Tiberius called out once more. “And have the boy leave his pack and the girl her strange musical tool. They will be examined by the Magisters for any sign of the Skull King’s alchemies.”
Their makeshift cell had no windows and was hardly larger than a walk-in closet. The floor was covered in dry hay. Shelves climbed the back wall and were stacked with green glass jars, sealed in thick wax, which hid murky contents. Wooden barrels and waist-high clay pots lined another wall. The place smelled musky and peppery.
Some sort of pantry, Jake thought, earning a growl of protest from his stomach. How long has it been since I’ve eaten? London seemed a million miles and a million years away. And maybe it was.
Kady paced back and forth in the small space, her arms folded over her chest.
Jake crossed to one wall and studied the single light in their cell. An iron torch was bolted in the stone and held aloft one of those brilliant-glowing crystals. It was too high up the wall to reach, but he searched for any wires or cords, some connection to power. He saw none, but he wanted a closer look.
Maybe if I dragged one of those barrels over here…
Kady kicked one of the clay pots and faced Jake. “How did we land in this insane place?”
Her eyes had grown a little wild. Jake shrugged, sensing she needed some answer, any answer. “Maybe we triggered some sort of…I don’t know, maybe a quantum wormhole.”
“A quantum what?”
“Some rift in time and space. A spatial anomaly.”
Kady rolled her eyes. “In other words…you don’t have a clue.”
Jake frowned at her—but in fact, she was right. He pictured the glowing artifact. “Well, I do know that it must have something to do with the broken coin Mom and Dad gave us.”
Kady lifted a hand to her throat. “Then why did they send us these stupid things to begin with?”
Jake retreated and sat on one of the barrels. “I think…just to keep them safe and hidden. But I don’t know….”
His voice cracked at the end. All he knew for sure was that he was growing more worried with every second. What if the Council banished him and his sister back into the jungle? They’d never survive.
Kady crossed and sat on a neighboring barrel. “Maybe you’re right, Jake,” she said softly. “Mom and Dad couldn’t have known we’d end up sticking our coins in that pyramid thing.”
She hugged her arms around her chest and looked worried.
Jake pictured the glowing artifact in the British Museum. He also remembered Morgan Drummond running toward them, warning them away. Had the man known something? Or was he merely worried about them messing with an ancient treasure under his charge? Jake shook his head and tried to settle the questions bouncing around his skull.
“What we know for sure is that we are not the only ones who landed here,” Jake finally said, centering on what he knew to be true. “Someone or something has been collecting bits of Earth civilizations—from different times and different places—and stranding them in this world.”
“Lucky those tribes didn’t just kill each other off when they got here,” Kady said.
“They must have banded together for survival. In this dangerous place, the enemy of your enemy is your friend.” Jake touched his throat. “Plus that universal translator effect. Being able to talk must go a long way to keeping peace here. Wherever here might be.”
“But where are we?”
Jake shook his head. “Maybe another world? Another dimension? If we can figure that out, we might be able to figure out how we got here.”
Kady sighed loudly, as if it were all too much work. “Forget how we got here. How do we get home?”
Jake again noted a rising edge of hysteria. Before it could spread to him, he spoke out loud, keeping his head busy against the fear in his own heart. “The two mysteries are tangled together. How we got here, how we get home. We won’t be able to solve one without solving the other.”
Kady reached over and squeezed his fingers. “You studied all that archaeology and ancient history stuff. If anyone can figure this place out, it’s you.”
Jake shook his head, but at the same time, he pictured the stone dragon floating above the neighboring forest. The pyramid had to hold some answers. He had to find a way to get inside. But he remembered Marika’s warning.
It is forbidden to trespass there. Only the three Magisters of Alchemy are allowed to enter and gaze upon the crystal heart of Kukulkan.
Jake stared up at the glowing fist-sized gem atop the iron torch and began to piece together a sketchy plan.
“What we need to do first…” he mumbled.
Kady leaned closer, listening.
Jake firmed his voice. “What we need to do first is gather information.”
“Information?”
“Find out as much as we can. But in order to do that, we’ll have to cooperate and lie low while we investigate this place”
Kady crinkled her brow. “So we have to do what we’re accused of doing. We have to spy on these people.”
Jake nodded and understood the danger. “As long as we stick together, we’ll be fine. We should be able to—”
A loud knock made them both jump. With a creak, the pantry door swung open, and Gaius entered. His voice was hard and unforgiving.
“Come with me,” he ordered. “The Council of Elders has decided your fate.”
All eyes turned to them as they approached. No one spoke. The silence made the air feel heavier as Tiberius stepped forward to meet them. He wore a stern, unwelcoming expression.
Uh-oh.
The Roman’s first words offered no relief. “You’ve come upon Calypsos in troubling times. Dark creatures haunt our borders. Rumors abound of even greater monstrosities deeper in the jungle, of forces building like a storm against us. So your arrival is not without suspicion.”
Jake’s stomach tightened.
“But from its founding, Calypsos has been a place of peace and welcome. And even in the face of darkness, we will not forsake all our principles. Additionally, through your strange alchemies, you saved not just one of our children—” Tiberius raised an arm toward Marika. “But you also saved my son.”
Pindor’s shoulders, already slumped, bowed even further.
Tiberius continued, “Magister Balam’s daughter has also testified as to the terror on your faces upon seeing the grakyl, one of the Skull King’s minions. She believed that fear was real.”
Jake remembered the creature pinned between the towers, writhing in midair, trying to break through. His fear had been real all right. Jake glanced over to Marika, silently thanking her for supporting their story. She glanced shyly down to her toes.