Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal

Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal is a 1996 children's fantasy novel by Australian author Emily Rodda. It is the third book in the Rowan of Rin series.

The Keeper of the Crystal – leader of the Maris people – is dying and a messenger brings this news to Rin

Rowan of Rin learns that his mother, Jiller, is to choose the new leader from one of the three warring Maris clans. Doss of Pandellis, Asha of Umbray and Seaborn of Fisk are their names. When she falls victim to a strong poison, however, Rowan finds himself in the Chooser's position as well as trying to create the antidote to wake his mother from Death Sleep. Rowan then receives a riddle of how to make an antidote by bonding with the crystal and finding the recipe against the Keeper's will.

Fill one spread hand with silver deep.
In a hungry pool moons raise their heads:
Pluck one and add the tears it sheds.
Stir slowly with new fighters quill,
Three times, no more, and let it still.
Add venomfrom your greatest fear--
One drop—and then the truth is clear.

They then exit the cavern of the keeper to go to the island where Orin the first keeper went to make the antidote. They think that the water will be the answer to the second line, however Doss says that it is too obvious and that it wound not be the sea water. Rowan then sights a slight glint in the trees and runs toward it. they discover that it is a pool of clear water. Seaborn is then asked to retrieve the water but once his hand touches the water clear tubular leeches then get attached to his hand. He screams in pain and gives Rowan the water. Then a bird swoops down towards them but is actually diving toward to the pool to grab some leeches. The pool then turns silver as the leeches bury themselves under the silver sand. In the centre of the pool is a moon flower and they decide that they will have to grab the flow with their hands since the "tears" that they need is the sap. Rowan then remembers that in Rin they use scarecrows to scare away crows and they construct a bird like kite using Seaborn's cape and sticks. They fly the kite near the pool and Rowan puts his and in the pool and grabs for the moonflower because all the other refuse to do it.

The 5th line means a quill from the bird that has not been plucked and exposed to air for a long time. They use Asha's cape which is silver as a mirror to attract the bird.

The venom of your greatest fear is the venom from the Great Serpent. They got the venom from the serpent while it was laying its eggs into the pool where Rowan got the moonflower from.

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