"Maybe yer should take the bleedin' damned fin' off before we all go blind." Questa squinted.

Sileas reached behind her neck. "The clasp! It's gone!"  As she spoke, the light went away. Sileas let out a breath.

Questa swore. "That muvver geezer of yors were a blacksmiff- do yer fink she could break it off wivout takin' yor head off wiv it?"

"She probably could.  But how and why would it just disappear? But what if something else bad happens if I take it off? My father's letter said to never remove it," Sileas replied.

"Oh, right, now 'e's yor favver. Yer've been insistin' that captain of the bloomin' guard were." Questa looked at the chain, unable to find the clasp. "She can put on a new clasp so yer can take it off and stick it on wen yer want."

Sileas shook her head. "He may be my father but Papa is still my Papa. Not everyone can be a papa, much much closer to the heart." Even if she learned more about her father, no one would ever be able to replace her Papa in her heart.

"I'll get an axe!" Yehudit shouted through the door.

"She'll chop off 'er foot." Questa said. "Probably 'er good foot, too."

"Probably. How the devil did she find us that fast?" Sileas got to her feet. "I guess I'll have to let her in before she injures herself."

"Don't know." Questa said.

Sileas tucked the pendant under her tunic, not wanting to answer any questions just now. She unbarred the door and opened it. "Hullo."

"What took you so long?" Yehudit hobbled in the room as if she owned the place.

Sileas felt her pocket to make certain the note was safely tucked there. "Oh, just deciding what would go where. How did you find the room?"

"You just disappeared, I knew you didn't go upstairs. So I banged on walls until I found the door." Yehudit said.

"Maybe I had just developed the power to turn invisible," Sileas joked.

"And I could sort of hear you... Muffled but I knew it was your voice." Yehudit said.

"I never said I would have been mute, just invisible."

"So what is this?" Yehudit asked. "And why were you keeping me out?" Yehudit gave Sileas a hurt look.

"What is what? The boxes? Some are things they salvaged from the keep that are mine and Questa's. Xavier brought the contents of the manor here as well, I want to find a way to end the mermen problem. And you know perfectly well why I was keeping you out. Besides, there's really only room for three to live here."

Yehudit crossed her arms stubbornly. "I go where I want to go, not where Mama wants me to go. And it's not that small down here."

"It is that small. As it is we only have two beds and three people. And once we get things unpacked, there will be even less room."

"I'm staying with you." Yehudit said. "I'm not going to stay with my family, with her. That will probably be even more crowded."

Sileas looked helplessly at Questa. "You would have to sleep out here in the main room. On the floor. I don't even know if we have enough blankets and pillows. You could ask Mama and Papa about staying with them."

"I'm staying with you." Yehudit stated.

"Don't 'ave a look at me. I don't sleep in a bed." Questa told Sileas.