Cinderfella 2: A New Life - 35. Chapter 35

I woke again next to Seth that following morning. Today we needed to begin a thorough search of this Jean Claude Ramiere’s room. I rolled over to Seth who smiled at me instantly.

“Good morning.” I greeted kissing him.

Seth smiled. “So far.” He agreed. “Are we looking into what made Christian sick today?”

“We have to.” I nodded. “We don’t have a choice.”

“Any ideas?” Seth asked.

“Not yet.” I shook my head. “But we’ll start this morning.” Then I heard Seth’s stomach growl. “After breakfast.” I grinned rubbing his stomach affectionately.

“Thank god.” Seth said as a prayer. Then he pulled me close. “But first.” He grinned. “A little morning love.”

I chuckled. “Morning, afternoon, evening…it’s all good.” I assured kissing him.

I walked into the dining room, pleased to see my brother dressed and sitting at the head of the table. It just looked normal. Ella was still sitting with him, almost doting too much over Christian, but he didn’t seem to mind a bit. Christian brightened as we came in.

“Hello, brothers.” Christian greeted. He looked even better. Almost normal again physically.

“Christian,” Seth touched Christian’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you up.”

Christian nodded. “It’s good to be seen at all.”

I sat at the table. “This morning, Seth and I need to go through that man’s belongings. Do you know where any paperwork he presented to you telling who he was, do you know where it is?”

Christian nodded. “I’ll have my records keeper get it. But you know it can’t be verified quickly.”

I nodded. “It would take weeks to get a reply from Parisia. Their monarch may have sent him, or didn’t. But there could be something about it to give a clue.”

Christian nodded. “Okay.”

“What exactly was he offering A’Dore?” I asked.

Christian shrugged. “He was a trader he claimed. He wanted to open a store here and not only in A’Dore’s capital, but other towns as well. He had many things from clothing to jewelry.”

“Jewelry?” I repeated. “Was he wearing any jewelry?”

Ella nodded. “He wore several things. Really quite unique, I’d never seen some so secure. The prongs were tight holding stones in place.”

“Well, metal jewelry could be a means to get poison or toxin to someone.” I thought. “But you didn’t notice anything he had on?”

Christian shook his head. “I don’t recall.” He held his arm out with the healing scratch that was almost gone now between his shoulder and elbow. “But we had to be standing to get me here. His cut was near his wrist. And it bled a lot. Mine sort of trickled.”

Seth nodded. “That could explain why he got so much sicker faster.”

“But it is deadly, even in a small amount.” I said thinking.

Christian nodded. “Apparently.”

Later we entered what had been Jean Claude’s room. Whatever this man had hopefully was still here. We had to find it. But we had to be careful, it could kill us, too. Seth and I began searching through his drawers on the bureau, his closet, his trunks of things carefully and cautiously. We saw the many pieces of jewelry he had brought. There was nothing suspicious about anything. But how would we know? It was a few hours later when Seth opened a little case.

“Erik.” He said softly. “Look at this.”

Coming over, he pointed to something I had seen before, but not often. It was a sort of metal bracelet a man would wear. Wide and would slide on and fit snuggly. But what was unique was there was a portion of the bracelet with a piece of metal sticking out that was bent like it was bent accidently.

“This might be it.” I nodded. “It looks like it was damaged and from the angle this…little blade thing extends, it should have gone toward Christian, but instead it went into man wearing it.” I looked at it closer. “And there’s a dark smudge.” I looked at Seth. “Blood?”

Seth shrugged. Then he sat thinking. “I’m thinking…maybe he was set up as well.”

“Who? Jean Claude?”

Seth nodded. “Well, how else can you silence an assassination attempt if you have the assassin alive afterwards. Whomever wanted your family dead, not only wanted them dead, but the killer as well.”

I shrugged a nod. “It will all be speculation until we know what we’re dealing with.” I sat by Seth. “We know of poisons. That knowledge has been around since ancient days. But this one…once delivered, it replicates in the body. Like it’s alive.” I looked at Seth. “I don’t know any poisons that can be deadly if inhaled by someone. There are gases, but not just incubated and then inhaled by another.”

“We’re looking for a very smart person.” Seth nodded. “To know something that will reproduce in the body and spread. They’d have to know about this…” he waved at the bracelet. “…stuff used and how it works.”

I nodded. “I guess we’d better know, too.”

Seth shook his head. “And how are we going to do that?”

I shrugged. “We’ll need to see it.” I wondered where I could find a magnifying glass. “We need a magnifier.”

Seth nodded. “Will it be enough?” He asked. “These things are very, very small.” He thought a moment. “Is there a way to magnify what the magnifier sees?”

I looked at Seth. “You mean magnify the magnification?”

Seth nodded. “Use a magnifier on what’s magnified.”

I shrugged. “We’ll never know till we try.” Then I smiled at him. Then I grinned bigger. “I married a very smart man.” I said kissing him.

Seth grinned and blushed. “Well, I don’t know about that…” then he thought more. “…but it makes sense. Technically, we should be able to magnify the magnification of a magnification. There should be no limits, if we can see what it is in focus.”

I smiled even bigger. “Correction. You’re not smart, you’re a genius!”

Seth grinned as he rolled his eyes. “If you say so.” He chuckled. “But who’s holding them?”

“The magnifying glass? Who says anyone has to hold them at all?”

All this was just speculation. Until we knew this was it, that’s all it was. But it had to be. I went to the palace craftsman. Explaining what we were trying to do was sort of challenging. We needed something small. A tall thing like a little pole that magnifying glass could be adjusted to focus to keep the glass steady and focus. Then glass could go closer or farther depending on what was seen or not seen. I made my request a demand and told him I needed it yesterday.

It was the next day when the craftsman came with what he’d made.

On a metal post, about a third of a centimeter high, there were these magnifying glasses that could be slid down and tightened with a screw in place and would hold steady. There were several that could be added above each other. We made a little base that whatever we needed to see could be placed. There was another problem we needed to work out. Placing it on the base would shadow whatever we looked at. Trial and error told us that elevating what was on the base would help. Reflected sunlight by using a little mirror would help us see whatever we looked at. But how far did we look? As much as we could. This took several days.

Putting some of my blood on the base of the magnifier, focusing the next magnifier I was surprised at what I saw. Then again. It was just unbelievable! Then again and again.

“God in Heaven!” I said reverently. “Seth, do you know what’s in our blood?”

Seth shrugged. “Blood.”

I grinned rubbing his face. “Yes, but did you know there are hundreds of little parts?”

“Parts? What parts?” Seth asked coming over.

I waved at what I called the Seer. “See for yourself. You may not look at me the same after you do.”

Seth looked at me unsure. “Is it bad?”

I shrugged. “It’s me.”

Seth looked at the image. “Damn!!” But kept looking. “I thought it was liquid. Blood, I mean.”

I shrugged. “It’s so small, it just looks like liquid. But it moves, so it maybe in liquid, but it’s made of those little things.”

Seth nodded. “My blood is like that?”

I smiled hold up the dagger I got mine by. “Do you really want to know? In order to find out, I’ll need your blood.”

Seth grinned and held his hand out to stop me. “Next time I cut myself, we’ll look. Until then, I’m just assuming it is.”

“Coward.” I groused with a smile.

“So now what?”

“We look at that…” I pointed to the box with the bracelet. “…whatever it is.”

Seth nodded. “I sent a letter to Royal Valley. Telling Grace what happened and why we’re here. I said a coach got us to explain why ours is still there.”

I nodded. “By the time it gets there, the passing of time makes more sense.”

The door opened and Christian came in. “How’s the investigation going?”

I chuckled. “Do you want to see?” I motioned to the Seer.

Christian looked at Seth. “Do I?”

Seth grinned and shrugged. “It’ll open your eyes. Since you two share the same blood, you may be in for a shock.”

Christian looked a little wary, but leaned over to see through the glass. “God in Heaven!”

Seth chuckled. “Yes, he is your brother.” He said to me.

“What…?” Christian looked at the blood, then back at what he’d seen. “….there are these things moving. What is that?”

I shrugged again. “Apparently, it’s what makes my blood. And therefore yours, too.” I frowned at the setting sun. “But we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see more. We’re losing light.”

Christian nodded. “So, what’s your plan tomorrow?”

“We look at what it was that attacked you. See what we find and know more about what it is.” I answered.

Christian smiled walking over to me. His arm came around me. “I know you will. I believe in you one hundred percent.” He kissed me on the temple. Then looked at Seth. Christian grabbed Seth in a similar hug and kissed his temple. “You, too, Seth.”

Seth smiled, but pointed to me. “He’s the brains. He knew what we needed to look for.”

I shook my head. “Maybe, but you figured out how we could see it.”

“Yea, but…” Seth started.

“Guys!” Christian chuckled. “I get it. You’re both smart, but now you have a room full of nieces, nephews and your own children that would love to see you.” Christian said moving us to the door with his arms around both our shoulders shoving us leaving no choice. “So, let’s go get an early dinner. That’s a royal order.”

I grinned at him.

Christian jerked his head toward me at Seth. “He got to boss me around recently. Now I can do it back again.”

When we came into the dining room Seth and I were instantly surrounded by children! Toby was signing and Edward was hugging Seth’s leg and I was being hugged by Ada and Ana. Thomas was grinning to the side, but he was there.

Seth chuckled as he lifted Edward. Seth was still the favorite uncle to Edward. I picked up Toby and watched as he signed almost too fast. But I saw something that caught my eye from what Toby was saying. I stopped everyone.

“Tell me again, Toby.” I said looking at Toby closer. “Slower.”

Toby sighed and started again. Uncle Deme came and has a note for me to give you.

“Uncle Deme? You mean Demetrius?” I repeated. “He was here?”

Toby nodded. A few hours ago. Then Toby looked a little concerned. Is Uncle Deme mad at you, Dad?

“No, he’s not mad at me.” I smiled at my son. “We’re just not able to talk anymore.”

Toby nodded. He said, to tell me what you need to know.

I looked at Seth who was smiling. “I knew he wouldn’t be gone.”

Seth nodded. “But I’d say we did pretty well on our own.”

I nodded. “We did.” I looked at Toby. “Where’s the note?”

In the nursery. Toby signed. I’ll show you.

In the nursery he handed me the note. I frowned as I looked at it.

Enemies are not always in the past. Look at those around Christian and Ella’s past. There’s you answer.

I handed the note to Seth. “Not a lot of help.”

Seth shook his head. “Is he saying that man wasn’t from Parisia? He was from here in A’Dore?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I thought. “Christian’s past, or Ella’s?”