Part 5

24 days until the next full moon--

The Black Army's up to something!

(I'm not going to lose this fight!)

"Are you both ready?"

.

Chapter 1

24 days remained until the next full moon--

???: Wakey-wakey, Kiera.

(Nnnnnn--)

???: Kiera! Kiera!

(Hnnnnnn--)

I was having a really enjoyable dream, but somewhere in it someone kept calling my name.

The sound startled me out of my sleep, and I opened my eyes at last.

Fenrir: You're awake! Mornin'!

Kiera: Yikes! Fenrir?!

Seth: Geez, you total idiot!

Fenrir: Oww!

Seth: Not only did you barge into a lady's private room, you stared at her while she was sleeping! That's creepy!

Seth: Alice, I'm sorry you have to put up with this stupid oaf.

Fenrir: Like you're any better.

Seth: Are you trying to start something?

I blinked sleepily at the two of them, wondering briefly if I was still dreaming.

But the sheets under me felt real enough, and their voices were too grating to be a dream.

(What a way to wake up.)

Kiera: Hey, you two-- cut it out.

Fenrir & Seth: Hmm?

Kiera: Why did you go to all the effort of coming in here to wake me up, anyway?

Fenrir: What a great question, Kiera! I'm glad you asked!

Fenrir: Today the entire Black Army has the day off!

Kiera: What? Really?

Fenrir: Would I make up a lie like that? Wait, don't answer that.

Fenrir: Anyway, we should go out somewhere! How about a Taste of Cradle Tour? Let's eat till we drop.

Seth: What are you talking about? Alice is going out with me today!

Seth: What do you think, Alice? What about a Make Ourselves Gorgeous in Cradle Tour?

They were both going at it full steam ahead, and I was starting to feel like I'd been left behind somewhere.

Sirius: Hey! Enough! You're too noisy, you idiots!

Fenrir & Seth: Geh!

At first all I saw was a pair of fists knocking Seth and Fenrir's heads out of the way, and then Sirius's bright smile appeared between them.

Sirius: Good morning, Kiera! Did you sleep well?

Kiera: Um-- good morning, Sirius. Yes, I did.

Sirius: I'm glad to hear it.

Fenrir: Ow! That really hurt, Sirius! You didn't have to punch us!

Seth: He's right! What if you'd damaged this precious face?!

Sirius: I punched you because you've both forgotten something important.

(Well, there's never a dull moment here, that's for sure!)

Sirius: It may be our day off, but we still have a LOT to do!

After all-- you know what today is.

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Chapter 2

(I'm still not quite sure what to think.)

Fenrir: You know--

(But if Sirius says it's the Official Black Army Spring Cleaning Day, then I guess it is. I mean, I could hear the capital letters as he said it.)

Fenrir: Sirius really takes this neat freak thing too far, you know?

Seth: He does! He's more excited on this day than any other day of the year, I swear!

Fenrir: But hey, if we gotta do it-- might as well find a way to enjoy doing something we hate!

Fenrir's grin was surprisingly bright as he glanced down at the cleaning supplies Sirius had brought us.

Fenrir: We're meant to start by cleaning the corridor floors, right?

Fenrir: So let's get started, and the first person to clean all the wall to the other end of each corridor is the winner. How's that?

Seth: Ooooh yes! I love it! But if we're competing, we need a prize!

Fenrir: You're right. Let's see--

Fenrir: How about the loser has to give their dessert to the winner tonight?

(Wait a minute--)

(You're talking about Luka's special homemade desserts!

-

I love that idea!

-

Kiera: I love that idea!

Fenrir: Yeah, right on! Let's do it!

Seth: Goodness me! I'd better give it my all, then.

Fenrir: Okay then! First match will be Kiera versus Seth!

Seth and I took our cleaning cloths in hand, both of us ready to polish the floors as quickly as we possibly could.

Fenrir: Our first contestant is the lovely Alice, aka Kiera! An exciting new face in the world of competitive floor cleaning!

Fenrir: And our second contestant is the gentle yet muscular Seth!

(I'm not going to lose! I want those desserts!)

Fenrir: Are you both ready?

Seth and I nodded, neither of us looking properly at the other.

Fenrir: On your marks. Get set-- GO!

Kiera: Yeah!

Seth: Okay!

We both took off at once, cloths pressed against the ground, feet propelling us forward, and I found myself just ahead of Seth.

Seth: You really know how to move, Alice!

(I can do this! I can win!)

I was almost at the other end of the corridor, sure of my victory, when suddenly--

Kiera: Waaaaah!

I ran straight into someone's legs as they came around the corner.

Kiera: Ack! I'm so sorry!

I sat up quickly, looking up to see if I'd done any damage.

Ray: What are you doing?

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Chapter 3

Kiera: Ray?!

Ray looked down at me, then over at Seth, and then past us at Fenrir, and his expression changed to one of long-suffering.

Ray: A Fenrir cleaning contest, huh? You've got a problem, though.

Kiera: I do?

Ray: You're cleaning the floor in a dress.

I followed his gaze and realized that my dress had dragged on the floor while I ran, and was covered in more dirt than the actual cleaning cloth.

Kiera: Oh no! I wasn't even thinking.

Seth: Don't worry your pretty little head! That'll come off in no time flat!

Seth: Come on, let's go and wash that out.

Kiera: Okay.

Fenrir: Hey, Ray! Where are you off to?

Ray: The armory. That's where I'm cleaning today.

Ray shrugged and walked away before any of us could say anything else.

Fenrir: The armory? No fair!

Fenrir: Fine, I'm going to move on to our next cleaning spot.

Kiera: Okay. Sorry about this, Fenrir.

Fenrir: Nah, it's fine! Really!

Fenrir's smile was bright and unconcerned, and I couldn't help smiling back.

But I glanced over at Ray as he walked away, and our eyes met briefly as he looked back over his shoulder.

(I don't know why, but-- I kind of wish you were cleaning with us.)

I couldn't help staring after him until he'd completely disappeared down the stairwell.

Seth: See, Alice? I told you it'd wash out just fine!

Seth: Look at that! As good as new.

Kiera: Thanks, Seth.

Seth: You're most welcome! Hmm?

Seth: But what's the matter? You're still looking awfully glum!

Kiera: I am? Well--

I quickly schooled my features into a normal smile, but it wasn't quite as easy to push my thoughts away.

(I told Ray the other day that I want to understand him, and get to know him, but--)

Ray: You were so scared the other night. The last thing I expected was for you to turn

Kiera: Hey! Ray, wait up!

Ray: Do whatever you want.

Kiera: About?

Ray: You're still staying with us, so there's plenty of time to get to know us.

(We're just as distant from each other as we were then. I don't feel like I've learned a thing about him.)

Kiera: You know, I really enjoy being able to talk and laugh with you and Fenrir.

Seth: Good! So do I!

Kiera: But I always feel like Ray keeps his distance from me. And he's the only one.

Seth: Ray?

Kiera: Yeah! And you know I've never seen him smile, I mean REALLY smile, from the heart.

Kiera: I mean, I guess we still don't know each other very well, so maybe that's fair enough, but--

I realized I was rambling on, and I quickly cut myself off and smiled at Seth.

Kiera: Anyway, thank you for helping me wash my dress! Why don't we get back to cleaning?

Seth: You're right! I'd hate for Sirius to find us and complain that we're slacking off!

Seth: Let's go! We have to dust all the rooms now!

Kiera: Okay!

Seth was still smiling as he watched Kiera walk away, but he murmured to himself,

Seth: I clearly need to help with this.

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Chapter 4

(Let's see-- it was this room, right?)

Seth had sent me down the corridor to help Fenrir in one of the rooms while he started on another.

I cautiously opened the door and stepped into the room, looking around.

Fenrir: Looks like your dress cleaned up okay!

Fenrir was putting books back onto a bookshelf on the far side of the room, but he glanced over as I closed the door behind me.

Kiera: Yes, it did! But wow, look at all these books! Is this your room, Fenrir?

Fenrir: Nope, this is Ray's.

(Wow, I definitely wasn't expecting that!)

Fenrir: He doesn't seem the type to be this much of a bookworm, right?

Fenrir laughed, and I realized my astonishment must've been obvious.

Fenrir: But he could at least try a bit harder to keep his room tidy, y'know?

Kiera: Don't worry, I'll help!

I hurried over to where he stood and began to pick up books from the floor.

(Ack!)

One of the books slipped out of my hands and fell to the floor with a soft thud, falling open as it did so.

Fenrir: Are you okay?

Kiera: I am! But I dropped one of the books.

I leaned over and picked the book up again, but my gaze was caught by the heading on the open page.

(Is this about magic in Cradle?)

Fenrir: Hmm? Whats wrong?

Kiera: Oh, I just never imagined there'd be whole books written about magic like this.

Kiera: But now that I think about it, I don't know anything at all about your country's magic.

Fenrir: But you've seen the Magic Crystals, right?

Kiera: Yes, of course! They have magical energy inside them, don't they? And they're used for all the lights?

I could only half remember what Blanc had told me, but Fenrir nodded, picking up the book and flipping to a different page to show me a picture.

Fenrir: That's right. They're also used for water related stuff, like for our fountains, and our plumbing, and for heating water.

(Wow, it sounds SO much more efficient and useful than the way we do things in London!)

Kiera: Hey, Fenrir, how do you create Magic Crystals?

Fenrir: That's a good question. They actually grow wild, deep in the forest, in their pure form.

Fenrir turned the pages of the book again, and then stopped at last.

The drawing he'd opened to showed a tall tower in a forest, its spire reaching up way above the trees around it.

Fenrir: And then they're refined for use in the Magic Tower.

Kiera: And that's the Magic Tower?

Fenrir: That's right. That's where people study magic, to help our country advance.

Fenrir: I mean, it's basically a civic agency that serves Cradle.

Fenrir: They refine Magic Crystals and supply them to everyone in Cradle. It's thanks to them that we're able to live the way we do.

Kiera: Wow, it sounds like a really important place!

Kiera: But-- I guess I'm a little surprised.

Fenrir: Hmm?

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Chapter 5

Kiera: I thought maybe people who can use magic were the ones who made Magic Crystals.

Kiera: You know, like the King of Hearts. And that they made them by hand, or something.

Fenrir: Ahahaha! That's a novel idea!

Kiera: C'mon, you don't have to laugh THAT much. I'm being serious here!

Fenrir: Sorry! I mean, they probably can make 'em, but they'd have to be doing it non-stop to supply the whole of Cradle!

Fenrir: Besides, there's not that many people who can use magic.

Fenrir: And people who can use magic are-- well, they're different, in a way.

Kiera: Different? How so?

Fenrir: Well, there's two types of 'em.

Fenrir: There are those who have an innate talent, and can use magic from the day they're born.

Fenrir: And there are those who just one day suddenly acquire the ability to use magic.

Fenrir: But either way, it's not the sort of power that normal people possess.

Kiera: So they're not normal?

Fenrir: That's right. I mean, the crystals that grow in the forest have power, right? And when they're refined they have more power, right?

Fenrir: But people who can use magic-- they've got way more power than that.

Fenrir: And having power like that, you kinda gotta wonder how they even manage to live with it.

To my surprise, Fenrir's animated face turned dark all of a sudden.

Kiera: Fenrir?

He came back to himself with a start as I spoke his name, and laughed suddenly.

Fenrir: Just kidding. It's all just stuff I've read in books, or heard other people talk about.

Fenrir: Sorry, I got a little carried away. I guess I wanted to show off how smart I was.

His smile was so completely back to normal that I wondered for a moment if I'd imagined that dark look.

Kiera: It's okay. Thank you for explaining it to me.

Fenrir: You're welcome.

Fenrir: We should probably finish putting these away though, right?

Fenrir: The harder we work, the better dinner is gonna taste tonight!

Kiera: I agree!

Kiera: Do you want to have another contest?

Fenrir: I was hoping you'd say that! Let's see who can put away the most books!

We looked at each other for a moment, and then we were both rushing to shove books back onto the shelves.

That evening--

Sirius: Right! Have you all got your drinks?

Ray & Fenrir: Yeah!

Sirius: You all worked very hard today!

Sirius: A toast, to all of you!

Everyone clinked their glasses together with a cheer, and soon we were all eating and talking.

Fenrir: Whew! The first drink after a hard day's cleaning is the BEST!

Luka: You mean you actually cleaned?

Fenrir: C'mon, Luka, thats not funny!

Fenrir: You should've seen me! I was freakin' amazing!

I grinned to myself as I watched them all talking and laughing, and then Seth leaned over to speak softly in my ear.

Seth: You worked hard today, Alice.

Kiera: Thank you, Seth! So did you!

Seth: Well, I know you put extra effort in, so I wanted to give you a reward.

Seth glanced around surreptitiously, and then leaned closer still.

(Why so secretive? Now I'm curious!)

I leaned a little closer as well, straining my ears to hear what he had to say.

Seth: I'm going to tell you a secret I know, about Ray.