Merlin's Legacy:

Prologue:

          "Allen, try not to move anything by force. An object could become broken, and the team could spend months, even years trying to place the pieces together from all this material." Heather's voice was just above a whisper. She instructed him while he knelt over a small area of large stones below an embankment. Blackened soil lay exposed within the rocks, both scarred by intense heat from a time long ago.

Her English accent resonated with a gentle sway and allowed the dialect and sound to be heard almost like a song. Only a few days in England and the sounds produced by her voice sent a tingle down his spine, unlike the plain vowels pronounced in Wooster Ohio on campus. Even among the locals at home the varied vocals never offered the stir, Heather could arouse within him. Already dreading having to return to the college in just over a week, spring break was coming to a close. Giving little thought to his friends in Myrtle Beach, he chose to spend his time with his pen pal.

Amid the ruins, something deep in the rubble caught his eye. Abiding by his friends words, he tugged at a large piece of granite, and it gave only by a smidgen. Placing both hands around the beach ball sized rock, he strained from the exerted pressure. The hand carved relic slid away inch-meal exposing smaller ones underneath. The object in question appeared a little clearer- gold.
Wincing, his fingers could not reach far enough into the crevice.

A careful glance to his right Heather had focused on a different pile of hewn debris; paying no attention to his efforts.

Another chunk rested below the large one he'd moved, much smaller, but its length was at least a foot, and he pried it free. Wedging it between the largest and the two it rested upon, it slid away. Blackened Earth that held it in place gave way along the back side and the miniature boulder slid several inches away.
Again he wedged the large dagger of granite just above the object in question, and pried the remaining two apart. His free hand slithered below, grasping the golden object, and it pulled free with little effort.

Held in his palm, a large, gaudy ring laid in his grasp. Dusted by degrading debris from its surroundings, the gold reflected little light and a quick blow sent centuries of age flying about allowing the ring its luster amid the dim sunlight. Even more gracious was what lay along the crown.
His heart pounded with fury, warm blood raced though his veins, adrenalin excited him even more.
Amazing! Allen could not comprehend he may be holding something of ancient English history. Perhaps this place is another site offering nothing more than trinkets as this. No manner of deciphering it's meaning to history except by decades of research. Hoping against hope while his eyes became fixated upon the object and his thoughts became selfishly obsessed with the treasure. For a moment he lamented the thought of informing Heather.

          "No! This gift is for you".
Allen hesitated while his eyes shifted left, and right. No one was near him, and the voice was not more than a whisper. A form of English filled his mind like he’d never heard before. Ancient, and yet so distantly familiar he felt his spine tingle as a sense of fear filled him.

An orange sapphire teasing with hints of pink rested below a ridge of several gems. Each held in place by a crown of gold. Eight gems, each lay with precision while they surrounded the sapphire below.

It's so heavy. No way would this be a toy trinket, and solid gold with jewels. Shaking while he held the ring, never had he expected such a discovery. Until this moment he'd never considered the next move.
Another quick glance assured him she hadn’t noticed his secret.
The voice did not return, but a sense to hide the trinket overwhelmed him, unlike his upbringing he guarded it as he stole one last peek while the Light gleamed from the sapphire. The sun had been shielded by the clouds, and the gem gleamed like it had seen the full power of the star. Little thought went into this while he slid the ring inside a jean pocket.