Budding Magic

  Chapter Ten

  "Wait Kane," Kellan called out. "Celeste has company."

  Kane halted just a few steps away. It was Lord Jaspin's carriage. It made sense that they would be checking on this event the same as them. Kane hung back unsure if they should be showing themselves.

  :They probably won't know who we are if only a couple of us knock,: Alana suggested.

  :Why don't Rhoswen and Kane do it,: Kellan suggested. :With that short hair, Lord Jaspin wouldn't guess that you are Aine O'Byrne's daughters.:

  :Thanks,: Rhoswen told her, :I think.:

  Rhoswen and Kane made their way to Celeste's front porch and knocked at the door. They could hear raised voices inside. No one came to answer the door. They heard some curses, a crash, and then some more curses. Rhoswen opened the door herself and quietly walked into the front room. Kane nodded toward the stairs, Rhoswen nodded. Halfway up, they stopped to listen to the raised voices.

  "That's just not right," Molly McPherson was saying in a harsh voice.

  "It is what it is," Lord Jaspin was saying.

  "But I've been running the manor for the last three years," Molly said aggrieved. "No one knows it's running better than me!"

  "No one is saying that you have to quit or are removing you from managing it," Lord Jaspin explained. "But the will is very explicit that it is part of the O'Byrne properties, and that Celeste is the Steward of the manor, as well as the village."

  "I just don't see why she would have been put in charge," Molly complained. "I've known Aine longer. I was born here for god's sake. Celeste's only been here for a couple of years—an outsider. Just how did you influence Aine anyway?"

  "I don't know," Celeste said calmly. "Aine and I just became very personal friends."

  "Personal? That's just twisted somehow," Molly's voice turned ugly. "I heard about you and that priestess."

  "My private life is none of your business," Celeste told her angrily.

  Rhoswen had heard enough. She walked on up the stairs and pushed the parlor door open. Kane quickly followed. Lord Jaspin jumped to his feet in surprise. Molly was already standing and stared after them confused. If Celeste hadn't been so angry, she would have laughed. These two urchins didn't look anything like Aine's clean little daughters. She could also tell by the odor that they had been playing with the merfolk.

  "What is this?" Lord Jaspin asked the two little boys that had the audacity to intrude on the adult meeting.

  "Oh my!" Molly exclaimed holding a handkerchief over her nose. "What have you two been in to?"

  "I think a bath is in order," Celeste said to the girls while getting to her feet. "You can call in the others while you are at it. Tell them to help themselves to the pantry. We will discuss this further when the girls can join us." She looked pointedly at Molly, "after all, this concerns them, too."

  "This one first," Molly announced nodding toward Kane.

  "Oh, Molly," Kane complained as she was led away.

  Rhoswen went to the front door and signaled for the others to come in. It was only then that Lord Jaspin figured out just who these two children were—disgraceful! Their mother had only been gone a short time and look at them. Why—they looked like boys!

  "Disgraceful," he said scornfully.

  "If they hadn't sacrificed their hair the other day," Celeste told him sharply, "the villagers would now be without their farm animals, which means starvation for their families. The collectors came into the village and corralled up all their animals—for taxes owed. You should be proud of those two little girls. They bartered their hair to get those animals back."

  "I didn't know," Lord Jaspin told her.

  "It was your job to know!" Celeste told him. "The collectors arriving like that shouldn't have happened!"

  "I got here as fast as I could," he said defensively.

  "Yes," Celeste sighed, "I guess you did. The landslide shook people up. Everyone's been looking into it, including the Queens own Steward. If that will and testament hadn't been standing, they would have taken the manor from us and used it as a paying inn. The property would have been in probate for a very long time. Someone may still contest it. I really don't know why Aine put me as the benefactor."

  "I figure that the smell may have put off that idea of a working inn," Lord Jaspin scrunched up his face. "No paying guest is going to stay there with that reek."

  "Could be," Celeste agreed. "Good for crabbing though."

  "What smell?" Kane smiled as she returned all cleaned up.

  "The smell down by the manor," Lord Jaspin answered stiffly.

  He wasn't used to talking to little girls. It struck him as peculiar to have the need to do so now. You didn't discuss things with children. You simply told them what they were to do.

  "We didn't notice any odor," Kane said curiously. "I wonder if it can only be smelled from that side of the wall?"

  "Wall?" Lord Jaspin said curiously.

  "From our side," Kane told him surprised by his question. "We see a wall or gully, not the ocean at all."

  "Oh!" he said surprised.

  "I'm Vevila," Vevila said as she entered the room. "I didn't know if you would remember me. We weren't really introduced."

  "Where's Rhoswen?" Kane asked surprised.

  "Molly figured out that the smell was coming from me," Vevila said proudly. "She pushed me into the bath ahead of Rhoswen. That's a sweet little tub! The fragrance flows with the water! I would have stayed longer, but Molly pulled me out."

  "Hey! Share," Kane complained as Vevila munched at a honey bun. Without a word, Vevila broke it in half.

  "I broke," she said, "you choose."

  Kane of course took the biggest half. Vevila just shrugged. She should have broken it more evenly.

  "Mama used to make us do that," Kane said sadly, "that way we couldn't fight over who got the biggest piece. One would cut it—the other would choose which piece to take."

  "I'm sorry," Lord Jaspin told her.

  "Yah," Vevila told him, "us too."

  Molly and Rhoswen came into the room with a plate of honey buns and tea. Kane looked up surprised. For someone who had been awfully upset, she sure was comfortable in her nemesis kitchen. Molly happened to catch her eye and actually blushed. Kane looked away confused.

  "Thank you," Celeste told Rhoswen when she was handed a honey bun.

  "They were talking about a really bad smell down by the Inn," Kane told her. "I don't remember a smell, do you?"

  "Not at all," Vevila answered. "It was really nice down there."

  "It's the lagoon just under the inn. Some lagoons are pretty and fun to play in, not ours—it's a little rank." Molly said as she poured out the tea. "Good for crabbing—better for keeping strangers away. Aine couldn't have planned that better if she had tried."

  "What makes you think she didn't?" Rhoswen asked.

  "I guess she might have," Molly gave her a surprised stare.

  "She did," Rhoswen affirmed. "Mama planned every aspect of what has happened. It's written in her workbook. She wrote into a special book concerning all that this is involved. Papa wrote some entries, too. We're still trying to decipher her meanings."

  "May we see this workbook?" Lord Jaspin asked eagerly.

  "No," Rhoswen stated.

  "Oh," Lord Jaspin said, surprised by her response.

  "It would do you no good anyway," Vevila told him. "It's written in Gaelic and has a lot of Druid symbols. She used magic you know."

  "Of course," he replied.

  Kellan, Alana, and Dara came in wearing dresses and looking more dignified. Being the older sisters, they felt that it was more important for them to present themselves with some decorum.

  Molly followed looking proud. They had helped themselves to some of Celeste's more elaborate wardrobes and voila, here were the ladies. She had been surprised when Kellan suggested the idea. It made sense with Lord Jaspin being in attendance. Kellan was a little old to be showing up in sleeping ware.

  Lord J
aspin got to his feet. He hadn't realized that some of the O'Byrne daughters were actually old enough to be wed. They were exceedingly pretty girls.

  "May I present Kellan," Celeste stood proudly and led Kellan over to Lord Jaspin.

  Kellan made a delicate bow which he returned. She blushed as he kissed her hand. She looked splendid. Her dress was deep blue and made the lavender of her eyes look darker, more exotic. Her dark brown hair was elegantly styled. Her figure had grown shapely this last year and the dress exposed her womanliness. She walked demurely over to the sofa and seated herself.

  "This is Dara," Celeste led Lord Jaspin over to Dara and Alana, "and this is Alana—the twins."

  His eyes twinkled as he took their hands one at a time. It was a very graceful introduction. He was thinking of Vevila simply telling him her name and taking a seat. Yes, these O'Byrne daughters were definitely growing up.

  Dara was wearing a cream and blue day dress. Her red hair bounced playfully in curly tendrils down her back. Her blue eyes were shining happily from the fun of dressing up.

  Alana chose a dark green velvet evening dress. The dark green made her blue eyes look soulful, her red hair was up in an exotic twist. Surprisingly, the twins looked nothing like each other, even though they had the same face and stature. The dresses made all the difference.

  Kane looked from Vevila and Rhoswen to herself, and then snorted. They were wearing old housecoats and slippers. She and Rhoswen had the butchered up hair while Vevila's hair was in its normal snarled mess. The differences between her sisters—were just too silly. She grinned at Kellan, who glared back at her.

  "How come the only mirror is in the guest bedroom?" Alana asked Celeste. "It's a grand mirror. I'd have thought it would be in this room, maybe above the fireplace."

  Celeste looked at her surprised. She hadn't thought about it for years.

  "I can't see reflections," Celeste answered her. "Mirrors have no purpose for me. It just looks flat and ugly. But since I had the mirror, I thought a guest might appreciate it."

  "Oh!" Alana said surprised and embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

  Alana tended to forget that Celeste couldn't actually see. She was relieved to hear her laugh. She had not meant to offend her.

  "We heard that Lord Corin was with you?" Kellan asked with a smile.

  "He's laid up I'm afraid," Lord Jaspin told her and frowned.

  "Maybe later," Celeste told them. "He's upstairs resting."

  "How could he have been resting with you all fighting up here?" Rhoswen asked surprised. "We heard you from outside the house."

  Kane noted Molly's embarrassment, and the return of Celeste's anger.

  "He's doused," Lord Jaspin told her. "Some type of fever. Celeste says he's not contagious. It occurred about the same time as the raven. It could just be a coincidence though. I just don't understand why he was marked and not me. Why mark my son at all? Especially since she advised us to flee to England."

  "What do you mean?" Kellan asked frowning.

  "I guess my job is done here," he shrugged. "Aine wrote a letter stating that it might be best for us to return to England."

  "The mark?" Dara asked.

  "The raven," Molly told her and rolled up her sleeve. "Corin has the mark, but not Lord Jaspin." She looked at him distrustfully. He saw her expression and frowned with aggravation.

  "My family has been looking out for your people before I was even born," he told her. "Why would you start doubting that now?"

  "Exactly," Kellan told them interrupting into their tirade.

  "Pardon?" Lord Jaspin asked.

  "The unicorns told us," Kane answered. "We have the raven on our heads. It was put there at birth. I also asked why we weren't so marked."

  "Unicorns?" Lord Jaspin asked confused. These girls had some really strange notions.

  "It doesn't matter," Kellan interrupted his thoughts. "What does matter is if you were also marked so, after all, you're family is tied to ours. Your father managed our estates. You were born within that base."

  "Let's see then," Celeste stood to scan his scalp.

  "Ah, maybe Molly wouldn't mind looking," he murmured.

  "Nonsense," Celeste told him holding his head still. She separated some hair on the right side of his head, "and here it is."

  "Really?" Molly said surprised and peered at where Celeste had parted his hair. "Well, I'll be. Sorry about my suspicions, but these are confusing times."

  "Now," Rhoswen asked sternly, "why were you all fighting?"

  The sisters stared in surprise at the conflicting expressions. Lord Jaspin looked aggrieved, Molly looked embarrassed, and Celeste looked angry.

  "I want to know why Aine left the Stewardship of the manor to Celeste!" She said determinedly indicating the document sitting on the table. "No offense, dear, but I was as good of a friend to Aine as you. I've been running the Inn, you are a new comer, and I'm not blind."

  "You forgot to mention again, the fact that I have a woman as a lover," Celeste said angrily. "I'm sure that's a reason, too."

  "You do?" Rhoswen asked surprised. She had read that one wrong! She thought that Celeste loved Keegan and Stefan, which would be confusing enough.

  "Now ladies," Lord Jaspin interrupted ready to pull out his hair. "This is getting us nowhere. What was done—is done. You two need to get past that and figure out how you want to handle things."

  "Huh!" Molly said and turned away tearfully.

  "But this makes total sense," Rhoswen said reading the papers. She handed the papers over to Kellan pointing at the part about their home.

  "How is that?" Molly asked feeling betrayed.

  "Well… Celeste is both mama and papa's half sister," she told them and turned to Celeste. "You must have known?"

  "What?" Celeste said confused. "Show me." When Rhoswen hesitated she added, "Please."

  "Okay," Rhoswen told her reluctantly, "but you must not get too upset. It was a long time ago."

  "What are they talking about?" Lord Jaspin asked Molly.

  "A link," Kellan answered. "That way Rhoswen can show her what she knows—and how she knows it. Words just wouldn't do."

  "Let's go into the kitchen," Celeste suggested.

  A link was kind of a private thing. She didn't mind the other girls being there, but was uncomfortable with Lord Jaspin and Molly. They weren't magical. They wouldn't understand and there were times when explaining just took too much effort.

  They seated themselves at the table and Rhoswen held out her hand to Celeste and opened her mind. She took her to the dream and her notes as she puzzled it out.

  Celeste saw that what Rhoswen had been brought was a true vision. She saw Saidie give herself to Josh O'Byrne, Keegan's father. She saw her own birth and the cold hearted woman who had tried to dispose of her. She saw Druantia rescued her and place her with the priestesses who had loved and taken to her.

  :There's more,: Rhoswen sent to her and opened her mind to another couple.

  This vision was of Keegan's mother opening up herself to a traveling minstrel. Stefan was the resulting baby from that union.

  :Stefan is no blood relation to you,: Rhoswen told her. :I thought you felt bad because you had feelings for papa who was your half brother, but you didn't know. Why do you feel bad about Stefan?:

  Celeste had to think about Rhoswen's question. It had been a very long time ago. She didn't even pause to think about the fact that this was a child asking the question. Rhoswen was a mature, kind, loving friend. In a link such as this, feelings of this sort couldn't be hidden.

  :I see now that my love for your father was of a sisterly nature, but didn't realize it at the time and was confused. This was long before I ever met your mother,: Celeste reached for understanding. :I loved your mother and was happy to see them together. I'm afraid of myself with Stefan because I must not have children with another O'Byrne. I can't make it absolute that a child wouldn't be conceived. The child would be born wrong—like me.:

  Rhoswen could
feel her lifelong ache. She knew that Celeste could not prevent her own conceptions. Her self-healing magic's wouldn't allow it.

  :Stefan isn't an O'Byrne,: Rhoswen told her. :Glenna, or one of the other priestesses, could tell you if he would be okay for you.:

  :You aren't bothered by what Molly was saying,: Celeste stated as fact, :about me being with Glenna.:

  :Who is she to say whom you must or must not love?: Rhoswen answered. :My mate will probably be stuck in a frogs body, and I will have to kiss all the toads to find my one.:

  :Silly child,: Celeste scoffed, :You will have many mates desiring just to hold your hand.:

  :It's not the hand holding that I want,: Rhoswen sent her an image so graphic it made her blush.

  :Where do you get these things?: Celeste asked.

  : Mama and papa had a love and passion like that,: Rhoswen told her. :I know a lot of things, the good and the ugly. Sometimes it's hard to know when to speak, and when to be still. I wish I could understand why I'm shown such things. Then I would know how to handle them. It's not like mama, who could see things. I just seem to know stuff.:

  :Are you usually right?: Celeste asked.

  :Mostly,: she answered, :if I pay attention to whether I'm wanting it so, or if it just is. Does that make sense?:

  :Yes,: Celeste assured her. :Your mother was not always right you know. She would sometimes see things but misinterpret what she saw.:

  :Like what?: Rhoswen asked surprised.

  :Like she saw the field next to the village on fire,: Celeste told her, :what she didn't' see was that the farmer lit it on purpose to kill the mold in the grass that was making the animals sick. She had some of the villagers dampen the earth the previous night. The farmer had a heck of a time getting the field to burn the next day. She felt a little silly for that one.

  There were other things, but I can't remember them right now. They are probably written in one of her workbooks. We should be getting back. We will chat another time very soon.:

  :Promise?: Rhoswen insisted.

  :Promise!: Celeste hugged her close to her own heart and then released the link. They returned to the upstairs parlor. Celeste was surprised to see tears in all the sister's eyes.

  "We are always linked somehow," Kellan explained. "Every since we made a pact in mama and papa's room—on top of the design."

  "We don't notice it until one of us is… moved," Alana told her.

  "What did you do?" Celeste asked with concern.

  "A blood pact that we would not hurt each other, and that we would be there for each other," Dara told her.

  "I saw Kane's gift rousing and was afraid," Kellan admitted.

  "I wouldn't have hurt you," Kane said offended.

  "Not intentionally, I'm sure." Celeste told her. "Believe me—I've seen more than my share of accidental magic, and have done so myself. It was a good pact, just maybe not performed in a smart place."

  "I know it sure wiped us out," Dara told her. "Meifen said we could have killed ourselves."

  "Who is Meifen?" Celeste frowned at them.

  They all stared at each other. They had forgotten all about him and had left him at home with Haley and Terah!

  "Oh," Kane answered. "He's a Chinese man who is one of Druantia's people up in China."

  "And he told you this?" Celeste asked annoyed.

  "Not exactly," Rhoswen answered her. "But we know he is. He has purple eyes."

  Dara did a quick scan of their home, and was surprised to see Terah with Stefan and Meifen. She was holding Haley while her little Caitrina was crawling around on that smooth pristine floor. She sent the image to her sisters. They all sighed with relief. Rhoswen noticed Celeste roll her eyes at them, and couldn't help but laugh.

  "So what's going on about the property?" Molly asked.

  "I am the half sister of Aine and Keegan," Celeste told her. "Aine would have known since her main gift was sight. It would have been advantageous if she had talked to me first."

  "Oh," Molly said with disappointment.

  "She didn't slight you—our mama," Rhoswen told her. "There will be things which will come up that only an O'Byrne can influence. It is something about the magic she used to create the boundary."

  "And you got this from her book?" Lord Jaspin asked.

  "Yes," Rhoswen lied. Celeste eyed her.

  "What about Caryn?" Molly asked. "Why wasn't she named in the will? Your Uncle Stefan was named as steward for the house and land. Why they bothered, I don't know. It's not as if it's really there anymore."

  "Aunt Caryn is not what she seems," Kellan frowned at her. "Mama wrote about contingency plans. She wrote that there were too many different conclusions due to people's choices. She couldn't predict which was most likely. So she set up spells that would activate if certain events did, or did not take place. One such event was that Aunt Caryn had one week to visit the village and Celeste after mama's death. That didn't happen—so the house locked down."

  "Her book said this?" Lord Jaspin asked again, feeling some type of deception.

  "The house locked down?" Celeste said surprised. She looked over to the house. "So it did! Can Stefan unlock it? I don't think I can. The locks are very complicated."

  They all just looked at each other and shrugged.

  "Yes," Kellan answered Lord Jaspin, "her book talked about plans—as stated in the letter she sent to you!" She looked over to Molly. "The testament would have named Aunt Caryn if she had made the choices which mama desired. She did not. She would have made the wrong choices for our people, so mama did not put her in control."

  "Would I have made the wrong choices?" Molly asked still not convinced.

  "Aine's letter stated that she would be setting up the manor and village to go to Caryn, Stefan, Celeste, or her daughter Kellan," Lord Jaspin told her. "It was an apparent O'Byrne thing."

  "Oh," Molly had tears in her eyes.

  It wasn't that Molly disliked Celeste. It was that she felt so hurt by Aine's apparent disregard for herself. She had worked so hard on the manor to make it right. She had felt betrayed. It had been hard to accept a new person into their long lasting friendship, harder still when it seemed that Aine was growing closer to the new comer, and farther away from her. She wished she had known that Celeste was Aine's sister. She didn't understand why Aine hadn't told her.

  "There was a lot going on in mama's life," Rhoswen told her with tears of her own. "She just didn't have time to get everything done which she meant to do. She did the best she could. I know she valued her friendship with you—cradle-to-crypt—remember?"

  Now tears were flowing freely from Molly's eyes. Aye—cradle-to-crypt, a pledge they had made when they were only eight years old. It was a time when Aine had felt unloved by a cold and uncaring mother.

  "Would you girls like to spend the night here?" Celeste asked. "It's getting late."

  "Yes, please," Kellan answered. "We haven't discussed what we'll be doing next. The village girls are all set up for going into the forest by themselves, though they will have to wait a few days."

  "There's a couple of men trapped in the forest barrier," Kane added. "They don't have the raven mark, and King Fathion didn't like them, and wouldn't let them enter. Sherrie said they were really mean."

  "King Fathion?" Lord Jaspin asked.

  "The black unicorn who rules the forest," Kane sighed. Explaining to adults was really tedious. "Anyway, they should be spewed out in a few days. You may want to look out for them. They won't be in very good shape when they get out, and angry as hell."

  "We'll post a watch for them," Molly assured her. "They are really mean. The elder was supposed to get them removed from the village already—bloody coward."

  "I believe I will retire for tonight," Lord Jaspin said getting to his feet. "Corin and I have an early morning coming tomorrow, if he is well enough." He looked at all the ladies earnestly. "We are putting our affairs in order and then we will be returning to England. I wish you all good fortune. Oh! That remin
ds me. Aine left me a key to a bank box. Inside was a stash of cash and this note. Can you tell me what it means? I've had some rather odd events occur since I took it out."

  He removed an old note and laid it on the table. Celeste looked at it and laughed. Alana glanced at the note without interest. She took that opportunity to slip out of the room unnoticed.

  "It looks similar to some of the notes from mama's workbook," Kellan examined the note, "but it isn't in her writing. In fact, the writing looks very masculine—and old. I can't even begin to read the signature."

  "What is it?" Kane asked Celeste.

  "It's from your great-grandfather, James Caidance O'Byrne." Celeste announced. "It is a spell which will make anything unscrupulously removed from O'Byrne properties end up with this note. It was originally intended to return all taxes paid to the English—to be returned back to the Irish—but when Lord Jaspin, removed it from the bank box, the magical link identifying the items as money was broken and now the unjust removal of any O'Byrne item will be sent to this note—wherever it is." She looked at Lord Jaspin's blushing face. "So what popped up?"

  "Well," Lord Jaspin blushed brighter, "first there were these odds and pieces—an old necklace, a silver fork, a jewel case, an old watch that has a naked lady. Stuff like that."

  "A watch you say," Vevila asked, "with a naked lady when you open the back?"

  Kane and Vevila were grinning excitedly at each other. Kane recognized the old watch. It was Armand Tess's. The watch he wanted to give his son some day. It would be just novel to have the villagers items returned to them.

  "The first items belong to the villagers," Vevila said excitedly. "They were taken away by that collector."

  "So—what else dropped by?" Celeste continued to torment him.

  "One day a delicious apple pie landed on my table. I didn't know that the cook hadn't placed it there until we had already eaten it. It could have been poisoned for all we knew. Then the other day a chicken landed in my parlor, followed by a goat."

  "And…" Celeste asked enjoying his discomfort.

  "A whore's undergarments," he whispered, "some vile perfume, a money belt, a pair of earrings." He looked bewildered. "I don't know where all these things are coming from, or how to give them back."

  "How do you know they were a whore's undergarments?" Celeste asked innocently.

  "They were made of bright red silk," he blushed crimson and his voice lowered, "and were slit in the nether regions."

  Celeste laughed at Lord Jaspin's appalled expression.

  "I can return the items to the village," Lord Jaspin said, "but can you make it all just stop? Please?"

  "Just hand over the note to the girls," Celeste told him. "It was written for O'Byrne benefit after all. Let them figure it out."

  "So what was in the bank box?" Kane asked precociously.

  "A lot of money," Lord Jaspin blushed, "enough for my son and I to set up business again."

  "What business is that?" Kane asked interested.

  "My grandfather built fishing boats," he told her, feeling nostalgic. "I've always been fascinated with the science."

  "What about Lord Corin?" Kellan asked. "Does he want to build boats?"

  "Nope," Lord Jaspin answered. "He wants to sail them."

  "Maybe he can take us to America," Vevila said excitedly.

  "Maybe," he smiled humoring her. "Now I will be going, and am leaving that with you."

  He grabbed his hat and left quickly, leaving the note sitting on the table.

  "That note's going to be fun to figure out!" Alana said grinning. No one seemed to notice her return.

  "Yah, fun," Dara said, not so sure.

  Alana had taken the opportunity to slip up to talk with Corin. He was really sick. She always carried a stone on a shoestring which could detect sickness and warn against poisons and such. Her mother had made several of them through the years.

  "Hi," she announced from the doorway.

  "Hi, yourself," Corin called out. "I'm not real hospitable right now, but you can come in. Celeste says I'm not contagious—much. I don't know what she meant by that."

  Alana pulled out the stone and set it near him. It turned blood red.

  "Oh!" She said surprised. "I've never seen it that color before."

  "What does it mean?" Corin asked, fascinated by the changing stone.

  "It means that you are very sick," she frowned. "And that you are contagious, but only through blood. Like if someone cuts themselves with a knife that maybe was dirty from someone sick. I don't know how you would have gotten so sick."

  Corin flushed up. He felt embarrassed, but also angry. He knew exactly what had made him sick—Lady Eugena. Normally, he was so careful, but that time with her, well—things got a little carried away. He was angry that she acted like such an innocent, when obviously she wasn't.

  "You have to ask her you know," Alana told him.

  "What?" He asked confused.

  "Celeste can heal this affliction," Alana told him, "but you have to ask her. She will not just intrude—even if she can tell."

  "Thank you," he told her earnestly. "I will ask her."

  "You're probably tired," she placed the stone into his hand. "You can use this to stay okay. Red means disease by blood, blue means by air, brown means something you ate. Green will show that your food is harmful—poisoned or diseased. You try it."

  "How?" He asked in awe.

  "Hold it near what you are questioning," Alana grabbed up a potted plant. He held the stone towards the plant and it turned to gray.

  "What does that mean?" He asked.

  "There is nothing wrong with the plant," Alana told him. "If it had turned yellow, that would mean it needs water. You will just need to practice with it, but don't let others see you doing it. They will start calling you a witch. That's not fun at all."

  "Thank you very much," Corin pulled the stone to himself and watched as it again turned to a bloody red. "I will definitely talk to Celeste—and the Lady Eugena."

  "You're very welcome," Alana paused. "If you leave for England, please do keep in touch. We would like to know you are doing well."

  "I will," he promised. He watched as Alana slipped back through the doorway. "I definitely will," he murmured.

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