it that could be useful now.
I instantly groan. There’s no way I could get it, not without alerting Noam to its importance. I could send someone to steal it from Bithai, but even when I had it, I needed Theron’s help to figure out any of its passages. Maybe Sir or Dendera would be better equipped at deciphering centuries-old riddles?
“The carvings,” Theron tells Noam, easing around the couches to stand in front of him. “We can’t open the door now, but I think—I think the carvings could lead us to a way.”
I straighten, eyes hard on Theron.
“How so?” Noam asks.
Theron exhales. “The whole place feels like a secret, but I think whoever made it wanted it to be opened. But noteasily. Something like that should be difficult to open, and if I had set it up, I would have made it so only the worthy could access that much power.”
Noam stays quiet, his arms folded.
“I think the carvings hold clues.” Theron slides a paper out of his pocket and unfolds it, showing Noam as he talks. “I drew them as best I could. Vines on fire, books in a pile, a mask. On the surface, they seem unrelated—but they do have one thing in common.”
Noam finally loses his patience. “So help me, if you—”
“Each symbolizes a kingdom in Primoria. Vines on fire—Summer, their vineyards and their heat. Books in a pile—Yakim, their knowledge. A mask—Ventralli, their masks and art. What else could it be? I think these symbols are meant to lead us to a way to open the chasm. I propose we put together a caravan to visit these three kingdoms and see if my suspicions are correct,” Theron finishes.
Summer, Yakim, and Ventralli? I keep my face as blank as I can, but inside, unease takes root in my stomach. A Season and two Rhythms? Why would the Order hide the keys in those three kingdoms? Could it be that easy?
Theron certainly thinks so. And he has proven rather useful when it comes to deciphering cryptic things.
“But where ?” Noam waves his hand west, in the general direction of Summer, Yakim, and Ventralli. “Where do you propose we begin? What are we even searching for?”
“The keys for each lock, I think. It seems right, at least—three key holes, three symbols. Once we get them, I’m hoping the barrier falls—it’s a barrier of magic, so the keys might be magic too—”
“So you propose we search all three damn kingdoms?” Noam’s annoyance flickers into anger at being so close to a goal yet still hindered.
“Yes—well, in part.” Theron looks down at his sketches of the chasm door’s symbols. “We could start by exploring the areas in each kingdom that are most likely to have what we seek. Areas of value, perhaps, that would have survived the tests of time. It’s at least a start. We could ask—”
Noam jerks forward, one hand jabbing threateningly. “You are not to breathe a word of this venture to anyone. There is no asking anything. No questions of keys or mystical barriers or the Order of the Lustrate. If anyone knows anything at all about these things and hears you speak of them, it won’t be difficult for them to figure out what we found.” Noam grinds his jaw. “Leaving at all is risky. If word gets beyond these borders . . . no. There has to be another way to open that door.”
Theron’s brows lift. He seems close to arguing with Noam, his eyes sweeping over his father’s face.
I step forward before Theron needs to say anything.
“Do you have a better idea?” I snap at Noam.
The Order of the Lustrate is out there. They exist; theywrote that book, they made the chasm entrance. They have to be out there still, or at the very least, there has to be someone in Primoria who knows them or remembers their teachings, and talking to someone would be infinitely more helpful than that mysterious book.
Maybe they can seal the door or tell me what their barrier did to my magic so I can get it under control—or even just reconnect my link to Hannah, so she can help me. However
I instantly groan. There’s no way I could get it, not without alerting Noam to its importance. I could send someone to steal it from Bithai, but even when I had it, I needed Theron’s help to figure out any of its passages. Maybe Sir or Dendera would be better equipped at deciphering centuries-old riddles?
“The carvings,” Theron tells Noam, easing around the couches to stand in front of him. “We can’t open the door now, but I think—I think the carvings could lead us to a way.”
I straighten, eyes hard on Theron.
“How so?” Noam asks.
Theron exhales. “The whole place feels like a secret, but I think whoever made it wanted it to be opened. But noteasily. Something like that should be difficult to open, and if I had set it up, I would have made it so only the worthy could access that much power.”
Noam stays quiet, his arms folded.
“I think the carvings hold clues.” Theron slides a paper out of his pocket and unfolds it, showing Noam as he talks. “I drew them as best I could. Vines on fire, books in a pile, a mask. On the surface, they seem unrelated—but they do have one thing in common.”
Noam finally loses his patience. “So help me, if you—”
“Each symbolizes a kingdom in Primoria. Vines on fire—Summer, their vineyards and their heat. Books in a pile—Yakim, their knowledge. A mask—Ventralli, their masks and art. What else could it be? I think these symbols are meant to lead us to a way to open the chasm. I propose we put together a caravan to visit these three kingdoms and see if my suspicions are correct,” Theron finishes.
Summer, Yakim, and Ventralli? I keep my face as blank as I can, but inside, unease takes root in my stomach. A Season and two Rhythms? Why would the Order hide the keys in those three kingdoms? Could it be that easy?
Theron certainly thinks so. And he has proven rather useful when it comes to deciphering cryptic things.
“But where ?” Noam waves his hand west, in the general direction of Summer, Yakim, and Ventralli. “Where do you propose we begin? What are we even searching for?”
“The keys for each lock, I think. It seems right, at least—three key holes, three symbols. Once we get them, I’m hoping the barrier falls—it’s a barrier of magic, so the keys might be magic too—”
“So you propose we search all three damn kingdoms?” Noam’s annoyance flickers into anger at being so close to a goal yet still hindered.
“Yes—well, in part.” Theron looks down at his sketches of the chasm door’s symbols. “We could start by exploring the areas in each kingdom that are most likely to have what we seek. Areas of value, perhaps, that would have survived the tests of time. It’s at least a start. We could ask—”
Noam jerks forward, one hand jabbing threateningly. “You are not to breathe a word of this venture to anyone. There is no asking anything. No questions of keys or mystical barriers or the Order of the Lustrate. If anyone knows anything at all about these things and hears you speak of them, it won’t be difficult for them to figure out what we found.” Noam grinds his jaw. “Leaving at all is risky. If word gets beyond these borders . . . no. There has to be another way to open that door.”
Theron’s brows lift. He seems close to arguing with Noam, his eyes sweeping over his father’s face.
I step forward before Theron needs to say anything.
“Do you have a better idea?” I snap at Noam.
The Order of the Lustrate is out there. They exist; theywrote that book, they made the chasm entrance. They have to be out there still, or at the very least, there has to be someone in Primoria who knows them or remembers their teachings, and talking to someone would be infinitely more helpful than that mysterious book.
Maybe they can seal the door or tell me what their barrier did to my magic so I can get it under control—or even just reconnect my link to Hannah, so she can help me. However
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