@Luna Silvermoon: Have I been making you narrate too much? I won't any more :)

@everyone: Thank you for your comments! I like hearing what you think about it. Sorry it took a while to get the next part out this time... I do plan to finish this!!!!

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Day 17, Part 2:

"What are you doing here?" asked the guard.

"Oh, just escaping, why?" said Hex slightly sarcastically, leaning against her horse. But Poinsettia said with a very charming smile,

"Yes, it's rather important. Could we see whoever owns this castle, please?"

The guard turned back to look at the empty moorland, and his eye fell on one of the arrows. He nodded. "I saw you were being chased," he said, "and this castle is not one to refuse hospitality to those who need it. Agreed, then. Stay here, and I will go speak to Lady Ravirla."

He crossed the courtyard they were in and vanished through one of the doorways facing it, leaving the CBers alone to talk.

"Where do you suppose we are, exactly?" Reuby murmured to Darkvine.

"I don't know," said Darkvine thoughtfully. "Somewhere in Lilacgold's land, certainly."

"Oh, of course," said Reuby, slightly crushingly. "But where within that? And look at the way they're dressed. They must think they're Renaissance pages or something."

They were saved an argument by the return of the guard. "Lady Ravirla and Lord Arvan will see you," he informed them.

Leaving the horses in the courtyard, they followed him into the castle. There were long, stone passageways, arched overhead and lined with glowing, vibrant tapestries. An occassional person passed them by. It was slightly dim, but here and there there were windows of clear glass. Reuby, pausing at one of these, looked down at a small courtyard, with tastefully arranged flowers on raised stone beds and paths winding among them. Then she hurried to catch up with the others.

They were entering a fairly large room. Here there were more people, most of them clustered around a fire at the far end. A tall, handsome, youngish-looking man was leaning against the wall at one end of the fireplace, gazine thoughtfully into it; by his side sat a tall young woman with raven-black hair and thoughtful, piercing brown eyes that looked as if they could also be merry.

The young man turned and the young woman rose, her clear eyes taking in the little group. "Thank you, Araon," she said, and the guard bowed and left.

The lady beckoned, and, Miss Fern leading, they went over to her. "Greetings," she said. "I am Lady Ravirla; this is my brother, Lord Arvan. We bid you welcome to our castle."

"Thank you," said Miss Fern. "We certainly need it." And she sat down and told the entire story. Reuby Moonnight wondered if she ought to, for who was to say that the lord and lady would even believe them?

But it seemed that Miss Fern was right to do so, because when she had finished Lady Ravirla cried, "That's terrible! And with the winter coming on it wouldn't be safe for you to cross these moors even without attackers. Please, stay here for the winter with us. We would be heartily glad to accept your company."

"Oh, but we don't want to intrude on you," exclaimed Darkvine, sounding a little alarmed, Reuby thought. "Besides, if we're going to find the treasure we'd better go on." But Reuby hardly heard the last words. The soft, dusky crackling of the fire seemed to be, in a strange way, saying something. She became scarcely aware of the room and the people and the voices, her ears filled with that steady sound. Stay here. Was that what it said?

Then the feeling was gone. "I think we had better stay here - if you don't mind," she added to Lady Ravirla and Lord Arvan. In these cases it might be better to be polite.

Arvan smiled. "Agreed, then. I'll show you to your rooms."

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I'm glad you like it, Reuby and Luna! :)

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Day 17, Part 3:

Each of the CBers had a separate, very luxurious room. But Hex scarcely got a chance to enjoy hers. She had barely relaxed on the canopy bed when the others came in. "Let's see what sort of a place this castle is," urged Luna Silvermoon.

So they went all over the castle. It was certainly a fascinating place to explore - it seemed to stretch on forever, and you could walk on and on, but it never gave you the oppresive feeling of being in a maze. There were courtyards and long, elegant rooms and more comfortable and home-like sections that were obviously the most lived-in. There was a small guest-house to one side of the main castle where travelers staying overnight were given lodging. Darkvine, looking at this (it was empty at the moment), was struck with a sudden thought. "You know," she said slowly, "it's terribly nice of the lord and lady to take us in as if we were family or something. For all they know, we could be kidnappers."

"They can't think that," Hex protested.

"Still," said Darkvine, and the others agreed.

Moving through some more halls, they suddenly came upon Lady Ravirla. She was looking fresher and happier than before, and she was walking with a brisk, lively step; and although she looked quite pretty in her long, silky, jade-green dress, it was the spark of inner loveliness in her eyes that made her truly beautiful.

She held out her hands to them, and suddenly she really did look young - almost their age, in fact. "I'm so glad you've come," she laughed. "Things were just - so boring. Arvan is as good a brother as you can ask for, but he's thinking of getting married soon and he's older than me anyway; I haven't seen my cousin for a month - and other than that there aren't any young people around. Come, I suppose you'll be wanting your dinner."

It was getting late, it was true, so they followed her to a long, bright room, lit with the last of the filtered sunshine and a few candles. A table that reached almost the whole length of the room was heaped high with food, and people were sitting on both sides of it. They were basically everyone else who lived in the castle - not servants, as Poinsettia first supposed, but more like friends who lived with the lord and lady. In fact, there weren't any servants in the castle - it was just another thing that magic eliminated in Lilacgold's vibrant, beautiful land of peace and happiness.

There were a few steps down into the room, and Lady Ravirla and the CBers descended. Miss Fern beckoned, and the CBers slipped into the empty seats between her and Lady Ravirla. It was a satisfying feast, and when it was over, Ravirla took them to the only other important part of the castle that they had missed: the chapel.

"You're Christians?" Reuby asked in the soft silence that hung around them.

Lady Ravirla nodded. "Yes, we are. A lot of people say that individual castles shouldn't have their own chapels, but I find it comforting to come here sometimes."

It was comforting, with a dignified simplicity around them, warmth hovering over them, and small golden cups filled with a million tiny, reflected points of flame. Even more than comforting, it was peaceful.

And Poinsettia, going to sleep that night, was sure that they were going to have a lovely time there.

Though the next day's events certainly did all they could to prove her wrong.

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Day 18:

It was a stormy, cloudy day full of ominous thunder and an ever-closer feeling of something going to happen. No one quite liked it, and it was a relief to be all together in the warm, candle-lit dining hall for breakfast. The CBers were resplendent in long, silky dresses Lady Ravirla had given them, laughter and talk filled their ears, the candles gave off flickering light that chased away the shadows.

But when they were almost finished, the guard Araon came in. "That New Person's come," he said in a low tone to Lady Ravirla, but nothing could hide the distaste in his voice.

Ravirla sighed. "The new guard? I take it you don't like him very much," she added in a swift aside.

"Yes. To both things," said Araon.

"Oh, well. I'd better go see him. Will you excuse me?" she added to the table at large.

"If you don't mind - could we come with you?" asked Luna Silvermoon.

"I don't see why not," said Ravirla, so the girls followed her out of the hall and through passages very dark by comparison, lit only by a few candles. Lady Ravirla took them to a small room close to the main entrance.

A man, slightly wet from the first spatterings of rain that had begun to fall outside, was leaning against the table. His face was utterly careless, with a slight look of unpleasantness - almost evilness - under the carelessness, and Hex grew cold at the sight of him. He looked vaguely like the people who had been chasing them.

With a swish of his heavy dark cloak, he came forward. "Lady Ravirla," he said, sneering unpleasantness underlying his tone too. His eyes flicked to the others. "And these are... your children, I suppose."

"They're my friends," Lady Ravirla said coolly. "Thank you for asking, but perhaps you would like to introduce yourself instead. You are Karevin, who asked for work here three weeks ago, I believe?"

"Yeah. Yes, my lady. When do I start work?"

"Today, if it is convenient. Or, if you would like a chance to settle in, you can wait until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, I suppose. Rain, rain, all the way here. Oh, well. So, where do I stay?"

"Araon will take you to your rooms. That is all. I hope," Ravirla added, a touch of coldness coming into her voice again, "you will enjoy being a guard here."

Darkvine was very glad to get out of reach of those penetrating eyes. She took a deep breath as they stepped out of the room. "What's the matter with that man?" she exclaimed.

Hex, who had decided not to speak of her fears, shrugged. "Just unpleasant, I guess," she said. "Still, I wouldn't trust him."

By lunch, the storm had broken. It thundered down, violent, strong, wild. Everyone gathered in the great hall again, not so much for ceremony (there were several more casual dining rooms for smaller meals), but for the sake of being together. There was something peculiarly threatening about this storm. Reuby, going over to the window after she had finished eating, was startled by its fury.

Ravirla, coming up behind her, shook her head. "There's not much point in doing anything in a storm like this," she remarked. "There's one more thing I want to show you."

Somewhat hidden away from the rest of the castle was a large room with bookshelves lining the walls. Poinsettia glanced at them. "You've got The Secret Garden?" she exclaimed.

Lady Ravirla laughed and nodded. "We've got almost all the classics of the world," she said.

Several hours later, Reuby Moonnight looked up from Anne of Green Gables. It was quite good - in fact, much better than she'd expected - but she was tired of reading. Getting up from her bed, she wandered out of her bedroom and through the glowingly lit rooms. The fury of the storm was increasing rather than decreasing, she noticed. But then she liked storms. Didn't she? Well, most storms anyway. This was definitely a strange one.

A few minutes later she found that she had wandered into the chapel. Even though it was empty, it was a wonderful place to be. The storm seemed suddenly shut off in another world. Reuby's world consisted of the little room and the glowing candles that softly lit the slight dimness.

Then some strange forboding made Reuby turn. A dark figure rose in front of her, muffled in a heavy, black cloak. A scream rose in Reuby's throat, stifled as the figure flung itself on top of her. Then blackness closed in.

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Name: North Star

Pronouns (she/her or he/him, please): she/her

Age: 15

Are you:

Fire or Ice? Fire

Sea or Stars? Stars

Poet or Practical? Poet

Fight or Flight? Fight

Describe your appearance: Clearly defined face, amber eyes, dark hair

Packing list: Books.

Personality: Wolves, wild, mistral. If you don't understand what I mean, tell me and I'll explain.

Sorry I left you almost murdered for so long, Reuby! I was writing the next part when the holidays came along and I had to leave you stranded. Also, yes, I think I do what you mean, North Star. Thank you for joining!

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Day 19:

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ravirla said for the hundredth time, her voice full of genuine regret. "I just don't see how this could have happened."

"Whoever it was," said Darkvine furiously, "was a - " She paused, for once at a lack for words. " - was a brown noddy," she finished finally.

Poinsettia looked surprised. "Isn't that a bit - rude?" she asked.

"Oh, it's just a bird name," said Darkvine. "I've always thought that some bird names sound like insults."

"Oh, all right then." Poinsettia looked relieved.

It was the following morning. Reuby Moonnight, thankfully, was still alive: Lord Arvan had been entering the chapel at that moment, and the murderer had left Reuby and escaped by another door. Lord Arvan's immediate concern had been to help Reuby, so the murderer had gotten away unscathed.

"I think it must have been the guard," Luna said. "You know, the new one - what's his name - "

"Karevin." Ravirla nodded. It was what they had all been thinking. "But I can't accuse him without proof. It could have been anybody."

"Oh, for gracious' sakes stop sounding like this is a murder mystery," said Hex. "It isn't - worse luck. It must have been him. I thought at the time he looked like the people chasing us. And you can tell he's wicked no matter who he is."

"Anyway," contributed Reuby Moonnight, "you don't have to accuse him at all. You could just fire him."

"But, look, this is all nonsense," Miss Fern broke in. "You say, Lady Ravirla, that he asked to come here three weeks ago. The people chasing us couldn't have known back then that we were coming here, or that they wouldn't have eliminated us before we got here - so it can't have been him at all."

At that precise moment, Araon entered. "Lady Ravirla," he said with a bow, "news has reached the castle that Karevin - the new guard who was supposed to start working for you - was murdered on the way here."

Poinsettia gasped. "You mean - "

"So he is an imposter - that man who arrived here," interrupted Hex. "It's utterly possible that those people found out that he was coming, killed him, and sent one of themselves instead to kill us."

"Right," said Lord Arvan grimly. "Araon, go tell that man pretending to be Karevin that he isn't wanted, and make sure that he actually leaves the castle."

After the guard had been gotten rid of, the winter passed in peace. The peaceful courtyard gardens rang with laugter in the chilly mornings, the blazing fires gave warmth and light in the chilly evenings; the cbers even rode out of the castle gates a few times, with Ravirla or Arvan. There was peace in forgetting about treasures and signs and danger for a few months, in enjoying what surrounded them and not worrying about murderers and death and hooded figures.

But that happy time could not last forever. Darkvine was already wishing that they could continue on that gray day, somewhere between winter and spring, when she saw North Star for the first time. They all agreed, weeks afterward, that it was strange that she should have been the first one to see North Star.

She was standing at one of the windows and looking out onto the moors, her elbows leaning on the stone sill, frankly dreaming a little. The moors were very still, with the last chill of winter. Nothing moved in all that expanse. Not even the clouds overhead.

And then, suddenly, Darkvine saw what she had somehow failed to notice before: a girl, riding rapidly toward the castle on a steed as black as ebony. Her long crimson dress, with a slashed skirt that showed glimpses of the silvery skirt underneath, and her whole posture with her tilted head and commanding pose, seemed to match her surroundings perfectly.

When she was quite near the castle, she looked up, directly at Darkvine. Those amber eyes were strange and shifting and impelling, and when Darkvine looked into them she felt that she would always want to be this girl's friend, and also that the girl might be a queen even if she never had a crown on her head.

For a moment the girl looked at Darkvine with a searching gaze, and Darkvine had the uncomfortable feeling that, although she could not see into the girl, the girl was looking straight through and through her and seeing what she was really like underneath. She opened the window and called down, "Who are you?"

"They call me North Star," the girl called back, her voice lilting and strong, like the wind. "I am from the Chatterbox, and I come to find the treasures of Lilacgold."

"Oh, you're a CBer," said Darkvine. "Well, come in."

"I was going to," returned North Star, a soft hint of laughter in her voice.

That was how North Star joined the others. Miss Fern welcomed her warmly, having received notice from the hotel a few days before that her form had arrived; and welcomed her also because she seemed to bring warm spring with her, and a few days after her arrival they were ready to depart. They bade a regretful farewell to Ravirla and Arvan, who were sad to see them go; but the CBers couldn't have been too sad if they'd tried, because already the road was calling and they longed to be back in the old life of travel and adventure and uncertainty. And Reuby was still among them, and now North Star was too, and there was only one more CBer to go before there would be all seven of them; and they set off towards the rising sun with hope in their hearts and laughter in their souls.

If only they could have been happy forever. But that is not the way the world is. If only they had known what was going to happen!

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What does "fwagy" mean? It's what my captcha says.