Read Online The Adventurer by Jaclyn Reding - Free Book Online

said her name, his voice was smooth like warm cream. It gave her gooseflesh.
    “I’m afraid I do not understand.”
    “Perchance this will help to explain it.”
    Isabella watched, afraid to blink, as the comte reached inside his coat, removing something, something that hung from the length of a silver chain.
    It was a stone, a crystal encased in crisscrossing bands of engraved silver. It was uncut, in its natural state, yet deep within, it glowed with a milky fire that even the darkness of the night could not subdue. When Isabella looked at the stone more closely, she felt the oddest sensation, as if it were familiar, as if she’d seen it sometime, somewhere before.
    But that wasn’t possible.
    “Do you know what this is?”
    “No,” she said, even as she took it, feeling the weight of it against her hand. It was cool, as ice, to the touch.
    “This stone was once the property of the kings of the Gaels, more ancient than anyone can accurately trace. It was given to the MacAoidh, to the Sons of Fire, centuries ago by
an maighdean mhara.”
    Isabella had an ear for most languages when spoken, could usually identify them. This one, however, wasn’t one of them.
    “Mahj-een ...” she attempted.
    “It is Gaelic, mademoiselle. Man’s most ancient tongue. It means ‘mermaid.’ It was the mermaid who enchanted the stone.”
    “Enchanted it?”
    “Aye. Its powers are many, both healing and mystical. As such it is sought after by many who would abuse it. It has been missing from the MacAoidh for some time. And since then, all has not been right. A great unrest has descended, and continues to seethe even now. The stone, it must be returned, very soon, else all hope will be lost forever.”
    Legends.
    Enchantments.
    It was just the sort of story that Isabella could get lost in.
    “It is a fascinating tale, monsieur, indeed, but what does any of this have to do with me?”
    “In each age, mademoiselle, there are powers at work, powers higher than anything we of this earth can command. Some credit them as God, others the work of a darker entity. Still others believe they are the forces of nature. Whatever your belief, you must know this. For each transgression, there is a virtue. For each evil, there is good. It is the natural order of things which keeps the balance between the elements—wind, water, earth, and fire. All four of these elements came together to create this mystical stone. A terrible transgression was committed when it was taken. As such there must be a virtue to restore it. And I believe
you
are that virtue, Mademoiselle Drayton.”
    “Me? But, how ...”
    “You must take this stone, and you must return it. You must restore the balance. The rightful MacAoidh awaits.” He looked at her closely. “There is, however, a complication.”
    “Isn’t there always?” Isabella asked, at once fascinated and frightened of the comte’s ominous words.
    “There are two of the Sons of Fire, very much alike, yet very different, too. It is your task to choose between them. Choose rightly, and all will be as it should. Choose wrongly, and you shall shift the very course of history.”
    Isabella had been so engrossed in the comte’s evocative words, she hadn’t even noticed when he slipped the chain around her neck.
    Now, suddenly, the stone weighed upon her.
    “Wait ... no ... this is not—I don’t even know who—”
    Her words fell silent as she lifted the stone up by its chain, staring at it in the moonlight. It was mesmerizing, as if it were filled with thousands of sparks of brilliant light. As soon as she touched it, wrapped the weight of it in her fingers, the stone began to glow, lit by a fire deep inside. First blue, then a pale, pale red. It was no trick of the light, no sleight of hand. It was real, for the stone had grown warm, almost hot against her skin.
    It was as he had said. The stone was enchanted.
    “You see, even the stone tells you. Heed the stone, mademoiselle. It will lead you to where