Mae's Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Necklace

     Then, suddenly, the tranquillity is broken as a figure moves stealthily through the dark, unnoticed by the partygoers. A hand reaches through the pitch black night, itching with greed, its fingers curling around cold, valuable stone -- a betrayal of trust that changed the course of the evening's events forever...

     ***

     It started with an unexpected invitation.

     As the sun began its rise over the picturesque hills of Shenkuu, Mae walked to fetch her mail feeling sluggish; being awake before the sun was fully up in the sky wasn't something she particularly enjoyed, but her family's Pandaphant had woken her up, insistent on getting his breakfast early.

     For a moment, the teenaged Shadow Kougra paused at the bottom of the footpath to watch the waterfall roll down the hill past her house, and she took a deep breath of the clear morning air. Soon she'd be back in bed, enjoying sleeping late on her spring break, so long as Obi was satisfied with his meal.

     There were only a few letters in the mailbox when she opened it. Her parents were away on vacation, leaving her alone with Obi, and she was making a point to diligently bring the Neomail in every day. This morning, however, one item caught her eye: a scarlet envelope with a silver wax seal. Mae smiled; she knew exactly who this was from.

     Without waiting to check the other Neomails, she slammed the mailbox shut and scurried back into the house. Someone had written "Mae" in elegant script on the front, and though there was no return address, she knew from the envelope alone that her uncle had sent it. She sat down at her kitchen table, barely noticing that Obi was now happily fast asleep in his bed, and unsealed the letter with the utmost care, scanning the writing through several times to make sure no detail was wasted on her as a smile spread across her face.

     Hours later, after she had eaten and dressed, she brought it with her to her cousin's house.

     "I've never been invited to one of Uncle Jov's parties before," she said to the Faerie Kougra standing at the stove behind her. "I know he's only inviting me because my parents are away, but I still can't wait for tomorrow night."

     "Hey, maybe it's not just because your parents are away, maybe he thinks that you're old enough to attend dinner parties since we're graduating soon," Kacia said as she carefully measured loose tea leaves. "Read it to me one more time, I keep missing parts of it."

     Mae cleared her throat.

     "To Mae,

     I hope this letter finds you well - and in time. I am having a dinner party in a few days (perhaps sooner by the time this reaches you) when Kreludor is completely visible in the sky, and I would be delighted if you were to be in attendance.

     Please arrive at 7:00 pm NST sharp. The other guests will be very pleased to meet you, and I have a special surprise for you all.

     Yours lovingly,

     Uncle Jovron"

     Mae let the letter slip out of her paw and drift down onto the table in front of her as Kacia poured the tea. "Knowing your uncle, I can only imagine what that surprise might be," Kacia said.

     She raised a valid point. While Kacia, Mae's cousin from her mother's side of the family, was Mae's best friend, Mae's Uncle Jovron, from her father's side, was undoubtedly the most eccentric member of her family. He had traveled Neopia far and wide, and was in the business of collecting and trading rare antiques and treasures. His dinner parties, held once every so often on the full moon, were attended by Neopians from all walks of life -- and some of them from less honest walks than others.

     But Jovron had a sense of humour about it, and everything he did was for his own amusement. Nobody really knew how he came into all his money, and if asked, he never gave the same answer twice.

     Mae played with a strand of hair that had fallen from her long, black ponytail, sighed dreamily, and wondered aloud, "Maybe he's making some sort of announcement?"

     Kacia stared up at the ceiling for a couple of seconds, lost in thought. "Could the surprise be a person? The Altador Cup will be starting in a few months, what if he's got a player from the Shenkuu team coming? I'd just die if you met Mirsha Grelinek."

     "I don't know," Mae smiled. She reached out a paw and fiddled with the edge of the cryptic letter. "But whatever it is, I know that'll be a night I'll never forget!"

     ***

     The next evening, Mae found herself walking up the steps to her uncle's Neohome as the sun was painting the sky a beautifully blended mixture of pinks and purples and oranges. Uncle Jovron's mansion sat on top of a hill in the fields of Shenkuu, perched at the edge of a babbling waterfall. It was a huge building with more rooms than Mae could think to fill, and the back of the house had balconies that overlooked the intricate garden with expensive-looking shimmering rainbow gravel that lined the many rows of exotic flowers and sculpted trees.

     A cool breeze suddenly tugged at the edge of Mae's dress and whirled her ponytail into her face. She shivered, feeling something oddly foreboding in the spring air, and hurried up to the door.

     Uncle Jovron's butler, an elderly Bruce named Brunton, answered promptly when Mae rang the bell. He smiled, recognizing his boss's niece immediately. "Well, look who it is!" he chuckled. "My, you've gotten big since I last saw you!"

     Mae stepped out of the cool night air into the warm light of the foyer. "It's nice to see you again!" she smiled.

     Brunton gave her a bow, and then indicated the room at the far end of the foyer. "Your uncle and the other guests are in the parlour. Dinner will be ready soon."

     The parlour was a large, octagon-shaped room with detailed white walls, polished floors adorned with heavy ornate rugs, and a high ceiling. Red velvet curtains lined the large bay windows, and the room was decorated with expensive antique furniture arranged tastefully around a roaring fireplace. It was a room that always made Mae feel rather small when she was younger, and as she pushed the doors open and walked inside that night, she found that that hadn't changed.

     Five heads turned to look at her. "There she is!" a voice cried out. "Mae, my dear!"

     Mae knew that voice well; standing by the fireplace, leaning against the wall, was a familiar Blue Lenny. He adjusted his glasses and motioned to Mae. "Friends, this is my favourite niece, Mae."

     The others murmured hellos. "Uncle Jov!" Mae said, hurrying over to the fireplace. Her uncle scooped her into a big hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he laughed, "It's been far too long, young lady!"

     "You're the one who's been away for so long, not me!" Mae prodded back.

     Her uncle turned her around to face the other guests. "Let me introduce you to our esteemed company!"

     The first guest he pointed her to was a handsome young Desert Lutari, dressed in formal Lost Desert attire, standing at one of the windows sipping a drink. "This is Khadi-Ra, an art dealer based in Qasala." From the Lutari's expensive-looking clothes made of various fabrics and silks, Mae guessed that he was a very successful art dealer, at that.

     Khadi-Ra shook Mae's hand, his grip firm on her paw. "Pleased to meet you. I met your uncle on a boat transporting some... valuable pieces a few years ago. He's told me a lot about you."

     Next was a beautiful White Aisha who was perched delicately on one of the ornate settees, dressed in a long glittery red dress that shimmered spectacularly in the parlour's lights. "This is Casara, of Meridell." The Aisha reached out a hand delicately to shake Mae's, her sleeves billowing gracefully with every slight motion. "Charmed," she said.

     "She's in King Skarl's personnel," Mae's uncle explained.

     After Casara was an older Royal Elephante sitting in the chair to Casara's right. She stood up and smoothed her dress, made of various soft-looking fabrics in many bright colours, and bowed her head when Uncle Jovron piloted Mae over to her. "And this is Psylina," Jovron continued. "She's royalty from the Lost Desert."

     The final guest was a stoic Spotted Lupe who appeared to be about Mae's uncle's age, standing at one of the bookshelves in the back of the room. From the perfect posture to the way he curtly shook Mae's hand, Mae got the impression that he was a very important man.

     "This is Sir Palomir. He was a knight for King Altador, and is one of my oldest friends," Uncle Jov told Mae fondly. Palomir gave his old friend a nod of approval.

     "Well!" Uncle Jovron breathed, rocking back and forth on his feet. "That's everyone. And you're all here now! Which means we can get started with the festivities." There was a murmur of approval from the group, cuing Jovron to continue. "Come along everyone!"

     Mae followed her uncle out of the room with the rest of the guests. Everyone had seemed perfectly pleasant but... A pit was growing in Mae's stomach. Something was off, and she could feel it. The way her uncle had described the other guests had made them seem like perfectly normal citizens of Neopia, but she couldn't help but feel he was omitting something.

     The group ascended the stairs and followed Jovron to his study. Palomir brought up the rear with Mae walking in front of him, while Casara and Khadi-Ra chatted quietly in front of her as the group moved along. Psylina was a few steps behind Jovron, who was hastening to corral everyone into the room.

     The study was beautiful in a more subtle way than the parlour; the walls were lined with bookshelves that reached all the way up to the ceiling, with so many books and papers and maps spilling out of them it looked like one more shred of paper would cause them to burst. The furniture was still antique and ornate, but also very sophisticated. Jovron's large desk in the middle of the room was covered in scattered papers and trinkets. Next to it was a large glass display case, and behind the glass was one of the most beautiful things Mae had ever seen.

     "I'd like to direct your attention," Jovron began proudly, "to my newest acquisition." He lifted the glass off the display stand, and removed a necklace made of glistening cherry red gemstones. With each movement, it seemed to sparkle even more. Mae could feel her heart swelling in her chest.

     "This is called the Heart of the Sun," Mae's uncle continued. "It's--"

     "It's said to be the necklace the first emperor of Shenkuu proposed to his wife with," interrupted a voice. Mae turned and saw that it was Khadi-Ra who had spoken. His face looked pale, and his eyes were huge.

     Jovron nodded. "Very good, my friend. In fact, in many paintings of the First Empress, you can see her wearing this very necklace. I acquired it during my recent travels; it had fallen into the wrong hands and was being traded around Neopia's underground. I plan to hand it over to the Emperor tomorrow, but I thought you five might like to see it in person first. After all, I'm sure it'll be under lock and key for the rest of our lifetimes."

     He lowered the necklace back onto its stand and replaced the glass cover. "Anyhow, you five are the only ones who even know it's here. And Brunton, of course. But even the rest of the staff has no idea they're under the same roof as such a precious collection of jewels."

     The room was quiet for a few seconds. It seemed like nobody knew what to say. "It's... beautiful," Mae breathed.

     "'Beautiful' doesn't even begin to describe it," Casara scoffed, moving closer herself.

     "Unbelievable..." Psylina chimed in softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I have not seen anything like it before..." After hearing Psylina's voice for the first time, Mae noticed her thick accent.

     Mae, her uncle, and the other guests stood in front of the necklace in silence. Jovron's glow of pride was enough to show Mae that he already felt the night was a success.

     After a few wordless seconds had slipped away, a bell chimed downstairs. "Ah! That's dinner!" Mae jumped at her uncle's sudden voice, as did the others.

     "We'll be dining upstairs," Jovron said apologetically as he moved past his guests and opened the study door. "The main dining room is undergoing construction right now, but Brunton has set up a very nice spread in the gallery." The guests filed out, and Mae noticed Jovron closed the study door tightly behind them.

     The gallery was down the hall from the study. It was a large white room with dark wooden floors, and framed paintings in all kinds of different styles covered the walls. A few sculptures and other art pieces were placed in various spots throughout the room, but all had been pushed to the corners in order to make room for the long dining table that had been set up. At the back of the room, the door to the balcony overlooking the garden was open and an evening breeze was blowing through.

     Jovron made his way to the balcony doors and drew them close. "Please, have a seat," he motioned to everyone. Small name cards were sitting at each place setting on the table; Jovron, as the host, was at the head, and Palomir was opposite him at the other end of the table. To the knight's left was Mae, and Khadi-Ra was between Mae and her uncle. Casara sat on the other side of Palomir, and Psylina was to her right.

     A few moments after they seated themselves, while everyone was chatting with their neighbour, a Red Gelert in chef's attire entered the room.

     "Yes, what is it, Tadriel?" Jovron said, rising up out of his chair.

     The Red Gelert bowed. "I was told we had a last-minute addition to the party."

     Jovron blinked a couple of times at the chef, then motioned to Mae and sat himself back down. In a flash, Tadriel was over next to Mae. "Are there any foods you're allergic to?" he asked, leaning down towards her.

     Mae shook her head. After a moment she said, "Nothing I can't eat, but... I really don't care for squid."

     Tadriel's face broke out in a smile, showing all of his pointy teeth. "Well," he laughed, "we should be able to accommodate that." He turned and left, shutting the door behind him.

     For a while, the guests talked amongst each other. Mae felt intimidated by the people around her; an esteemed knight, a famous art dealer, a member of King Skarl's council, and actual royalty! And here she was, just a young Kougra feeling like a little Koi in a big pond. Brunton came in with drinks for everyone, setting down a glass of Fresh Phearade in front of Mae.

     As Brunton exited the gallery, Jovron excused himself from the table and left the room as well. The guests fell into a momentary silence before lapsing back into conversation.

     "So," Khadi-Ra said, turning to Mae. "Mae, what is it you do?"

     Mae blushed. "I'm a student," she said. "I live here in Shenkuu with my parents."

     The Lutari nodded. "Are you thinking of following in your uncle's footsteps? He seems very fond of you."

     The compliment made Mae smile. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not really sure what I want to do! I'd love to travel for a while, like he does."

     "Ah! So you've got the spirit of adventure in you as well?"

     It was Mae's turn to nod. "I hope someday I get to visit every land in Neopia!"

     Khadi-Ra laughed. "And I'm sure you will!"

     "Khadi, you're not boring the poor thing are you?" came Casara's pouting voice. "She doesn't want to hear about all your silly art."

     "Hey!" he snapped back, although Mae could hear a teasing note in his voice. "My art isn't silly!"

     "Tell him to be quiet if you get sick of it," Casara said to Mae. "Important men can be so dreadfully insufferable sometimes!"

     Uncle Jovron came swiftly back into the room and took his place at the head of the table. "The food is on its way up!" he said proudly.

     Just a couple of seconds later, Tadriel returned carrying silver platters stacked high with food. He began setting the dishes down in front of the guests. "We're serving Spaghetti with Altadorian Sauce tonight," Tadriel stated. Mae noticed all the guests were putting their cloth napkins in their laps, so she copied them and did the same.

     "Altadorian Sauce?" Psylina repeated. "This is an interesting choice."

     "Yes," Palomir said. "I met the good chef in Altador recently. He cooked for King Altador. I suggested to him when Jovron informed me he was planning another dinner party."

     "And thank you, again, for speaking so highly of me," Tadriel said as he began to put a dish down in front of Casara. Casara tried to move her Sparkling Space Cocktail aside to make room for the plate, while at the same time, Tadriel reached to move her silverware. Their arms collided, sending the drink hurtling onto the floor. With a crash, the glass shattered.

     "Oh!" Casara cried.

     Tadriel leapt into action; he quickly set Casara's plate safely on the table and knelt down on the floor. From the sound, Mae guessed he was trying to clean up the glass. "My sincerest apologies," Tadriel cried. "I'll replace the glass, don't you worry about that!"

     Jovron waved his hand in response to the chef. "It's no matter," he said with a reassuring smile as he took a swig from his own cocktail. "We have plenty of drinkware. Go get Brunton, have him make sure the glass is cleaned up so nobody steps on it." Tadriel was back in a flash accompanied by Brunton, who began sweeping, and Tadriel resigned himself back to the kitchen.

     "It looks like you're bleeding," Khadi-Ra said suddenly, pointing to Casara's right hand. Sure enough, it looked like some of the glass had grazed her.

     Palomir stood up from the table and strode towards the door. "I will fetch a wet towel and we shall dress the wound," he said, exiting the room. He left the door open behind him.

     "Yes, where can I find a bandage?" Khadi-Ra asked as he stood up.

     "There's a restroom down the hall, there should be some there," Jovron said. Mae looked over at her uncle as Khadi-Ra went off in his search for a bandage. Jovron's boisterous air had changed, she noted. He looked... uneasy. Mae had never seen her uncle look anything besides carefree, but there was something in his eyes that started making the pit in Mae's stomach return.

     Palomir was back in a moment with a damp towel. He went to Casara and reached for her hand, but she swatted him away. "Just give it to me," she snapped. "You don't have to be knighted to press a towel to a wound."

     Palomir grumbled something about being chivalrous, but handed the towel to her. She pressed it to her hand, and when Khadi-Ra came back, she took the bandage from him.

     Everyone was settled back down at the table after a few minutes, and the butler left to go back to the kitchen. The evening's conversation resumed, but Mae continued stealing looks at her uncle.

     When the six had finished their main course, Brunton and Tadriel came back into the room with Meridell Pudding and mugs of fresh-pressed Borovan for everyone. Palomir and Khadi-Ra were away from the table, sipping their drinks and chatting by one of the sculptures, and Psylina was walking slowly from painting to painting, examining the art.

     "It's gotten awfully stuffy in here with the doors closed," Casara remarked, stirring her Borovan.

     Jovron gestured to the balcony. "I'm sure the night air is beautiful right now, if you'd like to go enjoy the view."

     Casara excused herself from the table and did just that, leaving Jovron and Mae there alone.

     "Uncle Jov..." Mae started.

     "Now, my dear, I don't want to hear it. I've been seeing you peek at me all night with that look on your face. You're here to have a good time, not to worry about your old uncle. You look like you've swallowed a Skritch."

     "But--" she started, cut off by Psylina walking up behind them.

     "The restroom," Psylina said. "Where did you say it was?"

     "Further down the hall," Jovron told her, motioning with his wing. "You'll see it, there's a large vase of flowers by the doorway." Psylina nodded and left the room.

     "I was saying..." Mae continued carefully. "I have a weird feeling in my gut, and I know you have it too!"

     Jovron looked around, before moving closer to his niece and lowering his voice. "Something's not right here, Mae. I made a mistake holding this party out of my own vanity. In fact--"

     But again they were disrupted by Psylina. This time, however, she tore into the gallery, throwing the door open with a BANG. Her face was drained of colour, and her eyes were nearly popping out of her head. Jovron leapt up from his chair.

     "T-The necklace...!" Psylina stammered. But Jovron was already flying past her out the door. Mae stood up from her chair so fast she nearly knocked it over, following her uncle out of the room. Psylina, Palomir, Khadi-Ra, and Casara were right behind her.

     Her uncle had frozen in the doorway to the study, white as a Ghostkerchief. Mae peered around him, and her eyes landed on the display case the necklace was once in.

     For the second time that evening, the host and his guests crowded into the study, surrounding the display case in complete and utter shock. This time, however, it was because the necklace =- made from the invaluable royal jewels of Shenkuu's first empress -- was gone.

To be continued…