Page 115 of Of the Stars and Sea

Moving the key’s light to the right, I run it over the long line of words trailing down to the floor.Still nothing. Then I start moving it to the left again, to where the image of the heavens and the old gods’ stars are bright from the silver paint.

The fire opal’s light seems to pulse wildly the closer I get to the stars. My mouth drops open and I feel my chest nearly bursting with energy as I move it toward Thaeto’s star in the constellation. The key’s light flickers so quickly, it almost hums.

My breath catches and I hear Grayson release a sigh as we both see it at once. Right at the center of Thaeto’s star is a keyhole. Small and insignificant. But it’s there. When I withdraw the key’s light from the wall, the keyhole disappears.

“She found it.”

“Yes, there it is.”

“The keyhole.”

All three of the water nymphs ring out their thrills behind us. Glancing at them over my shoulder, I bow my head. The one standing at the edge of the stone pathway smiles, revealing her razor-sharp teeth. She somehow still looks beautiful, despite the deathtrap set within her mouth.

Turning to look at Grayson, I extend the key toward him. “Here. Show us what’s behind that door.”

A muscle ticks along his jaw as he stares at the key in the palm of my hand. Then his gaze shifts to meet mine. “You were the one who got us here, Little Pearl. This honor is yours.”

Taking in a deep breath, I just look at him and smile. “I can’t believe this is it.” I shake my head, in awe of the moment.

Grayson threads his fingers through my hair, cupping the side of my face. Bringing his lips down to meet mine, he hovers there for a moment. “I wouldn’t want to share this moment with anyone else.” Then, he kisses me, slow and tender, before he pulls away and I’m standing before him, breathless.

Fluttering my eyes back open, I miss the feeling of his palm against my cheek when he retreats his hand and faces the wall.

The key’s light pulses to that flickering hum once more as I bring it to Thaeto’s star and slip it into the keyhole. Turning it to the right, the air around us starts to vibrate with the same crackling energy we felt outside the mountain and my heart rate kicks up in anticipation of not being able to breathe.

But my lungs stay full as a cloud of dust puffs toward us and the sound of grinding stone bounces off the walls around us. A smooth line forms just inside the edge of the scripture written on the wall as the large arched stone starts to move backward.

Grayson bars his arm in front of me and I look up at him. “Afraid of booby traps or something?”

When the sound of gears grinding into motion begins, the door shifts to the right, revealing a dark alcove with a single stone pedestal in the center.

“Or something,” Grayson mutters, his arm dropping. “Let me go in first, just to be sure.”

“I think that would be wise, given your special talents.” I huff. “But that’s theonlyreason why.”

He tosses a rogue smile over his shoulder as he steps past the entryway and into the darkness. Chills line every inch of my skin and my heart feels like it’s about to burst from my chest. The door is open, and just beyond the threshold is?—

“Come on,” I hear Grayson say then I see the outline of his arm gesture for me to move forward.

Steeling myself, I close my fist around the key and walk to him. The moment I step over the threshold, the alcoveilluminates, washing a bright silvery light over us. Grayson and I peer up to see some sort of mage light floating toward the domed ceiling.

I slip my empty hand into his as we look around. The light makes the onyx stone reflect like a darkened mirror, just as the key had on the outer wall. Our reflections are warped against the striated stone, making us both appear much taller than we are.

“Look,” he says, pointing to the pedestal centered in the room. “There’s another keyhole.”

Stepping forward, I run my fingertips along the keyhole settled in an intricately designed lock at the top base of the pedestal. The filigree matches the key with beautiful swirls and flecks of fire opal that ignite as I draw the key closer to it.

“But there’s nothing on top of the pedestal.” I turn toward Grayson. “What if we’re too late and someone has already taken what was here?”

He seems to mull over the question for a moment. “Let’s see what opening the lock does before we let our hopes dwindle.”

I nod. With a shaking hand, I slip the key into the stone lock and turn it.

Like a mirage dancing along the horizon’s edge, a golden image blurs to life on top of the pedestal. A gold tablet about seven inches long appears as if it were there all along and we just couldn’t see it. It lingers in the air just above the stone pedestal, held there by some ancient magick, no doubt.

“Another clue,” I say, reaching for it. Grayson’s hand settles at my back as I grasp the tablet. The metal feels cold to the touch, but it gives no resistance as I pluck it from its resting place above the pedestal.

Grayson’s hand trails up my spine as his head dips to take in the piece. “The old language is inscribed upon it as well.”

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