Aurora hid her shaking hands in her lap and kept her eyes downcast as she sat in a stiff chair inside of Lord Wyldon's office. Julian was explaining what had happened to Wyldon. Julian had begged her to tell him what was going on. He hadn't wanted to go to Wyldon but it was a rule that any page caught stealing from the palace especially one of Numair's rooms was to be reported to the headmaster. He knew there was something going on with her but she had just clamped her jaws shut and refused to speak a word.
"Page Aurora, is what Apprentice Julian has said, true?" Wyldon asked.
Dismally Aurora lifted her head and nodded as a veil of misery lowered over her.
Wyldon pursed his lips and held her eyes with an icy stare.
"Well I suppose I should have expected no less from a street born urchin," he commented, "Can you explain yourself, Page Aurora?"
His comment stung and she clenched her fists. She also knew his question was a command in disguise.
"No, Sir. I can not," she replied quietly.
The room went deathly silent. A feather could have brushed against the floor and it would have been louder than the silence the permeated throughout the atmosphere. Aurora sat silently in anger and shame. She was angry that now people would think her a thief when she was only trying to help a friend in danger. She was angry because now she didn't know how to rescue Smith. And she was ashamed because now there would always be a line between commoners and nobles. Now commoners would be viewed as lowlifes and urchins all because of her. Aurora the screw up. Aurora the thief.
Julian's eyes had almost popped out of their sockets as he listened in dismay to Aurora's refusal to answer Wyldon. Is the girl daft?! he thought. He watched as Wyldon's face began to turn from a leathery tan, to a dark red that almost verged on a violent purple. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. Mithros protect me, he sent up as he opened his mouth to face the dragon.
"Sir….what if we used a truth serum?" he asked, knowing perfectly well that the serum would be illegal to use in this situation. He was counting on the knowledge that Aurora didn't know this little tid bit of information.
Aurora went deathly pale as she heard Julian speak. She couldn't allow them to administer the serum to her. It would make her spill out anything they wanted to know. Silently she went over her options. It was either tell them her own truth or have them force it out of her. With a resigned sigh she chose the former option. At least this way she might get in a smidge less of trouble.
She opened her mouth but nothing came out except a squeek. Clearing her throat she fixed her gaze on a scar that lined Wyldon's forehead so she wouldn't have to face his enraged stare. She opened her mouth again and began to speak in a soft but strong and steady tone that surprised even her.
"I really am incredibly sorry Sirs. I…I didn't feel that I had any other option as I didn't want others to get involved and possibly hurt. You see my father, the last time I saw him, was obsessed with finding, or perhaps he even had it at one point, this opal…he called it the Black Opal of Makak."
At this point Julian was about to interrupt but Wyldon motioned him to let her go on. He was afraid that if Julian interrupted the girl that she'd never start talking again as her voice had become quieter, her gaze had fallen to the floor boards, and she had wrapped her arms around herself as if the chair might swallow her whole.
"He thought I had it, but I didn't, I promise. Then…" she paused for a moment not wanting to say that she thought she'd killed him. She took another route, " Then he was gone. I thought I'd seen the last of him but I found out he'd come back. So I…I snuck out to see if this rumor was true. I ran into a friend and was telling him to keep a look out for my father when he and a few men appeared and demanded the opal. He.." she paused to take a deep breath and blink back the tears in her eyes, "He said if I didn't turn up with the opal tonight that he'd kill my friend. So I broke into the magic workshop tonight, but only to try a disguise spell," she lifted her gaze to meet Lord Wyldon's, her eyes pleading with him to listen, "But Sir it was only to help my friend. I was going to take a small pebble, disguise it with the spell and maybe put a fake opal essence on it. I know you don't want believe me Sir and I know the evidence is against me, but I swear by Mithros that I wasn't going to steal anything for myself. I'd never do such a thing. You've allowed me to come and train here and I'd never want to do anything to betray the trust that you, King Jon, and Sir Alanna have placed in me. But please sir, if I'm to be locked up would you please let me go to the aid of my friend?" she finished.
Aurora anxiously waited for Lord Wyldon to speak. Smith's survival and Aurora's fate hinged on what Lord Wyldon would say next. Her gut was in terrible knots and she could feel a horrid headache coming on. She was ready to scream from all the tension in the room when Lord Wyldon spoke.
"Julian, go summon Master Numair and a squad of the palace guards. Aurora you stay. I have a few questions for you."
Aurora knew that whatever Lord Wyldon asked she would answer, his tone left no room for argument.
After the door had closed, Wyldon fixed his attention on the small slip of a girl. Using a gentler voice than normal, but one still filled with authority, he asked, "How did you find out that your father was about?"
Aurora was silent a moment, she'd been hoping he wouldn't ask this question because now she'd have to explain about the rooms.
"I know now that I should have shown you this earlier Sir," she regretfully as she pulled out the correct note from her belt purse and handed it to him with tremoring fingers which she quickly withdrew to a fist in her lap after he'd taken the parchment from her.
"I believe he was the one who ransacked the rooms, my Lord. I think he might have been looking for that opal he mentioned," she added.
Wyldon frowned deeply as he read the note, his anger growing at this monster who Aurora called her father. He was also slightly angry at himself. The pages knew he expected them to solve their own problems, but he had hoped they'd have the good sense to know when they were in over their heads. A knight would be able to handle this situation, but not a common born first year, first month page. She should have known to turn this situation over to capable hands. He made a mental note to have a lesson for the pages about when it was appropriate to act alone and when it wasn't.
After a moment he asked, "And do you know what the Black Opal of Makak is? Are you certain you don't have it?"
"No, my Lord! I swear. I've never laid eyes on it. I don't even know if it exists, it may just be some delusion. The only thing I know about opals is that black ones enhance magical gifts the most. Master Numair taught us that today in class," she told him.
Wyldon was about to comment when a knock came and the door was opened. Julian had come back with the summoned guards and Master Numair, still in his sleep wear.
"Julian, take Aurora and wait in the next room. I'll summon you both when I'm ready," he commanded as he gestured for the men to take a seat.
Aurora followed Julian out into the waiting area only to stop when he turned to face her.
"Aurora," he spoke in a soft voice, a bit of a hurt expression on his face, "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you."
"I knew it was my mess and that I needed to fix it," she told him quietly, "only now I won't be able to fix it. I wish truth serum were never invented so that I wouldn't have had to tell Lord Wyldon what was going on. The situation is my fault and I deserve to take care of it."
Julian sighed, his heart going out to the poor girl. He placed a comforting hand on her bony shoulder.
"Yes, I'm sorry about that truth serum bit," he apologized.
Aurora quickly wiped away a tear that had spilled over and looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
"Why should you be sorry?" she asked.
"Oh..well see I thought that if I threatened you with the truth serum that you would tell us what was going on, and seeing now what the situation is I'm glad I did because this is serious business, Aurora. I am sorry that I had to lie to you though. See we're not allowed to administer truth serum to nobles unless they're on trial before a judge of th-" he gasped as pain exploded from his private regions. He doubled over trying to get through the pain. Through his haze he heard Aurora speak in a harsh voice.
"Don't ever lie to me again, Julian. If Smith dies I'm blaming part of his death on you," she snapped before stalking over to a cushioned chair.
Julian couldn't believe it. The little git had kicked him in the groin!