Free Amethyst by Rebecca Lisle Page A

it,’ said Copper.
    ‘You’ll soon learn,’ said Amber.
    ‘You must spend more time learning the techniques, Copper,’ said Shane Annigan. ‘Making anything fine takes time. Will you work really hard this afternoon, just for me?’
    ‘Oh, all right. I’ll try.’
    ‘After all, she must be able to do it; it’s in her blood,’ said Cedar.
    ‘Maybe it isn’t,’ said Copper. ‘I can knit. Only I don’t any more,’ she added, glancing at her mother. She exchanged a look with Amy. There’d be no knitting without knitting needles, her look said.
    At last Shane Annigan was ready to continue his journey. They accompanied him to the front door.
    ‘That’s a fine species of dragon you have there,’Shane said. He was looking up at the dragon carved out of the lintel above the door.
    ‘A Marble Mountain Dragon,’ said Cedar. ‘A good luck charm.’
    ‘Splendid! I hope you always have good fortune. Goodbye to you all and many thanks!’ Shane stepped out across the snow, waving merrily to them.
    He started off walking lightly on the white crust, his feet hardly marking its surface. Suddenly he broke into a run. His clothes flapped loosely round him. The faster he went, the higher off the ground he seemed to go, until he was almost flying and running at the same time. His white clothes seemed to mingle with the white of the snow until finally he became a blur and vanished into the distance.
    ‘Wow!’ said Copper. ‘Fantastic!’
    ‘I’m going to all those places he told us about one day,’ said Questrid. ‘You see if I don’t.’
    ‘Well, I’m not,’ said Copper. ‘I love it here. I’m never going. Amy, come down to the Root Room with me, will you? I promised Mr Annigan I’d work harder – though I’m really hopeless. Questrid’s got some lumps of stone down there that you could carve. We could be together.’
    So they both went down to the Root Room.
    ‘Amy, would you like to try marble, granite, or basalt?’ said Cedar.
    ‘Marble,’ said Amy, without hesitating. Marble was cold and hard to work with. If there were faults in the stone, and there always were, it might chip and couldshatter. But that made it all the more challenging. The end results were smooth and sophisticated.
    ‘OK. Copper has an elm figure,’ said Cedar. ‘She’s only been working on it for three months, Amy,’ he joked, ‘that’s why it’s so good.’
    Copper held up the piece of knobbly elm. It didn’t look like anything.
    ‘Hopeless!’ she said. ‘Let’s see who can produce the worst piece by the end of the afternoon!’
    Amy looked up at the domed tangle of roots above their heads. How would she bear it down here? The roots cascaded down the sides, then disappeared into the earth walls. Built into the spaces between the roots were small cupboards, shelves and racks for hanging the tools on. Compared to the white walls, smooth floors of shiny rock and snow-reflected light which she’d had in Granite’s studio, she did not find it very inspiring.
    She had to make do with Questrid’s spare tools, because the ones Uncle John had given her were back at Malachite Mountain. She stroked the chunk of marble. She turned it round and round. For the very first time she was going to carve something beautiful. She began to chisel and chip at the stone. She forgot everything else.
    Alongside her, Copper worked on her wooden figure.
    ‘Wood’s so difficult,’ she whispered to Amy. ‘Not like knitting. I can knit every stitch there is, you know, and quickly, too.’
    ‘Not much good if your mum won’t let you,’ said Amy.
    Copper shrugged. ‘Wish I knew why.’
    For two hours Copper and Amy worked, chatting all the time. They gouged and cut, sanded and polished. Finally Copper threw down her figure in disgust.
    ‘It’s horrible! Look! I’ve just sliced off her nose and she looks like a pig. I can’t do it, Cedar, I can’t!’
    ‘Er, I’m not sure your mother is right about your carving talents being hidden