Moon Shimmers(75)

“Stranger things have happened,” Venus said. “Remember, magic exists outside of time. So do many beings and creatures.”

Bran, who had been standing to the side, suddenly came to attention. “Queen Asteria was cagey and cunning. She always had reason for doing whatever she chose. She was one of the few in the Elfin kingdom that my mother respected. And one of the few I’ve ever felt the desire to be gracious to. I’m not keen on the elves, but Queen Asteria wasn’t nearly as complacent as others thought her to be.”

I knew that was true, from experience. But a glance at the sky told me that the light was starting to wane, bringing with it the first chill of evening. “Come on. I want into that barrow before nightfall.”

“Where’s the opening?” Venus asked. “You said you know?”

I stood back, eyeing the pond, then turned in the direction where I had seen them enter the mound. It took only a moment to figure out where they had found the entrance. I pushed through the scrub toward the side of the hill, the others following me. Once there, I stood at what I thought was the exact spot where Queen Asteria had been standing.

“The problem is, she had a metal disk she pressed against the side of the hill—right about here.” I touched a stone that I remembered seeing next to where she had touched the metal to the hillside. Nothing happened. “I don’t know how to make the door appear, but it’s right here.”

“Did you say ‘metal disk’?” Venus stepped forward.

I nodded. “Yeah, it was about the size of a silver dollar. Maybe a little bigger.”

“Like this?” He reached up to his neck and withdrew a chain that had been hidden below his tunic. “Chain” wasn’t exactly the right word. I recognized it as spidersilk—so strong it would be extremely resistant to being cut. As he drew it out from beneath his shirt, a metal disk was hanging from the end. It looked a lot like the one I had seen Trenyth had Asteria.

“Like…that.” I slowly held out my hand. “Where did you get this?”

“Queen Asteria gave it to me when she told me about the Maharata-Vashi. She didn’t say why. She just said don’t lose it and that I’d know when it was needed. I’ve worn it ever since, just as I’ve worn my spirit seal.” He slipped it off from around his neck and handed it to me. “I’ve learned to act on faith over the years of my life.”

I took the medallion. It had an antiqued look, and as I held it, I flashed back to seeing the queen firmly press her disk to the wall. I followed suit, slamming the metal against the compacted wall of dirt and grass. The metal flared as it hit the wall and I almost dropped the disk, but managed to hold onto it as a door appeared in the hill. I knocked on it three times, and it slid open, letting out a long hiss as stale air rushed out. I stared at the mound, suspecting that no one had entered this mound since Queen Asteria and Trenyth, though there was no way to know.

“We found it. We actually found it,” Delilah whispered.

“Is it safe?” I wanted to rush in, but had enough sense to hold myself back.

Bran peeked inside. “There’s light in there. It seems to be a natural illumination. As long as the door stays open, we should be able to breathe.”

“Maybe somebody should stay outside with the disk, just in case it decides to shut on us.” I turned to Roz. “Will you wait here?”

He nodded. “Chase can stay with me.”

“Thanks, dude. I really don’t feel like wandering into a mountainside right now.” Chase was staring at the opening with a faint look of terror in his eyes. “It’s nothing against you or your search, but frankly, I know my limits and who the hell knows what’s in there after all these years? I’m not Pandora and this isn’t my box.”

That broke the tension. I cracked up, relaxing for the first time in a while. “Good thinking. Who’s going with me?”

Smoky and Trillian stepped forward, as well as Delilah and Venus. Shade opted to stay outside in case Roz and Chase needed help. I handed them the medallion.

“You can open the barrow that way if it closes on us. Don’t lose it. We may need to come here again.” I turned to the others. “Ready?”

They nodded, but this time, Smoky and Trillian hung back, waiting for me to take the lead. I looked over at Venus and he gave me the slightest of nods. This is it, a soft voice said inside. The turning point. You’re going to be calling the shots soon. And here’s where you start. Shoulders back, head held high, I took a deep breath and entered the barrow, flanked by Smoky behind me to my left, and Venus to the right. Behind them were Delilah and Bran.