Maisie Cerrajero

****M******aisie Cerrajero** was a young girl who came to stay at the Blue Vein Tavern on her way to see her aunt, as she had been turned out of her house for taking things. Maisie had an extreme talent for finding both lost things, and secrets, and could control houses of cards. All those in the inn could see that Maisie was bound for the roads.

## Biography

### *The Raconteur's Commonplace Book*

Al Tesserian was a gambler who built castles of cards, which Maisie was the one to make fall. Maisie had been traveling on her own to meet her aunt, but because of the flooding of the Skidwrack River, the aunt was most likely gone. Because Maisie had found something Petra had lost, like she'd been doing so often with the other guests, Petra went to get one of Mrs. Haypotten's music boxes to play with Maisie.

Maisie presumed that Madame Grisaille was a dancer, and though she wanted to dance she didn't, because she had a secret, and secrets could not be hidden when one danced. When Maisie danced, Petra could tell that she had something that made her sad. Madame Grisaille took out a music box that played a wonderful song, and Maisie danced and danced. Madame danced too, and Maisie knew her secret. Maisie invited Jessamy Butcher to dance as well, but Jessamy didn't want to, though Maisie presumed she was a dancer.

Gregory Sangwin carved little animals to give to Maisie (which delighted her), and Sorcha helped by collecting wood and passing the creatures to the girl. Maisie helped Tesserian with his card castles. After Amalgam's tale, Maisie considered whether the peddler was a villain for sending Pantin into Fellwool House. After Reever's tale, Maisie wondered if the town he spoke of had been Nagspeake, and if something was indeed ticking. Maisie supposed that it was hard to keep secrets when you told stories just as it was when you danced. Maisie liked Negret's tale about how a scavenger beat the Devil. Maisie then realized Jessamy Butcher's secret from her reaction to he tale. Mrs. Haypotten then declared that they needed cheerful stories, and told one about a queen called Maisie.

Queen Maisie lived in a happy town by the sea that was full of lovely things. One day her aunt, Lady Dorcas, had her go collect shells (Maisie objected to the queen having a unicorn, so Mrs. Haypotten changed it to a donkey called Fred-Morty-Tucker) with her animal. Queen Maisie met a washerwoman named Bean-Knee (as suggested by Sorcha and approved by Maisie) who revealed that her aunt was planning to throw her a party and then kill her, but that this could be prevented, and Bean-Knee helped Queen Maisie prepare, giving her a bottle of fog. Queen Maisie pretended not to know what her aunt was planning and enjoy the party. Afterward, Queen Maisie stuffed her nightgown with pillows and confronted her aunt after the pillows had been stabbed. Lady Dorcas jumped into the sea, and the golevants ate her. The queen reigned well over the kingdom, sweet, good, strong, and brave. Maisie declared that she had liked the tale a lot.

Maisie and Tesserian continued making the card castle throughout the stories. After Sangwin's story, Maisie decided that people should not charge eyes. Maisie was later taught about the seiche, and after learning that Sullivan was one, Maisie was not afraid because she saw that Sorcha was not either. Maisie considered seiche coming out of the river. Maisie later danced to the tune of the music box again with Negret, Reever, and Madame Grisaille. Maisie went to bed, and in the morning, she explored the inn and found many clues and secrets. Maisie and Sorcha then made fancy spills in the fire from paper and wax, making flowers and creatures that danced in the flames. Maisie put her carved animals from Sangwin around Tesserian's card castle, and though it looked like they would fall, they didn't, and the two of them continued to build while the guests told tales. Maisie saw Sorcha put her hands in the fire and realized her secret. Maisie commented on the stories and built the castle even higher. She asked what a High Walker was, recalling certain things Negret and Reever had said. Maisie then gave Forel's book to Negret, which she had found. Negret showed the book to Maisie, which was, he said, a reliquary, and Maisie wanted her fortune told like Forel's. Maisie then was encouraged to tell a tale, and she did.

One day, three kings, the King of Finding Things, the King of Opening Things, and the King of Tying Things went on a journey. They found an island and passed through a garden maze, where, in a tower, they discovered their little sister, the Knave of Taking Things, who'd been sent away for stealing. The knave promised that she would never take things again, so the kings went to rescue her. They passed through a number of hardships to reach her, and brought the knave safely home. She did what she'd said and stopped taking things, and was called the Knave of Building Castles of Cards, because she built castles of cards while she waited for her siblings to come home.

Maisie insisted that people really were sent away for taking things. Phineas Amalgam suggested that perhaps Maisie had left out too much in her tale. Antony Masseter explained what he thought: that the knave had been left at home to keep her safe, and she'd taken things to know about their journeys and to prove that she was able to handle them. The knave, he presumed, had gotten hurt and was sent away for her own safety, and wasn't really a villain. Maisie knew that he'd known all this before asking her. The denizens of the Blue Vein Tavern all agreed that the knave had not been a villain. Masseter told his story, then declared that everyone in the Blue Vein Tavern had weyward light. Maisie was surprised, but then remembered the secrets she'd seen that everyone else had. But then she realized that this included her, and Masseter insisted that she did, talking about her ability to find things and her power over card castles. Jessamy protected Maisie as Masseter and Petra had a face-off, and Maisie watched, fascinated, as the nails in the floor stopped Masseter, and he revealed the device he'd been making.

Petra, Sullivan, and Masseter left to float upriver and stop the water rising. Maisie was distressed, so Jessamy told a story about what Petra would do to calm her down. Petra would challenge the Devil to a dancing contest, Jessamy said, and Petra would dance with all her soul and nothing held back just as Maisie had done, something the Devil could not do, and Petra would win. Maisie was then give cake, and at Tesserian's request she toppled the card castle, sending the cards dancing all around, and Maisie danced with them. The floods began to recede.