The Heart-stone

A servant walked quickly to his side.

"Get me something to drop in the water."

"What do you require?" asked Tiber.

"I don't care," said Porteous, yawning, "Anything will do."

Tiber hurried away and returned with a small box. He bent over as he opened the box, allowing Porteous to see into it.

"This was in your room?" said Tiber, "Is there anything inside it which you might like to use?"

Porteous shoved his hand into the box and closed has short, fat fingers on a handful of jewelry. He dropped some of it into the water and watched it sink.

"Ah," he said, satisfied.

Tiber watched in fascination. Just two of those pieces of jewellery would have paid his wages for a year, and here was the indolent boy dropping them in the pool for amusement. He forces his face to show no expression but his heart was sore.

"There is one thing left in the box," he said.

Porteous looked.

"Oh that," he said, "Its just a red stone. Throw it away."

Tiber hesitated. Afraid.

"Go on," said Porteous, " I don't care where you throw it!"

Fearfully, Tiber lifted the heart-stone and threw it over the wall of the courtyard. For a moment it caught the sun with a red flash, then it was gone.

CHAPTER FIVE

(New Zealand, about today)

Tammy trotted along behind her mother as the room began to fill with people.

"Where are we going to sit?" she asked.

"Shh!" said her mother, "Just follow me."

Tammy held on to her mother's hand and tried to keep up. There were hundreds of people already in the room,