chop it into pieces for sale, but it certainly would bring enough money to pay for the future I wanted.

“Thank you,” I said softly. “You have no idea what it would give me.”

Freedom. Independence. Safety. All those priceless things I’d never had.

I looked up from the stone, finding Elex staring at me. His dark eyes appeared to penetrate my very soul, finding the longing buried deep in my chest.

I shifted under his intense stare and cleared my throat, searching for something to say—anything to shift his focus from me.

“So, what do you know about that portal you need to take? Do you remember how to get to it?”

He frowned. “No, I don’t. Shortly after they dragged me through the portal, they locked me in a crate. All I remember is what the place looked like. The portal opened over a body of water flowing over rocks, Big Sandy Creek, thebrackscalled it. They said it was in Indian Springs Park in Georgia.”

The coffee cup fell from my fingers. Thankfully, it was almost empty by now.

“What did you just say?” I gaped at him.

“Indian Springs Park in Georgia,” he repeated dutifully. “Does the name say anything to you?”

I raked my fingers through my hair. “Ha! Does it ever.”

I’d feared I might commit myself to travel around the world with him in search of the magical portal in some remote parts of the Himalayas or in the Siberian wilderness. And it was in Georgia? The state where I’d lived for years now.

Magical things just didn’t happen in one’s backyard.

“Are you sure that’s where it is? I mean, the Indian Springs Park is a public place. People come there all the time. A magical portal would be a major attraction there. Yet no one ever heard of it.”

“It’s not that easy to spot.” He remained confident. “Magic doesn’t glow in this world as brightly as it does in Nerifir. Besides, the portal only opens for a few minutes about an hour after the sunrise. It’s just a patch of pink mist over the creek. Even if someone from this world wandered right through the portal, nothing would happen. A human would need to be accompanied by a fae from Nerifir in order to cross into my world.”

“I see. Well, you’re in luck here, buddy. I’ve lived in Georgia for several years now.”

Hope flashed in his eyes.

“You know how to find the park?”

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