Page 80 of Forsaken Secrets

Atop a bed of green velvet, were dozens of rings and bracelets, as well as a few pendants with jewels at the center. They were beautiful, but obviously costume jewelry. I sorted through them, though, imagining what the original owner had been like and feeling for whatever had tugged at me, when something caught my eye.

Stuck between folds of the green velvet was an ovular wooden pendant. It was completely smooth and unremarkable … except that when I touched it, all the stress from the day melted away.

I turned and held it out to Eli.

He lifted a brow, but reached out for it and gasped when his fingers made contact. "What — is that a relic?"

"I don't know … it's strange, though. Right?"

He nodded.

I walked over to the table and grabbed one of the little magnifying glasses sitting out, then sat down to examine the pendant. I held it up to the fiery light, hoping it would illuminate something in the pendant to explain its odd effect on me. But when the pendant got close to the coral, the fire inside went out!

Curious, I reached out and touched the black frame.

The coral burst into flame again.

I moved the wooden pendant closer again, and again it went out.

"Do you see this?"

Eli nodded. "It must be some kind of calming relic? Something to do with the spirit realm?"

I stared at it, astonished. How amazing was that? I'd never heard of a relic that calmed people before. Who knew what other types had been lost to history …

"I want to ask how you found it, but let me guess — it just felt right?"

I looked up and grinned.

"Well, Uncle Harlsted is talking to the owner now. We should probably go join him." He motioned towards the front with his chin.

I looked back down at the relic and let out a frustrated sigh before sliding it back into the little jewelry box.

It was too bad I didn't have enough money to buy it. I could probably resell it through the Harlsteds for a small fortune!

Casting one last look at the strange room, we slipped out the door, careful to look nonchalant. The manservant from before was gone, though.

Perhaps he'd been with the customer from before?

We stepped up front in time to see Mr. Harlsted arguing with the proprietor. "What do you mean you don't know? You were talking to me about them a few minutes ago."

I grimaced. The owner just stood there, picking his nails.

This wasn't going to work.

I stepped forward, but a smooth, feminine voice came from behind us. "Tiernan. You didn't tell me you had any tempered relics in the shop! What else are you keeping from me?"

The owner perked up at that, his face turning a deep shade of purple as he stepped around the counter. "I apologize, Lady Frexin. I was not aware that we had any. The only tempered relics I know of are a faulty fire coral, as I told you before."

A petite hand appeared out of the corner of my vision, dangling that wooden pendant from her index finger. That manservant really had been spying on us!

Thank the gods I hadn't used my magic.

Tiernan turned and glared at me. "Was this your doing?"

"How could it be my doing?" I asked, mind racing as I stared wide-eyed at the strange woman.

She was an unusual-looking woman; her face a little too sharp to be typically beautiful. And her pink hair curled in tight spirals around her face. I'd never seen anyone with pink hair! Atop her head sat the tiniest hat I'd ever seen, covered with a pair of goggles. They were metal, but the fronts were tinted a deep shade of blue, and it looked as though there were parts with different magnifications attached to the sides.

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