Ruby Shimmer (re-write)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Several minutes passed by with nothing to show for it, and as time ticked by agonizingly slowly, I was starting to fall back asleep from sheer boredom.

As a result, I decided to try and keep myself awake by reading something. I was in a library after all.

However, it wasn't just any book I wanted. I was highly determined to find one book in particular. One I had been incredibly interested in reading all through my break, but never got around to it.

The book in question held dozens of accounts about the Guardian Stones and Location Gems over the past several years, ever since Gramma and Grampa reformed the League here in the US.

And once I finally had the book in hand, I made my way back to my original spot and began flipping through the pages with interest.

I read a few entries here and there that caught my eye, however, I soon came across a certain entry that had me totally absorbed.

Little did I know at the time how much effect the entry itself would have on my own life down the road.

The entry in question belonged to a member of one of the Emerald Clan's many research teams who had written that they were able to find an interesting South American legend that seemed to be about the mysterious gemstones and their possible origins.

According to their notes, the actual legend had been first recorded by Duke Zephyr Davenport. And thanks to my studies, I knew that it was Lord Davenport himself who had actually unearthed the unusual treasures.

I also knew that he was extremely hands-on with his research, so he even went so far as to spend several years in South America in order to find out as much as he could about what these jewels really were and their history.

The legend itself told of how the gems seemed to have appeared suddenly and without warning. And the tribe of long-gone Amazonian natives that found them believed them to be a blessing from their goddess of peace and prosperity, Princess Tek Rul.

But, as can be expected, news of the valuable stones quickly reached the ears of many thieves and treasure hunters, drawing them to the tribe's village from all over the world.

To protect them, the gems themselves were placed within an underground temple, the very one that Lord Davenport would uncover years later. And for good measure, they were also placed under an ancient protection spell held in place by the clan's High Priestess.

However, while all this was incredibly captivating, I became even more fascinated when I came across a series of entries that were all written by Gramma and Grampa.

From what I could understand, it seemed that Gramma did indeed abandon her former life after meeting Grampa. And the actual entries were more like her diary, all of them dedicated to her explaining about the many tests and trials she went through to figure out exactly what kinds of powers she might possibly have and how strong they might be.

But, even after all that, she was only able to discover the minor ability to hear limited messages coming from the Guardian Stones and Location Gems.

And this was something that had me getting a little worried by this point. Because, if she was never able to travel into the other worlds herself, then what kind of hope could I, a complete novice to all this, possibly have?

As I continued to wait for what seemed like forever, I read through another part of the book that had caught my interest.

This one was filled with many different theories about the Guardian Stones, Location Gems, and what kinds of worlds might lie hidden behind the secret of their mysterious origins based on the short messages recorded by several members from not just one clan, but from throughout the entire League.