Rubies and Rumors

Chapter Forty-seven

            A messenger from the governor's castle arrived as the family gathered around the table. Junseo's parents passed the note to each other before sending a short reply. The others waited expectantly.

"It is a summons to attend a banquet in honor of Junseo's return from the Capital," Healer Park frowned at his son, "Since you are out and about, I don't think we can decline on the basis of your health."

"The boatmen teased me about being famous in the province," Junseo said as he pushed some food around on his plate. "I just don't see what the governor might get out of making a fuss over something so routine as a schoolboy making it through qualifiers,".

"Something so routine? How fast living in the capital made you jaded!" Granny Min swatted at him from across the table.

"What do you mean?" Junseo sounded hurt.

"Name another student from Ilidan who made it to the senior finals," she nodded around as no one at the table could answer her demand.

"Still, I competed under Uncle's school banner. The governor should just hold a banquet for all the civic exam candidates and their families. I don't like being singled out, not with the rumors about the province's affiliations."

"What do you mean, brother?" Numni asked.

"I won't break Mother's rule about talking politics at the table so can only say not all of Lord Sun-Gyu's supporters were prosecuted. Even thinking about such a nasty business would ruin your appetite." Junseo just pushed his plate away and slowly sipped some tea.

"Well, I guess we will have to dust off your dress robes and see if there is any more hem to let down. I swear you get taller every time I look at you," Junseo's mother interjected before Numni's husband and sister-wife jumped in with their strange views about the recent rebellion.

"Is there time for you to get a new dress made?" Healer Park gave his wife an admiring glance.

"Not likely, but I am sure I can make do. Perhaps my daughters can help me." She smiled warmly at both women.

"Maybe Numni can help me finish the edges on my belt. I just have a few more crystal fragments to shape and get in place before someone else can help and she has always been so good with stiches." Junseo's smile offered both a compliment and oblique apology for raising a topic he could not discuss openly.

After dinner he finished setting the final fragments from his broken crystal string onto the belt and took the design he had sketched to his sister. She suggested using blue thread along the bottom edge along with some blue highlights beside some of the clear quartz bead and red thread along the top and to highlight the onyx. "It will be just like a sunset over the lake," she explained.

"I like it! I can work on the highlights on one end while you stitch toward me. Then we can switch. I mean if you are okay with that?" Junseo stood awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.

"Relax. It's a good idea." She grinned and then took a closer look at the piece. "Dad must be pleased. These stitches are nearly as good as mine."

"Thanks, Sis." Junseo whispered and gave her a half hug. As they touched, he felt light jolt of warm energy. This reminded him he needed to talk with his grandmother about which stones he should try wearing. He knew what could be expected with his formal attire but was not sure if he was ready for his sapphire and ruby. Granny Min surprised him by telling him to first practice with his moonstone headband.

"The moonstones should help center you. Besides they should encourage the governor and his cronies assume you are a natural born scholar. If they spot your usual battle energy, they will want to pull your fangs."

"Battle energy?" Junseo scratched his head.

"Think about how you came to get your bracelets. What energy do you think they would have, boy?"

"Not all of them are from competitions. Some were gifts." Junseo answered.

"And weren't some of those gifts meant as thanks for times you went to battle for your friends?"

"Oh, but nobody at the palace or temple mentioned anything. You would think a Training-master might have said something. I mean we stow our stones when we are sparing but if the energy is that obvious." Junseo shrugged.

"It is only obvious to someone who knows how to read it. I picked up the skill from and army captain years ago but you can bet if the governor is even half as close to the conspiracy as you think, he will be looking."

"Well, I don't have crystal energy anymore, do I? The northern priestess took care of it." Junseo sucked in his breath and put his hands on his hips.

"No. You do have energy and it looks like you are pulling it in all the time," She pointed to where some minerals still clung to his wrists and explained, "It just isn't as focused as it used to be so it is not easy to read. And yes, this is probably a good thing for now."

"So, the usual mantras, with moonstones?" Junseo acquiesced.

"Yes, and I like your plan for mornings at the clinic and evenings at the temple. Actually, if you can stay over at the temple and just come home for lunch that might be even better."

"Do you think the parents will be good with that? I mean it feels like I just got back." Junseo still felt a bit guilty for his outburst with his father and how sad his mother seemed to be.

"They will understand but my great-grandson might not be easy to convince. Maybe you can schedule in some regular playtime."

"I haven't even made it over to the tinker's hall or the toy shop, for that matter," Junseo admitted. "I don't know if any of the usual crew will be around to welcome me."

"If not, you can probably find enough tools and materials to fix something up here. Your Knight-Master will want you to keep building, even if it's on a smaller scale."

"Maybe. Even if unsupervised hours don't really count. I might get some design credits." Junseo pulled out his ever-present notebook and flipped through looking for something he could scale down. His grandmother watched as Junseo got more and more absorbed with his task and just nodded to herself and went on her way.