[Huan]

‘I do have a few pieces of my work . . . two; no, three is all. And those are ones that I wear as personal ornament. Two of them really are the same – I brought a pair of links for my more formal shirt’s cuffs. They are fairly plain . . . a small gold anvil on one side, a chasing hammer on the other. Each one is set with a small beryl, a favorite gem of mine, and each a different color. But here . . .’

He reached for his cloak, rubbing the pin on its left shoulder to take away the film of dust from recent travel. He opened the clasp of the pin, taking it from its bed of dark blue wool. At first it appeared to be a starfish, worked in gold . . . five pointed as the creature is, yet upon closer inspection, irregular about its borders. The middle, too was raised up to a definite point, and in it was set a small, many faceted clear gem.

‘This is lovely!’ one of Anyopâ’s tablemates said. ‘Something tickled in my memory as you removed it from the blue folds of your cloak . . .’