Chapter Twenty-One - A Test of Loyalties

"Hey Boss." A couple of mercenaries strode through the camp to where Russell was sitting. "Look what we found-" He reached into his pocket and withdrew-

The jewel.

Terri felt her jaw drop. Impossible.

Russell was obviously just as shocked.

"Those fools must have lost it in the bazaar."

Russell snatched the jewel from the man's hands, it casting an erie green glow - a shadow almost - across his face.

He was staring at it, entranced, a hungry, greedy look in his eyes. It was honestly kind of creepy.

"What about Bravestone and that lot?" the men asked.

"Hunt them down and kill them - I don't want them coming after the jewel again. I want them dealt with." He came forward, jewel in hand, an almost evil grin on his face. "It's mine."

She had to get the jewel away from him.

The thing was, after losing it once, he wasn't letting it out of his sight again.

Time for some improvisation.

"AHH!" A scream escaped her lips, and she crashed to her knees, holding her side as though in pain. Everyone turned to face her, Russell even ripping his gaze away from the jewel.

"Terri?" He came over, jewel still in hand.

This was good, for as soon as he was close enough, kneeling at her side, she snatched the jewel from him.

She ran.

And ran, and ran. Until she reached the end of the path - literally.

She had reached a cliffside.

"Stop!" He appeared, flanked by his heavily armed mercenaries. He had become one of them, she realized, cruel and violent, only after the prize. "Theresa!" His chilling voice stopped her at the cliff's edge. She'd never heard him refer to her this way. And he hadn't called her by her full name in well, years. She was always Terri, his Terri. But not now. "Give it back. Don't make me stop you." His hand rested upon his gun, and she knew what he was implying.

"You wouldn't."

It wasn't really him, it was the jewel's power working to corrupt him - or at least that was what she was trying to tell herself. But she didn't really know what to believe anymore, and certainly not there in that moment.

She only had one choice-

The green glow of the jewel faded until it disappeared altogether as she threw both herself and the jewel off the cliff. Both plunged into the rushing, roaring river below.

The cold water sent a shock through her body. Terri let the current carry her far from there. A few times she almost slipped beneath the surface, but she managed to keep her head up. She hauled herself up onto the bank - she was shaking violently, and it wasn't just because of being all wet in the chill of night.

Being fairly assured that she was far enough away for them to track her down, at least tonight, she made a little fire for herself and tried to dry off. She still held the jewel.

That wretched thing.

She hated it with a passion. It had started this, it had turned her beloved husband into a monster. Had he actually been willing to go as far as kill her for it? Did he even remember that?

She thought back, regrettably, to the previous night at the bazaar... He had been so loving then, so gentle, so sweet. He'd called her 'my love,' 'my darling', but now did he even realize who she was? And there hadn't been any mention of the jewel then at the bazaar. Had the power of the jewel clouded his mind? Everything had changed in a blink of an eye...

Literally, she realized, for the jewel was the Jaguar's Eye.

She just wanted all of this to be over. She just wanted to go home.

The other night she lay cradled in her husband's arms, safe and happy. Now she was alone in the middle of an unfamiliar jungle crawling with many intriguing but deadly animals. Now she was on the run from that same husband, the one she had made love to the other night.

Stop thinking about that!

No use dwelling on what had happened and how much she might regret it now. No, right now she had to focus on her present situation. It was just that the contrast from that night to this one was so great, and put into perspective what a wild turn the events had taken place.

Despite her deep loathing for the thing, she tucked the jewel safely and hidden away in her little bag.

With it, the game was able to have control over everything. Since Russell had stolen it, now he had that power. But it had seemed to possess him.

She thought back to when they had first been reunited - he had hardly mentioned the jewel then, only really when explaining to her that it had been it which had given him his powers. It was only when he discovered its whereabouts that he had become hellbent on finding it again.

She just needed to keep it from him. Perhaps, if she kept it from him for long enough, its power over him would eventually whither.

But he had still done all those terrible things. Nothing could erase that.

Early the next morning, she awoke and decided to carry on. She had no idea whereabouts in the jungle she was. This was more frightening than she wanted to admit.

She'd barely stepped though the trees when she found she was surrounded - by them, by him. Russell had caught up to her once again.

"Give me the jewel, Theresa," he sneered.

"I don't have it, I lost it," she said in the strongest voice she could muster.

"You're lying."

"Stop this, please stop."

"Give me the jewel."

Two mercenaries stepped forward towards her, guns in hand. "Fine!" She withdrew the jewel tossing it at him, defeated. "There, happy?"

But then, the two mercenaries grabbed her arms while another, wearing a long fur coat and sunglasses, held a gun to her head. This caught both her and Russell's attention. What was happening?

"Give us the jewel, or she dies," the mercenary said, eyeing Russell.

Suddenly, she understood - they were rebelling.

Terri didn't look at Russell - she couldn't.

"Give us the jewel, Van Pelt," the mercenary hissed. "Or your pretty little wife gets a bullet through her head."

Russell said nothing, and Terri realized he wasn't about to do anything, to intervene.

He had made his choice and now she had to make hers.

A rustle in the bushes caught her attention.

"Quiet!" she cried. "Nobody move..."

A pair of eyes were staring at them through the leaves - jaguars.

They were surrounded.

Things are getting intense! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)