InuYasha Fan Fiction / Princess Tutu Fan Fiction ❯ The Duck and the Jewel ❯ The Legend ( Chapter 3 )

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"Are you interested in the Bone-Eater's Well?" The old man's voice echoed harshly in the empty well house.

Fakir gave a start at the sudden interruption. He had assumed that he and Duck had entered the small building unnoticed, but it would seem he had been wrong. Beside him, Duck let out a loud QUAAACK! and dashed to the nearest hiding place, which happened to be behind the old well. A moment later, she peeked cautiously around its edge, keeping an eye on the humans.

"The Bone-Eater's Well?" Fakir asked mildly.

The Shrine keeper took a step forward and nodded decisively. "The legend of this well goes back for centuries," he explained. Fakir could hear a great deal of well-justified pride in the man's voice. "Its history is closely entwined with that of our Shrine and the Shikon no Tama."

This sounded vaguely familiar to Fakir; he must have read something about it in the informational pamphlet he had picked up when he first arrived at the Shrine. "The Shikon no Tama," he repeated absentmindedly.

"It was an object of great power, capable of granting any wish its holder might think of," the old man elaborated. His familiarity with the subject was obvious. No doubt he had explained the legend countless times during his tenure as Shrine keeper. "Even carrying a replica of the jewel is known to bring good fortune."

Fakir listened to the tale without hearing it. His blood sang at the mention of this powerful object. The whispering at the edge of his consciousness grew more and more intense, a rising babble of words that threatened to overwhelm him. Scarcely able to hear himself over the din, he inquired, "So this jewel no longer exists?"

"It was destroyed," the old man said cryptically, "many, many years ago."