Dragonfly Web: Whitestuff

Thirty One | Keen As A Crow

"You couldn't have seen me," Sadie reasoned. "I used my cloak to 'blend' in the library. How did you know I took the pen and the artifacts?"

"I didn't. I figured it out later. I saw you going into the bushes. When I was with TJ for Camp inspection, we didn't get there in time for me to say hello."

"You came to say hi?"

Ciara nodded. "—But I watched you disappearing. I noticed the berry-stains on your clothes were an awfully bright colour—like fuchsia, maybe—and I thought it was funny that Ylva had just mentioned that colour only shortly before. Why had something so unusual as fuchsia come up--twice?"

Ciara took a breath and continued, "I didn't make any connection, but then later when we saw Rondan up at the Hilltop, something else made me suspicious."

"What—?" asked Sadie.

"Rondan was really upset when I asked what he knew about artifacts. I'd seen the thing he kept hidden under his clothes at the head of his cot. He already knew that I'd seen that. And, at the Hilltop, I realized it made him afraid when I asked about artifacts. So I thought about that, too."

Sadie watched her.

Ciara explained, "I was sure you were too nice to have stolen anything. And TJ seemed to have faith in Rondan. So—then, it finally dawned on me that you could have done it for him. You did, didn't you? You did it to help him? And he wouldn't have known, at first?"

"No. He didn't know. I did show him the wand quite a bit later; and he hid it--said I shouldn't have moved it from the library."  Sadie paused. "Then, I felt maybe I shouldn't have done any of it because that was just the pen.  He didn't know that I'd already recovered more of his family heirlooms before and hidden them near to the camp for him to find when we went berry picking. I planned to surprise him one day—at least, until I heard Ylva tell TJ in my mind about what you'd said. I got really scared that I might be in really big trouble, so I had to tell him."

"Why did you even think he wanted to have them?" But before Sadie could answer, Ciara needed to confirm one other last thing. "And you knew about Liv's parents at some point, so you left her a note as if it were from them, to keep her away? So you could get into the back room, when Ylva would take over for her?"

Sadie nodded, again. "I blend better outside. Liv sees really well in the dark! I got Caluu to ask Ylva to find a book to get a better idea of building a 'travois' and to help me carry the things I hid in the courtyard the next day. How did you know that I'd written the note?"

"I saw the parchments were rearranged when I came back to the counter with Liv, so I knew someone had come in while I had been there. That didn't make sense till later, because you'd been the only one on the path. Plus, I didn't learn until afterwards that someone left Liv a note. And someone else going round back now makes sense how the shavings got out there, because you had to leave from the front. I didn't know Caluu was there, but that explains the 'what is of it all' now—"

"Oh, please don't tell! Caluu didn't know anything! I kept him out of it. He's innocent. He's too young. And I just got him to help me carry some of my things. They were still in their packaging. He didn't see them. Please, don't say anything!"

"There's no need to. You would have heard Ylva in mind-voice. She's happy to have them all back. Don't the instructors know what you can do? You hear thoughts and voices, like I do with Skye's help, right?"

"I don't even know what I can do." Sadie was relieved, then quickly agreed. "Sometimes, I hear things I shouldn't, but not always. But then when I do hear voices, I can't stop the sounds. Sometimes—it's screeching. I don't know what that is. What gifts do you have—?"