Leoake wasn’tmuch of a host. He commanded her not to touch anything or eat anything. Then he left, putting Fair outside in whatever forest they had landed in.
It gave Dyna time to study the Door.
A series of rope levers hung above it from the ceiling. Each one was braided with different colored sashes and decorative beads: Red, green, blue, and black. She stared at it all night until dawn broke the sky through the window.
“What are the levers for?” Dyna murmured to herself.
“They determine where the Door opens,” Azulo replied in a groggy tone. He rose from the moss bed with a yawn. “Did you sleep?”
“I’m not tired.” She scooted closer to him. “What do the colors mean?”
“Blue for Azure, black for Arthal, green for Home, and red for the In Between.” Azulo studied them warily. “The first three will only open with any portal. The In Between can only be accessed with an Elder Tree.”
“What is an Elder Tree?”
Azulo motioned to the drawing carved on the door. “Thatis an Elder Tree. It happens to any tree whose roots have grown in the veins of magic that run deep within the earth. Their magic can create a means to cross certain distances. But Leoake can turn any tree into an Elder Tree. He manipulatedthistree to function without limits. From it, he created a door that can cross continents and appear at any point he wishes by traveling through the In Between.” Azulo shuddered, and Dyna stared at him, her mind whirling. “But it’s dangerous. There are creatures that lurk there. They protect the bridges between worlds created by the Spatial God. Master can evade their attention, but so long as he does not cross more than twice.”
“Are you speaking of portals?”
“Gateways.” Azulo clarified. “The In Between is the world between worlds.”
A sudden thought whipped through Dyna sharply, and her eyes widened.
Worlds.
As in more thanone.
His next words broke goosebumps on her skin. “It’s filled with countless bridges that open to many doors … and some open to worlds we’re not meant to see.”
Dyna’s mind was reeling. “Can this Door take us to Mount Ida?”
He shook his head. “That is the one place Master’s Door will not open.”
She gaped at him. “Why?”
Azulo glanced at the window and dropped his voice to a whisper. “There is another door there. Many dire treasures hidden inside of it. The Gods wish them to remain hidden. If they knew Master could freely travel the In Between … he would be punished.”
Dyna could hardly fathom all of this. “That’s why he was so angry that I came through his Door?”
“Because he didn’t predict that happening.” Azulo fidgeted with his claws, suddenly nervous. “His most prized possession are his eyes, but even those are flawed. The Druid can see all fates but his own.”
“Why?”
“The God of Time does not permit it…”
Dyna pondered on that and what else Azulo could tell her. “Azulo … what does the key open?”
An anxious expression flitted across his features. He opened his mouth, but he couldn’t answer. Not that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t. He must be under some sort of spell to protect his Master’s secrecy,
“You have the scroll,” Azulo blurted, and sweat sprouted on his skin as if it cost him to say even that.
Dyna withdrew the green leather case and took out the key’s scroll. He gave her a look, then glanced at the fire. Hesitantly, she held it over the flames. Letters slowly appeared on the page.
Seek a key and make your claim
but beware the door untamed.
Cross into realms of old,
