Page 93 of Dead Crown
“I suppose.” He still didn’t appear thrilled.
“We have to do this,” said Jaki. “The sooner, the better, so let's get it over with.”
They headed down. The doors slowly closing behind them was rather creepy, and it gave Jaki a spooked feeling as though he were trapped. Since others had been to Rinder’s tomb and hadn't been trapped inside to starve and die, he knew they'd be able to leave later.
Halfway down, he paused as a faint vibration ran through the stairs.
“What was that?” Lumi whispered as they stopped.
“I don’t like this,” muttered the High Mage.
Jaki glanced ahead, although there was nothing to see. The stairs headed into darkness, and above them, he couldn’t see the doors anymore. “I never heard of the ground quaking in this area.”
“Maybe it does,” said Lumi. “But hardly anyone is around here, so it’s not known.”
“Here, take the Crown. Give me the lantern, and I’ll go ahead. Whatever that was, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.”
Going first wouldn’t save them if the tomb collapsed. Jaki still felt as if he should. He passed the pack to Lumi and took the lantern so he could go ahead. Lumi stayed close behind as they went, and the High Mage followed. What if there was some kind of trap he didn’t know about? Since the tomb was preserved, it should stand for thousands of years and not shake like it was ready to collapse.
But since a few others had been there over the ages merely to look around, and they had returned, a trap didn’t make sense.
The stairs kept going, taking them farther underground, and the dark pressed on the circle of light the lantern made. The air was rather stale. Finally, the stairs turned into a short straight hall that led into a room. Jaki lifted the lantern so they could see better. Ahead lay two stone doors, and he knew Rinder rested beyond them.
The High Mage looked around. “What’s to keep someone from entering Rinder’s tomb and stealing the Crown?”
“It’s a crime to steal something from a tomb,” said Jaki.
“It doesn’t mean no one might be tempted.”
“It’ll kill the land they live in, and if it does happen, then I guess Iceland isn’t meant to be,” said Jaki.
Between the doors and the ceiling was a decent gap, almost as if the room had been placed inside and not carved out of the stone. To one side, a portion of the wall had strange lines carved in. In the center lay two keys with their heart-shaped bows touching. Jaki stared at them. Where had he seen those keys before?
“What’s that?” Lumi pointed at them.
The High Mage tilted his head. “Decoration?”
“I think that’s what the Valentine family has on them,” said Jaki. “The scarring they’re all born with. I saw a drawing years ago in a book. They all have those keys in the center of their lower back. Just like that.”
“Why would that be here?” asked Lumi. “The Valentine line didn’t have anything to do with us back then, right?”
Jaki approached the wall to touch the keys. Whoever had done the carving, their lines were neat, deep, and nearly perfect. “I don’t think so. Then again, we’re right next door, and when fairies first came here, they likely came through East Forest. Rinder could have known the original Valentines and even been friends with them. We don’t know much about his early life. The first King of East Forest…uh…”
He’d learned in his history lessons as a child, but he’d long forgotten it.
“I believe it was Ryder,” said the High Mage. “If I remember correctly. He was talented with horses and unicorns.”
“I guess that would make sense,” said Lumi. “Perhaps he decided to have the wall carved with their markings toremember their friendship by. They're kind of similar to the Tree, aren’t they?”
“They are.” Not quite the same, but close enough. Perhaps a long time ago, it had meant something quite particular, but it had been lost to the ages. Besides, the Tree belonged to the Cleel line, not the Valentine line.
“Do you think there’s anything behind there?” asked Lumi.
“Perhaps. I’m certainly not going to try to break-”
The High Mage made a strange noise from behind Jaki just as a voice spoke. “Are you going to stand there and blather about meaningless lines carved ages ago?”
Jaki whipped around. Lumi stood frozen as he stared at the Mage. The man had collapsed with an arrow sticking from his throat. Above them in the gap, shapes moved in the darkness, a lantern suddenly glowed, and a winged fairy was coming toward them with an arrow ready. Several others crouched in the space with bows held low so they didn’t hit the ceiling, and one had a crossbow.
