Chapter 4

Figuring it out

" Perfect. Even a Chosen One can't break into a dead man's study. We're going to miss rounds. But then I can work in the kitchen, and see that new serving maid, Annika. She was..." Jon mumbled to no one in particular.

" Jon! You're thinking out loud and I really do not need to hear what you think. I'm boyish enough without thinking like one."

Jon looked around for the disembodied voice of Aleanna, only to see her on the stool that her grandfather made especially for her.

" I can't do it, Jon! Grandfather always said that the answer was right underneath me somewhere, but I can't figure it out!"

"Aleanna, calm down. We'll find it! You should be getting your Light back soon. Then we can go back to the palace for breakfast."

" Why breakfast? Supper is the next meal that is coming. Sooner than breakfast, anyway."

" Breakfast is when craft sign ups are! IF you're not there, they make you take something stupid. Like," Jon shuddered at the thought,"cooking."

Aleanna shuddered with him. " Who in their right mind would actually enjoy cooking? Only a moron would like mixing a bunch of things together to make something new."

" I don't know, but whoever does needs to have their heads checked, because it isn't normal."

They both laughed until Jon tripped over Aleanna's

stool.

" Are you alright?" Aleanna asked, genuinely concerned.

" Yeah. Aleanna, keep laughing."

" Why?"

" I think you just got your Light back. You were just hovering."

" What?"

" Just laugh."

" I can't laugh genuinely unless there is something funny. If I did, then I probably wouldn't hover, because I hovered when I was genuinely laughing at that cooking joke. And man am I saying genuinely a lot."

" Darn right that you are."

" So make me laugh! If you are going to do it you might as well do it now."

" Give me a minute to think about it!"

" We may not have a minute, Jon! Grandfather was famous for his exploding charms. He may have put one on the door, set to explode unless a fully mature Le Fey mage tried to open it. I don't think that the door is very picky so I hope that it doesn't take very long. There may even be a big enough explosion to blow up the entire fief."

" And that would be bad."

" Yes Jon, that would be bad. Even if it was a small explosion would blow up the entire house and everyone inside of it. That would mean us."

"I know that would mean us, Aleanna. Do you take me for a fool?"

Aleanna tried her hardest to look innocent and failed miserably. Jon looked at her with a look that plainly exposed his feelings and made Aleanna laugh. Genuinely.

She began to hover and Jon saw what he had gotten a minor glimpse of before. "Aleanna, there is something written on the bottom of your chair, and an amethyst buried deep inside the leg."

That made Aleanna stop laughing and come abruptly to the ground, nearly taking Jon's head off in the process.

" Think that you could have really killed me, instead of just scaring me to death?"

" Sorry. Now what was that about an amethyst?"

" Come see."

There was."This looks Plyrian, my grandfathers favorite second language. He used to speak like it was his first language. He was only just beginning to teach me when he died. I have only a little idea what the amethyst means."

" Can you translate the writing?"

" No. But there is writing around the rim too, see?"

" Can you translate that?"

" This I can translate. I feel so stupid. From right here,"she pointed at a point on the stool,"to right here," she pointed to a spot very close to the beginning point,"it reads, the answer is always underneath you somewhere."

"Ohhh. I still don't get it."

Aleanna sighed and motioned for him to watch her. Her finger lit up with her Light. She touched the amethyst

and the words changed from Plyrian to English.

"Neat trick." Jon said in astonishment.

"I learned Jewel-craft from Grandfather."

"What's that?" Jon asked, puzzled.

"Every mage has control over a certain gem. If your Light is blue, like yours is, you have control over sapphires, green Light is emeralds, red is rubies, and white has diamonds. Me, I have control of amethysts like my grandfather did. Depending on how close the gem's age is to your own, the stronger the magic contained in them will be. Grandfather had one in a cabinet that his grandfather made for him. I suppose Grandfather made this one when I was born."

"How are they made and why does your's turn Plyrian to English?"

"Grandfather has a scroll that explains it further in his study. I was only beginning to learn how to use it. And, as for the writing, that was its purpose. It was made to advise me throughout my life. The writing will change as I need it. One day it will say one thing, the next day it will say something completely different."

"Then, where's mine?

"It's probably in a stool, toy, training object or a weapon your grandmage made. I'm lucky that Grandfather tested me on this, or I may never remember...Jon, why are you being so quiet. Normally, I can't get you to shut up while I'm trying to think."

"I'm having that problem now, and jokes are my

department. You can't be smart and funny at the same time. I was thinking about my old toychest. It's catch is a giant emblem."

"So, what are you saying? What's so fascinating about an old, musty trunk?"

"I said toychest, not trunk, and there's a sapphire in the center."

"Oh. Our grandparents were best friends . So maybe she had a key to his study, like you have a key to my chambers underground."

"I see. So you think that she may have put a key that we don't know she has, in your chest on the off-chance that my grandfather dies before she does?"

"That's exactly...Hey!"

"Let's go check then.

" Okay, but let's run. I need the exercise."

Aleanna chuckled as she trilled and disappeared.

"Fine, Aleanna! I'll walk!