Free Kaavl Conspiracy by Jennette Green Page B

know Petr never changes his mind about anything.”
    “Even so. I’ll talk to him later.”
    “Kitran is the only one who can ban me from the Tri-Level Game,” Methusal said. “I’ll talk to him after class. Maybe he’ll choose to take my side.”
    “We have to find the real murderer,” Aali spoke up. “Then Father will have to let you play.”
    “No, Aali. We won’t do anything,” Methusal said at once. “I don’t want you involved. Someone’s already killed Renn. I’m sure he’d kill again if he feels threatened.”
    “He wouldn’t catch me.”
    “Is your kaavl that good?”
    Aali flushed, as if embarrassed by a memory she didn’t want to share. “Mostly. But sometimes I get too focused on one detail.”
    “Keep your focus moving all the time,” Methusal advised. “Try to concentrate on something different every few seconds.”
    “Thusa!” Deccia hissed. “Stop. You know Father doesn’t want you to teach Aali kaavl precepts.”
    Methusal couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Right now, she couldn’t care less what the close-minded Petr wanted. He was wrong about her part in Renn’s death, and according to her father, he was wrong about the Alliance, too. Denying Aali permission to pursue kaavl was wrong, too. At least, it was in her opinion.
    “Why?” she asked her sister. “Because kaavl is a weapon of war? We’re not at war, in case Petr hasn’t noticed.”
    “Thusa. Do you want to stay on his bad side? Especially now.”
    Methusal sighed. “I’m sorry. But it’s so wrong! Petr loves kaavl. He’s at the Bi-level, and he wants to advance. How can he deny Aali the right to pursue it, too?”
    Aali scowled, and Methusal felt sorry for her. However, she didn’t offer her cousin any more kaavl bits of wisdom.
    “It seems to me,” Deccia said thoughtfully, “that we need to focus on one thing right now. Clearing your name. How can we do it?”
    Her twin’s staunch support comforted her. “I want to try to break into the ore mine.”
    Deccia gasped. “ No. You’ll be arrested.”
    “I have to try. I think the thief left my necklace in there. The mine is somehow tied into Renn’s death and the ore thefts. I need to figure out who has access to the mine. If I can’t break in, probably no one can. That means only someone with authorized access could have left my necklace inside. Renn’s murderer would be on that list.”
    A frown still worried Deccia’s brow, but she said, “How can I help?”
    Methusal leaned closer, “Do you know where the mine is?”
    Aali leaned in, too. She whispered, “I do.”
    Both Methusal and Deccia stared at her. Methusal spoke first. “How?”
    A smug smile curved her lips. “Practicing kaavl. It’s easy to follow those guards. They’re not careful at all. Plus, I know all the passageways in this old mountain.”
    “Can you show me where it is?”
    “I could draw you a map. It’d be hard for two of us to get far without being noticed. Even though we could both easily get through the first door into the ore mine hall, after that, more passages branch off. Guards are posted at three different places in the halls.”
    “Oh. Behran said there was only one guard.” Actually, he had said no such thing, Methusal realized. She’d misinterpreted his statement.
    “One guards the door to the actual mine,” Aali agreed. “You can’t get past him.”
    A new thought entered her mind. “Who are the guards? Maybe I could ask them who has access to the ore deposits.”
    “Good idea. But I only know one, besides Renn. I sneaked past the middle one and didn’t see his face.”
    Methusal waited. “Who’s the one you saw?”
    Aali cast a sly glance at Deccia. “Timaeus. He guards when he’s not messengering.”
    “I never knew that.” Deccia flushed. “I’ve seen him guard the entrance gate, but…”
    In a sing-song voice, Aali lilted, “You looove him.”
    “Aali, will you give me a map later?”
    “Sure. And a key to the first door.