Heart of Stone Read Free Page A

tail. Who would sell us out like this, anyway?” He held his café au lait to his lips, wanting to wash away the disgust left in his mouth from the words his uncle spoke.
    “I’m not sure, but any one of these miners may have heard us plotting.”
    Rémy looked at the crowd of men in dirty coveralls, worn boots, and tired eyes. These men who worked for the king accepted any handouts they could get. A server, in a revealing top, bent over Tristan to refill his mug. Tristan’s blue eyes sparkled at her, taking in her beauty. Uncle Rémy waited until she walked away, with her hips giving a deep sway, before he spoke again.
    “I also think your scandalous behavior here isn’t helping matters. I haven’t the slightest idea of what you whisper between the covers, and I don’t want to know. Unless it involves our trésor .” Rémy didn’t mince words; he’d been Tristan’s guardian for eight years. “And I have a feeling it might.”
    “Yes, well I am discreet, okay? This trésor ? It’s not theirs. It’s ours. The last thing we need is some idiotic trésor hunter thinking they can piggy back on our hard work.” Tristan rolled his eyes.
    “ Your hard work Tristan.” Rémy coughed roughly in his hand, leaving him breathless.
    “Careful, Uncle. Here, drink some water.” Tristan handed a cold glass of water to Rémy who took it graciously.
    The server walked back to the patio where the men were sitting and refilled their tankards with water. With a wink, and a crooked smile, Tristan made it clear he was interested in her. In truth he was interested in any female with a pulse. This woman was not the exception, she was the rule.
    Returning his attention to his uncle, Tristan continued, “Yes, our work. I would have never found those other gems if it hadn’t been for your years of research.”
    “Still, you have a gift. Like none other. You will find the bounty. I know it. It was meant for you. The glass diamond will be in your hands soon.” Rémy set the water down, looking at his nephew tenderly. “Just let me stay here, at the Aubérge. The rooms are clean enough for an old man like me, and the women feed me well. I am no use to you like this, I’m only slowing you down.”
    “That is not true!” Tristan shook his head, not ready to agree. Looking across the table he saw his old Uncle as the man he wanted to see. A man strong and determined, eyes bright with dreams of trésor and infinite riches and the thrill of the hunt. Not for what Rémy really was, now. A man sick with the Coffre au Trésor , from so many years trying to find the legendary gems he dreamed were real, gems he had found.
    “Don’t feel sorry for me. Let me stay here, rest, and hopefully make it to see you with all eight gems in your hand.”
    “We’ve always tracked together. I don’t think I can do it alone. Besides, what if something happens to you while I’m away?”
    “Then you can know this old man died with hope. Hope that you found the trésor .” Rémy’s wrinkled face filled with a sincerity Tristan couldn’t deny.
    “You won’t come to the North Montagne?” Tristan didn’t want to go alone. He had come this far because of Rémy. Doing the final part by himself seemed wrong.
    “I can’t travel those miles with you. My legs are weak, and my lungs are weaker. I can feel the shards of stone in my lungs every time I breathe. Go. Hunt. Claim what is yours.”
    Uncle Remy’s eyes watered at the truth, he couldn’t look for the last gems even if he wanted to. Old age wasn’t so much getting to him, as much as a hard life. Rémy was only forty years old, after all.
    “How about a compromise? We go half way together, to Tamsin’s house. You need a real healer anyways. The Aubérge isn’t doing anything for your health. The clouds of gem dust the miners bring follow us wherever we go. You need the fresh mountain air at Tamsin’s.”
    “You just want her to give you another clue, but you don’t need to rely on her.