Page 78 of Queen of Legends and Lies
But something else snags my attention.
A door.
In a cave?
The dank, foreboding cavern surrounds a massive slab of a door, the golden surface of which features intricate carvings and symbols. An iron lock stands out in stark contrast, the size alone enough to deter any intruders.
What in Ziva’s name is this place?
And how did this monstrosity of a door get down here? The thing probably weighs as much as a baby dragon.
I approach cautiously and run my hand over the smooth surface. Who could’ve built such a thing? And moreimportantly, why? What secrets lie behind this imposing barrier?
Bracing myself, I press a shoulder to the door and push with all my strength. Nothing happens. It doesn’t so much as creak, let alone move.
Panic flutters in my chest. I glance around wildly, but there are no other exits. If I can’t get through…I’ll be trapped.
Calm down.
Not trapped. I can always go back.
But then my trip will be for nothing. Narrowing my eyes, I focus my power and aim a white-hot stream of flame directly at the lock.
The fire flickers out before it can even leave my fingertips. Dammit. I’ll have to pick the lock the old-fashioned way.
Minutes—or maybe hours—later, I’ve managed to get it open.
I waste no time.
Throwing my weight against the door, I shove with all my might. It resists, stubborn and solid, but I refuse to relent. Muscles trembling, I push harder, until finally, blessedly, it grates open with a tortured metallic shriek.
The distorted screech that bounces through the tunnels raises the hair on the back of my neck.
The sound is unsettling. Unnatural.
Forcing down the instinctive urge to flee, I enter the cavernous space. My jaw drops.
Enormous pillars of glittering quartz and granite rise in every direction with decorative crystal spires stretching up and up into infinity like a forest of shimmering stone.
It’s…breathtaking.
Mind-boggling.
I execute a slow spin with my head tipped back and my eyes wide. Trying to grasp the sheer scale of it all is dizzying.The chamber seems to go on forever in every direction, an impossible hidden world beneath the earth.
“Gods above.” My awed, reverent whisper echoes in the stillness.
As I venture farther inside, the weak ball of light putters and dies, plunging me into darkness.
Fear lances through me, and I freeze, heart hammering. But then, gradually, a soft glow builds around me.
Transfixed, I watch as the crystals begin emitting a gentle silvery blue glow, like captured moonbeams. And then, as if rising from their core, the light spreads until the entire cavern shimmers with ethereal radiance.
Otherworldly. Magical. Like nothing I’ve ever seen.
This place…it’s no accident of nature. No random cavern.
It speaks of ancient purpose just beyond my grasp.
