Moon Shimmers(94)

“Don’t get maudlin on me, woman,” he said, but his voice was cracking rather than stern.

Shaking my head, I wiped my eyes and let out a soft breath. “All right, let’s go meet my destiny. I have to go in first—I know that. Chase and Venus, you’re behind me. Then the others as you will.” Sobering, I straightened my shoulders and, taking the lead, entered the cavern.





THE CAVERN WAS vast that I couldn’t see the back. As soon as I entered, my flashlight switched off. But in its place, a flicker of illumination began to glow from the walls—faint swirls of blue, green, and purple light. From the entrance, I could see a narrow path of smooth stones leading in. They, too, glowed softly in the same colors. The stone path led forward to what appeared to be a deep square pit.

I motioned for Venus to walk behind me, and for Chase to walk behind him.

“The rest of you, stay back along the edge, or you’ll be in danger.” I wasn’t sure where the knowledge came from, but I was running on instinct. From here on, I realized that it was all up to me—to my intuition. I took three deep breaths, letting them out slowly, before beginning my walk along the stone path. I kept my attention focused straight ahead. There were demons hanging out in the shadows to the sides. I could feel them waiting for the chance to jump in, to cause havoc.

“Camille? We’re being watched.” Chase sounded uncertain.

“I know. Ignore them. Focus on Venus’s back. Don’t look into the dark. Don’t doubt. Simply trust me. Put your life in my hands.” Surprised by the strength in my voice, I straightened my shoulders and, the heel of my staff marking each step, I continued toward the edge of the pit.

A low rumble began to vibrate the floor of the cavern, rippling through my feet. It was like a heartbeat of some long-dead goddess waking to life. With each step, the lights of the cave grew brighter.

“It’s so beautiful,” Venus whispered.

I glanced up to see the patches of color blending and moving, swirling like the aurora borealis, sparkling with each pulse. The swirls spread, linking up with each other, until the entire ceiling was a rippling vortex of light.

Turning my attention back to the path, I stopped at the edge of the pit. We were halfway into the giant cavern and I was entranced by the energy. It was familiar, like a song I’d heard long ago and forgotten until one day, the chords suddenly began to play in my mind again.

The pit was square, created out of bricks of the colored stone, terracing down to a center point about ten feet square like an inverse ziggurat. A dizzying set of steps led to a bare-leafed tree in the center. The tree was short—only about six feet tall, and it was cloaked in shadow—a mere silhouette. A swish of movement danced around it. The guardian. I wasn’t sure where the thought came from, but whatever was down there was guarding the tree.

The demons hiding in the shadows let out a howl, but I ignored them. They were there to frighten me off and I hadn’t come all this way to turn around and run. I knew that if I gave them any attention, they would come out of those shadows and be on me before I could take another breath. Instead, I focused on my mission. Behind me, I could feel Venus’s trance, the waves of his energy reaching out to surround both Chase and me. He was steady, an anchor negating some of the tension, binding all of us into the trance.

As I put my foot on the first step, the entire stair running around the pit lit up. Then the second. The third. Each step shimmered to life as I descended, Venus and Chase following me. And every step locked me into what I was doing. The world fell away as I descended into the pit, and the only thing that mattered was the tree in the center. The stairs continued to light, the pit flaring to life, and I lost track of how far down we had gone. Thirty steps…fifty…until we were finally at the bottom. Chase moved to my right side, Venus to my left, standing a step behind me.

As I stepped into the center circle, the howling of the demons grew louder and the entire floor was glowing. I ignored the demons, focusing on the tree and the shadows of the guardian surrounding it. As I approached the swirling mass of shadows, they gathered itself in front of the tree and took form into one, brilliant, shining figure. I paused.

She rose up before me like a sunburst of dark jewels, with wings that reminded me of those of a feathered, tattered bat. Spreading them wide, she tilted her head to look down at me, and her eyes were a glimmer of ice and snow.

“I am the Guardian of the Keraastar Diamond. Only the true Queen of the Keraastar Knights may claim it. All others will die. Do you wish to begin?”

I swallowed. Hard. I knew that I was supposed to claim the diamond. The question was, did she know? And if she did, how would I prove it to her?