“Olive,” she asked, “what do you think they were after?”
“I can’t be sure.”
“Perhaps they were searching for my Illumina crystals,” Princess Euralysia said.
Ket raised an eyebrow. “Illumina crystals?”
“They are crystals that only grow in the sunfire mines on the eastern coast. Their powers come from deep within Faythander. Once magic touches the crystals, they absorb the energy and are able to store it within themselves. Usually, such items are worthless, but with the loss of magic, I suspect that the crystal shards have become much more valuable.
“The crystals were family heirlooms, and up until now, had little value to anyone else but me. Now, things have changed. I suspect someone has stolen them for their powers.”
I shot her a sideways glance. “Aren’t Illumina crystals extremely rare?”
“Yes, they are rare, but not worth much. The crystals had been made into a necklace long ago by my ancestors, and I only wore it to elven ceremonies. It has some significance among elven royals, but not to anyone else. I would be very upset if someone has stolen it.”
“If you only wear it to elven ceremonies,” Kull said, “then what purpose did you have in bringing it here?”
“I—” she cleared her throat and looked away. “I thought it might be useful—with the magic missing.”
“But given your current condition,” I said, “it doesn’t seem that you’ve been using the crystals, have you?”
“No,” she answered. “I was not.”
“Why?” Heidel asked.
“Because I… I… ” Her eyes wandered the room as she searched for an answer. “To be honest, they are more than a trinket. I had meant to use them when we reached the islands, where I believe they will be needed. I am sorry, but I cannot tell you more than that. Only, I do wish you would help me find them, as they may have simply been misplaced.”
“You have taken a great risk by bringing such an item here. How do we know these magical crystals will not harm us?” Heidel asked.
“You have no reason to fear them.”
Heidel crossed her arms, not seeming convinced.
“Whatever the case,” Kull said, “I do not like this situation. We cannot trust anyone on this ship. We must all be cautious.”
“Agreed,” Ket said.
We continued organizing our things in silence. I grabbed a bedsheet and spread it across my mattress, when I heard something fall onto the rug. Scanning the floor, I found a narrow strip of leather lying near my feet, so I picked it up and inspected it.
It looked like the sort of thing someone would use as a hair tie. I was in a room with three other women, and any one of them would have used a hair tie such as this, but why did this hair tie seem so familiar? As I held the cord closer, I detected the faint scent of mint mingled with lemongrass, a scent that I recognized—the fragrance of my father’s tea. Was this his? If so, what reason did he have to be in my cabin?
“Do any of you know if my father tried to visit?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Heidel answered.
The two other women gave the same answer as Heidel. None of them had seen my father in the room, so how had his hair tie gotten in here? I didn’t have time to waste, so I put the tie in my pocket and left the room with a brief good-bye, then headed for my father’s cabin.
As I made my way through the hallways, I wondered what reasons my father might have had for being in my cabin. Had he been trying to take the orb? If so, why? He’d spoken once of his unique position and had admitted that he felt it was his duty to restore the magic. But what position could he possibly hold that was so important? And why did he feel it was his place to restore the magic?
Geth had accused him of being the leader of the Gravidorum. Was it possible?
If my father were the Gravidorum’s leader, and if he had found the scarf, I had to know. It was only a matter of time before he discovered the real orb.
I found my father’s cabin on the second level and knocked on the door. The boat swayed beneath me as I waited, and I listened to the sound of waves crashing into the hull. It was only a few hours shy of sunrise. Would he be awake this early? He’d always woken up at an insanely early hour, but this was pushing it. After a pause, the door opened an inch and my father stared through the crack.
“Olive?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk,” I answered.
He hesitated. “It’s quite early.”
“I know, but this is important. May I come inside?”
“Yes,” he said, “of course. Come in.”
He opened the door and led me inside. Despite his illness, he’d managed to keep his room orderly. It annoyed me a tiny bit. Books were lined neatly on the room’s shelves. His bedsheets were without a wrinkle. He’d even placed a tablecloth onto one of the small tables and neatly arranged the chairs around it. A ceramic cup and saucer sat atop the table, and the familiar scent of his mint tea filled the room.
Father sat in one of the chairs as I sat across from him. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to me. I took it, though I didn’t take a sip. Instead, I pushed it aside and fumbled in my pocket until I found his hair tie.
When I pulled it out, he stared at me quizzically.
Pushing it across the table, I decided to forego the small talk. Chatting with him bored me anyway. “This was in my room,” I said.
“Was it?”
“Yes. I’d like an explanation of how it got there.”
He picked it up and stared at it. “It is a generic leather tie commonly used by elves. It could belong to anyone. Did you ask Princess Euralysia?”
“I didn’t have to.
