He nodded. Apryl had a key to the Underworld. I sighed, not
understanding why she had it or the comb. “I wish I’d gotten my
comb back. I can’t stand that they have it.”
Eric ran his fingers along the wall
slowly until they sunk into a small round depression next to the
fresco with the the Valefar mark. “They don’t have it. I do,” Eric
turned, reaching into his pocket, and withdrew a silver gleaming
comb with a purple butterfly set in stones.
I threw my arms around him before
taking it out of his hands. He smiled at me and then turned back to
the wall.
I squealed, “Oh my God! Thank you!
How’d you get it? They took it from me. I thought I’d never see it
again.” I couldn’t wipe the shocked smile off my face.
“ Yeah, well, let’s just
say a Martis shouldn’t be without celestial silver. And no one
bothered to search me. I knew if things went badly that they would
take mine away. And they did. I had to make sure we had
something—and yours was easy to take. So I took it.”
“ Eric! You stole it?” I
asked, completely shocked.
“ No!” He looked offended.
“It’s yours. I was going to return it to you, should the time come.
And it did.” He removed his finger from the indentation in the
wall. “Ivy, press the pendant on the necklace into this slot.
Brimstone side facing out.” He backed away from the wall and my
Brimstone necklace.
“ When did you know that
the disc on my necklace was Brimstone?” He trusted me more than I
thought. One flick, one tiny wound from my pendant, and he’d
die.
“ I was the Seeker,
remember?” He pointed at my necklace and said, “The Kreturic
Pendant and the Prophecy One would find each other. I didn’t
recognize it at first. It wasn’t until I found out your mark was
purple that I pieced it together. The pendant marks the Prophecy
One.”
I turned the pendant over in my palm.
I’d seen a drawing of it in a book at Eric’s house. Curiosity
ignited within me and I wanted to ask him more, but decided now
wasn’t the time. I pressed the pendant into the wall. When the
peonies touched the slot the ground began to shake. It felt like
something enormous had slammed into the ground. The loose bones
shook free from their places. Old plaster cracked on the walls and
crashed to the floor. The wall next to the grave, which appeared to
be another unmarked tomb, began to slide away. We both stood still,
watching, as the wall slid back and revealed thick darkness on the
other side.
I swallowed hard. “This is it. There’s
no going back.” My breath was shallow, as my skin prickled with
anxiety. I turned to Eric, “Are you sure?”
“ Completely.”
The sound of feet slamming into the
ground kept us from walking through the portal. I spun around, with
my comb extended towards the noise. The razor sharp tines extended.
I knew who it was before I could see her. Shannon’s long hair
flashed burnt orange as I recognized her long stride. “They are
coming!” she screamed. “Casey told them you were here! You have to
leave. Leave now!”
She stopped, doubling over on her
knees. Eric looked at her, and back at the portal. “Do they know
you’re here? Do they know you came to warn us?” She nodded her
head. Eric turned to me, “Ivy, we can’t leave her here. They’ll
kill her if they think she tried to help us.”
Without another word I grabbed the
other piece of bone shard from the dirt, filled it with shadows and
sealed them in with my blood. The shard was ice cold.
I said to Shannon, “Hang this around
your neck and pretend you’re a Valefar. We were going through that
portal. All of us.” Her body tensed, but she didn’t refuse. A noise
echoed behind her and we all jumped at the sound.
Martis. Lots of them.
I took a deep breath, pulled Apryl’s
necklace out of the slot, and we stepped through the
portal.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
The grave slid closed behind us, and
drowned out the
understanding why she had it or the comb. “I wish I’d gotten my
comb back. I can’t stand that they have it.”
Eric ran his fingers along the wall
slowly until they sunk into a small round depression next to the
fresco with the the Valefar mark. “They don’t have it. I do,” Eric
turned, reaching into his pocket, and withdrew a silver gleaming
comb with a purple butterfly set in stones.
I threw my arms around him before
taking it out of his hands. He smiled at me and then turned back to
the wall.
I squealed, “Oh my God! Thank you!
How’d you get it? They took it from me. I thought I’d never see it
again.” I couldn’t wipe the shocked smile off my face.
“ Yeah, well, let’s just
say a Martis shouldn’t be without celestial silver. And no one
bothered to search me. I knew if things went badly that they would
take mine away. And they did. I had to make sure we had
something—and yours was easy to take. So I took it.”
“ Eric! You stole it?” I
asked, completely shocked.
“ No!” He looked offended.
“It’s yours. I was going to return it to you, should the time come.
And it did.” He removed his finger from the indentation in the
wall. “Ivy, press the pendant on the necklace into this slot.
Brimstone side facing out.” He backed away from the wall and my
Brimstone necklace.
“ When did you know that
the disc on my necklace was Brimstone?” He trusted me more than I
thought. One flick, one tiny wound from my pendant, and he’d
die.
“ I was the Seeker,
remember?” He pointed at my necklace and said, “The Kreturic
Pendant and the Prophecy One would find each other. I didn’t
recognize it at first. It wasn’t until I found out your mark was
purple that I pieced it together. The pendant marks the Prophecy
One.”
I turned the pendant over in my palm.
I’d seen a drawing of it in a book at Eric’s house. Curiosity
ignited within me and I wanted to ask him more, but decided now
wasn’t the time. I pressed the pendant into the wall. When the
peonies touched the slot the ground began to shake. It felt like
something enormous had slammed into the ground. The loose bones
shook free from their places. Old plaster cracked on the walls and
crashed to the floor. The wall next to the grave, which appeared to
be another unmarked tomb, began to slide away. We both stood still,
watching, as the wall slid back and revealed thick darkness on the
other side.
I swallowed hard. “This is it. There’s
no going back.” My breath was shallow, as my skin prickled with
anxiety. I turned to Eric, “Are you sure?”
“ Completely.”
The sound of feet slamming into the
ground kept us from walking through the portal. I spun around, with
my comb extended towards the noise. The razor sharp tines extended.
I knew who it was before I could see her. Shannon’s long hair
flashed burnt orange as I recognized her long stride. “They are
coming!” she screamed. “Casey told them you were here! You have to
leave. Leave now!”
She stopped, doubling over on her
knees. Eric looked at her, and back at the portal. “Do they know
you’re here? Do they know you came to warn us?” She nodded her
head. Eric turned to me, “Ivy, we can’t leave her here. They’ll
kill her if they think she tried to help us.”
Without another word I grabbed the
other piece of bone shard from the dirt, filled it with shadows and
sealed them in with my blood. The shard was ice cold.
I said to Shannon, “Hang this around
your neck and pretend you’re a Valefar. We were going through that
portal. All of us.” Her body tensed, but she didn’t refuse. A noise
echoed behind her and we all jumped at the sound.
Martis. Lots of them.
I took a deep breath, pulled Apryl’s
necklace out of the slot, and we stepped through the
portal.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
The grave slid closed behind us, and
drowned out the
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