take his e

ing into her, waiting for her to keel over. He was waiting for

her arms crossed. She felt fine. A little

only sound was the hu

in from his body. It was not the antibiotics. Those would take hours to do their work. It was sheer exhaustion, the cat

oped. His head

lost consciou

ed the ring off his thumb, his weakened fingers struggling with the weight of the gold. The motion cost h

the size of a grape. It caught the lamplig

d onto the rug at her fee

whisper. "In advance. We will settle the

d to the side,

oom fell

ong moment. Then, she leaned

t her fingers, and the ruby was a deep, vivid red. She had grown

is was

crest. Two eagles, facing opposite directions, their talons intertwined

t skippe

gle motif before, in a catalog from Christie's, years ago. It had been associated with some mi

shaking as she typed in the passcode. She opened the browse

esults loade

The headline read: "The Lost Monarch's Proof: The

the exact same ring. The article detailed the history of the piece, describing

y slipped from

ping in her bed. She looke

one could fake this. No one could steal a thirty-

was also a living, breathing treasure chest. The police would lock him in a psych ward, the ring would disappear into an evidence locker, and she would be

y looking for the first time. Without the snarling aggression, his fac

oot of the bed and draped it over his che

tim anymore. She

the ring safely in her pocket, and be

y. Ethelgar