Heading there now.
Hope suddenly stiffened on her shoulder; she felt the claws of his tiny feet pressing into her collarbone as he pushed himself off her shoulder, taking to air at speed. He headed directly toward Severn.
Bellusdeo’s eyes shaded to a darker orange. “There is never a moment’s peace when you’re around, is there?”
Kaylin shrugged. “For the record, none of this stuff is started by me. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
“I’m not complaining,” the Dragon replied, her smile showing decidedly sharp canines. “It’s never boring.”
“Have you seen a building like this before?”
“In this exact shape? No. But if Severn hasn’t found an entrance on any of the outward facing sides, I’ve seen something similar.”
“What?”
“A very large coffin, in essence.”
“A...coffin. Like, the kind you put dead bodies in.”
“Yes.”
“Because dead bodies need more room.”
“Don’t ask me. It’s not the way we honor our dead—but you’d find that disturbing.”
“I don’t think we’re going to be worried about coffins. Unless it’s our own.” She clenched her jaw.
“Magic?”
“My arms are beginning to ache.”
Whatever you find, pay attention to Hope. He flew off in your direction. Bellusdeo and I will come around the other side; I’ll let you know if it has a door, and we’ll regroup at the back of the building.
Severn didn’t reply. She could feel his presence; they hadn’t been cut off by any of the bizarre dislocations that could happen within Hallionne and other sentient buildings.
There were no doors on the right side of the building. There were no doors on the back of it, either. There was, however, something in the middle of an otherwise featureless stone wall: an eye. At first glance, the eye appeared to be carved in relief. But that first glance became a second one when the stone lid blinked, and the curve of lashes both closed and opened.
“Magic,” Kaylin said.
“You think?” Bellusdeo took a step toward that eye, and Hope got in her face. Literally.
Severn was nowhere to be seen.
“He’s not on the other side of the building, is he?”
No.
“Is this eye some sort of warped portal?”
Yes.
“Do you know where it goes?”
Silence.
“Come back and lend me your wing.” Hope checked to make certain that Bellusdeo didn’t approach the eye a second time. He then alighted on Kaylin’s shoulder, but he was ramrod straight and tense. She could feel a slight tremor in the wing that now rested against her upper face.
She examined the eye at a safe distance, which would be the same distance that Hope had demanded Bellusdeo keep.
