"Yes, it did," Shandara responds. "Well, I suppose you're the wood expert and all, and if you think trying to split the wood along the grain works, we could try it. But there's no telling how fragile the crystal veins are. Or if the small ones reinforce the wood somehow and make it more difficult to split. Perhaps you had better try an edge of the wood that isn't near a large vein..."

"Um, what did you want to show me?" she asks.