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"What are you doing?" Romola asks, curiosity momentarily pushing aside her fear.
My heart races as the final piece clicks into place. "These rocks serve as a natural passcode, protecting what lies beyond."
As if on cue, large boulders begin to shift, grinding against one another as they separate.
“What on dear earth…?” Romola’s words trail off as she watches the wall part with awestruck bewilderment. I observe her as she watches the magic take place, and I’ve never seen such wonderment in a woman’s eyes.
The separating boulders reveal a hidden chamber.
“It’s…insane!” she whispers, her eyes following every movement. “I couldn’t, I never–”
“Shh,” I whisper, taking her hands in mine. “Sometimes, the lack of words is enough to get the message across.”
She nods, her hand trembling in mine, and we stand side by side, two desert dwellers finally standing in front of an oasis.
Our hearts pound and veins throb as we wait for the rocks to come to rest. At last, with one large grinding halt, the walls come to a standstill.
“Shall we?” I beckon to Romola.
“Just a second,” she closes her eyes to soak in the moment. Then, she opens them and looks at me, laughter playing on her lips. “I’m ready.”
Together, we step forward.
The sight that greets us is nothing short of breathtaking. I could see it a million times, and it would still have the same effect it did as when I saw it the first time..
“Fiero!” Romola’s voice echoes through the vault as she looks around. I follow the direction of her gaze, seeing this treasure trove of ancient riches, untouched by the ravages of time, all through her eyes.
She starts at the piles of glittering, uncut diamonds and gasps at the gold coins splattered in tiny alcoves. Precious jewels sparkle and twinkle like captured stars in the reflection of her pupils.
She sucks in a deep breath at the intricately carved stone tables decorated with inlaid rubies, emeralds, sapphires and more.
"Madonna mia!" Romola gasps, her grip on my hand tightening. I hear her take a big gulp to make her throat just a little less dry. Fiero, what the hell is this place?"
"It's a great family secret," I admit, my chest swelling with pride. "My ancestors were masters of deception, hiding their wealth in plain sight. To this day, we maintain that… tradition."
“I was never one for traditions,” she whispers, cracking a joke as is her nature in moments of awe or distress. “But if all traditions turned out like this…”
I shake my head, breaking out into a grin.
“Come,” I encourage her. “There’s one more thing.”
She helps me to where I point and stops short in her tracks. Right there, taking centerpiece in the chamber, is the one true treasure that steals the breath from both of us. The half of a magnificent blue diamond, cut from a million angles, going beyond every realm of possibility, shines from within. She looks up at the cave walls and to both sides. “It’s all blue,” she murmurs. “It’s like –”
“Magic?” I finish her sentence.
“But Rafaele’s,” she frowns. “It never shone like this.”
“Legend has it,” I explain. “That neither did this. Our family held the diamond in our various castles and compounds through generations.”
“Castles–?” Romola sounds skeptical.
“We had a duke and duchess once, a few hundred years ago. All the way in England!”
“No way!” she gasps.
“That’s a story for another time,” I mutter. “But the diamond never glows as bright outside as it does in here.”
Romola’s eyes widen in wonder as she gazes at the dazzling blue diamond, almost in a trance. "Questo è incredibile," she breathes, her voice barely a whisper. “To have kept it safe all these years…”
