Lord Gabriel, 

Katya told me to ensure that you received the enclosed letter as soon as possible after both we and you knew that you had Leonie in your care. Katya considered the girl in the light of a daughter, as do I. As such, she has a substantial portion which we will bring to you when we next pass through. As a small token of this, Katila sends the enclosed. The Sight has told her that you may need them before we arrive. It is my prayer that you do not need them all. 

With every blessing, 

Ethan, Merchant 

So, thought Gabriel, this little waif we've taken on is all but a Trader princess. He'd wager a fair bit that she had no idea and wondered why not, why Katya and Ethan would have kept this from her. With her colouring, it seemed unlikely that she was born a Trader – that red hair meant it was likely she was some by-blow from the House Chisholm – and maybe that made a difference? He wondered whether it made a difference to what he had to do. No longer was she an abandoned orphan with no one to care and few to mourn her loss. Now she was at the centre of a large extended family even if she didn't know it. Obviously one life was not worth more than another, but the consequences could be vastly different. He sighed, opened the bag and tipped three small bundles into his hands. He unwrapped them and stared at them for several minutes before carefully replacing two of them in the bag. They were very much what he’d expected and a confirmation of his fears. Like Ethan, his prayer was that he would not use any of them, his fear that he would need them all. He turned to the second letter and opened that with some trepidation. 

Dearest Gabriel, 

You now have in your keeping my most precious and unusual jewel, a rare merge of two opposing forces. I can no longer guard her, and can think of no one I would rather entrust her to. There are others that seek her, for their own gain. My jewel is damaged; I do not know whether this is a flaw or simply a past bad setting. I did what I could to remove the damage, but my time, options and abilities were limited. I hope that you can place her in a setting where, damage or flaw, it becomes an asset, an essential part of her purpose. I trust her to you because you will do what is right, no matter how dire the consequences.  

Please ensure she is loved and valued, as I love and value you. 

Until we meet again, eternally. 

Katya 

For a while Gabriel sat with his head in his hands. Katya had called Leonie a jewel, which tied in with his dreams about her, but Ethan had sent jewellery that indicated a potential close relationship with someone, probably Prospero. And Katya had called her a ‘rare merge’ yet in his dreams he saw her as a single ruby. Or was that something to do with the emerald he had seen? 

He was very concerned that he would not live up to Katya’s trust that he would do the right thing no matter what. And if he did what Katya asked and grew to love the child, what then? How would he be strong enough to do what would be necessary whilst knowing that his actions would lead to her death? He was already troubled about the extent to which he had involved Prospero, and his uneasy dreams and unsettled nights had been reflecting this. 

He very carefully folded up the letters and put them away safely with one of the small bundles, leaving the little drawstring bag out. He sent for Brother Edward, and when he arrived, gave him the bag and indicated that he should open it. Edward unwrapped the contents and stared at them, nestled in his hands.  

“Beautiful,” he breathed. “Exquisite. Such workmanship. They must be unique.” 

“I should imagine so,” agreed Gabriel. “Please put them somewhere safe, but close to hand. I have a feeling we may need them soon.”  

Edward looked up. “Soon?” he asked. “Should I prepare?” 

“Yes, I think you should. And ask Pedro, too. But involve no one who is not essential.” 

“May I ask who they are for?” 

“Do you need to?” 

Edward shook his head. “No, not immediately, but I will need a couple of days’ notice.” 

“You'll have that.” 

Impulsively, Gabriel reached into his desk and pulled out the third small bundle, handing it to Edward. “Do you know what this is?” he asked.  

Edward unwrapped it and nodded, again admiring the workmanship.  

“It's a Deathstone,” he said turning it over in his hands. “It's not actually a stone, of course. The Traders place them on the body before they cremate their dead. Originally, if the fire burnt hot enough to melt the Deathstone, then it was hot enough to have destroyed any germ, virus or plague that might have caused the death. That's not so important now, of course, but they still do it. The setting contains the stone somewhat as it melts, and when it cools they keep it as a memento of the deceased.”  

He looked up at Gabriel. “Do you wish me to put it with the others?” 

Gabriel shook his head. “No, not this one. I’ll keep it. But please don’t speak about it to anyone else.”