through sheer strength! But that was not the case.
Laura slumped against the opposite wall. She stared at the vault angrily. They had come this far, searched for three weeks, only to have failed at the very moment they found the repository? She wouldn’t believe it. There was some way to open it, and she wouldn’t leave her until she figured it out.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted that same dark shadow from the chest. It was crawling on the edge of the floor, slinking toward her. This time, she definitely was not imagining it. She started to get up, to alert the others to its presence – but something told her not to. Instead, she sat still and watched it move. It slid along the floor, never altering speed, moving as an amorphous blob. Laura watched, fascinated. It came all the way down the hall before stopping right in front of her. For a split-second, Laura felt like it was the shadow that was commanding her to remain quiet. Before she had a chance to do anything, it zipped to the locked vault and slipped into it under the crack of the door. Laura heard a distinctive click.
She looked at Alexander and Logan, who had their heads pressed together in conversation beside her. They appeared not to have noticed.
Laura stood up slowly, as if moving underwater. She walked toward the vault door, placed her hand on the handle, and pulled toward her.
The door came open.
Chapter Seven
~A Shadowed Threat~
Logan was the first to notice.
“What did you do?” he exclaimed. “How did you get it open?”
Laura didn’t hear him. She was completely entranced with what she saw. The inside of the vault was lined wall-to-wall with all types of artifacts. They ranged in size from as big as her pinky finger to larger than the chest they encountered before. And they were truly diverse. Here was a stout metal goblet rimmed with red rubies; there was an oddly curved walking stick, the handle ending in a carved impression of a boar. There was a chair unlike any Laura had seen far on the other side, with a seat that seemed to sag down to the very floor. Along the other wall was a series of small figurines, each depicting a ballet dancer in various stages of flight. Many of the items she saw were decorated with rubies and precious stones. Some, she could not distinguish at all: for example, an interlocking grid of metal braces that made a cage around three fist-sized concentric spheres. And yet, from the moment she laid eyes on all these things, she knew them for what they were. Torrial .
“Laura?” Logan called out behind her. She could hear him starting toward her, but didn’t pay him any mind. She had just uncovered an absolute treasure. She couldn’t let anyone else have it. She felt a commanding pull come from the far corner of the vault. There, she recognized the dark shape from before. The shadow was beckoning her inside, enticing her to cross the threshold and step into the repository. She didn’t want to share the treasures with anyone.
She stepped inside, and before Logan or Alexander could do anything, shut the door behind her. She heard the click of the mechanism as it locked into place. A pounding noise began on the other side, but it was muted. Neither Logan nor Alexander would get in. The treasure was hers, all hers.
She stepped dreamily toward the first row of artifacts. She could feel the shadow’s presence lurking near the rear of the vault, but she was unafraid. Or rather, unconcerned – all she could think about were the torrial that lay in front of her. The pounding noise drifted away as Laura reached out to pick up the nearest torrial …
A wicked shadow flashed in front of her vision, momentarily blinding her. She staggered back. The shadow darted in front of her again, racing over the row of torrial. It moved back and forth, back and forth, and every time it did, it left pieces of black
Laura slumped against the opposite wall. She stared at the vault angrily. They had come this far, searched for three weeks, only to have failed at the very moment they found the repository? She wouldn’t believe it. There was some way to open it, and she wouldn’t leave her until she figured it out.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted that same dark shadow from the chest. It was crawling on the edge of the floor, slinking toward her. This time, she definitely was not imagining it. She started to get up, to alert the others to its presence – but something told her not to. Instead, she sat still and watched it move. It slid along the floor, never altering speed, moving as an amorphous blob. Laura watched, fascinated. It came all the way down the hall before stopping right in front of her. For a split-second, Laura felt like it was the shadow that was commanding her to remain quiet. Before she had a chance to do anything, it zipped to the locked vault and slipped into it under the crack of the door. Laura heard a distinctive click.
She looked at Alexander and Logan, who had their heads pressed together in conversation beside her. They appeared not to have noticed.
Laura stood up slowly, as if moving underwater. She walked toward the vault door, placed her hand on the handle, and pulled toward her.
The door came open.
Chapter Seven
~A Shadowed Threat~
Logan was the first to notice.
“What did you do?” he exclaimed. “How did you get it open?”
Laura didn’t hear him. She was completely entranced with what she saw. The inside of the vault was lined wall-to-wall with all types of artifacts. They ranged in size from as big as her pinky finger to larger than the chest they encountered before. And they were truly diverse. Here was a stout metal goblet rimmed with red rubies; there was an oddly curved walking stick, the handle ending in a carved impression of a boar. There was a chair unlike any Laura had seen far on the other side, with a seat that seemed to sag down to the very floor. Along the other wall was a series of small figurines, each depicting a ballet dancer in various stages of flight. Many of the items she saw were decorated with rubies and precious stones. Some, she could not distinguish at all: for example, an interlocking grid of metal braces that made a cage around three fist-sized concentric spheres. And yet, from the moment she laid eyes on all these things, she knew them for what they were. Torrial .
“Laura?” Logan called out behind her. She could hear him starting toward her, but didn’t pay him any mind. She had just uncovered an absolute treasure. She couldn’t let anyone else have it. She felt a commanding pull come from the far corner of the vault. There, she recognized the dark shape from before. The shadow was beckoning her inside, enticing her to cross the threshold and step into the repository. She didn’t want to share the treasures with anyone.
She stepped inside, and before Logan or Alexander could do anything, shut the door behind her. She heard the click of the mechanism as it locked into place. A pounding noise began on the other side, but it was muted. Neither Logan nor Alexander would get in. The treasure was hers, all hers.
She stepped dreamily toward the first row of artifacts. She could feel the shadow’s presence lurking near the rear of the vault, but she was unafraid. Or rather, unconcerned – all she could think about were the torrial that lay in front of her. The pounding noise drifted away as Laura reached out to pick up the nearest torrial …
A wicked shadow flashed in front of her vision, momentarily blinding her. She staggered back. The shadow darted in front of her again, racing over the row of torrial. It moved back and forth, back and forth, and every time it did, it left pieces of black
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