Chapter 94

Miriam left the room and returned a short while later, thrusting a box at Dashiell. He took it and popped the lid open, and for a moment, was blinded by a burst of rainbow light. He squinted, adjusting to the brilliance, and when his vision cleared, his breath hitched. Nestled in the silky bed of the box lay a pair of earrings, shaped like butterfly wings. Crafted from a stone that defied description, they shimmered with an emerald fire in the natural light streaming through the window. An otherworldly aura pulsed around them. ‘Alexandrite,’ Miriam announced with pride. ‘Changes colour like a chameleon, green under the sun, violet under the moon. Had to fly halfway across the world to snag them at an auction. Special, just like Elodie.’ Dashiell stared at the earrings, mesmerised. The stone, as if sensing his gaze, shimmered, the emerald giving way to a deep, regal amethyst as a shadow crossed the room. It was like holding a piece of the night sky in his palm. ‘Demantoid garnets,’ Miri