Page 34 of Stealing the Star Stone

Little by little, she drew closer. If he reached out, he could brush her outstretched fingers.

When she realized she was almost across, excitement threw caution to the winds and she made too large a movement forward, sending the bridge rocking.

She screamed and lunged, landing on the ledge in an undignified sprawl.

“Not a word to anyone, Thorne,” she mumbled, staggering to her feet.

“You did so well,” he crooned, giving her a tight hug. “Now hand me the—” He gaped at the bag sitting on the other end. “Shit.”

“I’m so sorry,” she moaned. “And we need it. The stone’s inside.”

“I’ll get it,” he said, holding his hand to the railing in an attempt to slow its violent movement. Back he went, choosing to focus rather than to rush and be reckless. But with the bag on his arm, his balance was off. Returning to her took more control and patience.

He shot glances at Nova. Her face was pale.

Concern showed in her wringing hands and shallow breathing.

He took comfort from it, that she cared.

When he was a few feet away, he tossed the bag to her, letting out a sigh when she caught it midair.

The last few yards were easier, and he made it to the ledge without the bridge offering too much complaint.

She hugged him then, something he’d always cherish. It wasn’t coerced or forced, but her choice. He buried his face in her chest, but too soon, she pulled away.

“One problem at a time, right?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, but before he could ask her about it, she marched down the narrow tunnel toward the blue light.

The next chamber was blindingly well-lit. Pictograms lined the walls, and he somehow sensed they were older than the names at the entrance. They told stories with stones at the center of them all. The scenes had a whole submoon and not the shattered one.

“Look at the floor,” she said, her feet almost touching squares carved with more pictograms. He recognized none of them.

“I suspect these are trapped. If you don’t know the word or legend, you can’t cross.

” She knelt and tapped the closest one with the carved shape of a yuxmet.

The tile crumbled and fell into a black void similar to the bottom of the chasm.

“Yes, to our doom.” She squeezed his thigh, using it as leverage to climb to her feet.

“Maybe the wall paintings will give us a clue.” He read the nearest one, trying to unravel its mystery.

“Or we can use the path.” She rested her hands on her hips and grinned at him. “See where they’re worn from frequent crossings?”

Sure enough, a zig-zag of shiny stones showed the way.

Buzzing with excitement, he kissed her temple. “Has anyone told you that you’re a genius?”

She laughed. “Not lately.” Her giggling trailed her as she leaped from tile to tile, the rifle smacking her butt.

He went slower, weighed down with the bag.

Each step he took, he held his breath, then released it when the stone stayed underfoot.

“Why can’t things be easier?” he asked when he joined her on the other side.

“Why the traps, the danger? I get it, these are tombs, but I haven’t seen treasure to warrant this much security. ”

“Let’s hope the rest of this is—” She screamed, tumbling back and into Eli.

Before them stood a frail woman, her skin burnt gold, her blue tattoos glowing brighter than Amenkar’s.

“My apologies, young ones. I did not mean to startle you. I am Senmut, a Tazoc.” She touched her temple then Eli’s and Nova’s. “I guard the Kovari Shol, as is my birthright.”

“But the one we found had no such guardian,” Nova said.

“Not all our temples are accessible like they used to be so many centuries ago.” She gave them a wan smile.

“We live in a changing world.” With a flick of her fingers, she asked them to follow her.

“I sense you carry a shol.” She paused, studying them.

“And another has touched you.” She hummed as she waddled onward.

“That one was old and taken by a monster from the stars.”

“Orien’s an asshole,” Nova muttered.

The old woman cackled. “Indeed.” She ducked and dropped to her haunches to waddle along, a bright light at the end of the enclosed passage.

“Tell me, Senmut, what do the names lining the entrance mean?” Eli called past Nova, who’d dropped to all-fours to crawl behind the older woman.

“Those are my sister shol guardians who have served the Kovari Shols for millennia. I await my replacement. I was hoping when I heard you coming that my time was near.” She huffed when she straightened in the next chamber. “I have been here since I was a girl.”

“How do you survive?” he asked as he cleared the low-lying rock.

Before him stood a massive chamber, imposing pillars in black stone holding up the carved ceiling.

In the center was a pool packed with silver plants, quet swimming in the crystalline depths.

A waterfall cascaded from a high ledge, frothing the pool’s surface.

A variety of fauna and flora dominated one wall, and pictograms filled every available space.

Nowhere was a stone or a pedestal.

“Parcels are delivered through a crevice.”

“And you never leave here?” Nova asked, her eyes wide.

“No, this is my purpose.” She waved them onward while sinking onto a nearby stone bench. “The shol is behind the waterfall.”

“You’re not worried that it might shatter?” Eli asked, pulling the stone out of the bag.

“Mine is too young to die. Besides, you have already been touched. Why would it want to touch you a second time?”

“To free us, maybe?” Nova arched a brow then glanced at Eli. “Ready?”

He palmed the stone and marched to the waterfall. Sure enough, behind it sat a pedestal. “Okay, do we touch both at the same time?”

Nova shrugged. She splayed her fingers on the two stones. Since Eli was holding theirs, he had only to touch the one on the pedestal. A vibration began. He squeezed his eyes shut, half expecting another explosion.

Instead, the humming became a squeal, and fire burned from his bicep to his shoulder and into his chest.

He snatched his hand away, breaking contact.

“What the hell?” Nova demanded, whipping her gaze between the stones. She rubbed her chest as if it ached. Like Eli’s.

“Let me see your shol.” Senmut wiggled her fingers.

Eli handed it over, hopeful that she might guide them. She growled and muttered, turning the stone over. She even shoved it close to the other stone, triggering that hum.

She angled her head as if she listened intently, then she cackled. “That dear boy. This is Vael’Tir’s shol—the one Amenkar guards.”

“I knew not to trust him,” Nova snapped.

“He swapped them,” Eli said, like stating the obvious would reveal the man’s motives. It didn’t. “Why would he do this?”

Senmut closed her eyes for a few moments.

When she gazed at Eli, her expression softened with sadness.

“It seems his intentions toward you were not benevolent. Perhaps hoping you would die when the stones repelled each other? He loved the old chief dearly, and when the monster killed him, he was devastated.”

Nova snorted. “And he claimed that lying denied him access to heaven. The ass.” She gasped, her face paling. “We left Frederik alone with—”

“He’s a big man; he can take care of himself,” Eli said, but he hoped he spoke the truth.

Senmut shuffled back. “The mate to Amenkar’s shol is across the lake at an abandoned temple. It watches over the great waters.”

“Why can’t we go back and get our stone?” Nova asked. “Shouldn’t take us long.”

“Would he give it to us?” Eli asked her. “Like you said, we can’t trust him. And if Senmut says this one’s mate is a little farther away, I’m willing to chance it.”

She threw her hands into the air, then faced Senmut as if something had dawned on her. “Do we need a soul tie to save us or was he lying about that, too?”

The guardian narrowed her eyes, peering into Eli’s. “Some believe it protects you, but in truth, none are needed.” A toothless grin formed. “You carry many.” She glanced at Nova then cupped her cheek. “And yours is lost. Seth was such a kind man.”

A bolt of pain hit Eli hard, reminiscent of the day he’d learned of his parents’ deaths. The same intense sorrow flickered across Nova’s face. Her cheeks trembled as she struggled to control her emotions, even as her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Visions of a man’s body being brought out on a hover-stretch accompanied the sheer agony of grief. Behind his blackened body was a mining rig with the familiar ‘Warden’ signage. That explained her determination to destroy every scuttle or scout she came across.

“Come, you must hurry,” Senmut said. “Your time is shorter.”

Nova squeaked then wiggled, pulling the T-shirt down. Sure enough, the tattoo had spread, now crawling across her chest. The symbol for six had formed.

“But it’s not day six yet.” She gritted her teeth. “When I next see that man, I’m going to…punch him.”

Eli coughed to cover a chuckle. “I’ll hold him down.”

“You must leave here, return to your guide, then hurry on foot to the west of this island. There is a tunnel that travels under the lake and into the temple. It should be navigable, except for a few…vukuub. They are fearful of noise, so holler like a yuxmet and you should be able to slip past them.” She met their gazes.

“Do not be bitten by any of them. The quet cannot heal you from such venom.”

Eli bolted for their bag and shoved the stone in.

Senmut caught Nova’s hand and placed an egg-sized stone onto her palm. “You cannot enter without bearing a gift. But you must vow to leave this shol in the temple.”

“I promise,” Nova said and pocketed the stone. On impulse, she hugged the older woman. “Thank you for your guidance.”

Within minutes, they’d crawled through the passage, zig-zagged over the booby-trapped floor, then shimmied along the bridge. Nova hadn’t hesitated, no doubt fueled by anger.

When she reached Zal, she wagged her finger in his face. “Why the hell did you give us the wrong stone?”