Eshaan woke propped up against the outer fort wall.
A man he had seen earlier walking down the trail to the ruins was standing over him.
Tapping his shoulder.
"Here boy, are you ok?
Drink some water."
Eshaan slowly drunk a mouthful.
"No, now you must keep the bottle!" The man said distastefully.
Eshaan, drunk more, then gasped, refreshed then feeling better.
He thanked the man and and begged of him.
"Sir, the stone, I need my stone?"
"There was a stone, your stone, here it is."
"I kept it for you, this blue cracked marble."
"You had it grasped so tight in your hand when I found you. Fallen in the sun."
Eshaan, looked at the marble suspiciously, thinking that the man had robbed him of his gemstone.
He took the marble that the man passed to him and looked down at it frowning.
Just for a second it flickered blue light in its center.
Happiness returned to Eshaan's face.
"Thank-you, sir, for the water, for bringing me to the shade." he told the man, gratefully.
"Alright then, boy, take care," he continued, "not too much sun."
He then turned and left down the trail which continued past the fort.
When he was sure he was alone, Eshaan took out the marble and stared at it,
and said to the stone. "You hid yourself!"
It wasn't just a beautiful Gemstone, it had a consciousness, an ability to make choices and it had chosen him over the man.
So he began to talk to the stone, thinking, if I win this stone over with its beauty, consciousness and magic...
Then, where will we go??