Odo was puzzled; he'd never seen the box before. It wasn't beautiful or expertly crafted as some he'd seen; it was ordinary in every respect and even showed signs of excessive wear and damage. One side was scorched from fire and the other side was battered. It looked old and worthless.

"Open it, Odo," instructed Charlotte, impatient to see what it contained.

"A key isn't required," volunteered the priest when he saw Odo look at the brass face-plate. ...