‘Oh, come,’ the pendant exclaimed in disdain. ‘I am exactly what you see and know me to be. Let us not waste time on foolishness.’

‘You were grey and still when I took you from Grandmother’s jewellery box.’

‘She had not worn me for many a year. She put me aside, just as she put aside the rest of her life. But you have revived me. You are young and your anma rushes strong as your blood through your veins.’

The pendant had a tiny voice, and despite my fear, I drew closer to hear its words. The eyes that met mine held kindly amusement. A smile bent the mouth. ‘What are you afraid of?’ she demanded. ‘For generations I have been in your family, passed down from mother to daughter. With me comes all the wisdom of your line. You were wise enough to steal me. Are you so foolish that you will fear your fortune now that it is in your hands?’

‘You’re magic,’ I said. ‘You’re alive.’

‘I am. And so are you, if you would bother to find it in yourself. It’s part of your inheritance, and if you are wise, it will be the first part you reclaim.’

‘My inheritance?’ I asked quietly.

The little eyes narrowed. ‘What goes with the empty ring that you wear: that is your inheritance. As you have donned both it and me, I suggest that you reclaim all that went with it. All that your grandmother Aubretia possessed before she chose to set us aside and live quietly.’

It was growing darker. Strange as may be, the little carved face seemed like a companion in the night. I took up the pendant and held the carved face closer to my own so I could see it. ‘Tell me,’ I begged. ‘For all the years that I lived with my grandmother and cared for her, I know little of her past.’

‘Well.’ The small dark eyes, so like my own, flitted about consideringly. ‘Where shall I begin? Tell me what you do know of her.’

I cast my mind back. ‘She told me little. Mostly I have guessed. I think that when she was very small, her family was wealthy. She often warned me against trusting handsome young men. While I lived with her, she would not permit anyone to court me. So I think that-’