A.N: Longish chapter to make up for the wait. Oh, and credit for the thrice-locked chest goes to Kvothe. He invented it, actually, Maria just stole the idea... If you don't get it, don't worry. Enjoy :)

Chapter Six: Crossing the Line

After fifteen hours of sleeping, I was good as new.

Well, not exactly. When I looked in the mirror, my face was all bloody and yellow bruises showed under the dirt. My short hair was matted with sweat and looked more like a clomp of mud than hair. Underneath it all, I still seemed quite pale, as if I'd just recovered from an illness.

So the first thing I did was take a bath in the stream that ran behind my cottage. Once I had washed all the blood and mud off, I was truly good as new.

I washed my clothes too and slipped them on, glad that they didn't seem torn from yesterday's episode. They dried quickly too, another side-effect of my All-Proof Substance (I really needed to remember how I'd made that). Then I picked some redleaf growing by the river, went back to the cottage and made a paste from it. I applied it over the worst of my bruises – now that I had washed the dirt away they seemed bigger and more painful than they actually felt. At least my hair looked blonde again.

I decided apologizing for missing out on work was the highest on my priorities list for the morning. When I got to the tavern I was pleasantly surprised to find that Carmey had taken my shift, in return for my taking hers two days ago, and so I was in no trouble with the manager. I thanked her profusely, promising to pay her back, but she waved it away saying that we were even.

Next I hurried to the labs. If the beating had taught me a lesson, it was that being separated from my stones for any extended amount of time was a bad idea. I made the trip to the Academy by boat, as usual. It was free for students, and barely lasted ten minutes, the small boat making its way smoothly from Limerick's docks to the island in the middle of the Mirror Lake.

I skipped down, thanked the boatman, and stalked to the labs, barely paying attention to the majestic buildings and huge statues that lined the path. I didn't meet anyone on the way, and it took me a while to remember that today was the first day of the end-of-term holidays. All the better; no one would be around to comment on my bruises or distract me from my work. When I opened the door to the labs I was greeted by the familiar faint smell of antiseptic, and an unusual but comfortable quiet.

My safe was at the far corner of the room, the furthermost left of the row. I took off the string around my neck from which hung two keys, one iron, one bronze. I placed the iron key in the bronze lock and the bronze key in the iron lock, but didn't turn either of them. Spreading my fingers over the safe I murmured a chain. It opened outwards without making a noise.

I was the one who designed that safe. And I was quite proud of it, too.

Inside were my three stones. I picked them up, thumbing the smooth surface thoughtfully, then picked up the green folder lying there as well, careful not to spill anything inside. It was my life's work, and what I'd managed to rescue of my mother's. Diagrams. Studies. Reports. Failed prototypes. Everything related to the Potential Heimeter was there. I immersed myself in the formulas, and when I felt I was in the right state of mind, started sketching again.

A couple of hours had passed when I heard the door to the labs open. I'd been hunched over the papers, my hair covering my face. I risked a peek from between the strands to see it was our dear friend Christian Almer and his ass-kissing cronies.

If I had had a knife at hand, I would have hurled it at him.

As it was, I did the next best thing, which was ignore him royally as he sauntered up to my table, thinking himself owner of the universe. "Hey, Clockwork."

I finished my formula, swept my eyes over the diagram, and started a new one.

"Hey, I'm talking to you." Behind him, his cronies snickered. I counted three of them, two guys and one girl, all dressed in the hideous bright colors nobility were inexplicably fond of.

Almer grabbed my paper and wrenched it out from under me, making me draw a huge, ugly line across my schema. "Let's see…" He held it up to the light. "Differential curves of Irsha consumption? What kind of rubbish is this?"

I looked up at him slowly. "Give it back." My voice sounded odd, even to my own ears.

He met my eyes, surprised, and then a malicious smile stretched over his lips. "Oh, whatever happened to your face?" he asked in a mockingly sweet tone. "Had trouble at work?"

"Give. It. Back." I paused. "Now."

I knew what I was feeling. It was that same cold, absolute rage that had gripped me yesterday in the alleyway. It was so icy everything inside me went still, and I knew with complete certainty that, if he didn't give it back in the next five seconds, I was going to jump at his neck and push him into that razor sharp carving wheel behind him. I knew it like I knew my own name.

Again, a look of surprise crossed his features, before the smug smile returned. "Ask me nicely."

"Give it back," I complied calmly. "Please."

"I was thinking something along the lines of kneeling on the ground and begging me for it. You know, to remind you of where you belong."

Behind him, one of his friends shifted uncomfortably. "Christian," he said, nervous but obviously trying to hide it, "look at her eyes."

While Almer turned his head towards him, momentarily distracted, I reached out and casually plucked the paper from his hand, as easily as one would pick a fruit from a tree. I set it on the desk in front of me again, staring at the line that ran through it like a scar.

I sort of tuned Almer out for the next few minutes. I expect he made some threats. Asked for his presumably stolen stones again. Mocked me in the most vulgar ways. It was all the same to me. All I saw was the ugly black line dancing in front of my eyes.

As soon as he walked out of the room, I stood up and slowly turned to the equipment cupboard, assessing the glass vials and labeled test tubes. I picked a white powder and dissolved three grams of it in a yellow liquid. I distilled some water, mixed it all three parts to one, then put it over a flame. When it reached a certain temperature I added a pinch of red grains which made it go clear. I'd only seen the recipe once, in a book my mother had expressly forbidden me to read, but my memory had always served me well. My fingers didn't tremble.

When I was done I put the vial and everything else away in my safe. Then I left the Academy, taking one of the small boats back to Limerick. My icy ire slowly became a more normal boiling anger, and then a grim satisfaction as I used the ride to figure out the finer details of my plan.

Insult me? Fine, I could insult back. Send a thug to beat me up? I could deal with it.

But touch my diagrams? The fury reeled inside me, a black thing in my stomach. He had just dug his own grave.

Once we arrived I headed straight to Jumma's wine shop.

It stood at the crossing of the town's busiest streets – I'd made sure he chose a good location before I invested my money in it. It was more a cellar than a shop, really – he did sell wine to individual customers, but the real business lay in supplying all the inns and taverns around town, which were many, since most students of the Academy came from far away and needed lodging. I walked through the front doors as if I owned the place, which technically, I did (alright, just a share of it, but all the same).

Jumma spotted me right away. He was talking to a client next to an open crate, showing him his merchandise. I waited quietly in a corner for him to finish. When he was done with his client he ran towards me and pulled me into a hug.

He was a bear of a man, so the hug nearly crushed my still healing bones. "Maria, my little girl!" he cried excitedly.

"You're crushing me."

"Oh, sorry." He let me go quickly, then frowned upon closer inspection at the bruises on my face. "What happened to you?" his tone had turned from cheerful to concerned and anxious in half a second.

Jumma had always been protective of me. He was the one who'd taken me in, the one who'd raised me, given me a roof and cared for me before I started studying at the Academy. I'd come to think of him as my uncle, my only family. When we came by financial troubles and sometimes could barely afford a meal a day, he refused to throw me out. Even now that I could care for myself I knew I'd be welcome to his table any day.

Seeing him mollified my anger. He was the kindest man I'd ever met. I'd wanted to pay him back for everything, which was why I'd saved money to help him start the business. He had put on weight and his skin had a healthy glow now. His crooked smile seemed brighter. I knew he had a new girlfriend. For once in his life, everything was going well.

It was not my place to douse his happiness. "I tripped with something at the labs and fell. Nothing serious," I waved the issue away. "How's business?"

He was smiling again. "Absolutely great! Better than we'd ever dreamed of. I just sold a whole crate to that gentleman. Do you want your share?"

I shook my head. "Save the money for me. I'll pick it up when I need it." I gave him a shy smile. "Actually, I'm coming as a customer today."

He laughed a great, booming laugh, his belly shaking. "What will it be, then? The finest Kleops wine? The new Strawberry mead?" His eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously. "It's not for a date, is it?"

It was my turn to laugh. "No, no. I was thinking of gifting it to my boss. He's been kind to me lately." I paused. "He likes strong flavors, none of the soft water for cowards and priests. His words, not mine."

Jumma led me to one of the crates, chuckling low. He picked up an old, dark bottle, and held it up to admire it. "Then this is probably what you want. Wine from the sandy deserts of Alabasta. It is so strong you won't be able to taste anything for days afterwards."

Perfect. I started rummaging in my purse, but a look from him stopped me. "None of that, girl." I started to protest, but he didn't let me, placing the bottle in my hands and closing my fingers over it. "How can I let you pay after all you have helped me?"

I felt tears coming to my eyes and looked down, embarrassed. "It is you who have helped me, Jumma. I would be nowhere without you."

He gave me a fond smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Nonsense. Now run along. I'm sure you have important things to do."

I left the shop without saying anything else, since I didn't trust my voice. Jumma would always see me as his little girl, no matter how much I had grown. He would always look after me, he would always love me, he would always think of me as the innocent, teary child he picked up from the street.

When you have only one person in the world who loves you, you don't want to disappoint them. And, if he knew what I was planning to use the wine for, Jumma would be very, very disappointed. I decided I'd do everything in my power so he wouldn't find out.

I wiped my face and looked up with determination. I didn't head to the tavern, but returned to the labs instead.

I poured out about a quarter of the wine from the bottle, and was pouring in the liquid from the vial, when I heard a noise outside. I didn't pay it any mind and finished pouring. I screwed the cork on again and got a piece of copper wire from the supply drawers to secure it tightly, then stepped back to admire my work. I'd always been good with my fingers. No one would be able to tell the bottle had been opened.

I heard the noise again and looked up to the window, then froze. Luffy was grinning at me from the other side of the glass, knocking loudly. My stomach flipped, and I quickly stalked to it and opened it, and he fell into the room in a tangle of limbs.

I mentally thanked whoever was up there that it was the first day of holidays and the labs were empty. I pulled him down behind a table anyway so we would be out of sight from the door, just in case. "What are you doing here?" I hissed. "If you're found out they'll execute you!"

He gave me a wide, sheepish smile. "I was just exploring." He stuck his head out above the table and his eyes widened. "Whoa! What is this place?"

I pulled him back down. "The labs, idiot. Of the Academy. How did you cross the lake? You can't even swim!"

"I stole a boat."

I slumped my head into my hands. What had I done to deserve this? I considered crying out and giving him away – if I was seen with him, I would undoubtedly be banned – but my pride wouldn't let me. He had saved me from that woman at the alleyway. Abruptly my head snapped up to see him bringing the wine bottle to his lips.

"DON'T!" I was on my feet and had snatched it away from him in a flash. He looked at me blankly. "Did you drink any?"

"No."

I took a deep, calming breath, trying to get my heart to slow down. "Okay, listen. Everything in this room is poisonous. Don't drink, eat, or touch a single flask, unless you want to grow an extra arm, spend a whole week with diarrhoea, or worse. In fact, grab your ears right now."

"What?"

"Grab your ears and don't let go until I tell you to." He did as I said, puzzled, and I breathed a little more easily now that his hands would remain on himself.

We stared at each other silently. What was he doing here? Jesus Christ. What had I done to be stuck babysitting a monkey? How was I going to get him out? After a moment he took a step closer and nudged me with his elbow. "Hey, show me around."

"No," I said, screwing the cork on the bottle for the second time. "We're going back to Limerick right now."

He nudged me again. "Come on. No one will find out. Show me around."

"No," I repeated firmly. Alright. How was I going to get this dunce out of the Academy without anybody noticing him? It was the holidays, but still, there could be students around, catching up on homework or working on their own projects, like me. Why did I even have to help him? I could just leave him here to get caught.

I sighed loudly. Nothing guaranteed that he wouldn't blubber out my name if he met someone, and that would mean a lot of trouble for me. The best thing I could do was get him out of here ASAP and hope he wouldn't try to come back by himself. I looked up to find him sauntering towards the door, and ran up to catch him. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"If you're not going to show me around, I'll just explore on my own."

Oh God. Was he always this frustrating? "Alright. Alright, I'll show you around." I paused. Might as well make the most of it. "But you owe me a favor afterwards."

He gave me a wide smile.