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‘Keely,’ he said suddenly, standing very still, ‘I think maybe we’ve been overthinking this. You said Lyrica normally used her own design of cards, not the traditional tarot she left for you. Maybe she didn’t attach any deeper meaning to those cards. Maybe she meant us to take them at face value.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Sky asked, confused.
Jethro gave a whoop of excitement. ‘Of course! The tower and the pentacle!’ He grinned round at us all. ‘What are we standing in right now?’
‘A classroom?’ Star ventured.
‘A tower!’ Keely cried. ‘And the ace of pentacles—she means the Silver Pentacle Key, doesn’t she? She’s trying to tell us the key is in this tower. I’m sure of it!’
‘But where?’
We all gazed around us as if the key would magically dangle from the ceiling in front of our faces.
Then it seemed one thought seemed to occur to us all at the same time.
‘The second floor,’ Killian said. ‘You said you could never find it, but what if…’
‘How?’ Keely asked. ‘How do we get up there?’
‘It has to be down to you, Wulfram,’ I said. ‘Come on, you’re the Great Guardian. If anyone can do this it’s you.’
‘But how?’
‘I don’t know.’ I shrugged, even as a thought struck me. ‘How do we transport ourselves? Fae, I mean.’
‘We think the words,’ he said. ‘It isn’t difficult.’
‘Then maybe you could try that?’ Jethro suggested. ‘Just think the words: second floor.’
Wulfram nodded. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’ve thought them. Now what?’
‘Maybe,’ Star said drily, ‘we should check the staircase.’
‘Good idea,’ Killian said laughing, and we scurried out of the classroom onto the landing. This time there were stairs going downandup.
‘They weren’t there before,’ Sky said, stating the obvious. ‘Do you think you’ve done it? Do you think the second floor is really up there?’
‘Well I can’t see any other reason for a flight of stairs, can you?’ Star said witheringly. ‘Wulfram, you should go first. You did this. We’ll be right behind you.’
Wulfram headed slowly up the stairs and turned to us. ‘There’s a door,’ he said in hushed tones.
‘Well,’ Killian said, an excited gleam in his eyes, ‘it would be really useful if you could open it.’
‘Sorry.’ Light flooded the stairs as he pushed the door open, and we heard him gasp. ‘You’d better come up.’
We all followed him as he walked into the room, but we quickly drew to a halt as we saw what was in there.
‘How…’ Jethro rubbed the back of his head in bewilderment. ‘How does this even fit in here? How is this room so much bigger than the one below it?’
‘Look at it! It’s beautiful,’ Harley breathed.
‘You know what this is, don’t you?’ Killian said, watching Wulfram closely.
Wulfram moved forward slowly and stretched out a hand, lightly touching the polished wooden table, a look of pure reverence on his face.
‘I know,’ he whispered. ‘And look what’s waiting for us.’
A large, carved dragon adorned the centre of the table, and lying on top of it the Silver Pentacle Key gleamed brightly. It had been right here all the time. Lyrica hadn’t let us down after all. Carefully, Wulfram picked it up and held it for a moment, before putting it in his pocket next to the Golden Chalice Key.
