Page 51 of Obsidian Dream

Biting on the metal flashlight, he gestured at Khalida trying to get her attention.

“Flashlight.”

He removed it from his mouth.“It is a box about the size of a book.”

“Can you open it?”

He lifted the box up; it was lighter than he had expected.A sudden chill surrounded him as he held it to the flashlight.In the limited light, the box looked translucent.The movement dislodged something, a faint rustling sounded within.And then it suddenly stopped.

“Is the box made from orichalcum?”

The metal was almost translucent in its natural form and featherlight.If it was Atlantean, it was more than likely the famed metal.

“Perhaps.”He traced the outer edges, the metal warm to touch.“I can feel a key slot.It feels like it is about an inch long.But there are no other openings.”

Shy of dropping it to see if the box would break, they were going to have to wait until they were back in the library to see what was in it—if it was of anything of value or just another pretty trinket box.

He loosened his backpack and rearranged the items so he could safely place the box inside before zipping it back up.

“Give me a second.Just in case we don’t have access again.”Talik pulled out the small camera before he quickly turned it on and took photos of the carving and the pedestal.“For posterity’s sake.”

He threw the backpack back on his shoulders, tightening the straps.The chill continued to seep into his bones.

“Do you sense anything unusual?”Khalida asked quietly.“In two hours, we haven’t come across any living animal, not even an insect.”

He didn’t miss the hint of self-loathing in her tone and knew that she would berate herself for not having noticed the entire absence of life earlier.Just like him.

“We should return to the surface,” Khalida said as she effortlessly jumped off the tomb, landing quietly.

Talik nodded before he moved back to the original path, facing the direction they had come from.He attached the flashlight to his chest, looping it onto the strap of his backpack and changing the light to a pale yellow.It was enough light that he could navigate but wouldn’t hinder Khalida.He glanced at the small red dots on Rose and Blanche.The girls were good to go if they needed any firepower.He tapped the hilt on his hip.So was the dagger.

“No heroics,” Talik reminded Khalida.He, on the other hand, was in no danger of doing anything heroic.

“I told you.I have no plan on dying anytime soon,” Khalida retorted.“Do you want to take the lead?If we follow the same path, we should be able to return to the library.”

Talik smirked.“I thought you would never ask.”

He took a step but stopped, sniffing the air.It was suddenly filled with the scent of pomegranate, and as quick as he could sense it, it was gone.

They retraced their steps, moving at a faster pace than when they had started.

Khalida halted behind him.

A faint giggle echoed through the catacombs.

The laughter grew louder, surrounding him.But that wasn’t what held him in place.His body was too heavy to turn as his heart was once again wrenched from his chest and smashed into broken pieces that would never perfectly fit together, no matter how much he tried.

The laughter was soft and sweet—the sound of hope and love entwined with each other.It didn’t belong among the dead or the living.

That laugh had haunted his dreams for centuries.

It was Sidra’s laugh.

He turned to reach for Khalida, but she was already gone.