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Dres picked up a piece of crystal and pocketed it. I raised an eyebrow as he looked over at me. "They seem important. I don't want them to get lost."
I nodded, unsure what they were, but I trusted him so I turned and headed toward the front of the temple again. The only problem was the gap in the floor. The same one I'd fallen down when I'd tried to jump it before.
"Up and over?" Niall asked, sensing my hesitation.
"Please. I know for a fact that I can't make that jump." I tried to laugh, but it came out slightly strangled as the memory of falling to was I was sure at the time was going to be my death filled my mind. Niall wrapped his arms around me so tightly that I struggled to breathe as he took to the air before gently placing me down on the other side.
Without needing to be asked, he went back and did the same thing for Finn, Griff, and even Kai, so my shifter didn't have to waste energy just to get over the gap. Finally, he called to Dres, who was still picking up bits of crystal. "Are you coming, brother?"
"Yeah, I'll be right there." Dres pocketed another shard of the purple-tinted glass or whatever it was and began to head toward us.
When he was safely on this side, I pulled the bands off my arms and legs, letting my dragons fly free as I pulled the stones free. The four rocks sat in my hand like they were nothing, yet when I thought about everything I'd been through to get them, it seemed like there should be something...more about them.
"I guess I'm going to put them in the statue?" I wondered aloud. My dragons fluttered around me, and I couldn't help but wonder if they were trying to encourage me somehow, but with all of them out and all of the magic that was flowing in the temple, there was a strange sensation building within me, as though I was stretched too thin.
I focused on my breath and used my stomach instead of my chest, so I didn't hyperventilate as I stepped toward the statue and inserted the stones one after the other like missing puzzle pieces. Each one slotted into its designated place with ease and was held there without issue, which surprised me. Part of me expected they would fall out as the stature looked like the weather had eaten away at it.
When I put the last one in, I expected something to happen. Anything. After all, when I put the stone from Atlantis in last time, there had been sparks, then Laelak showed up and offered to take it from me.
There was nothing, though.
No sparks. No elder dragon. No shiver of magic. No creeping sensation of caretakers coming to talk to me. Just some rocks sitting in a statue.
"Nothing's happening," I hissed over my shoulder, hoping the guys might have some bright idea of what to do next.
When none of them responded, I turned to look at them, even though I was scared to take my gaze off the stones themselves, somehow worried they might disappear if I wasn't watching them. They were all looking at each other, just as perplexed as I was.
Dres was the only one who looked thoughtful, so I wasn't surprised when he stepped forward and said, "I have an idea."
"Okay, what do I do?" I asked, eager to try something else.
He dropped to the floor and dug the crystal shards from his pocket, spreading them out until he got them in a specific order. "I think these are words."
Finn approached and looked over his shoulder. "It's old Atlantean," Finn agreed.
I wanted to both cheer and groan. "But none of us speak old Atlantean, do we?"
"Maybe your dragons do?" Niall suggested.
They all swooped down and landed by the shards, chirping at one another. "Do you know what this means? What do I have to do to get this to work?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.
All four of them looked up at me, studying me with their bright eyes that looked like chips of gemstones. They blinked at me in unison a few times, which was eerie, before rearranging the shards and pushing them together in a different order.
When all the shards were where the baby dragons wanted them, they each took turns blowing fire onto the glass or whatever it was. The symbols inside began to shimmer and shift until they became something I could understand.
Dres and I both gasped, and the others immediately peered over our shoulders. "Say it," Dres encouraged.
"By the power of the stones, I summon the magic, and I summon the guardian. I present myself as the key with the answer to unlock the realms." The words seemed to hang in the air before me as I spoke them before a great crack sounded, and Laelak appeared before me, his blue and white scales still just as hypnotizing as before.
We all dropped to our knees, and my dragons spread their wings and lowered their heads in a show of what I could only assume was respect or submission. At least they weren't terrified like my Atlantean dragon had been last time.
Stand, Daughter of Eve. You've returned, and you bring with you all the stones. An impressive feat.
I do,I replied mentally as I pushed to stand.I've returned to where it all began and have the answer required.
I had no idea why I sounded so formal, but it seemed appropriate, given the circumstances. He padded over to the statue and sniffed each stone before looking down at the young dragons.
You have done well, young ones. You may return to the key or our realm, whichever you prefer.
