Page 79 of Dark's Savior

Ryziel glanced back at her then across the chamber. "Honestly, I'm not completely sure, but my best guess is that it didn't recognize us as a threat."

Aly frowned, letting that sink in and deciding it wasn't worth trying to wrap her head around or contemplating for the time being. She didn't expect to understand ancient alien technology.

She caught Ryziel searching around again as she followed closely behind. "What are you looking for?"

"There should be a large chest around here somewhere with a—ha, there!" Ryziel skirted down another row of columns, and Aly nearly tripped over some sort of black mirror to catch up with him. Down the row at the very end was a statue of Yurza and the two children. Below them was a large chest made from the same material as the walls and columns of the room, carved with intricate markings across its lid. Ryziel crouched down beside it, but there was no lock to be seen or handle to open it. He checked all around it then sat back. Aly sat beside him to observe it carefully.

"What do you think is inside?" she asked, after a brief moment of silence.

Ryziel tilted his head. "Only one way to find out." He moved again to the box and began to slide his fingers across the surface. His hand pressed against one side and a piece of the chest popped out. He pulled at the piece and another slid outward.

"It's like a puzzle box," Aly said. "You have to put the pieces right to open it."

Ryziel thought it over then began to work it out in silence. Aly watched for the most part, giving her suggestions every so often. It took a solid hour or so by her guess before he slid in the last piece, and the lid opened with a click.

Ryziel lifted the lid, and they both looked inside and found a glowing sphere, like a large pearl with flecks of gold across its surface. Cautiously, Ryziel drew it out of the box and held it in his palm. They both stared at it in trance-like wonder. Suddenly, the sphere’s glow went out, and the flecks of gold jumped from the orb to spread out before them in a burst of glittering light. Aly leapt back as Ryziel shot up, but the lights didn't pierce them or hurt them, they merely floated around them. They watched the colors move and then one specific speck of gold light became larger and brighter than the rest.

"What is it?" Aly breathed.

Ryziel watched for a long moment, his eyes darting from one set of lights to another. Then his eyes brightened in realization. "It's a map."

Aly gazed at the specks around them. "How do you know?"

"I was forced to memorize the Xolis map as a youth, and I recognize some of these systems." He looked back at the brighter dot of light before him. "This is the edge of Xolis." He pointed it out. "But there is no system here that I remember."

"But it's saying there is."

Ryziel's eyes narrowed. "It is."

Aly crossed her arms as she gazed at the bright spot. "What do you think it means?"

"It's a marker."

"To what?"

"I think...a planet."

"Do you think..." Aly dropped her arms. "Do you think some of Yurza's people didn't die? That maybe they...?" She shaped her hand like a ship, sweeping it toward the bright system.

"It's not completely impossible." Ryziel squeezed the orb in his hand, and the bright gold flecks returned to the now glowing sphere. He looked down at it with a frown and back at the box, which now lay empty. "It's a pity this is it, though."

"Why? Were you expecting something different?"

He glanced up at her with a sheepish smile. "I was hoping for a set of jewels."

Aly raised her brows at him. "Really? Jewels over something like this?"

Ryziel shrugged. "I wanted to give them to you. The most coveted treasure in the Keep."

Aly blinked at him. Then she smiled and laughed. "You don't need to win me over with jewels, you know. But I'm glad we found this."

Ryziel placed the sphere in one of his side packs. "Me too."

They started back for the ancient elevator, Aly refusing to take any of the other gems or treasures in the room, until a book on top of a chest caught her eye. She picked it up and opened it and let out a little gasp.

"What is it?" Ryziel said.

"Oh, it's..." Aly covered her mouth. She opened it up so he could see. It was a book of drawings; unbelievably intricate and beautiful sketches of the different parts of the Keep, of the flowers and plants, of beasts and of people.

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