This chapter is dedicated to PeterBanning, a voter, reader, and commenter! Thanks for your continued support, and remember to choose your prize from the list! You guys can get the chance, too, if you become my 500th voter or 105th fan. xD

Here we go, chapter ten - this is gonna be a short one, and it starts off written from new POV: Mahogany Liressdoter. What's her story? Let's read and find out...

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Chapter 10

Mahogany clutched the topmost rung of the ladder with one hand, muttering to herself as she leaned precariously to dust the thick tomes. Out of all the chores she had, this one was her least favorite. Her fear of heights was strong, but her fear of the king's displeasure was stronger. Thus, Maggie swallowed her terror and quickly went to work before scurrying back down.

"Humans were meant to live on the ground," she muttered to herself, futilely trying to arrange the unruly hair that popped out from underneath her cap. "That's why we weren't born with any wings or gills or very tall legs. We're ground creatures, and it's perfectly natural to not want to leave it."

Pursing her lips once her rant was complete, Maggie turned to survey the room. She'd dusted all the room except for the chandelier. Damn the inventor of those godscursed things. With a heart full of dread, the feather duster was set in between her teeth as she grabbed the ladder and carefully swung it around to stand in the middle of the rug. Balancing it against the swinging light fixture, her climb began.

She couldn't help glancing down, and shuddered at the sight from so far below. The carpet spread below her painted a long forgotten though vicious war, and from this height Mahogany felt as though she could fall into the battle at any moment. "This is why you don't look down, Maggie," she scolded herself, refocusing on the task at hand and moving up the last few rungs.

Using her left hand, she gripped the duster as tightly as she did the ladder and lightly brushed the chandelier, squinting against the fiery glow. There was enough wax left to last till the morrow, and so luckily she did not have to perform the even more excruciating task of replacing the candles. She was just beginning to reach across to dust the other side when the rung suddenly slid out from under her feet.

Screaming, Maggie barely managed to catch hold of the chandelier with her free hand as the ladder went crashing to the ground. Heart pounding, she let go of the feather duster and grasped the chandelier with both hands, swinging wildly. Terror rose in her throat, making it impossible for her to shout out for help. Not that it would do any good, since all the rooms in the palace were warded against eavesdropping.

Strengthening her grip, she looked around desperately for something to help. An ominous creaking came from above, and Mahogany slowly turned her head upwards to see the plaster around the chain cracking. Cursing violently, she screeched again as the chandelier plummeted a few feet before wrenching to a halt, leaving the thoroughly frightened girl dangling too high to just drop to safety.

Maggie was nearly sobbing by the point. She was too terrified to try and climb up so that she wouldn't be crushed if the chandelier did fall because of how precarious its hold to the ceiling was. Calling out was useless, and jumping was still too dangerous. Biting her lip, she tilted her head back to better assess the situation, and was shocked to see that the chain was connected to some large steel cage that had been pulled out from the ceiling.

"Looks sturdy enough," she sighed. It would have to be. Swinging one leg up to hook around one of the chandelier's branches, Mahogany heaved herself up higher so that she was crouching above the lights. The whole structure shook but did not fall any further, leaving her to carefully stand up and study the cage.

She lightly fingered the metal, glimpsing a roundish object through the translucent cloth that lined the inside. "Can't find a latch," her voice said in surprise. "Wonder how you open it?"

Her curious nature, though repressed for years living under the king, surfaced as strongly as it had been when she was a child. Narrowing hazelnut eyes only a few shades lighter than her hair, Maggie focused as her mother had once taught her long ago. Reach far into your mind, into the tiny well of power that lies there, and then speak the words to do your will.

"Mor'amr." Even though she'd said the word "open", it was a shock to see the cage do just that. The bars slid upwards, leaving her free to gently pull aside the curtain and peer at what was inside. Mounted on a tiny pedestal was a large stone, polished so much that it gleamed despite its dim surroundings. Calling it brown would be too plain - shades such as tawny, umber, and sepia were all blended together underneath layers of bronze and copper.

"Absolutely beautiful, and not one speck of dust on it." Mahogany sighed in disappointment, knowing she had no reason to touch what was undoubtedly an extravagantly expensive object. Still...could one quick stroke really hurt?